What are the key benefits of using the Sprint Mechanics Assessment Score (S-MAS) in team sports performance? The Sprint Mechanics Assessment Score (S-MAS) provides an objective and reliable method to assess sprint mechanics, a topic that is often debated due to the subjective nature of what constitutes “correct” or “incorrect” sprint form. Chris Bramah and…
“Have we done too much today?” “What do we need to do to keep the players fit and fresh?” Common conversation starters between performance, medical, and technical staff across all sports. Objective data helps support and inform practitioners of their next steps, whether that’s for full team training or individual rehab and return to play.…
The entire multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is essential in the 72 hours after an injury to capture relevant information around the athlete and injury before setting out a plan. Once they set up a return to play plan, the MDT should identify any potential barriers or constraints that may crop up during the process and, just…
Archery poses unique challenges for strength & conditioning coaches due to its unconventional physical demands. Traditional strength diagnostics often fall short in assessing the specific capacities that underpin performance in this niche sport. The physical requirements of archery can seem low for someone who has never competed in the sport. However, when you start to…
This Live focuses on implementing isometric testing and training and features three experts in this area, Alex Natera, Danny Lum, and Matt Taberner. We will cover: Why isometrics is getting so much interest across lots of applications The development of run-specific isometrics How and why to target sport specific positions with isometric training Using isometric training in…
With the stakes around professional, collegiate, and even youth sports higher than ever, investment in athletes is growing significantly. One common area is athlete monitoring to enhance injury prevention and performance. Practitioners use a multitude of tools such as readiness questionnaires, force plate metrics, omega wave analysis, and GPS tracking to make informed decisions on…
If practitioners want to use IMUs that the athletes wear at the thoracic spine to look at metrics related to fatigue, what metrics can they have confidence in? GPS units with IMUs can detect changes in movement strategy caused by fatigue. Examining individual accelerometer vectors, like PlayerLoad, helps identify fatigue that doesn’t show in distance…
Fatigue is a general lack of alertness and degradation in mental and physical performance. The US Federal Aviation Administration classifies fatigue as transient, cumulative or circadian. Transient fatigue is acute fatigue brought on by extreme sleep restriction or extended awake hours over 1-2 days. Cumulative fatigue follows extreme sleep restriction over multiple days. Circadian fatigue…
Why has there been such a resurgence in interest in isometric training and testing over recent years? Technological advancements have a lot to do with it, particularly the increased accessibility and affordability of force plates. This shift has allowed high level sports teams to readily integrate force plate data into their performance analysis and training…
Presentation description At Sportsmith we want to hear from the “doers”, not the “tellers”. And this presentation is certainly delivered by a “doer”. Yoeri Pegel presents his thoughts and practices on jump and plyometric training in team sports. Yoeri starts by taking us through his process of reverse engineering the sports demands – sports demands…
Isometric strength training (IST) is all the rage in our industry, and deservedly so. But we must keep in mind that IST is nothing new. Our profession is simply, finally, approaching it in a systematic manner. This leaves many coaches wanting to know how IST can benefit their athletes and their performance program; and the…
Athletes must produce a large horizontal ground reaction force (GRF) in order to sprint quickly, especially in the acceleration phase [1-5]. Producing the necessary GRF requires a high functioning hip extension capacity [3-9]. Hip extension torque becomes more important as acceleration and velocity demands increase during running [10-12]. The hip extensors are almost the only…
Considering the importance of football goalkeepers, they’ve been somewhat overlooked by the research community. Similarly, despite the essential role that they play, many goalkeepers still find themselves following physical development programs designed for the other, quite different positions. The unique demands of goalkeeping, governed by distinct rules, deserve more attention. Understanding what goalkeepers must do…
Why is training deceleration important from both performance and injury risk reduction perspectives? Alistair: Understanding the significance of training deceleration is paramount in sports performance and injury prevention strategies. Horizontal deceleration, the process of slowing down before a sprint or a precursor to changes in direction, is a critical component of athletic movement in team…
“Isometric training, when applied correctly, can unlock new levels of strength and performance, particularly in sport-specific contexts.” d In episode 332 of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Danny Lum, the head of strength conditioning at the Singapore Sport Institute, shares his thoughts, experiences and research on isometric strength training for sports performance. Danny offers unique insights…