SPEED & ACCELERATION FOR GAELIC GAMES

1. SPEED & ACCELERATION FOR GAELIC GAMES Jim Kilty

2. www.saqireland.net Considerations • Components of “Speed” • Demands of the game • Needs of the player • Implementation • Specific sessions

3. www.saqireland.net Speed • Re-action • Initiation of movement • Acceleration • Maximum Effective Speed • Agility • Change direction • Change pace • Change footwork patterns • Ability to repeat constants bouts of the above efforts

4. www.saqireland.net Demands of the sport • Length of the game • Play – length of time • Pace – many things affects this • Distance covered • Average distance sprinted • Change of pace / direction • Total distance sprinted

5. www.saqireland.net What people have looked at • Soccer 1970s Player covers 8.3 – 12.2Km (Tom Reilly Liverpool) • Soccer 2001 Player covers 9.2 – 13.3Km (Neweham 2002)

6. www.saqireland.net Player movement • 30 – 80 runs between 85 -95 % speed • 13 runs at 95-100% speed • Average distance sprinted – 13.5m • 1012 changes in movement pattern • Sprint – 1 per minute • Movement pattern change – 11 per minute

7. www.saqireland.net Hurling 2003 Final • First half • Ball in play 13m 53s • Longest period 52s • Shortest period 5s • Second Half • Ball in play 17m 15s • Longest period 1m 22s • Shortest period 8s • 41.7% of time (Damien Young WIT 2003)

8. www.saqireland.net Needs of the player • Players need to be • quick, • sharp and • fast to cover situations as they arise in a game. • They need to train ability to • re-act, • initiate movement and • accelerate as well as • developing their maximum effective speed.

9. www.saqireland.net Needs of the player • withstand a constant barrage of pressure involving consistent tackling, running into positions, covering, retreating and counter-attacking quickly. • This type of full-court drive makes great demands on the speed and strength ability of the players. • At the same time, players must be able to maintain high-intensity efforts throughout the duration of the game.

10. www.saqireland.net The key • Critically, it is the ability to constantly reproduce • these short bouts of speed and skill activities • over and over again, • at the highest possible intensity, • that separates the top teams form the also-rans.

11. www.saqireland.net Implementing the plan Principles of Training • Overload • Progression • Adaptation • Specificity • Interference • Rest & recovery • Variety • Reversibility • Etc.

12. www.saqireland.net Principles of Training • Overload • Progression • Adaptation • Different to stamina • Specific to speed • Increase speed • Reduce distance/reps • Increase recovery

13. www.saqireland.net Principles of Training - Speed • Specificity • Distance • Movement pattern • Interference • Stamina training • Rest & recovery • Improves quality • Includes hydration & nutritional strategies • Variety • Distance • Patterns • Strength development

14. www.saqireland.net Methods • General • Sprinting • Weights • Movement Mechanics • Specific • Linear Speed • Agility Speed • Plyomerics • Special • Resistive methods • Asssitive methods

15. www.saqireland.net Specificity in training • Many have concentrated on athletic speed endurance • Stamina training of top players have advanced in recent times • Plenty of evidence to show that modern methods will produce greater fitness levels. • Multi-sprint stamina • Power work • Movement enhancement

16. www.saqireland.net Principles of Speed • Short distances • Max to near max efforts • Control the number of reps • Good recoveries • Well hydrated • Involve movement patterns

17. www.saqireland.net Speed Training – sprinting • Quickness off the mark • Re-action • Sprint over 5m • Acceleration sprints • over 10m, 15m 20m • Ability to change direction or pace • Over 10m, 15, 20m • Maximum effective pace • Over 20m, 25, 30m

18. www.saqireland.net Speed Training -plyometrics • Explosive Jumps • Explosive box jumps • Hennessy/Kilty 1999 • Horizontal pattern jumps • Med ball throws

19. www.saqireland.net Speed Training – special • Viper belt training • Sprinting • Agility sprinting • Jumping • Resistive work • Assistive work

20. www.saqireland.net Training –Movement development Improvement form 1.72 – 1.67 sec in 10m acceleration from one week of sprint mechanics training. IRFU Data 2004

21. www.saqireland.net Importance of movement training • Bloomfield et al 2003 showed how SAQ training added to general soccer training improved sprint acceleration over 20m. • Using Cleans and Squats at 90% of 1Rm players improved 10 m acceleration time; and when sprint mechanics were combined the improvement was greater • (Hennessy IRFU data 2004).

22. www.saqireland.net Training – Contrast training • Weights and sprints • It is found that optimum 10m times occurred after 6 min recovery while optimum 30m times occurred after 12 minutes • Michailidis et al 2004 at Aristotelian Univ. • Weights & plyometric jumps • UL 2004

23. www.saqireland.net Training –Weights • Hypertrophy • Starting or explosive power Initial rate of force development • Maximum rate of force development

24. www.saqireland.net Hypertrophy • Hypertrophy is the process of enlarging muscles – to produce more force. • Resistance training is the key to hypertrophy and volume of work is the component that needs to be established. • Stimulating a muscle to work using multiple sets and reps has been recognised as central in building muscle mass. For hypertrophy a muscle should be trained at least once a week and if possible twice a week.

25. www.saqireland.net Advice • Reducing the volume of endurance training is important if significant muscle mass is to be gained. • Hennessy 2004 • 10 week special training camp • No running more than 30m

26. www.saqireland.net Comparison –Strength or Power • Lifting 100KG • Pushing heavy rock • GAA Player needs • Power =Force x distance / time

27. www.saqireland.net Using power • Each footstep • Each kick • Each tackle • Each sidestep • ….. • All on field activities

28. www.saqireland.net Power – key factor • Power is the combination of strength and speed. • Both intermuscular and intramuscular coordination are key factors in ensuring power development.

29. www.saqireland.net Force-time relationship IRFD MRFD PP 0 200 300 400 500 600 700 Time in milliseconds

30. www.saqireland.net Explosive power • Explosive Power = Rate of force development • The ability to generate high forces in a very short time. • This type of force production is essential in events or sporting actions where the time over which the contraction occurs has to be limited.

31. www.saqireland.net Starting power • The Initial Rate of Force Development (IRFD) • Refers to the highest possible force applied at the start of the movement. It is sometimes called ‘Starting’ strength. • “Quickness off the mark”

32. www.saqireland.net Maximum rate of force development • Maximum power is a commonly used term in conditioning and refers to the production of the greatest amount of power. • 30% Max. (Australian IS guidelines) • 24 – 48% (Hennessy/Kilty unpublished 1998)

33. www.saqireland.net Importance of strength training • Kraemer et al 2003 showed how trained tennis players improved racket speed and sprint acceleration when strength training used in conjunction with skill work as against using no strength training

34. www.saqireland.net Thank You SAQ Ireland www.saqireland.net admin@saqireland.net