Body Composition.
Body composition is important, it’s the build of your body and the ratios of fat : muscle : bone. Generally, an athlete would be a Mesomorph (a muscular build with a generic build of wide shoulders and narrow hips, not much body fat and they tend to have strong arms and thighs), this would support all the training needed to become whatever games player you intended to become. In rounders, body composition is important because if you haven’t got the right body shape, it could affect your performance by decreasing all your fitness components which would essentially make you unfit to play rounders or any game without becoming out of breath easily.
As a batter, hitting the ball well is what you generally aim for, you have to pay attention to your surroundings and what all the players are doing, particularly the bowler. Each player from the batting team will take it in turn to bat. They will try to hit it as far as they can in order to make rounders by running round the posts. The techniques that are used in batting are the following:
Grip.
When batting you should have a good firm grip round the handle with one hand. The top of the bat should be pointing towards the sky. All fingers should be round the handle.
Bat up high.
The bat should be held up high so that when you go to swing for the ball it will be a good and strong one.
Tactical awareness.
To be a good batter you must have good tactical awareness so you should look round the field for any gaps that aren't covered or anyone who isn’t paying attention to the progression of the game.
A successful performance will be achieved by having all of the fitness components already mentioned contributing. As long as each fitness component has been honed to suit the player and the position they play in the game, it will enhance their performance to make it successful.
Rules and Regulations.
Games are played between 2 teams of between 6 and 15 players.
Bowlers must bowl under arm at a height between the knee and head of the batter and without letting the ball bounce, go wide or go straight at the bowler. It should be bowled towards the batter’s bat. It is a foul ball if it goes straight at the batter, goes wide, bounces or if its too high or low.
A rounder is scored if the fourth post is reached without getting stumped out, before another ball is bowled or if the fourth post is reached on a no ball.
A half rounder is scored if the fourth post is reached without hitting the ball, if the second post is reached after hitting the ball, if a fielder obstructs you whilst your running or if there are two consecutive no balls.
You are classed as out when you are caught out by a fielder, if you are stumped out at a post before reaching it or if you run inside a post.
Also, you can also be stumped out if you don’t remain in contact with the post that you are at, you cannot run in between posts if the bowler has the ball and is in their square, also, if you over take one of your teammates in front of you, you’ve automatically got them out. You cannot have more than one batter at each post, the one who was there first would be classed as out. Lastly, you must touch the fourth post on getting home, or else you could be stumped out and lose whatever score you might have got.
Main Skill Components Needed in Rounders
Batting.
Bowling.
Catching.
Throwing.
Batting in rounders is important because if you are unable to bat properly, there is a larger possibility that you won’t be able to score in the game.
Bowling in rounders is an important skill in rounders because not being able to bowl properly can cost you points, you can also put spins on the ball to make it easier for the batter to lose points. This relates back to hand eye co-ordination, using your hands and eyes effectively to bowl the ball or hit the ball with the bat.
Catching is an important skill component as well as a fitness component because you need to be quick and efficient and in addition, hand eye co-ordination is also needed to play rounders.
Throwing is an important skill component in rounders because you need to be able to throw the ball to each player quickly and efficiently in order to score points in a rounders game.
All of these skill components are essential because if (for example) you have a person who is able to play a game of rounders using the skill components of throwing, batting and bowling but is not so good at catching they will obviously not perform as well as someone who is good at all these fitness and skill components; throwing, catching, bowling and batting. This is why all the named skill components are needed in order to play a game of rounders effectively and successfully.
Section 2
Identify and Describe in Detail the Strength of the Player/ Participant and the Effects these have on Performance.
Leonie Martin –
Leonie Martin has the strength of the three out of four skill components; she is able to bat the ball really well and as a result of this, she can hit consistently and hit far. Therefore she scores rounders and half rounders. Her Strengths are in batting, bowling and throwing, however, she is unable to perform the skill component of catching very well.
To play extremely well in a game of rounders, you would need to have strength in all four of the skill components;
Batting,
Bowling,
Catching and Throwing in addition to all of the fitness components;
Agility,
Balance,
Co-Ordination (Hand Eye Co-Ordination) and speed.
Section 3
Identify and Describe in Detail the Weakness of the Player/ Paticipant and the Effects these have on have on Performance.
Leonie Martin’s Weaknesses:
Leonie Martin’s weaknesses take center stage when it comes to the skill component of catching. This is the part of the rounders game that she needs to work on and improve the most – if she were to be put on a base, that’s when she would need to catch properly and it would count the most.
How this affects Leonie Martin’s Performance:
This would affect Leonie Martin’s game due to her positioning. She wouldn’t be able to aid the team as best as she could if she were put on a base. Leonie’s position is on first base and for her to successfully fulfill the demands of being on first base she would have to catch and throw quickly and efficiently to either receive the ball and stump the post off to execute the ball or throw off to another post or the bowler.
Section 4
Suggest what Training Practices might be used to Maintain the Strengths but in particular, to Address the Weaknesses that you have Identified.
Drill 1.
Drill 1.
This drill consists of two teams; each team is told to set up a rounders pitch or a rounders game as fast as they can. This will allow each team and all the players participating to get familiar with the set up of a rounders pitch and will also learn to set one up quickly and conveniently.
Drill 2.
Drill 2.
In this drill an assortment of catches and throws will allow each player to exercise and enhance their throwing and catching skills and also learn the position they would be on the pitch if they were playing as the backstop, on first base or as the bowler. This drill will also teach the players to judge how much strength to put behind the ball, where the person who has the ball should throw to judging on the positions of all the other players and learn to aim accurately.
Drill 3.
Drill 3.
This exercise will test the agility of the players, it will also test their speed and reaction time when stimulated by an instruction. The players have to sprint around all four bases, but when the instructor shouts ‘stop’, the players have to go to the nearest base; however, they cannot run backwards or run past another player, or else they disqualify that player or themselves by doing so. This exercise will simulate how a batter would react once they’ve hit the ball and how they should run and pay attention to the whereabouts of the ball. Once they’ve gone past a base, they cannot go back – this will also drum into the players that they should never run back to a base once they’ve passed it, it would cause them to be disqualified.
Section 5
As a 6 week training practice programme that could be used to improve overall performance I have decided to use a Circuit Training sequence, the Illinois Agility Run Test and FartlekTraining.
Day 1
Warm up;
3 sets of 5 – 10 star jumps
Circuit;
Station 1; 3 sets of 5 – 10 Sit ups/ Press Ups
Station 2; 3 sets of 5 – 10
Station 3; 5 sets of 5m sprints
Station 4; standing stork test for 2 minutes straight
Station 5; jog on the treadmill for 2 minutes straight
Station 6; juggle 3 balls for 2 minutes
Station 7; 1 minute of continuous sprint skipping on the spot
Cool Down;
Walk around the outside of the stations of the circuit for 10 minutes, until heart rate comes down and breathing returns to normal.
Day 2
Warm up;
2 – 4 levels of the bleep test.
Illinois Agility Run Test;
5 reps of the whole test, continually looping round.
Pair up, throw a rounders ball to each other and each time it is caught, both take a step out – see how far apart you can be before you can’t catch or throw the ball without it bouncing.
Cool Down;
Juggle 3 balls for 3 minutes and then walk for 10 minutes until heart rate and breathing have come back to normal.
Day 3
Warm up;
3 reps of 5 – 10 star jumps
Fartlek Training;
Do 6 minutes (2 reps) of Speed Play; where you start off jogging at 50% for 30metres, then you sprint for 10metres, walk briskly for 10metres, jog at 70% for 30metres, sprint for 30metres then walk for10metres, jog at 70% for 10metres then sprint the last 30metres – rectangle shape.
Cool Down;
Walk around the whole area for 10minutes.
Day 4
Warm up;
3 sets of 5 – 10 star jumps
Circuit;
Station 1; 3 sets of 5 – 10 Sit ups/ Press Ups
Station 2; 3 sets of 5 – 10
Station 3; 5 sets of 5m sprints
Station 4; standing stork test for 2 minutes straight
Station 5; jog on the treadmill for 2 minutes straight
Station 6; juggle 3 balls for 2 minutes
Station 7; 1 minute of continuous sprint skipping on the spot
Cool Down;
Walk around the outside of the stations of the circuit for 10 minutes, until heart rate comes down and breathing returns to normal.
Day 5
Day 2
Warm up;
2 – 4 levels of the bleep test.
Illinois Agility Run Test;
5 reps of the whole test, continually looping round.
Pair up, throw a rounders ball to each other and each time it is caught, both take a step out – see how far apart you can be before you can’t catch or throw the ball without it bouncing.
Cool Down;
Juggle 3 balls for 3 minutes and then walk for 10 minutes until heart rate and breathing have come back to normal.
Day 6
Rest Day.
Day 7
Warm up;
3 reps of 5 – 10 star jumps
Fartlek Training;
Do 6 minutes (2 reps) of Speed Play; where you start off jogging at 50% for 30metres, then you sprint for 10metres, walk briskly for 10metres, jog at 70% for 30metres, sprint for 30metres then walk for10metres, jog at 70% for 10metres then sprint the last 30metres – rectangle shape.
Cool Down;
Walk around the whole area for 10minutes also stretch to relieve strain and to prevent blood from pooling and it gets rid of lactic acid.
As the players gradually increase in fitness, you increase the reps gradually however, because they are not professionals and only 15 years old; they would not need to include OVERLOAD too harshly into their programme; only increase gradually and push them harder as they get fitter, but only slightly so that they can handle however far you push them mentally and physically. Reduce the rest period between each station on the circuit by two seconds each week so that at the end of six weeks, they have a ten second gap between each station rather then twenty two seconds.Also, to make the routines less boring, the instructor or whoever is out with the players can mix up the days so they don’t always stay in a set day routine; it would get boring. To also make it less boring, use different terrains; maybe one day use Astroturf and on another day maybe mud; to make them concentrate on what they are doing.
Section 6
Height and Weight
Height and weight can affect people by bringing their self esteem down, making them less sociable. If a person is over weight, they should be encouraged to do more activity; peers and friends or family may put you down which would not encourage someone to lose weight, it would make them fall into themselves more and maybe eat more. If a person was very short, they could be bullied for being so short which would also not encourage them to take part in activities. Sports and different activities should be enjoyable, not something you either feel obliged to do or have been pressured into, but something that you choose to do regardless of other influences.
The Environment.
The environment can be off putting; either too hot or too cold making it uncomfortable to perform well in. with the weather being too hot, it can cause dehydration, make the player sweat more and make the player uncomfortable, it could make the player more aloof and it could decrease the concentration of the player. If the weather is too cold, it could cause discomfort by inducing cold muscles which could then lead to injury, could make breathing hard if the player had a breathing problem and it could affect also the way the perform – differently to how they would play in a hot climate. You wouldn’t find the same sports or activities in both hot and cold climates because the sports are adapted to the surroundings and the climate of the place. The environment either being too hot or cold could affect people differently, a cold climate might be appealing to a friend, however it might not be as appealing for you.
Education/ School
In schools, P.e is compulsory – bringing the whole of each year together to play games which could then lead to new friends being made. In school, you can learn rules of games and how to play a particular game. You could also have lunchtime activities that you and your friends might take part in, it also influences P.e as a fun enjoyable lesson, not just a time where competition is prime and the only way you can play sport is if you go elite with it. That’s not the case, you should play sports because you enjoy it, not because of the competition, that’s and extrinsic motivation that shouldn’t influence how and why you play sports.
Motivation/ Arousal
If a person is motivated by something extrinsically, then they are motivated by money, and power; they are greedy and want fame for something they may be good at but may not enjoy. However if a person was motivated by something intrinsic, they would be motivated by wanting to achieve goals, wanting to feel proud of themselves for completing a certain activity or a game of a certain sport.
Tradition/ Culture
A tradition in a family or a culture in a different country may prevent those certain people from taking part in those activities. It may be against what they believe so therefore they would be prevented from taking part in that sport or activity. Some cultures prohibit sports; e.g muslims. In some cultues, women aren’t allowed to go out without covering their arms and legs, so sports that include you to change into something you could move more freely in may not be available to all cultures.
Section 7
If the player or performer actually carried out the six week programme, I would expect more tact in their co-ordination, greater agility, more able to sustain a high performance throughout the game. The player or performer will have gained an overall fitness and generally improved their performance in a game situation.
As the weeks had progressed, the players will have experienced the gradual increase of reps of the training they carried out. They will have achieved OVERLOAD by increasing the level of each activity, making them work harder and push themselves.
The players will have had an increase of skill in each component, there will be more consistency in hitting the balls when batting, catching the balls more efficiently when fielding, throwing the balls quicker and more efficiently whilst fielding and bowling more good bowls rather then foul bowls that would cost them points. The effort they put into the game will have experienced an increase as well because now they are more fit and have more knowledge of the game, they will enjoy the game more and give their all rather then just hoping for the best when they began a game.
Their tactical awareness will have had an increase as well, making them more aware of everything going on around them in the pitch and the players fielding or batting on each team; aware of spaces where they could aim to hit the ball in order to gain more points for their team. Their understanding of the game will have amplified which will have added more effectiveness to how they play the game at hand.
The fitness components;
Balance,
Co-Ordination (Hand Eye Co-Ordination),
Agility and good speed will have all seen an increase because the six week training programme will have enhanced their abilities through the exercises that were included.
Their knowledge of the Rules and Regulations will have seen an amplification because the drills included in section 4 will have taught them and also they will have encouraged them to learn the pitch and how the rules apply to the game.
The shapes of their bodies, their weights and their sizes will all have changed; they will have become more honed – more muscular to support the fitness components needed to be able to play the game.