WARM UP & COOL DOWN. What is a warm up?

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1 WARM UP & COOL DOWN What is a warm up? A warm up is simply a set of activities used to prepare the body from rest into a state of readiness to train or play. The warm up should prepare the body and mind for the session to come and should therefore involve all the players, be related to the main activity and be varied and interesting. The warm up will prepare the cardiorespiratory system, the muscular-skeletal system and the neuromuscular system. Therefore an effective warm up will: Increase the heart rate and blood circulation Increase the body temperature Allow the joints to move around their fullest, normal range of motion Improve the efficiency of muscular actions Increase the efficiency of nerve impulses Prepare the player mentally for the activity that follows The warm up must be of sufficient intensity to prepare the body for the activity it is about to perform. Games or drills that involve maximum speed require the longest warm-up. Sessions that will involve tackling and other forms of contact require the upper body as well as the lower body to be warmed up. Warm up elements - Activities to raise the heart rate The intensity of the warm up should be gradually increased so that by the end, the body is working at the level it would have to in a game or training session. It is very important that this process is gradual. If the intensity of work is increased too rapidly over too short a period of time, the body will begin to produce waste products in the muscles that in turn will induce fatigue. There is also a risk that the muscles and body will not reach a high enough temperature for the best possible performance. Small-sided, non-specific games can be used in the first part of the warm-up to raise players heart rates; they are also used to add a component of fun, aid communication, and introduce a competitive element. After the small-sided games, the next part of the warm-up should include dynamic flexibility exercises (e.g., running and skipping drills). Dynamic stretching helps to prepare the muscles for the work they will do and makes sure they are at their working length. Rugby involves many situations where players are required to stretch e.g. when reaching for the ball.

2 Stretching during the warm up helps to ensure that a player s muscles are at their maximum possible length, thus reducing the chance of pulls and strains. The first group of dynamic stretches can be followed by games in a larger area to allow players to stride out more and increase their running speed. After this, players can perform another set of dynamic flexibility exercises, possibly in a stationary position so you can talk to the team. Some drills can be used following a general and dynamic warm-up to develop speed and agility in a game-related context, provided adequate rest intervals are taken. Coaches take: The dynamic exercises are used to mobilise the joints in a controlled manner, thereby warming and helping to circulate the lubricating fluid. The exercises used should progress from simple to complex, slow to fast and should mobilise all the joints to be used in the session. Joints that operate through more than one plane e.g. the hip joint; should be warmed up in all directions. Exercise the body through many planes e.g. forwards, backwards, sideways, from a prone position etc. Start from the ankle and work up the body, simple to complex, slow to fast. Here are some examples Ankle: Standing Calf Raises, Walking on heels, Walking on toes, Standing Ankling (toe taps), Walking Ankling (toe taps), Skipping Ankling (toe taps), Stand on one leg whilst internally and externally rotating free ankle Knee: Standing bent, high knee raises. Walking bent, high knee raises; A marches. Jogging bent, high knee raises. Skipping bent, high knee raises. Walking bent, high knee raises with extension; B marches. Heel flicks, bum kicks. Hips: Knee exercises: standing squats in place. Squat- walk combination. Lunge in place. Walking lunge. Walking side lunge. Standing alternate leg internal hip rotation. Walking alternate leg internal hip rotation. Skipping alternate leg internal hip rotation. Standing alternate leg external hip rotation. Walking alternate leg external hip rotation. Skipping alternate leg external hip rotation. Lower and Upper Back: (to be done slowly) Standing side bends. Standing flexion and extension; bell ring. Standing rotations with knees bent to stop hip swing. Standing pelvic tilts. Standing wood-chops, thoracic flexion and extension.

3 Shoulders: will be warmed up as part of running and skipping drills, however specific exercises include Shrugs, forward and backward arm circles, Front raises, lateral raises, standing L Flies, standing internal and external rotations, push ups Neck: (to be done slowly) Head tilts to each side, front and back, head turns to each side The Pre-match warm up The intensity of a game is not pre-determined; it is random. In other words, players may have to work maximally from the start. Therefore, a pre-match warm up should conclude with a period of high intensity work so that the heart rate approaches maximum albeit for a very short time. By doing this, the body is better prepared for the work that follows. Timing of the warm up Muscle temperature can fall back to resting levels about 15 minutes after exercise has stopped. This has implications for the timing of the pre-match warm up and team talk. For many community clubs, match day may be the only time all the players are together that week and so there is often a period of organisational preparation. This should be a period of light activity and not confused with the match build up. Players should also be given early time for their individual body preparation during the pre-match routine. Many of the benefits of the warm up will be lost if the team goes out to warm up and then returns to the changing room to sit down for a team talk for 15 minutes. Ideally, the players should finish the team warm up just minutes before the kick off. So plan a consistent routine, making allowance for the size of the changing room and distance to the warm up area and pitch. At half time, some sort of very light activity towards the end of the half time break can counteract any cooling down of muscle temperature. In the community game, the duration of the half time break is approximately 5 minutes, so cooling down will not have a significant effect on the players.

4 Warm up for substitutes Substitutes may often be overlooked with regards to warm up and may be given insufficient time to warm up appropriately before coming into the game. Consequently, substitutes frequently struggle to come to terms with the pace of a game when they come on and can quickly become tired. This is often because they have not warmed up sufficiently and their bodies energy systems are not working at full capacity. Substitutes should be: encouraged to warm up throughout the match so they never reach a situation where they become cold, or their muscle temperature drops. Therefore they should warm up after no more than 10 minutes of the first half for a period of five minutes and then again at 25 minutes in order to prepare them to go on in the second half if required. During the second half players will again do a five minute warm up after 10, 20 and 35 minutes., wearing additional clothing to keep warm regularly taking on fluids whilst on the bench. given as much warning as possible before going on. Hydration Facts Poor hydration is a major issue for athletes. The importance of maintaining hydration Loss of fluids and salts lead to: o Increased heart rate o Higher core body temperature o Inefficient energy production o Reduced mental functioning that can affect decision making, skill execution etc Hydration protocols - On going hydration builds good habits - Hydration start the day hydrated - Hydration during the event - Rehydration rehydrate fully after the event Basic hydration requirement - Daily hydration for players of different body mass (this includes fluid taken in food) o 85kg = 2litres o 100kg = 2.5 litres o Plus 1 litre for each hour of exercise o In general, aim for 25ml per kg per day and drink more for each hour of exercise aiming for 250ml each 20 minutes up to a litre per hour may be drunk. Daily hydration for children o Do not allow children to become thirsty.

5 o Ages 5-11 consume 1 cup 1 hour before, ½ cup directly before, 2 cups per hour of exercise o Ages consume 1 cup 1 hour before, 1 cup directly before, 1-2 litres per hour of exercise Remember, high temperatures, high humidity and unsuitable clothing will increase fluid loss! Children don t sweat as much as adults and as a result, care must be taken to ensure younger children do not over heat. Breaks to rest in hot, humid environments are encouraged. Once a child has begun to sweat or is of an age where he / she is sweating similarly to an adult, additional electrolyte based drinks may be useful. Over use of sports drinks is not encouraged, as many contain large amounts of sugar and sweeteners and are simply not necessary for a child s hydration needs. A simple home-made hydration drink would contain squash and a pinch of salt. As exercise duration and intensity increase, higher amounts of carbohydrate based drinks can be used for lighter shorter duration exercise plain water is suggested. Goal: competition hydration o Pre hydration: take additional fluids in 24 hours prior to competition o During competition 0.5-1litre at break time (this will need to be practised, in order to be tolerated) o Drink at every available opportunity during the game Rehydration - The amount of rehydration will depend on the amount of fluids lost. This can be estimated by weighing the players pre and post game, workout or event weights - For all players, aim to replace each kg lost with litres of fluid Players should use water or cordial for low intensity sessions, isotonic, zero calorie sports drinks in hot weather and carbohydrate sports drinks for high intensity sessions. Supplements Supplements are no substitute for a balanced, healthy diet and most players will gain little from their use if they have not already optimised their hydration, diet, training and recovery practices. Players contemplating using supplements should be aware of the risks and be able to make well- informed decisions The Cool Down A cool down session is the process by which the body is helped to gradually adjust from exercise to rest. The cool down should be used as another opportunity for skill development and should be related to the skills practised in the session.

6 Why is cool down important? During a match or an intense training session, the body produces waste products as a by-product of the need to produce energy quickly. If, after a match or training, players simply stop, walk to the changing rooms and have a shower, these waste products tend to remain in the muscle for an extended period of time. Studies have shown that some light activity following a match or training can accelerate the process by which these waste products are removed from the body, thus reducing the stiffness and soreness after training, helping the body to recover more quickly. The first part of the cool down should aim to gradually lower the pulse rate. This is another opportunity for skill development and can involve simple but accurate passing within a grid. After this a walk back toward the changing room will assist in further reducing pulse rate while maintaining activity. Following the reduction in pulse rate a very short period of dynamic flexibility exercises can be carried out. Finally some simple static stretches are performed to re-set muscles to their normal length in order to reduce stiffness and soreness. During the cool down static stretching involves lengthening a muscle and holding it in place for between ten and twenty seconds. This is designed to inform the muscle that the activity is over and it is now time to relax and begin to repair the damage done during the session. Developmental static stretching directly after competition or training can increase the energy required to recover, therefore static stretching during the cool down should only be used to ease the muscle back to form, not to develop flexibility. As a rule, static stretching is only used to increase muscle flexibility, so static flexibility sessions should only be conducted two hours prior or two hours after other workouts. In these sessions the stretches are held for much longer than in the cool down. The cool down period provides an excellent opportunity for players to take in fluid, such as sports drinks, allowing the players to assist in their own recovery. The first hour after exercise is the most crucial time for restocking the body of resources.

7 Developing Fitness Fitness is generally described in certain categories or components; these being strength, power, muscular endurance, flexibility and cardio-respiratory endurance. The coach needs to understand the demands of rugby in order to be able to address the players needs. Also the coach should be aware of what s/he can and cannot affect. The three reasons for improving fitness for rugby are to: 1) help in injury prevention 2) improve chances of success on the field 3) improve general fitness and health. Demands of the Game Rugby requires speed, agility, a moderately high level of strength and power and also a moderate to high level of cardiovascular fitness. The different components of fitness have a bearing on the outcome of a collision. The collision consists of the approach to the tackle, the tackle and then a line break, ruck or maul. A team that dominates this area will normally win the game. The ball carrier needs to use good footwork/agility to try and avoid a collision or to find the edge of an opponent. The ball carrier needs power to break through the initial impact and acceleration to get away. When the tackle is made the defending and attacking players need strength in order to dominate the collision. For the defender this will involve leg strength to drive an opponent and also upper body strength in order to twist and turn the ball carrier and compete for the ball. The ability to maintain the efficiency of the tackle is dependent upon strength endurance and cardio-respiratory endurance. The ability to express muscular power under game specific conditions appears critical to preventing fatigueinduced decrements in technique, and therefore potential injury. In the maul the tackled player remains on his feet for a period up to and over 30 seconds, therefore strength and power endurance come into play, particularly in the muscle groups used to grapple. There may be over 100 rucks and mauls in an adult game and the ability to maintain the effectiveness for eighty minutes is also dependent upon strength endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance.

8 4. Set Piece The set pieces have their own fitness requirements. The scrum requires extremely good technique and a high degree of explosive and static strength. The lineout involves jumping and lifting both which require technical skill aligned with strength and power. 5. Phase Play Within phase play, speed is used to gain an advantage over the opponents (e.g. chasing kicks, supporting line breaks and chasing down opponents). The particular aspect of speed that is most important is acceleration. Unlike in running events, the distance covered during a rugby game is not covered in one length but in a number of short duration multi- directional events. Players will sprint during games and these are position specific in terms of time and distance The chances to keep the ball alive in contact, the ability to beat a player, the skill of hitting and spinning out of the tackle are significantly associated with agility. In addition the ability to effectively perform a 2 versus 1 is significantly associated with fast agility. Agility is an important determinant of success and can be defined as a rapid, whole body, change of direction or speed in response to a sport-specific stimulus. The intermittent stop start nature of the running in team sports is far more physically demanding than if the same distance had been run at a steady state. A large percentage of both the total time and distance covered during a match is performed at lower intensities. Consequently the aerobic system plays the most significant contribution to energy delivery and therefore, it is important for the rugby player to have a sufficiently developed aerobic system. An efficient aerobic system will help the player recover from the very highly intense anaerobic activities in the game, i.e. repeat sprints and contact activities. Related to cardiovascular fitness is stamina, or work capacity, which refers to a player s ability to maintain his/her work rate throughout the game. This is not the same stamina that is needed by a distance runner. It involves the ability to cover the required distances and to play for eighty minutes, but also the ability to compete in the set piece and contact areas. An inability to maintain the fitness requirements for the ever-changing demands of the game will lead to fatigue. Fatigue may not be reflected in simple physical scores but may lead to reduced skill accuracy and decision-making ability. Therefore, it is important that the coach equips his players with the necessary tools with which to compete on the field. As rugby is such a multi faceted game it is important that specific cardiovascular endurance and agility are practised during field

9 sessions. Players experience fatigue from the collisions within the sport and it is vital that they have the necessary strength levels with which to compete and dominate. We will now look how to develop each fitness component. Strength and Power Strength levels are improved in the gym by the use of the major multi-joint lifts used in power lifting and olympic weightlifting as well as other more rugby specific lifts. For a player and subsequently a team to be successful, specific partner bodyweight exercises around the scrum, tackle, ruck and maul must also be practised as well as the supporting exercises derived from wrestling and grappling sports. Power will be developed via improving strength levels and also by doing specific plyometric work. Coaches take: all players should have an age and ability defined strength programme designed and delivered by an exercise professional. It is not the job of the rugby coach to provide this but to point players in the right direction. It is the job of the rugby coach to include appropriate partner and group contact activities within field sessions. The coach can also help develop balance, stability and jumping ability by the inclusion of low intensity hops and jumps within field sessions. Speed and Agility Speed for rugby is not the same as for a sprinter, and as such, a rugby player s style of running and training methods will differ. The ideal rugby player has excellent acceleration, reaches top speed early, has outstanding balance and agility, shields himself from injury during impact, and is not affected unduly by carrying a ball. The ideal track sprinting technique is one that moves the athlete through a distance of 100m in a straight-line and in as short a time as possible. Rugby players rarely run in a straight line, and their ability to change direction rapidly, is more important than top speed. Rugby players choose lines of running to disrupt or avoid defenders, to support the running lines of their own players and to make any collision as effective as possible. Activities to improve agility can be either planned or random. Planned or programmed agility activities tend to involve running pre-determined patterns through equipment such as cones and ladders. Some planned agility can be seen in rugby where attackers run specific lines. However more commonly witnessed in rugby are reactive agility situations that cannot be pre-planned. Simple planned agility activities will almost certainly improve coordination and efficiency of movement. However, how much benefit is gained by spending a lot of time practising planned agility movements is questionable. There must be a balance between planned agility, where the coach looks to improve basic biomechanics and reactive agility where the coach is looking to increase the ability of players to react to game like situations.

10 Coaches take: People are born with different potential to develop speed, so some players will always be slow. All players can improve their linear speed through strength work and specific speed drills. However, the amount of improvement that is achieved per unit of time is generally much lower than that achieved with strength and endurance training. This coupled with the limited relevance of maximum linear speed in rugby suggests that the community coach should spend very little time on this. Some pre planned agility drills using hurdles and ladders will help develop general movement patterns as will speed from drills during the warm up. Races around cones and tackle bags and the use of evasion drills will help encourage competition and stimulate the body. But none of these will stimulate the rugby brain. This will be best done through conditioned games that will stimulate the player to react quickly in game like situations.

11 Work Capacity (Rugby Stamina) The energy for the muscles to contract is produced via different energy systems within the body (see side box). A game of rugby uses all of these during an 80 minute period. The extent to which each one is used will depend upon the fitness of the player and the intensity of the game. Energy systems (BOX) The substance that provides the energy for the muscles to contract is called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). There is a very limited supply of ATP in the muscles that is rapidly used; therefore ATP has to be made by the body. Three energy systems produce ATP: Phoshagen system: This is anaerobic i.e. it works without oxygen. This system provides energy at the start of exercise, and is used in short high intensity activities such as weight lifting and sprinting. In this system two reactions occur 1. ATP > ADP + P + energy 2. ADP + creatine phosphate > ATP + creatine Glycolytic system: This is anaerobic and involves the breakdown of glucose to produce two molecules of ATP. With insufficient oxygen present, lactate is produced in so-called fast glycolysis. This produces ATP at a fast rate but only for a short period of time. Oxidative system (aerobic): With sufficient oxygen present in the muscles (i.e. when they are working at a lower intensity) much more ATP (nearly 20 times as much) is produced via Kreb s Cycle and the Electron Transfer Chain There are many ways to train the aerobic system including running, rowing, swimming and cycling. For most people any activity that elevates the heart rate to approximately 60-80% of its maximum level for a period of minutes builds aerobic endurance. This type of steady state training is useful for the general population and may be used during the teenage years as part of a programme to build the engine but is not at all specific to rugby. The use of interval training is much more relevant to the intermittent nature of rugby. Interval training consists of a series of high-intensity activities over a specified distance or time, with a set recovery time between them. It produces

12 aerobic as well as anaerobic benefits, leading to improvements in speed and efficiency under fatigue. Specificity for rugby implies running and contact. However, running in a straight line for three minutes does not mimic the patterns of the game. Rugby specific activities e.g. passing drills, hitting tackle bags etc can increase specificity. Drills like these are more specific in terms of movement patterns and build on the skills of the game; however, many of these do not involve decision-making. A more specific form of training for rugby is the use of games. To develop work capacity, the use of skill- based conditioning games allows the simulation of movement patterns of rugby, while maintaining a competitive environment in which players must perform under pressure and fatigue. Not only is the use of conditioned games for fitness more interesting to the players and more beneficial to their development it has also been shown to be less injurious than traditional conditioning methods. However, these games have to be well planned and organised in order to create the correct training effect. The body will need to be able to cope with phases of highly intense anaerobic work e.g. chasing back after a line break and then defending in scrambling mode against the attacking team, repeatedly tackling and regaining one s feet, continuously mauling then running to the next breakdown and repeating etc, therefore some very high intense activities also need to be included. Successful implementation of skill-based conditioning games requires athletes to perform multiple high-intensity sprint activities using sport-specific movement patterns. The intermittent nature of these games promotes the development of aerobic power as well as sport specific speed and agility. The key skill is to plan these games accordingly, so that the right goals are achieved in terms of rugby and fitness and both relevant and applicable to the age and ability of the players. Though there is a place within the field based conditioning framework for drills, the coach should also be mindful that if he/she only sees the players for a limited time each week, or deals with children, there are potential drawbacks such as robotic conditioning without developing the game understanding. Children must not be treated as small-adults. Children do not develop at the same rate as each other and in the early teenage years there may be great developmental differences between individuals. As a group girls mature earlier than boys. Most children reach maturity in basic motor skills between the ages of 5 and 8. From this age on there tends to be a linear increase in most motor skills until the age of

13 about 14. There is also much overlap between the genders, certainly up until the end of primary school. During adolescence the performances of boys, on average, show a marked improvement and therefore the gender differences become greater. As children enter adolescence at different ages there will be those who are at a temporary advantage due to being early maturers. This will be most marked in the early secondary school years. Coaches take Do not mistake rapid improvements in skill, power and pace that may benefit a young player as being of permanent importance, or indicative of talent. Conversely some children, particularly boys, may have a temporary loss of skill due to an awkwardness caused by the limbs growing faster than the relevant muscle strength. Young children are less efficient at running than adolescents and therefore use more energy at the same pace, so they cannot work at high intensities for long periods of time. However, they recover more quickly than young men from aerobic exercise. The aerobic system develops continuously during childhood, with a spurt during the adolescent growth spurt and peaks at around 16 in boys and 13 in girls. The biological mechanisms of anaerobic respiration are not fully developed in children, so that they cannot perform or tolerate this type of work. Considerable improvement occurs during childhood and adolescence and in boys continues to do so. Coaches take Longer sprints of 200 to 800 metres are unsuitable for children. They should therefore either be given short sprints where they use all their reserves and then rest and recover, or be given low level endurance work such as one to three kilometres runs. For young rugby players this means the endurance improvements should be via short relays, agility and skill drills and games of three or more minute duration NOT shuttles and bag drills lasting for 30seconds to 2 minutes!