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Introduction

Fitness & Training - Assignment 1 Introduction This first fitness and training assignment will involve me identifying, comparing and critically analysing the different types of fitness training available to athletes. I will then go on to describe the principles of training and analyse the athlete's choice of training methods in my chosen sport which is rugby. I will finally provide recommendations for the training programme based on my analysis and conclusions. There are many different types of fitness training available to rugby players. The cougar training programme assists all athletes and conditions them to their specific sport. As I am a rugby player, the programme incorporates an exceptionally good training regime which I have benefited from over the last 2 years. The different types of training available to us are: Weight training 'Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the force of gravity (in the form of weighted bars, dumbbells or weight stacks) to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction. Weight training uses a variety of specialized equipment to target specific muscle groups and types of movement'.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight_training) ...read more.

Middle

The procedure is simple; one person stands around 5/7 meters away holding a tennis ball out horizontally. He/she will drop the ball and the person working must react to the ball and sprint and try to catch it off the one bounce. Another exercise we do is with a reaction ball as shown in the picture below. This Improves reaction time and first step quickness. Teaches hand eye coordination, and develops balance. The exercise is simple; we drop the ball, and then start chasing it as it bounces away. Image from : www.overspeeduk.com Core Core training is designed to integrate all the components of a complete fitness plan to build your body from the inside out, building first lean and strong core muscle. Nearly every movement of our body involves the use of our Abdominals, Oblique's and/or Erector muscles. These muscles are the core of all strength and power movements, as well as the core muscular connection between your upper and lower body. The stronger these muscles are the more support and stability they can provide for high productivity and creativity. If these muscles are weak and unable to supply the stability your body demands, injury is likely to occur. ...read more.

Conclusion

Conditioning - The conditioning sessions are of a good standard and I believe we are benefiting from the session it's self. The only downfall in my eyes is that it can be quite tedious, I would like too see different types of training done (still involving speed, agility etc.). Sprint training - Our 10m sprint work is the only type of sprint work we currently do at the moment, I would to see more emphasis put over a greater distance, 60m for example. The injured - Throughout the year, there are a number of students who carry an injury. The students come to college but sit out the training due to their injury. I would like to see a injury rehab session in the programme so that we could get them doing something rather than nothing to aid their injury. This session could be on a late afternoon on a Wednesday and Friday. Conclusion I've enjoyed doing this assignment as it has given me a say to what I think of the current training programme at college. Although, due to my disagreements with the weight training programme, I'm sure there's a good reason why we train like we do. Most of us see our weight training as a way to 'get big', but we need to take into consideration that we are rugby players, not body builders. ...read more.

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