Pre-Season Physical Preparation Applying Science to Practice

Paul Clarke

Paul Clarke • County Meath • Match-Fit Ireland • Strength & Conditioning, Sports Science and out on the pitch 3-4 times per week “in the trenches” • Meath, Offaly, Newtown Blues & Skryne GFC 2013, St. Oliver Plunketts ER 2014 • Head of Performance Solutions....Redback Biotek • Sports Technology

• VX Sport – NZ....2008

• “Performance you can See” • Innvoation comes from not knowing • Develop performance partnerships with our clients....work together and learn together.

• Drive better on field performance and.... •

Keep the coach and player at the heart of everything we do

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• Simple, Clear, Concise Information • Understand Performance – by team, tactic, player and position • Hands on coaching & learning tool • Injury Prevention / Management • Plan & Periodise

“ If you want to manage it you must measure it” Peter Drucker “It’s not so much that GPS gives us lots of answers & understanding, it does....but more than that it allows & prompts us to ask better questions” Dr.Kieran Collins

Measure........How far....How fast??

How Intense??

“I felt you were a bit out of position at time.......no, I was where you told me...”...Sound familiar ???

Match #1 = 0-1 from play..........Match #2 = 1-3 from play in this half.

Fatigue Analysis

Quality & frequency of sprints (efficiency)

Training Volumes

• Drill Volume • Warm up Volume • Burnout

750m 300m 700m 1000m

Total = 3000m

Better Questions...better use of time??

...Better ways for pre-season??

•

Drills based Session - 2012

Time = 35 mins • Distance Covered = 1907 mts • Relative Distance = 54 mts/min • Hi-Intensity mts = 83 • High-end Sprints (avg. Per player) = 1.8

• • • •

Game Based Session - 2012

Time = 20 mins Distance Covered = 2139 mts ☺ Relative Distance = 107 mts/min ☺ Hi-Intensity mts = 312 m ☺ • High-end Sprints (avg. Per player) = 8.2 ☺ ** Game played after Drills section**

Another look...Carlow 2014

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Louth Senior Club 2013 (1 Half of play)

Time = 30 mins • • Distance = 3497 mts Relative Dist = 117 mts/min • Hi-Intensity Distance = 789 mts • % Hi-Intensity = 23% • No of Hi –Intensity sprints = 82 • • • • • •

Carlow IT Trial (6 SSGs)

Time = 24 mins Distance = 2170 Relative Distance = 90mts/min Hi –Intensity Distance = 461 mts % Hi-Intensity = 21% No. of Hi-Intensity sprints = 79

Is this approach preparing the players for the stop/start nature of GAA???

Finding another way.........

• • Hurling & Football Pre-Season.....more effective use of time?

• Integrating Physical, Mental, Technical, Tactical demands of the game Test environment  10-a-side : 2 x 3 mins  6-a-side : 2 x 2 mins  3-a-side : 2 x 1 min

Summary

10 V 10 6 V 6 3 V 3

Time Distance Max Speed Avg Speed Hi Int Mts % Dist @ Hi-int 3min 482M 23kph 9kph 98 20% % Time @ Hi int No. of Accelerations 11% 18 Time Distance Max Speed Avg Speed Hi Int Mts % Dist @ Hi-int 2min 344M 22kph 7kph 36 11% 5% % Time @ Hi int No. of Accelerations 15 Time Distance Max Speed Avg Speed Hi Int Mts % Dist @ Hi-int % Time @ Hi int No. of Accelerations 1min 178M 28kph 11kph 98 59% 28% 9