Always listening to your cellphone in the same air can also lead to ear problems. This system is why you can touch your fingers to your nose with your eyes closed. The somatosensory system is also why your body can respond to things like unseen divots on the ground and still maintain your balance. However, repetitive injuries can damage the proprioceptors, which impairs balance and increases the risk of suffering the same injury again.
Injury prevention training is one of the best precautions you can take for rugby. It provides you with an object to focus on, which makes maintaining your balance easier. Try standing on one leg with your eyes open and then your eyes closed to experience this for yourself.
In summary, to have good balance, you need good eyes, good ears, and healthy muscles and joints. If anyone of these systems is lacking, your balance will suffer. Balance is a trainable fitness component. This does not mean you should start doing all your strength training while standing on one leg, or using a stability ball or wobble board.
You can have too much of a good thing! Doing squats while standing on a wobble board will limit force production and therefore strength development, so while your balance will improve, your strength will decline. Many so-called functional balance exercises focus more on balance than they do strength and, as a rugger, you need both. Instead, balance training should be done separately or in addition to strength training.
You could perform balance training:. Gymnastic training is another great way to enhance balance — read more about using gymnastics for rugby training in this article. Balance training should definitely be part of any post-injury rehab as it may help reduce the chances of re-injury. Use these exercises to improve your balance for rugby. Ideally, you should do your balance training barefooted to maximize the recruitment of your proprioceptors.
Standing on a folded gym towel will also help increase the involvement of the proprioceptors. You could also progress to using a balance trainer such as an Airex pad, foam pillow, BOSU ball, or wobble board. However, doing these exercises on the floor should be sufficient for most exercises.
Avoid doing these exercises in front of a mirror as that can lead to an over-reliance of the visual balance system. You can do this exercise anywhere, anytime.
Do it when you are taking a phone call, brushing your teeth, or any other time you have a few minutes to spare. Simply stand on one leg for seconds, and then change sides.
If that is true for you, do an extra set on your weaker side to bring it up to scratch. Make this exercise harder by moving your arms or non-supporting leg out to the side to shift your center of gravity, closing your eyes, or adding an additional movement such as bouncing a tennis ball on the floor or against a nearby wall.
You could also do this exercise with your teammates, passing a rugby ball from player to player. Supersets — In essence, supersets are normal sets exercising one muscle group performed with no break.
Because of the rapid onset of fatigue, they allow you to work the muscle group to exhaustion quicker and with less weight. Alternatively , you can work one muscle group for a set and then immediately work the opposing group.
Continue this until you complete the required number of sets. This second method allows you to complete your workout faster. Pyramids — Pyramids are performed by doing high repetition with low weight and then increasing the weight while lowering the repetitions for successive sets, or vice versa.
Pyramid training is a proven method for adding strength and bulk. Plyometric training — Plyometric training is an extension of power training, designed to give greater gains than weight training alone. The exercises put great strain on the muscles, joints and bone. They are physically very challenging and should only be included in the programmes of well-conditioned athletes.
Plyometric training is not suitable for occasional trainers or for youngsters who are still growing. Plyometric exercises for power Plyometric exercises target the fast-twitch muscle fibres that are crucial to explosive strength. They are the driving force behind rapid, powerful movements like jumping and sprinting.
They comprise two phases:. For example, when you lower yourself to the ground in a push-up. This creates extreme tension in the muscle and is followed immediately by the next phase. In plyometric push-ups the force should be enough to lift you off the floor. As a general rule, you should allow around 48 hours between plyometric sessions to ensure proper recovery.
Your session will depend on your fitness level, the difficulty of the exercises and your objectives. A typical plyometric session should comprise four to six exercises, with two or three sets of each with three to 10 repetitions in each set. Allow two or three minutes for recovery between sets.
Good form and intensity are very important, so if fatigue is having an adverse effect, it is time to stop. Younger players, with few injuries and more energy, tend to be fitter than older players. Professional players, with unlimited time to train, are invariably better prepared than amateurs who have to combine training with work.
Fitness levels also vary from position to position. Rugby is one of the most inclusive sports around. Unlike basketball that values tall players, or distance running where all the top competitors are stick-thin, rugby is much more accommodating.
Statistically, there is a significant difference between the shape, size, and morphology of forwards and backs. But, providing your eagle-eyed coach puts you into the position for which you are best suited, there should be a place for you on the field. Where forwards tend to be heavier, stronger, and more powerful, backs are usually lighter, faster, and have greater cardiovascular fitness. This is a combination of nature and nurture. Players who are built like the proverbial tank are more likely to end up in the pack and train according to the demands of their position.
In contrast, players who are naturally fast and skillful are more likely to end up in the backs, and their training will reflect their chosen position. Studies have revealed that there is another notable difference between forwards and backs: balance.
Balance is your ability to keep your center of gravity over your base of support. Or, in other words, stay on your feet and in the game. Balance can be static or, in the case of most sports including rugby, dynamic. The dynamic balance of over players was assessed using the Y Balance Test. The Y Balance Test uses a specialized piece of assessment equipment to measure how far you can reach out with your non-weight-bearing leg while balancing on the other leg.
There are six tests to be performed, three per leg, done in the following order:. No Y Balance Test Equipment at your rugby club? No worries — you can rig up a DIY version. Use chalk or tape to mark out your Y and use a tape measure to see how far you can reach without losing your balance:. The study revealed that backs tended to have better dynamic balance than forwards, and that age did not have a marked effect on balance.
This is hardly surprising given the different demands of rugby by position. Forwards are much more likely to find themselves standing on both feet, in lineouts and scrums for example, while backs often need to play off one foot.
The test also indicates that balance is a skill that, once developed, tends not to diminish with age, and if balance is a skill, it can be trained and improved.
0コメント