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Sports Coach Objectives |
Finding Information |
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Sports Coach provides information on the many topics related to developing physical and mental condition
to help fitness enthusiasts, athletes and coaches achieve their goals and to assist students studying sport related qualifications. |
Use the menu options to the left to browse our pages or use the Goggle search facility to find your topic of interest. The A»Z Page index provides an alphabetical list of the contents of the Sports Coach web site. |
Conditioning |
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One of the misconceptions in the sports world is that a sports person gets in shape by just playing or taking part in his/her chosen sport. If a stationary level of performance, consistent ability in executing a few limited skills is your goal, then engaging only in your sport will keep you there. However, if you want the utmost efficiency, consistent improvement, and balanced abilities sportsmen and women must participate in year round conditioning programs.
The bottom line in sports conditioning and fitness training is stress, not mental stress, but adaptive body stress. Sportsmen and women must put their bodies under a certain amount of stress (overload) to increase physical capabilities. |
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Weight Training |
Ideal Weight & BMI |
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Better performances can be the product of a number of factors. This product is primarily the outcome of efficient technique, the progression of speed and the maturing competitive attitude on a sound basis of general endurance, all round strength and general mobility. The development of all round strength is best achieved via circuit training and then progressing this through weight training. |
A method of determining if you have an ideal body weight is to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). To calculate your BMI divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared (weight ÷ height²). The normal acceptable range of this measurement is 20.1 to 25.0 for men and 18.7 to 23.8 for women. A more accurate assessment of your ideal weight takes into account your body composition. |
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Performance Evaluation Tests |
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In constructing tests it is important to make sure that they really measure the factors required to be tested, and are thus objective rather than subjective. In doing so all tests should therefore be specific (designed to assess an athlete's fitness for the activity in question), valid (test what they purpose to test) and reliable (produce a consistent result irrespective of the tester). Details of over 100 performance evaluation tests for Aerobic Endurance, Anaerobic Endurance, Agility, Balance, Body Composition, Event Time Predictors, Fitness General, Flexibility, Psychology, Reaction Time, Strength - Core, Strength - Elastic, Strength - General, Speed and Power, Talent Evaluation and Tests for young athletes are available. |
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Fat Burning Zone |
Muscle Types |
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It is generally accepted that men should have less than 18% total body fat and women 23% or less, However, experts suggest that an excess is not particularly hazardous to health until an individual accumulates 35% and 40% total body fat respectively. Measuring body fat percentage is an easy method of discovering correct body weight and composition. Beneath the skin is a layer of subcutaneous fat, and the percentage of total body fat can be measured by taking the 'skinfold' at selected points on the body with a pair of callipers. What points do you measure? |
Muscle tissue consists of fibers (cells) that are highly specialized for the active generation of force for contraction. Because of this characteristic, muscle tissue provides motion, maintenance of posture, and heat production. Based on certain structural and functional characteristics, muscle tissue is classified into three types: Cardiac, Smooth and Skeletal. Most skeletal muscles of the body are a mixture of all three types of skeletal muscle fibres, but their proportion varies depending on the usual action of the muscle. |
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VO2max |
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Fitness can be measured by the volume of oxygen you can consume while exercising at your maximum capacity. VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen in millilitres, one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. Those who are fit have higher VO2max values and can exercise more intensely than those who are not as well conditioned. Numerous studies show that you can increase your VO2max by working out at an intensity that raises your heart rate to between 65 and 85% of its maximum for at least 20 minutes three to five times a week. A mean value of VO2max for male athletes is about 3.5 litres/minute and for female athletes it is about 2.7 litres/minute. |
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Training Principles |
Heart Rate Training Zones |
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People get involved in exercise for a number of reasons: to improve their health and physical condition, to achieve a sporting ambition, to relive the tension and stress of daily life, to loose weight, it makes them feel good. Participating in sport encourages co-operation in team sports, develops the element of competitiveness, provides a physical challenge and the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. Training to improve performance obeys the principles of training: specificity, overload, recovery, adaptation and reversibility. |
Heart rate training zones are calculated by taking into consideration your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). The zones are: • Energy Efficient or Recovery (60-70%) • Aerobic (70-80%) • Anaerobic (80-90%) • Red Line (90-100%) Within each training zone, subtle physiological effects take place to enhance your fitness. |
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Sports Psychology |
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The increased stress of competitions can cause athletes to react both physically and mentally in a manner that can negatively affect their performance abilities. They may become tense, their heart rates race, they break into a cold sweat, they worry about the outcome of the competition, they find it hard to concentrate on the task in hand. This has led coaches & athletes to take an increasing interest in the field of sport psychology and in particular in the area of competitive anxiety. That interest has focused on techniques that athletes can use in the competitive situation to maintain control and optimise their performance. So what are these techniques? |
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Warm Up & Cool Down |
Lactic Acid |
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There is no doubt that time spent on warming up and cooling down will improve an individual's level of performance and accelerate the recovery process needed before and after training or competition. Muscle stiffness is thought to be directly related to muscle injury and therefore the warm up should be aimed at reducing muscle stiffness. Dynamic stretches are more appropriate to the warm up as they help reduce muscle stiffness. Static stretching exercises do not reduce muscle stiffness. What are the other benefits? |
The expression "lactic acid" is often used by athletes to describe the intense pain felt during exhaustive exercise, especially in events like the 400 metres and 800 metres. When energy is required to perform exercise, it is supplied from the breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). The body has a limited store of about 85 grms of ATP and would use it up very quickly if we did not have ways of resynthesising it. There are three systems that produce energy to resynthesise ATP: ATP-PC, Lactic Acid and Aerobic. |
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Energy Pathways |
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Energy production is both time and intensity related. Running at a very high intensity, as in sprinting, means that an athlete can operate effectively for only a very short period. Running at a low intensity, as in gentle jogging, means that an athlete can sustain activity for a long period. Training introduces another variable, and the sprinter who uses sound training principles is able to run at a high intensity for longer periods. Similarly, the endurance athlete who uses sound training methods can sustain higher intensities during a set period. There is a relationship between the exercise intensity and the energy source. So what are they? |
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Speed Training |
Endurance Training |
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Speed is the quickness of movement of a limb, whether this is the legs of a runner or the arm of the shot putter. Speed is an integral part of every sport and can be expressed as any one of, or combination of, the following: maximum speed, elastic strength (power) and speed endurance. The two factors that effect speed are stride length and strike rate. Speed endurance is used to develop the co-ordination of muscle contraction. Repetition methods are used with a high number of sets, low number of repetitions per set and intensity greater than 85% with distances covered from 60% to 120% of racing distance. How can we improve our speed? |
The types of endurance are aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed endurance and strength endurance. A sound basis of aerobic endurance is fundamental for all events. During anaerobic work, involving maximum effort, the body is working so hard that the demands for oxygen and fuel exceed the rate of supply and the muscles have to rely on the stored reserves of fuel. The muscles, being starved of oxygen, take the body into a state known as oxygen debt. This point is often measured as the lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold or onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA). What are the other forms of endurance? |
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Nutrition |
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For every physical activity, the body requires energy and the amount depends on the duration and type of activity. Energy is measured in Calories and is obtained from the body stores or the food we eat. Glycogen is the main source of fuel used by the muscles to enable you to undertake both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. If you train with low glycogen stores, you will feel constantly tired, training performance will be lower and you will be more prone to injury and illness. |
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Minerals |
Tapering |
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Approximately 4% of the body's mass consists of Minerals. They are classified as trace minerals (body requires less than 100 mg/day), and major minerals (body requires more than 100 mg/day). Minerals can be found in water and soil and therefore in root plants and animals. The trace minerals are iron, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, fluorine and chromium. The major minerals are sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, sulphur, cobolt and chlorine. How do we ensure we get all the right minerals and amounts? |
Most endurance athletes accept that tapering before a competition is beneficial, but few understand why. A trial was conducted back in the 1980's by a group of Canadian researchers at the McMaster University in Ontario. The trial was conducted for a one week period, with a group of experienced endurance athletes who all run approximately 50 miles a week in training. The athletes were split into 3 groups, with each group working a different training program for the week. At the end of the week the performance improvement for each group was checked. So what was the result? |
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Circuit Training |
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Circuit training is an excellent way to improve mobility, strength and stamina. The circuit training format utilizes a group of 6 to 10 strength exercises that are completed one exercise after another. Each exercise is performed for a specified number of repetitions or for a prescribed time before moving on to the next exercise. The exercises within each circuit are separated by brief, timed rest intervals, and each circuit is separated by a longer rest period. The total number of circuits performed during a training session may vary from two to six depending on your training level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), your period of training (preparation or competition) and your training objective. |
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The Components of Fitness |
Strength |
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Fitness is the ability to meet the demands of a physical task. Basic fitness can be classified in four main components: Strength, Speed, Stamina and Flexibility. However, exercise scientists have identified nine components that comprise the definition of fitness: Strength, Power, Agility, Balance, Flexibility, Local Muscle Endurance, Strength Endurance and Co-ordination. Of all the nine elements of fitness Cardiac Respiratory qualities are the most important to develop as they enhance all the other components of the conditioning equation. |
The common definition is "the ability to exert a force against a resistance". The strength needed for a sprinter to explode from the blocks is different to the strength needed by a weight lifter to lift a 200kg barbell. This therefore implies that there are different types of strength. The classifications of strength are: Maximum strength (greatest force that is possible in a single maximum contraction), Elastic strength (ability to overcome a resistance with a fast contraction) and Strength endurance (ability to express force many times over). So how do we get stronger? |
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Coaching Skills |
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In a coaching role you will initially need to develop the skills of: providing instruction and explanation, demonstrating, observing, analysing and providing feedback. In providing instruction and explanation you should think about and plan what you are going to say, gain the athlete's attention, keep it simple and to the point and check they understand. In providing demonstration make sure you are in a position where the athletes can clearly see you, focus on only 1 or 2 key points, repeat the demonstration 2 or 3 times (side, back and front view), ask if they have any questions and then let them practice the skill. Fine but how do I observe, analyse and provide feedback? |
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How to get football fit |
Muscle Balance - Getting it Right |
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Conditioning for football has travelled light years in the last decade. Clubs are determined to get as much out of their multi-million pound investments as they can. Sports science therefore plays a big part and players are subject to rigorous physiological assessment and testing. As a weekend warrior your will not have quite the same back-up team to ensure your football fitness, but what can you do to achieve optimum condition? |
Muscle balance is important in the prevention of injuries and may assist in the development of maximum speed and improved muscular performance. If not addressed, through a well thought out and disciplined training program, muscle imbalances can slow down and possibly result in injury to the young athlete. The focus of developing muscle balance consists of eliminating the strength imbalance between two opposing muscle groups, for example our flexors and extensors. |
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First Aid for Sports Injuries - The Critical First 3 Minutes |
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You are the sports trainer for a local "Under 14's" soccer team (or maybe you are a concerned parent). It is early on a cold winter's morning and the team has been on the field for only a few minutes. You turn your back for a second as two player's race for the ball and collide heavily. One goes down hard and groans loudly. You turn back to see one of your players lying motionless on the ground. You race onto the field, heading straight for the injured player. There is no time to waste, your 3 minutes has already started. What do you do next? |
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