Warm-Up
Prior to any training session or playing a game, you need to warm-up adequately. A warm-up should be functional for the specific session that will follow it; therefore, the structure of warm-up will vary with your sessions. Whilst it may take 45 minutes to warm-up for a game, some sessions will require a shorter warm-up. However, you should spend a minimum of 10 - 15 minutes on a warm up if it is carried out properly.
Purpose of the warm-up:
A warm up is the period of exercise performed before a training session or game which is designed to prepare the player for maximal levels of subsequent performance and reduce the risk of injury occurring within the performance.
The warm-up serves 3 basic purposes:
- To progressively prepare the performers physically and mentally for the game / session.
- To allow technical skills to reach optimum levels immediately the performance begins.
- To familiarise the performer with the competitive environment (surface, weather conditions, crowd, etc.).
Structure of the warm-up:
Firstly, you should undertake activities that raise the pulse-rate and warm the muscles up gradually. Examples include easy jogging, light rowing etc. This time can be used to work with a rugby ball, and develop specific skills, for example related to handling and passing, or speed / agility technique work. Simply running around the pitch is both non-imaginative and inefficient use of time.
This should be followed by a period of gentle stretches that begin at the core, progress down through the muscles of the legs and, back up the body to the chest, back, shoulders, arms and neck. Static stretches should target all of the major joints and muscles. Warm up stretches should be held for 10-15 seconds. Move into each stretch slowly, and perform each stretch twice, ensuring good technique. (Refer to Stretching exercises).
It is important to note that the stretches undertaken here are designed to prepare the body for the impending activity: Stretching to increase range of movement over a more permanent period should be undertaken in separate sessions. Interestingly, the over-use of static stretches at the limit of the range of movement could potentially reduce temporarily [i.e. for a period of up to an hour] the power that you are able to produce following such stretches. Therefore, you should avoid over-using such stretches in a warm-up session, although static stretches that do not operate at the limit of range of movement of a muscle may form ideal preparative stretches for dynamic movements that follow.
Dynamic (movement) stretches should therefore also be incorporated, to prepare the muscles for the impending exercise. These are sports specific ranges of movements under direct muscular control, and include such activities as butt-kicks and High knee drills, and also movements that relate to the specific activities that will be undertaken in the following session. For example, consider twisting movements, diagonal movements of the trunk, and vertical and horizontal movements.
The next stage of the warm-up should involve proprioceptive (internal sense) activities. Activities such as single-leg hops on the spot, other low impact plyometric activities, or "wobbleboard" work, (all of which should be performed with the eyes closed) all help to prepare the bodies sensory mechanisms for the impending performance. If a wobbleboard is not available, stand on tennis balls to perform activities such as reaching, catching, throwing and bending. Such activities also serve to warm-up the joint structures around the ankles (for example), that cannot be warmed-up with other stretching activities.
The final phase of the warm-up should involve activity specific movements, such as dynamic changes of pace or direction. Activities to be considered here include higher intensity ball-drills, preparative contact (i.e. not full-pace), touch rugby games, plyometric jumps (low intensity) and specific agility and acceleration drills.
It is important for a player to undertake some work at full pace in this section of the warm-up, as activities of such an intense nature will occur during the game.
Cooling down after each session
Following training and matches, you should also cool down. This helps to minimise the onset of muscle soreness (therefore helping you to recover more quickly), allow your body to return to its normal resting state at a more gradual rate and help to prevent future injury. Cool downs should involve a continually decreasing exercise intensity (i.e. easy jog to brisk walk) for approximately 5 minutes, and a period of stretching. Stretching is very important at this stage, and each stretch should be held for approximately 20 seconds.
Active recovery sessions, such as in the swimming pool, should also be undertaken on rest days with elite players, to allow them to gain the maximum recovery possible in between sessions.
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