All Screening Tests used to assess the athlete are as shown below, and all Screening Plan dates can be seen on the Annual Periodisation Training Programme.
- Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) (Plisky et al., 2006)
The SEBT is a specific test used to determine ankle instability in athletes (Olmsted, 2002). An athlete exceeding a 4 cm or more difference between limbs in each direction would be considered to have ankle instability (Plisky et al., 2006).
- Functional Movement Screen (FMS) (Minick et al., 2010)
This is a 7- exercise screening protocol designed to assess movement patterns such as stability and flexibility and identify areas of weakness (Minick et al., 2010). The screening process includes identifying the athletes ability during the following exercises: Deep Squat, Hurdle Step, In-Line Lunge, Shoulder Mobility, Active Straight Leg Raise, Trunk Stability Push-Up and Rotational Stability. Each exercise is scored out of 3 and is based on the quality of the movement. A score of 3 illustrates perfect technique; 2 suggests that compensatory or a loss of form has occurred; 1 illustrates an inability to perform the movement (due to loss of balance or stiffness); and 0 given if pain is experienced during the movement (Cook, 2003) . A score of 14 or less has been correlated with an 11-fold increace of suffering a serrious injury (Kiesel et al., 2007). When an athlete performs poorly on a test, the limiting factors must be identified, measured (i.e. through goniometric assessments of the joints) and addressed (Cook et al., 2006a). Furthermore, it has been found to be a reliable assessment measure (Minick et al., 2010).
Evaluation Plan
- Throughout the evaluation plan a 1 rep max (1RM) was the chosen testing option. This is the greatest amount of force produced for one movement repetition, with proper form during a standardized exercise (McArdle et al., 2001). All Evaluation Plan dates can be seen on the Annual Periodisation Training Programme.
The chosen 1RM testing exercise:
- 1RM of a Dead Lift
- 1RM of a Bench Press
- 1RM of a Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat.
- 1RM of a Barbell lunge
- 1RM of a Bent over row
Other relevant tests:
- Bunkie – test (van Pletzen, 2010)
The Bunkie- test assesses the length and alignment of an athlete’s fascia, along ten kenetic chains throughout the body that are influenced by various muscles groups (Van Platzen, 2010). This test is considered an essential test during an evaluation of an athlete as it has been shown that an elite athlete can tend to have an increase in fascia length and as a result can become more susceptible to injury (de Witt, 2009).
- England Anaerobic Endurance Test (RFU, 2012)
The Anaerobic Endurance test is a rugby specific fitness test, that tests an athlete’s ability to maintain a high level of fitness during both high and low intensity periods (RFU, 2012).
- Illinois agility test (Sheppard & Young, 2006)
The Illinois agility assesses both straight line sprinting and multidirectional transitions (Sheppard & Young, 2006). Therefore, it is an appropriate test for a centre in rugby as they are expected to make rapid acceleration, deceleration and changes of direction throughout a match or training session.
Monitoring
During the course of the athletic year, it is important to continue monitoring the athlete in order ensure each exercise is being performed correctly and is still working effectively. As a result several monitoring dates have been highlighted on the Annual Periodisation Training Programme. These dates are then followed by a Screening and Evaluation Plan.
Progress Report
The primary and secondary aims were to enhance hypertrophy, stability and the transitional element of the agility drills. Whilst addressing any weaknesses that were identified via the screening tests and evaluation plan. The athlete showed an increase in 1RM exercises (Table 1). Literature supports these findings, suggesting that there will be a noticeable increase in strength during the first 6-8 weeks, due to neural adaptations, giving way to muscular adaptations; followed by hypertrophy and muscle fibre type changes at 10-12 weeks (Bird, 2005).
- Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) (Plisky et al., 2006)
The SEBT is a specific test used to determine ankle instability in athletes (Olmsted, 2002). An athlete exceeding a 4 cm or more difference between limbs in each direction would be considered to have ankle instability (Plisky et al., 2006).
- Functional Movement Screen (FMS) (Minick et al., 2010)
This is a 7- exercise screening protocol designed to assess movement patterns such as stability and flexibility and identify areas of weakness (Minick et al., 2010). The screening process includes identifying the athletes ability during the following exercises: Deep Squat, Hurdle Step, In-Line Lunge, Shoulder Mobility, Active Straight Leg Raise, Trunk Stability Push-Up and Rotational Stability. Each exercise is scored out of 3 and is based on the quality of the movement. A score of 3 illustrates perfect technique; 2 suggests that compensatory or a loss of form has occurred; 1 illustrates an inability to perform the movement (due to loss of balance or stiffness); and 0 given if pain is experienced during the movement (Cook, 2003) . A score of 14 or less has been correlated with an 11-fold increace of suffering a serrious injury (Kiesel et al., 2007). When an athlete performs poorly on a test, the limiting factors must be identified, measured (i.e. through goniometric assessments of the joints) and addressed (Cook et al., 2006a). Furthermore, it has been found to be a reliable assessment measure (Minick et al., 2010).
Evaluation Plan
- Throughout the evaluation plan a 1 rep max (1RM) was the chosen testing option. This is the greatest amount of force produced for one movement repetition, with proper form during a standardized exercise (McArdle et al., 2001). All Evaluation Plan dates can be seen on the Annual Periodisation Training Programme.
The chosen 1RM testing exercise:
- 1RM of a Dead Lift
- 1RM of a Bench Press
- 1RM of a Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat.
- 1RM of a Barbell lunge
- 1RM of a Bent over row
Other relevant tests:
- Bunkie – test (van Pletzen, 2010)
The Bunkie- test assesses the length and alignment of an athlete’s fascia, along ten kenetic chains throughout the body that are influenced by various muscles groups (Van Platzen, 2010). This test is considered an essential test during an evaluation of an athlete as it has been shown that an elite athlete can tend to have an increase in fascia length and as a result can become more susceptible to injury (de Witt, 2009).
- England Anaerobic Endurance Test (RFU, 2012)
The Anaerobic Endurance test is a rugby specific fitness test, that tests an athlete’s ability to maintain a high level of fitness during both high and low intensity periods (RFU, 2012).
- Illinois agility test (Sheppard & Young, 2006)
The Illinois agility assesses both straight line sprinting and multidirectional transitions (Sheppard & Young, 2006). Therefore, it is an appropriate test for a centre in rugby as they are expected to make rapid acceleration, deceleration and changes of direction throughout a match or training session.
Monitoring
During the course of the athletic year, it is important to continue monitoring the athlete in order ensure each exercise is being performed correctly and is still working effectively. As a result several monitoring dates have been highlighted on the Annual Periodisation Training Programme. These dates are then followed by a Screening and Evaluation Plan.
Progress Report
The primary and secondary aims were to enhance hypertrophy, stability and the transitional element of the agility drills. Whilst addressing any weaknesses that were identified via the screening tests and evaluation plan. The athlete showed an increase in 1RM exercises (Table 1). Literature supports these findings, suggesting that there will be a noticeable increase in strength during the first 6-8 weeks, due to neural adaptations, giving way to muscular adaptations; followed by hypertrophy and muscle fibre type changes at 10-12 weeks (Bird, 2005).
Table 1. 1RM exercise
weight lifted prior to off season and post preseason training (3 months later).
Other adaptations include improved cardiovascular fitness (Bompa &
Carrara, 2005), due to the aerobic/anaerobic elements of the training programme
(McArdle et al., 2001, 2006). The most significant of which is an increased
cardiac output, resulting in increased blood flow and oxygen availability to
the working muscles (Sharkey & Gaskill, 2006).
Improvements in performance in the
SEBT and FMS were also noted. This
includes increased reach distance when performing the SEBT (Plisky et al.,
2006), and a higher cumulative score on the FMS (Cook, 2003). This is due to
the improved balance and proprioceptive ability developed via the prehabilitative
exercises and through increased mobility and stability (Cook et al., 2006a) via
the resistance program as a whole.
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