Welcome to my blog where you have the opportunity to read about the science behind some of your favourite sports. I specialise in writing about the science of sport in a way that is easy to read and understand. Most of the posts are articles that I have published in a range of Australian sporting magazines. The articles combine the current scientific knowlege behind the topic with comments from experts from both scientific and sporting persepectives.
If there were an occupation that was found to reduce your life expectancy by almost three years for every year you worked - yet it brought fulfillment, fame, glory, comradery, money, adoration and you loved nothing more than to do it - would you still choose to? This article by CBSSports.com National Columnist Gregg Doyel explains how a report published in the St. Petersburg Times in 2006 claimed this to be the case for NFL players.
Professor Allan Hahn is known as the Grandfather of Australian Sports Science and a true visionary. This article details the processes Professor Hahn views as intrinsic to the development of high performance athletes and his thoughts on the role and the future of technology in high-performance sport.
If you're looking for insight into a side of football not often discussed, then look no further. This article details the wonderful work of the AFLPA in preparing rookie AFL players for the stresses of life as an AFL player and beyond. The Playwell program helps players to develop resiliance and healthy coping strategies to see them through. Former Hawthorn President Jeff Kennett shares his thoughts on the number one stress facing players and Heath Black talks candidly about his experiences as an AFL player suffering mental illness and how he is overcoming the challenges of Bipolar II Disorder and Adult ADHD.
Concussion remains the most topical medical issue in contact sports such as Rugby League, AFL and NFL. Though Rugby League rules around concussion have changed, there is still a way to go before the culture catches up.
Anyone with a passing interest in Australian football will know the AFL Grand Final is unlike any other game of the season.
There’s more hype, more expectation, more emotional investment from players and fans when it comes to the big day.
But the game itself is also quite different, as are each of the games in the finals series.
But why?
I’d argue it’s more than just an intangible sense of occasion. I have collected data that show AFL players run faster, harder and further during finals matches than at any other time during the season.
Tracking performance
Australian football is a highly intermittent sport, requiring athletes to accelerate hundreds of times with repeated bouts of high-intensity running.
It’s also a contact sport. Its players need a blend of physiological capacities – the chief one being endurance, but also strength power, speed and agility.
Players need to maintain or develop these capacities over the course of a long competitive season with a view to peaking for finals games.
AAP/Joe Castro
In my study – the first to examine the running demands of finals games – player movement was recorded using GPS trackers and expressed per period of the match (rotation), for total distance, high-intensity running and maximal accelerations (the fastest speed at which a player can take off).
Eight Australian footballers participated in this study – each a registered player with an elite Australian club. I can’t tell you who they were, but they would be very well known to fans.
Information was included for the same eight players in three regular season games against the same opponents during finals in the 2008 AFL season. Each player played the same strategic role during each of these games.
Distance runners
During finals games, players covered on average 11% more total distance, and the greatest increases in total occurred during rotations in the second half of matches.
Not only did players spend a greater amount of time running at moderate to high speeds – but they also had to accelerate hard at these speeds. That is, players accelerated more often from a higher velocity, with less time between accelerations.
In finals games, the extra distance covered during maximal accelerations was approximately 450 metres. The elite AFL players in this study required an additional 410 kilojules of energy during finals as a result of these increases in acceleration alone.
The players undertook approximately 9% more high-intensity running during finals games, for an average game total of approximately 3,500 metres per person.
So how did the players feel about all this extra strain?
I measured their reaction to the increased workload by asking them to rate their effort. This measure, known as “rating of perceived exertion”, quantifies how athletes perceive their workout.
They reported feeling the same amount of exertion after a finals match as they did after a season match, which indicates training had led to increased aerobic capacity.
Conditioning
Players can be effectively conditioned to cope with increased demands, even during a long competitive season.
Elite Australian footballers undertake a lengthy and rigorous pre-season training regime.
AAP Image/Martin Philbey
Typically, the training year is divided into the general preparatory phase (November and December), the specific preparatory phase (January to early February), the pre-competition (February and March) and competition phases (March through September).
Most physical development of players is therefore complete by the commencement of the competitive season.
Various training regimes for enhancing the aerobic conditioning for team sport athletes have been attempted, ranging from traditional aerobic interval training and classical team sport conditioning. Such regimes were defined in a recent review as the integration of strength, power, speed and aerobic conditioning.
A question of tempo
It’s also possible that the different running demands observed in finals were due to a different game tempo. This could be related to tactical and strategic differences on the part of the coaches during these games.
In my applied experience, the opposing team affects the tempo of the game more than the type of game played.
It’s also possible athletes played to a higher percentage of their individual physical capacity during finals games. But this is by its nature difficult to quantify, and there is no strong evidence for it.
The total load was not seen as different between regular season and finals games, indicating an equal perception of effort for players across both of these game types.
Players had a similar decline in running performance from the start to the end of the game whether in season or finals games, indicating similar levels of fatigue, and seemingly not related to any difference in effort.
There can only be speculation regarding the reason for players' enhanced physical capacities in finals games, as no physiological testing has been undertaken to determine the specific mechanisms involved.
And so how will my study help AFL players and coaches?
Fitness and coaching staff can successfully manipulate training to condition athletes for increases in both the total distances run, and the number of high-intensity activities players will need to undertake during finals games in the weeks preceding those games.
Such knowledge, at this level of the sport, could make all the difference.
Over the years there has been a lot of speculation by fans, media and even clubs over the conditions of different football grounds and possible contribution to player injury. What does the research say? This feature was originally published in Inside Football Magazine on June 30, 2010.
The intense public interest in protective headgear following recent cases of high-profile AFL players sustaining concussion and other head or face injuries, is understandable.
Unfortunately we have limited knowledge of the effectiveness of helmets because so little research on the question has been conducted. Neither is there a great deal of information on the long-term effects of sport-related concussion.
But some evidence is now emerging that the cumulative effects of repeated concussions may increase the likelihood of cognitive impairment later in life.
A recent US study shows that retired professional American gridiron players with a history of repeated concussions are five times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment compared with retirees without a history of concussion.
The same researchers also reported that retired players with a history of repeated concussion were three times more likely to be diagnosed with clinical depression compared with retired players without a history of concussion.
Only a small percentage of athletes with a history of repeat concussion appear to suffer long-term problems and identifying those athletes at future risk of neurological impairment is currently not possible.
So can helmets reduce the concussion rate in Australian footballers? Laboratory studies carried out at in the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Victoria University tested the shock absorbing ability of a range of “padded” helmets that could be used in the various football codes.
For sports like Australian Rules football, the helmet can’t have a hard outer shell because it would then pose a potential impact hazard to other players. The testing involved an artificial head with internal sensors that measured the shock absorption of the helmets during drop-tests simulating the impact energy likely to produce a concussion.
It was found that only one of the seven helmets tested was likely to reduce the risk of head injury and this helmet had the thickest padding and foam density.
Based on the laboratory results, most padded helmets were not thick enough or firm enough to significantly reduce injury risk, but one was adequate. This result was promising but laboratory-based findings provide low-level evidence as to the effectiveness in actually reducing the sport injury rate.
What we need is research conducted on the field with players in league games along with laboratory testing of new helmets.
This high-level evidence is not available because there have been no controlled, long-term studies comparing the injury rates of football players wearing helmets with those not wearing helmets.
A recent study on the effectiveness of padded helmets in young rugby players concluded that the helmets did not reduce the rate of head injury or concussion but the compliance rate was low – there is a reluctance to voluntarily wear protective headgear.
This is one of the major obstacles to conducting prospective studies into the effectiveness of non-mandatory protective equipment.
A group of researchers attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of helmets on community junior and senior football players but found that most of the players allocated to wear the helmets did not end up doing so. It was concluded that given the low level of support for helmets, other strategies for injury prevention needed to be explored.
There are a number of reasons why footballers resist wearing a helmet: it isn’t mandatory, cost, discomfort, weight, bulk, aesthetics, impeding temperature regulation, vision or hearing, or it may become “target” for the opposition players.
Another concern with helmets is the notion of “risk compensation” – where footballers engage in more dangerous activities because of the belief that protective equipment may make them more invincible, in effect potentially increasing their risk of injury.
Protecting one body part might increase the risk of injury to another. The small number of football players that choose to or have been “advised” to wear helmets temporarily have usually sustained a previous head injury and seem to wear the helmet during training more so than match-games.
Basically, we don’t know if helmets can reduce head injuries in football because the appropriate long-term comparative studies haven’t been conducted.
Sporting organisations may be reluctant to fund such a project – it might be perceived as an admission that the sport is hazardous and discourage participation.
Anecdotal evidence suggests some parents prefer their children play soccer rather than football because it is believed to be safer. It could be argued that the concussion rate is low in football and recent rule changes protecting head contact will reduce the likelihood of head injuries.
The latest available AFL injury data indicated that the concussion rate at the elite level was about one newly concussed player per team every two seasons, but this figure may be misleading because a concussion was only recorded if it caused a player to miss a future match.
We need to fund research into all these areas in our efforts to minimise head injuries and the long-term effects of concussion.
Vanessa Chaganti, Graduate researcher at NICTA Leif Hanlen, Director of E-Health Business at NICTA
For Olympic swimmers, the blink of an eye can be the difference between first and forgotten. Everyone wants an edge, which is why elite athletes train relentlessly and why coaches push them hard. Alongside traditional techniques, wearable smart devices are now helping save those vital milliseconds.
The full article can be read at The Conversation and describes the use of these tiny devices, each containing a microcomputer, that collect and transmit important data for athletes and coaches.
The Clearinghouse for Sport, has been established to facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge across the sport sector and all levels of Australian governments. It's easy to apply for membership - check it out!
The AFL Community Club is an excellent resource that I strongly encourage community football clubs to avail themselves to.
The online resource provides extensive information and advice on managing your club, how to become a coach, coaching skills and drills, injury management, fitness, nutrition, participation pathway, female football resources, multicultural and indigenous football pathways, becoming an umpire, umpire education, umpire coach education, laws of the game, becoming a volunteer, recognition of volunteers and more.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and begins on Friday 20th July, 2012, one week before the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games. Ramadan is a period of prayer, resisting temptation and fasting from food, drink and sex during daylight hours. Muslims are also encouraged to be charitable during Ramadan. The period of Ramadan in 2012 encompasses the entire Olympic Games calendar and could have a great impact on the performances of thousands of Muslim competitors from many countries. The following two articles address this topical issue.
Force platforms built into the starting blocks and walls of the AIS Technology Pool are enabling AIS Sports Scientists train our relay swimmers to peak performance as we approach the 2012 London Olympic Games. The technology allows the collection of important data regarding times for relay changeovers, turns, starts, and swim speed. Once collected, data is displayed on plasma screens for scrutiny and analysis by Aquatic Testing, Training and Research Staff. This data combined with video footage of swimmers gives the Sports Scientists and coaching staff the information they need to improve swimmers race times and relay skills so our Aussie swimmers continue to produce extraordinary performances.
Concussion is arguably the most topical issues in the AFL this year, especially given the changes to the interchange rules. Do the AFL need to add a concussion substitute? Do helmets help prevent concussion? When should a concussed player return to training and sport? Find out all of the answers to these questions and more in the 'Head Cases' article, first featured in the August 3, 2011 edition of Inside Football Magazine.
Academics all over the world have been working tirelessly for years developing evidence based injury prevention programs. After all of their hard work, what is the best approach to ensure that this vital information can be used by the people working closely with athletes?
This blog entry is inspired by an article which addresses an important question in the field of injury research. The article is entitled 'Preventing lower limb injuries: Is the latest evidence being translated into the football field?' It was published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 12 (2009), 452 - 456, by authors Twomey, D., Finch, C., Roediger, E., and Lloyd, D. G.
Academics spend years and plenty of $ working hard to firstly identify the extent of an injury problem, determine the factors and mechanisms which play a role in the occurrence of the sports injury, and developing preventative measures which can then be evaluated for their effectiveness (as described by the 'sequence of injury prevention' by Van Mechelen et al.,(1992)).
The authors of the above named article report that there is accumulating international evidence that lower limb injuries in sport can be prevented through targeted training that incorporates structured warm-up, balance training, side-stepping/cutting skills and jump/landing training. All coaches from the nine Sydney Australian Football League Premier Division teams completed a questionnaire about their knowledge and behaviours in relation to delivering training programs, including their uptake of the latest scientific evidence for injury prevention. Questionnaires were validated by direct observation of coach-delivered training sessions. From the evidence collected, the authors concluded that current football training sessions do not give adequate attention to the development of skills most likely to reduce the risk of lower limb injury in players.
So why aren't the coaches getting the message? In the AFL, whole Sports Science departments in most clubs are all over the current literature and many Sports Science staff travel overseas to observe international practices. In other divisions of football, who is responsible for staying abreast of the latest findings? The paper reported that the responsibility for injury management in the SAFL clubs who were part of this study tended to rest with club medical support staff but for reasons unknown, the information isn't being translated to the coaches and staff who can put it into practice.
The authors raise the important question of how then, is important injury prevention information best disseminated to coaches?
Professor Caroline Finch from Monash University, Australia, one of the authors of the above mentioned paper is also one of an expert group of academics undertaking a large study to address that very question. The objective of the 1.7 million dollar research project is to develop and deliver a sports safety programme and evaluate the resources needed for its effective uptake in community sport.
After development and refinement of evidence-based safety guidelines for lower limb injury in Australian Football, a delivery plan for this information will be developed. Outcomes will be evaluated across three delivery modes over 2 years.
Mode 1: Football League 1 will receive a supported evidence-based injury prevention program. The support for the program will be informed by an earlier phase of the project but is expected to include written and electronic resources, telephone support, visits by the research team, direct assistance with programme delivery for a limited number of training sessions and education of coaches and club personnel.
Mode 2: Football League 2 will receive the evidence-based injury prevention program with minimal implementation advice and no support.
Mode 3: Football League 3 will not receive the program but will have their current practices monitored to provide a baseline against which to compare injury prevention outcomes from Leagues 1 and 2.
The project is underway and is scheduled for completion in 2014. The bottom line is, researchers know these injury prevention programs work, but these programs are no good if no one actually does them. This project aims to ensure that upon completion, there is a definitive answer as to how to get this important information to the people who are best placed to use it.
The SCAT2 is a standardised method of evaluating injured athletes for concussion and can be used in athletes aged from 10 years and older. This assessment tool is used in many elite sports including in Rugby League, the AFL and the NFL. Please download and distribute freely to personnel involved in the care of injured athletes.
This document was developed by an expert panel for use by physicians, therapists, athletic trainers, health professionals, coaches and other people involved in the care of injured athletes, recreational or professional.
The Consensus Statement details important information on acute simple concussion and assessment, return to play issues and protocols, complex concussion and long-term issues and paediatric concussion, amongst other pertinant information.
Readers are encouraged to freely copy and distribute this document and the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT2) card and neither is subject to any copyright restriction. The authors do request, however that the document and/or the SCAT2 be distributed in their full and complete format.
Hamstring strains continue to be the most common injury in the AFL and other sports around the world where fast acceleration and sprinting are integral to the game. Years of research and loads of money have been poured into finding an answer to this perplexing injury so why they as common now as they were 10 years ago? Also, could Matty Lloyd have avoided his season ending hamstring strain in Round 3 2006? Check out this article to find out.
This feature was originally published in the May 18, 2011 issue of Inside Football Magazine.
Hawks fans were left wondering when their beloved 2008 Premiers failed to even make the eight in 2009. Check out this article featuring an interview with Hawks head fitness coach Andrew Russell to gain some insight into why.
This article was originally featured in Inside Football Magazine in January 2010.
PICTURE this… you’re relaxing at home watching Geelong battle it out against Carlton at the ‘G. Ablett intercepts a long bomb in the back pocket and tears down the wing with Judd chasing him. On your screen you can see that Ablett is accelerating and reaches a top speed of 30 kmh, just eluding Judd, who can manage a top speed of only 28 kmh. Meanwhile, you compare the heart rates of both players and the distance they have each run in the game to that point. This describes just a fraction of the broadcasting potential with the use of Global Positioning System. Check out this article from Inside Football to learn more. This was originally published in Inside Football Magazine on March 17, 2011.
AFL football takes a huge toll on players both physically and psychologically. Intelligent recovery strategies are crucial for players to be able to front up in optimal condition week in and week out. Check out this article to find out more.
This article was originally published in Inside Football Magazine on 16th September, 2009.
Who do you think would be more accurate at hitting an Olympic Archery Target, an Olympic Archer or an NFL Quarterback? Take a look at this link to find out.....
New AFL funded research headed up by Collingwood's David Buttifant and Jason Berry shows that rookie AFL players are 14.3 times more likely to miss a match because of injury than more experienced players. Is it because they are just too developmentally immature in their first year or is there more to it? Read on to find out! (Document loaded as two separate pages.)
This article was originally published in the March 16, 2011 edition of Inside Football Magazine.
