Aussie Rules Strength Coach | Brand
Aussie Rules Strength Coach
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25.01.2022 -Footy season cancelled? -Still wanting to perform physical preparation? -Hard to maintain all the motivation for just 'fitness' work with no football? -Would like to still do a bit of football as well? -Located in an area where you are allowed to SOME time in groups of more than 1?... We previously looked at how to go about constructing training sessions to maintain football in an informal private setting, combining physical preparation within a football context with 2 people. Today we expand this number out into a small group of 3-4 players. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/small-group-/
23.01.2022 In among all the discussion and thought and planning around training principles and approaches: bilateral or unilateral, velocity based training, where do I include isometrics, what % of MAS should I train at in this week blah blah blah, it is so easy to get caught up and forget basic principles. So here I just go over few real keys based on various quotes (which I like to collect refer back to), that if you can stick to, your training and progress will be good. ‘The best r...ep scheme out there is 3 x 52. Show up 3 times per week for 52 weeks. See what happens. Master the art of showing up.’ Charlie Reid ‘There is no such thing as over-training, only under-recovery.’ Brandon Marcello PhD ‘Context is everything’ Infinite number of coaches over the years 'The worst excuse to skip training all-together is 'I'm injured' We go through a few brief reflections on these very simple yet very important principles here, and how to use them to your advantage. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/just-some-t/
21.01.2022 How did you manage to maintain your preparations over the christmas and new year period? As the year kicks off again for most people, and with the season a mere 3 months away, preparation also begins to ramp up - either in a team or in a private setting. How have you laid your foundation from a running point of view? Have you been 'getting kilometers in the legs' by going for steady-state runs?... Or has your preparation involved progressive build up of accelerations, deceleration's and change of directions, as well as interval-based work? We are still 12-weeks out for most, so it is certainly not too late - so how do you manipulate variables such as rest times with the running work and progress them? https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/work-rest-r/
21.01.2022 3 months out from round 1, players attentions start to turn to getting physically prepared for footy season. Then comes the common question ‘What is the best program to do for football?’ Whilst this discussion point could lead in any one of a number of directions, and indeed could end up being an essay in itself, I will keep it brief. It is also a good opportunity to talk about the importance of individuality in programming for strength and conditioning (or more accurately at...hletic development) work especially for strength and plyometric training. So lets look into some of the keys in planning and then executing your own preparation in the lead in to this coming season. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/individuali/
18.01.2022 What is the best sets and reps scheme to use? Should I do 3 sets? Or should I do more?... Is it best to do higher reps? Or should I stick to less reps and more weight? 3 sets of 10? 5 sets of 5? What about rest times? The short answer to the question ‘which sets and reps scheme is the best for strength training for footy’ is it depends. Pretty pathetic answer right? Ok, lets expand on this and give examples on the types of things that this depends on. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/some-program/
17.01.2022 Physical preparation considerations in womens football ‘Constructing a plan for female athletes requires special considerations. Males and females have definite biological differences in terms of strength and body composition.’ ‘In program design, the gender of the athlete is important. Female athletes have different needs than male athletes, which will affect the training plan. Strength training is a more significant part of training for female athletes during all phases of ...the training year.’ Vern Gambetta So can female players train the same as male players? We dive into this in detail here http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/can-female-p/
17.01.2022 The 5 keys for effective match preparation Preparing for the demands of a match in footy that is what everyone is training for here (or at least they are if football is their primary goal.) This would seem like an obvious statement, however it is worth reminding of this periodically, as often the physical training itself can take over in players minds. In other words, often just putting on size and lifting more weight and running quicker times becomes so central to what pla...yers out there are doing in their training, that they lose sight of what it is that all this is being done for after all. Remember, if you are putting in all the extra time into supplementary training sessions be they running based or strength based don’t lose sight of what it is that you are training for. Enhanced physical output on game day is what counts at the end of the day. So what is required to give you the best possible chance of having a high level of carryover from all your training? https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/5-condition/
17.01.2022 How could a High School go about implementing an athletic development program for their athletic-minded student population We have been discussion the high school sector and its important role in bridging the gap between junior and senior sport a fair bit recently. In part 1 of this discussion, we delved in detail into why the High School sector is the key missing link (and very realistic option) between junior and senior sport. ... In part 2, we went over the depth of options that exist in other countries as well as took a look at when in the school day such a program would run. Now lets dive deeper into how a High School could look to introduce a program or service for their students, based on -What sort of facility you have at your disposal -How many students do you intend opening the program up to, or which year levels you are opening it up for -How many days per week -The existing timetable at your school -The space available to you -The timeline over which you are looking to introduce it http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/high-school-/
17.01.2022 As the pre-season games get into full swing at the highest level, the latest batch of 18 and 19 year olds are rolled out. But how many of them will play when the real stuff gets underway? And even more to the point, how many should? It is obvious the AFL simply copied the US system of drafting. But the massive difference is that in the NFL one has to have technically done years of college so average age is always 20 + and even in the NBL the average is well above that of the... AFL with the player needing to be 19+ from what I can gather. So they are proven talents in college able to win games in pressure games. They are privy to fully professional fitness programs and simply are men. This is a topic that may not seem initially relevant in regards to training - especially when talking about the highest level. However, this discussion has important implications for physical development at the grassroots/junior football level - which translates to far-reaching effects at the highest level. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/physical-li/
16.01.2022 Can you start a strength training program in-season without having done one pre-season? This is a common question from guys who have skipped the pre-season, or gone out to training late, or done the pre-season at their club/team, but only looked at adding in some strength work once the season has already started. We dive into a some of the key considerations here.... http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/can-you-star/
15.01.2022 Round 1 approaching Return to team training "Week 4... 1.Basic skills 8 minutes 2.Running block 1. Combination with body contact/wrestling. (Continuing to increase the match-play carryover in the conditioning work); 10 seconds up (50-60 meters), 10 seconds complete rest 10 seconds to get back (50-60 meters) straight into 10 seconds wrestle with an opponent (aim to get opponent on the ground) 20 seconds recovery (Making it a nice and even 1-minute schedule) Repeat 4-6 repetitions 4-6 minutes 3.Skills drill incorporating certain patterns/themes. 10-12 minutes 4.Running block 2. Repeat the half lap run through with a couple changes; -Increase the intensity (lower the time to complete by a few seconds) -Increase the rest time to 2-2.5 minutes (2 minutes if 4 reps, 2.5 if 6 reps.) BUT -Take your goal kick within 30 seconds again -Then continue the rest of that rest time in a basic 20-30 meter kick to kick with a team mate until the next repetition 4-6 repetitions (10-12 minutes) 5.Skills drill and game-based/small sided game combination. 8-10 minutes" More here: http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/return-to-te/
15.01.2022 A question as relevant as ever - 'can you start a strength training program in-season without having done one pre-season?' This is a common question from guys who have skipped the pre-season, or gone out to training late, or done the pre-season at their club/team, but only looked at adding in some strength work once the season has already started. But due to the unprecedented nature of the last few months, players preparations are as all over the place as they are likely... to ever be, making a look back at an old discussion very topical: http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/can-you-star/
14.01.2022 ‘Relative power makes the most efficient athlete.’ ‘Relative power makes things easier for the athlete. He’s able to control that bodyweight and also to efficiently decelerate it and reaccelerate it into the ground or someone else.’ One of the many reasons why 'putting on size' via standard bodybuilding practices can be a very misguided approach to training for young players (or anyone for that matter.)... We take a deailed look at these and more here http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/bodybuilding/
13.01.2022 Programming and individuality ‘What is the best program to do for football?’ A very common question.... Similar common related questions are ‘is this or that exercise good for footy’ or ‘how much weight should I be able to lift at my age?’ This is a good opportunity to talk about the importance of individuality in programming for strength and conditioning (or more accurately athletic development) work especially for strength and plyometric training. The importance of individuality is never more clear than in this season where many players wont have a season at all given to cancellations. Clearly these players training years will look very different to those who are playing a season. So lets dive into more detail about this here. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/individualis/
13.01.2022 Group training with 8-10 individuals. -Footy season cancelled? -Still wanting to perform physical preparation? -Hard to maintain all the motivation for just 'fitness' work with no football?... -Would like to still do a bit of football as well? -Located in an area where you are allowed to SOME time in groups of more than 1? We previously looked at how to go about constructing training sessions to maintain football in an informal private setting, combining physical preparation within a football context with 2 players, 3-4 player, as well as 5-6 players. Today we expand this number out finishing off with conditioning and football sessions of 8-10 players. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/group-8-10-i/
12.01.2022 With your own training and preparation, do you do fitness tests in your own time? Should you do fitness testing in your own time? After all, in the world of team sport, fitness/athletic qualities are a foundation and a means to an end - not an end in themselves. But in saying that, how can you know where to aim to get to, without knowing where you currently are? Its an interesting discussion topic - and sorry to disappoint - there is no black-and-white answer. But we discuss... this and a few other pre-season thoughts here. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/fitness-tes/
12.01.2022 How do i train/prepare now during this period? Specifically with running - how much should i do? Everyone reading this; Has a different level of experience right down to each individual drill (you may be very experienced at 400 meter runs, however a complete beginner at agility or fartlek work)... Will adapt and progress at different rates and this will also vary from task to task or session to session - so ensure that you monitor your own individual progress, and don’t jump ahead of where you are at Has different physical limitations or injuries Plays at a different level of footy or has different work requirements and commitments Plays different positions as well as plays different roles to each other in their own teams Will have different goals with what specific athletic task in footy they most need to improve. There are plenty that will be universal for everyone, but there will be lots that differ and also differ in the degree to which they need to be improved. So where to start with the planning of your own individualised running - particularly during these strange times? http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/how-to-indiv/
11.01.2022 How to go about individualising your running-based physical preparation? This is more relevant right now than ever before, as the current situation in footy for many leagues has left players with no games this year. This gives a blank canvas for 6 months before team pre-season even starts again, let alone before the next season rolls around. The worst thing you can do over the next 6 months do no physical work.... The second worst thing you can do (not far behind either) aim to run yourself into the ground and ‘get as fit as possible.’ In our latest discussion, we take a look at the individualising of your running based training in this strange season - and indeed in general. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/how-to-indiv/
11.01.2022 ‘What is the best program to do for football?’ A very common question. Similar common related questions are ‘is this or that exercise good for footy’ or ‘how much weight should I be able to lift at my age?’... This is a good opportunity to talk about the importance of individuality in programming for strength and conditioning (or more accurately athletic development) work especially for strength and plyometric training. The importance of individuality is never more clear than in this season where many players wont have a season at all given to cancellations. Clearly these players training years will look very different to those who are playing a season. So lets dive into more detail about this here. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/individuali/
11.01.2022 ‘What is the best program to do for football?’ Similar common related questions are ‘is this or that exercise good for footy’ or ‘how much weight should I be able to lift at my age?’ These things are particularly relevant at this stage of the year, as players attention turns to preparation for next season, or next pre-season.... So how to approach your own training and the putting together of your program? We cover some key programming thoughts in regard to the development of your own program this off-season here. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/individuali/
09.01.2022 Training groups of 3-4 1.Standard drilling; -If 4 people, can simply be 2 groups of 2 performing very rudimentary closed-chain skill work as previously covered... -If 3, standard lanes become triangles during these closed-chain warm up style skills; -Handball triangle every player handballs left, then right at the same time. -Ground ball/half volley collect -Yellow lines represent player movement, red lines ball movement. -Deliverer roles/throws ball for a moving half volley collect to receiver (will receive roughly where the red marker is), and on the up deliver a handball out to either straight ahead or to the left. -If the ball is handballed left, another quick hand pass back to the deliver. -The receiver backpedals quickly back to the start -5 collects, then the next player. More detail here on; -Speed relays -Contested goal-kicking -Competitive speed work -1on 1 contest -Wrestling and running combination work http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/small-group-/
08.01.2022 Are you still wanting to perform physical preparation in the absence of formal football training? Ideally, this preparation would still have a football-focus (specificity) for both a performance as well as motivation and enjoyment point of view. Building on previous discussions looking over various ways of combining speed, agility, direction change and conditioning style work into and/or with football skill-based drills is small private training groups of 2, 3 or 4, we now lo...ok at slightly larger group numbers. As the numbers grow, there are greater opportunities for the conditioning element to be performed in even more football-focused conditions. In the latest installment of this discussion we look at conditioning training in groups of 5 or 6. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/small-group-/
08.01.2022 Its that stage of the season where many young players are starting the preparations for next season, and the most common questions rarely change; What is the best sets and reps scheme to use? Should I do 3 sets?... Or should I do more? Is it best to do higher reps? Or should I stick to less reps and more weight? 3 sets of 10? 5 sets of 5? What about rest times? Alright, lets slow down with the questions, and stick to the sets and reps question for now. In this introductory article on sets and reps, we will hopefully make this question a little clearer and point you in the right direction with what you should be doing with your weight training. The short answer to the question ‘which sets and reps scheme is the best for strength training for footy’ is it depends. Pretty pathetic answer right? Ok, lets expand on this and give examples on the types of things that this depends on. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/some-progra/
07.01.2022 Fitness tests. (Or tests of any kind of physiological measure.) Clubs and teams love tests and if yours does them and has some extra equipment to do them great. Good for accountability and tracking the progress of a group.... But what about on your own in your own time, is it worth it? We discuss this along with some other related thoughts about the pre-season; https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/fitness-tes/
07.01.2022 How is your teams preparation going for round 1? Or your personal preparation for round 1? As players are beginning to focus more and more on the specificity of their physical preparation - especially the running-based work, the most commonly forgotten variable is that of work/rest ratios. We take a look at its importance here, and how to make simple adjustments to its programming here.... http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/work-rest-ra/
07.01.2022 ‘All components of physical performance: strength, power, speed, agility, endurance and flexibility must be developed in a systematic, sequential, and progressive manner to prepare the athlete. Athletic development coaches enhance athletic performance by developing athletes that are completely adaptable and prepared to handle the psychological, physical, technical and tactical demands required to compete.’ In other words, if you are just lifting weights 'to bulk up' you are m...issing the point of the TRUE benefits that can be gained from your lifting program. We take a detailed dive into this and the downside of the bodybuilding approach to training for footy here. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/bodybuildin/
05.01.2022 In season training How good it feels to even be mentioning those words Within a couple weeks, many players seasons will be in this mode, and training will adapt accordingly.... But what does this mean in terms of your own personal training program when this (belatedly) becomes the case. We look back on on this in more detail hee. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/in-season-tr/
05.01.2022 As the season ends for the majority of players - or at least all those who had the benefit/luck of being able to play this year, many players, particularly younger ones eager to improve next season, are looking to hit the track already with some running. Whilst a 'pre' pre-season is certainly a good idea, the most mistake here is looking to ramp up volume and intensity to high too quickly. This in combination with inadequate recovery from the previous season. From a running p...oint of view this generally looks like 'getting kilometers in the legs.' Here we take a look back at a previous discussion about running-based preparation for football pre-season, a subject particularly relevant at this stage of the year. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/off-season-/
04.01.2022 Long Term Athletic Development LTAD is just smart programming, cuing, adjustments and implementation strategies based on stages. What we have done is made a simple process a confusing process for parents, youth coaches and certain strength coaches. Lee Taft... I like that we are focusing on LTAD. I like the fact that we are talking about the floors of early speacialisation. I don’t like when it becomes overly scientific and they’re asking us to calculate peak height velocity, and they’re asking us to measure every kid every day when they come in and then try to react to that. I think there is some really good ideas in this and then what happens is some sports science guy runs off in the wrong direction with it, and suddenly what we have is something that was a really good idea that’s not anymore. Mike Boyle Something that has been made to be way more complicated and formulaic than it was supposed to be. Lay a good foundation from a young age with as broad a range of movement as possible, and continue to build on it layer by layer, year after year. For parents and junior coaches - Check out Kelvin Giles' Movement Dynamics website for excellent no-nonsense resources on what has become an 'over-scienced' topic. Closer to home and more focused on the football aspect of this discussion - junior development is something that we have discussed at length in the past, and are planning on doing more and more of. Check the link below. https://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au//junior-de/
03.01.2022 ‘What is the best program to do for football?’ The most common question received through this site. Similar common related questions are ‘is this or that exercise good for footy’ or ‘how much weight should I be able to lift at my age?’... These things are particularly relevant through the rest of this year, as many players (many of which unfortunately are juniors) will be left to their own devices without the competitive or formal training arena to work in. So how to approach your own training and putting together your own approach - especially as a young developing player? http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/individualis/
02.01.2022 Football skill/speed work -Green markers represent 1 player, can be performed with 1 spare player, who moves position depending on what end of the drill the ball is at -Ball set up on the red cone 5-10 meters ahead of green marker... -1-3 markers set up 15-20 meters ahead of the ball 1.Kicker accelerates from green cone to collect footy at red cone 2.Kicker accelerates with the ball and delivers to leading target 3.Ball MUST be released prior to reaching the blue cones (that is why they are there, to apply time pressure) 4.The leading player can lead whenever they like, and wherever they like (the cones are set up the way they are at that end so that players can reverse roles straight away without swapping positions.) But; 5.The player leading now has a defender with them who they need to lose/beat by making decoy runs, or just beating with pure speed. As a result, they now require even better timing and reading of the kicker than the original version of the drill. 6.The player kicking still must release the ball before hitting the blue markers, however if the forward still isn’t free, they have the option of hitting up the spare player (indicated by red arrows) at their end (once again before reaching the blue markers), either with a kick or a 1-2 handball before attempting a delivery to the leader who has hopefully lost their opponent. 7.Repeat the drill back the other way where the kicker and teammate now become the leader and the defender. 8.Repetitions should be worked through at speed, with minimal pauses in between, given that there are spares and rotation will allow for rest times too. http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/small-group-/
01.01.2022 Saw this great quote a little while back about the 'best sets and rep scheme' - and while it can be taken out of context easily - the moral is consistency (have the most detailed and periodised specific program yet fail to consistently adhere beyond the first 4 weeks makes this program pretty irrelevant all of a sudden.) Got me thinking about what is the worst excuse not to train? I’m injured. I’m injured so I wont be at training for a few weeks.... If I had to pick a ‘worst’ this one is it and it goes for all people, but especially if you are part of an athletic population. Because it is misguided about what training is meant to be as well. Yes if you have knicked a hammy, you wont be deadlifting heavy or sprinting. But just because one thing has an issue, this is not a license to do nothing there is plenty to do. An injury of any kind even a more serious one is an opportunity to get better at something else (a weakness you aren’t good at perhaps.) Also on a specific area there are various uses of various joints and in combination with other joints as well as the fact that if appropriately coached, training will do more for the overall recovery than ‘sit around and do nothing/rest’ will ever do. Besides, how often do you train and not do a certain exercise anyway? Plenty. Do you deadlift every session? Or lunge every session? Or bench every session (ok the answer on this last one may be yes - but you get the point.) So an injury of some kind is rarely (note I said rarely, not never) a legitimate excuse. Just because you have a specific issue with a certain joint or muscle doesn’t mean it cant be used in a certain way (a stabiliser for example) and just because you are trying to stay off your leg altogether, doesn’t mean other areas cant be worked on. That mentality that unless I can absolutely go flat-chat and do everything all the time, and leave every session feeling 100% smoked is misguided. No one trains that way all the time. And if you are training appropriately, there is variation in what you are doing. What better way to be forced into 3 weeks of variation on you current program than a niggle in your hamstring, or an inflamed biceps tendon. Consistency wins
01.01.2022 Cancelled seasons are very disappointing, and for many the motivation to train at all disappears all together. Understandable. For plenty who still intend to continue to focus on physical development in their own time, motivation will still be hard to maintain for many. One option that does exist (in some cases, unless you face complete bans on anything what-so-ever) is maintaining a degree of football-style-training-based fitness, performed within that small training group s...etting. Here we dive into the first of what will be a series of discussions with ideas and direction with how you and a partner/small group can go about maintaining a degree of both athletic development, but more importantly football http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/small-group-/
