Back to basics (Part 3)

Back to basics (Part 3)

08/04/14:

The Easter holidays have arrived and we have completed six weeks of Strength and Conditioning training at Harrogate Grammar school! The pupils have been great and worked really hard!

All of these sessions were aimed at improving a range of qualities relating to sport including movement, linear speed, lateral speed and multi-directional movement.

In the final weeks we moved onto more complex and challenging exercises that are used to develop all of the above qualities. Here are some of the methods we’ve been using…

Station 1: Hand step-ups in a press-up position is a challenging exercise for most because it requires excellent trunk stability to perform correctly and good strength in the upper body too. We have incorporated lateral movement in this position too so that trunk stability is challenged in different directions. This stability is very important in sport where you are often required to absorb force from a range of angles and also the transfer of force from the lower to upper body when holding off an opponent, for example.

Station 2: Multi-direction mirroring drills are an excellent way of challenging your ability to rapidly change direction based on an unpredictable cue. One person has to mirror the multi directional movements of their partner who is trying to make this as difficult as possible by moving to random points in the set space. This teaches participants to keep their body weight low to the ground, so they are ready to accelerate and decelerate in a range of directions (athletic position). It is also a very good sport specific drill which is similar to marking a player during a corner in football or hockey, as well as movements observed in tennis.

Station 3: We have moved onto developing some good explosive lower body power and I wanted to try an exercise I have seen Brendan Chaplin (top S&C coach) use to good effect in his power circuits. Starting from a split squat position, you drive both feet into the ground and jump vertically from the ground. I’ve tried this myself and it is a fantastic exercise to develop lower body power and encourages you to maintain good posture so that the force is directed straight up. Tough exercise but very effective!

Station 4: Sprint take off drill…now this is a really simple drill to try out and I learnt this one from a GB athletics coach. Starting in a position similar to that of a sprinter just before starting a race, the participant forcefully drives forward, onto the crash mat positioned directly in front of them. The aim is to generate maximal force as quickly as possible and the key is to generate horizontal movement, as you would when sprinting. It’s a really good exercise to practice producing force as quickly as possible, a key trait in the majority of sports out there!

We have continued using single leg hop and holds and double leg bounding in multiple planes, to reinforce good landing mechanics. A key trait to have in most sports in order to minimise injury risk. The use of basic ‘ankling’ drills were also implemented which were aimed at increasing lower leg stiffness so that force can effectively be transferred through the lower body. These are all really simple and effective exercises that can be added to any training programme.

Finally, the conditioning component we’ve been using has been getting progressively more difficult each week! We have been trying out different work to rest ratios with whole body, multi-joint exercises that become very challenging in a short space of time. A work to rest ratio of 1:1 has now progressed to 3:1 which is 45s work:15s rest. Very challenging when repeated several times in a row, but great for improving multiple effort conditioning, as required in many sports!

It has been a really enjoyable six weeks with the Year 9 and 10 pupils at Harrogate Grammar School and they have worked very hard indeed. I have seen some fantastic progression from individuals in the class, even with one session a week! Hopefully these sessions have introduced a new way of training to develop important physical qualities they need to excel in their chosen sport.

We are now looking to begin new sessions after the Easter holidays that focusses on using resistance training/weightlifting techniques to develop certain essential qualities in their chosen sport. Watch this space for future updates on their progression!

If you have any questions about training or would like to find out more about GO Training, please follow the below link or email me at [email protected].

Thanks for reading!!

Rob