Could targeted exercise programmes prevent lower limb injury in community Australian football?
- Andrew, Nadine, Gabbe, Belinda, Cook, Jill, Lloyd, David, Donnelly, Cyril, Nash, Clare, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Andrew, Nadine , Gabbe, Belinda , Cook, Jill , Lloyd, David , Donnelly, Cyril , Nash, Clare , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 43, no. 8 (2013), p. 751-763
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Australian football is a popular sport in Australia, at both the community and elite levels. It is a high-speed contact sport with a higher incidence of medically treated injuries when compared with most other organized sports. Hamstring injuries, ligament injuries to the knee or ankle, hip/groin injuries and tendinopathies are particularly common and often result in considerable time lost from sport. Consequently, the prevention of lower limb injuries is a priority for both community and elite Australian football organizations. There is considerable literature available on exercise programmes aimed at reducing lower limb injuries in Australian football and other running-related sports. The quality and outcomes of these studies have varied considerably, but indicate that exercise protocols may be an effective means of preventing lower limb injuries. Despite this, there has been limited high-quality and systematic evaluation of these data. Objective: The aim of this literature review is to systematically evaluate the evidence about the benefits of lower limb injury prevention exercise protocols aimed at reducing the most common severe lower limb injuries in Australian football. Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Bone Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialized Register, MEDLINE and other electronic databases were searched, from January 1990 to December 2010. Papers reporting the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, cohort and case-control studies were extracted. Primary outcomes were injury reduction or risk factor identification and/or modification. Secondary outcomes were adherence to any trialled interventions, injury severity and adverse effects such as secondary injuries and muscle soreness. The methodological quality of extracted manuscripts was assessed and results were collated. Results: Forty-seven papers were identified and reviewed of which 18 related to hamstring injury, eight related to knee or ankle ligament injury, five related to tendon injury and four were hip or groin injury related. Another 12 papers targeted general lower limb injuries. Most (n = 27 [57 %]) were observational studies, investigating injury risk factors. Twenty reported the results of intervention trials. Of these, 15 were efficacy trials reporting the effects of an intervention in reducing injury rates, four were biomechanical interventions in which the impact of the intervention on a known injury risk factor was assessed and one reported changes in injury risk factors as well as injury rates. The strength of the evidence base for exercise programmes for lower limb injury prevention was found to be limited, primarily due to the research methods employed, low adherence to interventions by the study participants and a lack of statistical power. Limited evidence obtained from a small number of RCTs suggests that balance and control exercises might be efficacious in preventing ankle ligament injuries and a programme involving a combination of balance and control exercises, eccentric hamstring, plyometrics and strength exercises could be efficacious in preventing all lower limb injuries. Conclusions: Overall, the evidence for exercise programmes as an efficacious lower limb injury prevention strategy is predominantly restricted to studies addressing injury aetiology and mechanisms. The findings of this review highlight the need to develop and test interventions in well designed population-based trials with an emphasis on promoting intervention uptake and adherence and, hence, intervention effectiveness. The results of this review can inform the development of the components of a future lower limb injury prevention exercise protocol for community-level Australian football. © 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Funded by the NHMRC.
- Description: 2003011215
- Authors: Andrew, Nadine , Gabbe, Belinda , Cook, Jill , Lloyd, David , Donnelly, Cyril , Nash, Clare , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 43, no. 8 (2013), p. 751-763
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Australian football is a popular sport in Australia, at both the community and elite levels. It is a high-speed contact sport with a higher incidence of medically treated injuries when compared with most other organized sports. Hamstring injuries, ligament injuries to the knee or ankle, hip/groin injuries and tendinopathies are particularly common and often result in considerable time lost from sport. Consequently, the prevention of lower limb injuries is a priority for both community and elite Australian football organizations. There is considerable literature available on exercise programmes aimed at reducing lower limb injuries in Australian football and other running-related sports. The quality and outcomes of these studies have varied considerably, but indicate that exercise protocols may be an effective means of preventing lower limb injuries. Despite this, there has been limited high-quality and systematic evaluation of these data. Objective: The aim of this literature review is to systematically evaluate the evidence about the benefits of lower limb injury prevention exercise protocols aimed at reducing the most common severe lower limb injuries in Australian football. Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Bone Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialized Register, MEDLINE and other electronic databases were searched, from January 1990 to December 2010. Papers reporting the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, cohort and case-control studies were extracted. Primary outcomes were injury reduction or risk factor identification and/or modification. Secondary outcomes were adherence to any trialled interventions, injury severity and adverse effects such as secondary injuries and muscle soreness. The methodological quality of extracted manuscripts was assessed and results were collated. Results: Forty-seven papers were identified and reviewed of which 18 related to hamstring injury, eight related to knee or ankle ligament injury, five related to tendon injury and four were hip or groin injury related. Another 12 papers targeted general lower limb injuries. Most (n = 27 [57 %]) were observational studies, investigating injury risk factors. Twenty reported the results of intervention trials. Of these, 15 were efficacy trials reporting the effects of an intervention in reducing injury rates, four were biomechanical interventions in which the impact of the intervention on a known injury risk factor was assessed and one reported changes in injury risk factors as well as injury rates. The strength of the evidence base for exercise programmes for lower limb injury prevention was found to be limited, primarily due to the research methods employed, low adherence to interventions by the study participants and a lack of statistical power. Limited evidence obtained from a small number of RCTs suggests that balance and control exercises might be efficacious in preventing ankle ligament injuries and a programme involving a combination of balance and control exercises, eccentric hamstring, plyometrics and strength exercises could be efficacious in preventing all lower limb injuries. Conclusions: Overall, the evidence for exercise programmes as an efficacious lower limb injury prevention strategy is predominantly restricted to studies addressing injury aetiology and mechanisms. The findings of this review highlight the need to develop and test interventions in well designed population-based trials with an emphasis on promoting intervention uptake and adherence and, hence, intervention effectiveness. The results of this review can inform the development of the components of a future lower limb injury prevention exercise protocol for community-level Australian football. © 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Funded by the NHMRC.
- Description: 2003011215
Decision-making accuracy in reactive agility: Quantifying the cost of poor decisions
- Henry, Greg, Dawson, Brian, Lay, Brendan, Young, Warren
- Authors: Henry, Greg , Dawson, Brian , Lay, Brendan , Young, Warren
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Vol. 27, no. 11 (2013), p. 3190-3196
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Decision-making accuracy and the time cost of incorrect responses was compared between higher- (n = 14) and lowerstandard (n = 14) Australian footballers during reactive agility tasks incorporating feint and nonfeint scenarios. Accuracy was assessed as whether the subject turned in the correct direction to each stimulus. With skill groups pooled, decision accuracy at the first (or only) stimulus (decision time 1) was 94 6 7%, and it decreased to 83 6 20% for the second stimulus (decision time 2; p = 0.01; d = 0.69). However, with skill groups separated, decision accuracy was similar between groups at decision time 1 (higher 95 6 6% vs. lower 92 6 7%; p = 0.6; d = 0.42), somewhat better in the higher-standard group at decision time 2 (88 6 22% vs. 78 6 17%; p = 0.08; d =0.50). But the decrease in accuracy from decision time 1 to 2 was significant in the lower-standard group only (92 6 7% to 78 6 17%; p = 0.02; d = 1.04). However, with skill groups pooled but agility times examined exclusively in trials involving correct or incorrect decisions, incorrect decisions at decision time 1 during feint trials resulted in a shorter agility time (1.73 6 0.24 seconds vs. 2.03 6 0.39 seconds; p = 0.008; d =0.92), whereas agility time was significantly longer in feint (incorrect at decision time 2 only; 2.65 6 0.41 seconds vs. 1.97 6 0.36 seconds; p , 0.001; d = 1.76) and nonfeint trials (1.64 6 0.13 seconds vs. 1.51 6 0.10 seconds; p = 0.001; d = 1.13). Therefore, although decision-making errors typically worsen reactive agility performance, successful anticipation of a feint can produce performance improvements. Furthermore, higher-standard footballers are less susceptible to such feints, perhaps because of superior anticipation. Training to improve decision-making accuracy, particularly involving feint movements, may therefore principally benefit lesser-skilled players and should be practiced regularly. © 2013 National Strength and Conditioning Association.
- Description: C1
Priorities for investment in injury prevention in community Australian football
- Finch, Caroline, Gabbe, Belinda, White, Peta, Lloyd, David, Twomey, Dara, Donaldson, Alex, Elliott, Bruce, Cook, Jill
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Gabbe, Belinda , White, Peta , Lloyd, David , Twomey, Dara , Donaldson, Alex , Elliott, Bruce , Cook, Jill
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinical journal of sport medicine Vol. 23, no. 6 (November 2013 2013), p. 430-438
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective:High-quality sport-specific information about the nature, type, cause, and frequency of injuries is needed to set injury prevention priorities. This article describes the type, nature, and mechanism of injuries in community Australian Football (community AF) players, as collected through field-based monitoring of injury in teams of players.Data Sources:Compilation of published prospectively collected injury data from 3 studies in junior community AF (1202 injuries in 1950+ players) and 3 studies in adult community AF (1765 injuries in 2265 players). This was supplemented with previously unpublished data from the most recent adult community AF injury cohort study conducted in 2007 to 2008. Injuries were ranked according to most common body regions, nature of injury, and mechanism.Main Results:In all players, lower limb injuries were the most frequent injury in community AF and were generally muscle strains, joint sprains, and superficial injuries. These injuries most commonly resulted from incidental contact with other players, or from overexertion. Upper limb injuries were less common but included fractures, strains, and sprains that were generally caused by incidental contact between players and the result of players falling to the ground.Conclusions:Lower limb injuries are common in community AF and could have an adverse impact on sustained participation in the game. Based on what is known about their mechanisms, it is likely that a high proportion of lower limb injuries could be prevented and they should therefore be a priority for injury prevention in community AF.
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Gabbe, Belinda , White, Peta , Lloyd, David , Twomey, Dara , Donaldson, Alex , Elliott, Bruce , Cook, Jill
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinical journal of sport medicine Vol. 23, no. 6 (November 2013 2013), p. 430-438
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective:High-quality sport-specific information about the nature, type, cause, and frequency of injuries is needed to set injury prevention priorities. This article describes the type, nature, and mechanism of injuries in community Australian Football (community AF) players, as collected through field-based monitoring of injury in teams of players.Data Sources:Compilation of published prospectively collected injury data from 3 studies in junior community AF (1202 injuries in 1950+ players) and 3 studies in adult community AF (1765 injuries in 2265 players). This was supplemented with previously unpublished data from the most recent adult community AF injury cohort study conducted in 2007 to 2008. Injuries were ranked according to most common body regions, nature of injury, and mechanism.Main Results:In all players, lower limb injuries were the most frequent injury in community AF and were generally muscle strains, joint sprains, and superficial injuries. These injuries most commonly resulted from incidental contact with other players, or from overexertion. Upper limb injuries were less common but included fractures, strains, and sprains that were generally caused by incidental contact between players and the result of players falling to the ground.Conclusions:Lower limb injuries are common in community AF and could have an adverse impact on sustained participation in the game. Based on what is known about their mechanisms, it is likely that a high proportion of lower limb injuries could be prevented and they should therefore be a priority for injury prevention in community AF.
Coding OSICS sports injury diagnoses in epidemiological studies : Does the background of the coder matter?
- Finch, Caroline, Orchard, John, Twomey, Dara, Saleem, Muhammad Saad, Ekegren, Christina, Lloyd, David, Elliott, Bruce
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Orchard, John , Twomey, Dara , Saleem, Muhammad Saad , Ekegren, Christina , Lloyd, David , Elliott, Bruce
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol.48, p.552-556.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To compare Orchard Sports Injury Classification System (OSICS-10) sports medicine diagnoses assigned by a clinical and non-clinical coder. Design: Assessment of intercoder agreement. Setting: Community Australian football. Participants: 1082 standardised injury surveillance records. Main outcome measurements: Direct comparison of the four-character hierarchical OSICS-10 codes assigned by two independent coders (a sports physician and an epidemiologist). Adjudication by a third coder (biomechanist). Results: The coders agreed on the first character 95% of the time and on the first two characters 86% of the time. They assigned the same four-digit OSICS-10 code for only 46% of the 1082 injuries. The majority of disagreements occurred for the third character; 85% were because one coder assigned a non-specific 'X' code. The sports physician code was deemed correct in 53% of cases and the epidemiologist in 44%. Reasons for disagreement included the physician not using all of the collected information and the epidemiologist lacking specific anatomical knowledge. Conclusions: Sports injury research requires accurate identification and classification of specific injuries and this study found an overall high level of agreement in coding according to OSICS-10. The fact that the majority of the disagreements occurred for the third OSICS character highlights the fact that increasing complexity and diagnostic specificity in injury coding can result in a loss of reliability and demands a high level of anatomical knowledge. Injury report form details need to reflect this level of complexity and data management teams need to include a broad range of expertise. Copyright Article author (or their employer) 2012.
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Orchard, John , Twomey, Dara , Saleem, Muhammad Saad , Ekegren, Christina , Lloyd, David , Elliott, Bruce
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol.48, p.552-556.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To compare Orchard Sports Injury Classification System (OSICS-10) sports medicine diagnoses assigned by a clinical and non-clinical coder. Design: Assessment of intercoder agreement. Setting: Community Australian football. Participants: 1082 standardised injury surveillance records. Main outcome measurements: Direct comparison of the four-character hierarchical OSICS-10 codes assigned by two independent coders (a sports physician and an epidemiologist). Adjudication by a third coder (biomechanist). Results: The coders agreed on the first character 95% of the time and on the first two characters 86% of the time. They assigned the same four-digit OSICS-10 code for only 46% of the 1082 injuries. The majority of disagreements occurred for the third character; 85% were because one coder assigned a non-specific 'X' code. The sports physician code was deemed correct in 53% of cases and the epidemiologist in 44%. Reasons for disagreement included the physician not using all of the collected information and the epidemiologist lacking specific anatomical knowledge. Conclusions: Sports injury research requires accurate identification and classification of specific injuries and this study found an overall high level of agreement in coding according to OSICS-10. The fact that the majority of the disagreements occurred for the third OSICS character highlights the fact that increasing complexity and diagnostic specificity in injury coding can result in a loss of reliability and demands a high level of anatomical knowledge. Injury report form details need to reflect this level of complexity and data management teams need to include a broad range of expertise. Copyright Article author (or their employer) 2012.
Effects of a feint on reactive agility performance
- Henry, Greg, Dawson, Brian, Lay, Brendan, Young, Warren
- Authors: Henry, Greg , Dawson, Brian , Lay, Brendan , Young, Warren
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sports Sciences Vol. 30, no. 8 (2012), p. 787-795
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study compared reactive agility between higher-standard (n = 14) and lower-standard (n = 14) Australian footballers using a reactive agility test incorporating a life-size video image of another player changing direction, including and excluding a feint. Mean agility time in the feint trials was 34% (509 ± 243 ms; p < 0.001; effect size 3.06) longer than non-feint trials. In higher-standard players, agility time was shorter than for lower-standard players in both feint (114 ± 140 ms; p = 0.18; effect size 0.52; likely beneficial) and non-feint (32 ± 44 ms; p = 0.22; effect size 0.47; possibly beneficial) trials. Additionally, the inclusion of a feint resulted in movement time increasing over three times more in the lower-standard group (197 ± 91 ms; p = 0.001; effect size 1.07; almost certainly detrimental) than the higher-standard group (62 ± 86 ms; p = 0.23; effect size 0.66; likely detrimental). There were weak correlations between the feint and non-feint trials (r = -0.13-0.14; p > 0.05), suggesting that reactive agility involving a feint is a unique skill. Also, higher-standard players are more agile than their lower-standard peers, whose movement speed deteriorates more as task complexity increases with the inclusion of a feint. These results support the need for specific training in multi-turn reactive agility tasks. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Challenges in the development of standards for synthetic turf for Australian football and cricket
- Twomey, Dara, Otago, Leonie, Saunders, Natalie
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. 225, no. 2 (June 2011 2011), p. 93-101
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Given the escalating drought conditions in Australia, synthetic surfaces have recently been explored as a viable surface option for community-level Australian football-cricket ovals. The vast majority of Australian football ovals are transformed into cricket pitches during the football off-season and hence the characteristics of both sports had to be duly considered in the development of standards that could be tested in a laboratory setting, for a synthetic turf surface. This paper describes the data collection and test methods undertaken in the development of the standards for synthetic surface use in Australian football and cricket. The paper also discusses the issues and challenges encountered during the development of standards for multi-sport synthetic surfaces to ensure player safety while maintaining the performance characteristics of both sports. Surface property and ball interaction tests were undertaken on natural playing surfaces, both in situ and in the laboratory to determine the properties of the current playing surface for each sport. This paper highlights the importance of careful consideration of the characteristics of both games and the use of equipment from both sports in the testing methods. The standards described in this paper have now been accepted by the Australian Football League and Cricket Australia and the product approval process and use of synthetic surfaces for Australian football and cricket is imminent.
Level of agreement between field-based data collectors in a large scale injury prevention randomised controlled trial
- Twomey, Dara, Finch, Caroline, Doyle, Tim, Elliott, Bruce, Lloyd, David
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Finch, Caroline , Doyle, Tim , Elliott, Bruce , Lloyd, David
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 14, no. 2 (2011), p. 121-125
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In sports injury prevention field trials, data collectors are often club volunteers with considerable knowledge of the game but with limited detailed medical backgrounds or knowledge of formal scientific processes. The aim of this paper is to determine the agreement among trained primary data collectors (PDCs) with a sport science background and no prior involvement in data collection in a large randomised controlled trial. During the 'Preventing Australian Football Injury through eXercise' (PAFIX) project, player participation and injury data were collected by trained PDCs at training and games over the 2007 and 2008 playing seasons in 40 community level Australian football teams. PDC-collected data relating to player exposure and whether or not a player sustained an injury and subsequently left the field of play was compared to the same information from independent observers (IOs) who attended one randomly selected game for each of the 40 teams. There was 98% agreement between the PDC and the IO on game details (i.e., date, time, grade and score), 79% (ICC 0.9, 95% CI 0.85-0.95) agreement on the number of players per game and 76% (ICC 0.8, 95% CI 0.69-0.91) agreement on the number of injuries sustained in the games. There was 100% agreement on whether the player left the field for all injuries. This study found that exercise and sport science students are reliable data collectors in sports injury fieldwork studies. (C) 2010 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Finch, Caroline , Doyle, Tim , Elliott, Bruce , Lloyd, David
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 14, no. 2 (2011), p. 121-125
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In sports injury prevention field trials, data collectors are often club volunteers with considerable knowledge of the game but with limited detailed medical backgrounds or knowledge of formal scientific processes. The aim of this paper is to determine the agreement among trained primary data collectors (PDCs) with a sport science background and no prior involvement in data collection in a large randomised controlled trial. During the 'Preventing Australian Football Injury through eXercise' (PAFIX) project, player participation and injury data were collected by trained PDCs at training and games over the 2007 and 2008 playing seasons in 40 community level Australian football teams. PDC-collected data relating to player exposure and whether or not a player sustained an injury and subsequently left the field of play was compared to the same information from independent observers (IOs) who attended one randomly selected game for each of the 40 teams. There was 98% agreement between the PDC and the IO on game details (i.e., date, time, grade and score), 79% (ICC 0.9, 95% CI 0.85-0.95) agreement on the number of players per game and 76% (ICC 0.8, 95% CI 0.69-0.91) agreement on the number of injuries sustained in the games. There was 100% agreement on whether the player left the field for all injuries. This study found that exercise and sport science students are reliable data collectors in sports injury fieldwork studies. (C) 2010 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A comparison of different pre-performance routines as possible choking interventions
- Mesagno, Christopher, Mullane-Grant, Thomas
- Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Mullane-Grant, Thomas
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology Vol. 22, no. 3 (2010), p. 343-360
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of the current study was to ascertain which aspect of a pre-performance routine (PPR) is most beneficial to alleviate choking. Participants included 60 experienced Australian football players in Australia, who attempted 20 kicks at a scoring zone in low- and high-pressure phases. Participants were assigned to one of five groups, with four groups undertaking intervention training and the pressure control group receiving no training, prior to the high-pressure phase. Results indicated that state anxiety increased during the high-pressure phase. Intervention groups responded to the increased anxiety with improved performance, while the pressure control group decreased performance. Thus, results add support to existing literature that a non-automated PPR, with psychological and behavioral components, decreases the likelihood of choking. Applied implications for consulting with potential choking-susceptible athletes are discussed. © Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
Acute effect of exercise on kicking accuracy in elite Australian football players
- Young, Warren, Gulli, Rachael, Rath, David, Russell, Andrew, O'Brien, Brendan, Harvey, Jack
- Authors: Young, Warren , Gulli, Rachael , Rath, David , Russell, Andrew , O'Brien, Brendan , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 13, no. 1 (2010), p. 85-89
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Kicking accuracy (KA) is an important skill in Australian football but the potential influence of exercise on this skill has not been previously investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine if a 2× 2 min time trial running protocol influenced short KA in elite Australian football. Another aim was to identify if endurance, playing experience and position were related to any exercise-induced KA changes. Twenty-seven professional footballers performed a KA test by kicking at a bullseye on a target projected onto a screen. The mean error from the centre of the target was the KA score. The players were assessed on the KA test, and then performed a 2× 2 min time trial with a 3-min recovery between runs. The total distance covered was used as a measure of endurance fitness, and the test also served as an exercise bout designed to impose some physiological stress. Immediately following this test, the players walked into the laboratory and performed the KA test again. A paired t-test revealed that the whole group achieved a non-significant 2.7% improvement in KA. Players were divided into two distinct groups based on endurance (2× 2 min results), playing experience and position (midfielders and forwards/backs). Analysis of covariance showed that after the exercise bout, the fitter group had significantly better KA (p = 0.010) than the less fit group, and the more experienced players were 16% more accurate than the less experienced group (p = 0.055). The midfielders were 8.2% better than the forwards/backs in KA (p = 0.32). It was suggested that greater endurance and playing experience may facilitate KA under moderate physiological stress. © 2008 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: 2003008125
Analysis of a reactive agility field test
- Authors: Young, Warren , Willey, Ben
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 13, no. 3 (2010), p. 376-378
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this research was to evaluate a reactive agility test by determining the relationships between the total time recorded for the test and various components. A tester used side-step movements to provide a stimulus for the athlete to change direction. By using electronic timing and high speed video analysis of the test, three times were recorded. These were the time taken for the tester to display the stimulus to change direction (tester time), the time taken by the participant to respond to the stimulus (decision time), and the time taken by the participant to change direction and sprint to the left or right (response movement time). Thirty-one semi-professional Australian Rules football players were assessed by analysing the mean of eight trials of the reactive agility test. The greatest correlation with total time was r = 0.77 for decision time (p = 0.00), with movement time and tester time producing coefficients of 0.59 (p = 0.00) and 0.37 (p = 0.04), respectively. The coefficient of variation for the mean tester time was 5.1%. It was concluded that perceptual skill as measured by decision time is an important component of the reactive agility test and the tester time should be controlled by using high speed video recordings to isolate its influence. © 2009 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Authors: Young, Warren , Willey, Ben
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 13, no. 3 (2010), p. 376-378
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this research was to evaluate a reactive agility test by determining the relationships between the total time recorded for the test and various components. A tester used side-step movements to provide a stimulus for the athlete to change direction. By using electronic timing and high speed video analysis of the test, three times were recorded. These were the time taken for the tester to display the stimulus to change direction (tester time), the time taken by the participant to respond to the stimulus (decision time), and the time taken by the participant to change direction and sprint to the left or right (response movement time). Thirty-one semi-professional Australian Rules football players were assessed by analysing the mean of eight trials of the reactive agility test. The greatest correlation with total time was r = 0.77 for decision time (p = 0.00), with movement time and tester time producing coefficients of 0.59 (p = 0.00) and 0.37 (p = 0.04), respectively. The coefficient of variation for the mean tester time was 5.1%. It was concluded that perceptual skill as measured by decision time is an important component of the reactive agility test and the tester time should be controlled by using high speed video recordings to isolate its influence. © 2009 Sports Medicine Australia.
Challenges in the development of standards for synthetic turf for Australian football and cricket
- Twomey, Dara, Otago, Leonie, Saunders, Natalie
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. , no. (2010), p. 9
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Given the escalating drought conditions in Australia, synthetic surfaces have recently been explored as a viable surface option for community-level Australian football–cricket ovals. The vast majority of Australian football ovals are transformed into cricket pitches during the football off-season and hence the characteristics of both sports had to be duly considered in the development of standards that could be tested in a laboratory setting, for a synthetic turf surface. This paper describes the data collection and test methods undertaken in the development of the standards for synthetic surface use in Australian football and cricket. The paper also discusses the issues and challenges encountered during the development of standards for multi-sport synthetic surfaces to ensure player safety while maintaining the performance characteristics of both sports. Surface property and ball interaction tests were undertaken on natural playing surfaces, both in situ and in the laboratory to determine the properties of the current playing surface for each sport. This paper highlights the importance of careful consideration of the characteristics of both games and the use of equipment from both sports in the testing methods. The standards described in this paper have now been accepted by the Australian Football League and Cricket Australia and the product approval process and use of synthetic surfaces for Australian football and cricket is imminent.
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. , no. (2010), p. 9
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Given the escalating drought conditions in Australia, synthetic surfaces have recently been explored as a viable surface option for community-level Australian football–cricket ovals. The vast majority of Australian football ovals are transformed into cricket pitches during the football off-season and hence the characteristics of both sports had to be duly considered in the development of standards that could be tested in a laboratory setting, for a synthetic turf surface. This paper describes the data collection and test methods undertaken in the development of the standards for synthetic surface use in Australian football and cricket. The paper also discusses the issues and challenges encountered during the development of standards for multi-sport synthetic surfaces to ensure player safety while maintaining the performance characteristics of both sports. Surface property and ball interaction tests were undertaken on natural playing surfaces, both in situ and in the laboratory to determine the properties of the current playing surface for each sport. This paper highlights the importance of careful consideration of the characteristics of both games and the use of equipment from both sports in the testing methods. The standards described in this paper have now been accepted by the Australian Football League and Cricket Australia and the product approval process and use of synthetic surfaces for Australian football and cricket is imminent.
Preventing lower limb injuries : Is the latest evidence being translated into the football field?
- Twomey, Dara, Finch, Caroline, Roediger, E., Lloyd, David
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Finch, Caroline , Roediger, E. , Lloyd, David
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 12, no. 4 (2009), p. 452-456
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: There is accumulating international evidence that lower limb injuries in sport can be prevented through targeted training but the extent to which this knowledge has been translated to real-world sporting practice is not known. A semi-structured questionnaire of all coaches from the nine Sydney Australian Football League Premier Division teams was conducted. Information was sought about their knowledge and behaviours in relation to delivering training programs, including their uptake of the latest scientific evidence for injury prevention. Direct observation of a sample of the coach-delivered training sessions was also undertaken to validate the questionnaire. Coaches ranked training session elements directly related to the game as being of most importance. They strongly favoured warming-up and cooling-down as injury prevention measures but changing direction and side-stepping training was considered to be of little/no importance for safety. Only one-third believed that balance training had some importance for injury prevention, despite accumulating scientific evidence to the contrary. Drills, set play, ball handling and kicking skills were all considered to be of least importance to injury prevention. These views were consistent with the content of the observed coach-led training sessions. In conclusion, current football training sessions do not give adequate attention to the development of skills most likely to reduce the risk of lower limb injury in players. There is a need to improve the translation of the latest scientific evidence about effective injury prevention into coaching practices. © 2008 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: 2003006500
The development of guidelines for using synthetic surfaces in Australian football and cricket
- Twomey, Dara, Otago, Leonie, Saunders, Natalie
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2009 Australia Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, Seventh National Physical Activity Conference, Sixth National Sports Injury Prevention Conference, Be Active '09, Brisbane, Queensland : 14th-17th October 2009
- Full Text: false
- Description: Given the current climatic conditions, synthetic surfaces have been explored as a viable option for Australian football/cricket ovals in drought regions in Australia. The aim of this paper is to describe the processes required prior to the installation of a synthetic surface to ensure player safety, and challenges in the development of criteria for a multi-sport surface. Artificial surfaces have been used for many sports worldwide for decades, but it is only since the late 1990s that the “third generation” turf surfaces made of long and more widely spread fibres of propylene or polyethylene filled with rubber granules have been adopted. These surfaces have proved satisfactory for some football codes and have grown in popularity in many parts of the world. Sports, such as, soccer, rugby union and hockey have developed specific criteria for synthetic turf manufacturing companies to satisfy prior to the installation of a field. In these instances, although it may be used by other sports after installation, the product is only obliged to meet the requirements set by one governing body. In Australia, however, the majority of Australian football ovals are used for cricket during the football off season. Therefore, in the development of criteria for player safety and to maintain the characteristics of the games on natural turf both Australian football and cricket had to be duly considered. A study was undertaken in 2008 to establish a set of criteria which would enable artificial surfaces to replicate the playing performance of natural turf for Australian football and cricket. Testing was undertaken on natural playing surfaces from elite to community level. Tests included hardness, traction, friction, abrasion, ball rebound, ball roll, angled ball behaviour and the establishment of a critical fall height. Australian football and cricket ball were used in the ball interaction tests and the studs/cleats used in both sports were tested for rotational traction. A climatic chamber was also used to determine the effects of different temperatures on the playing characteristics. Data from previous research employing the same protocols for surface characteristics were also considered in the development of a set of criteria. This research highlighted the important factors that need to be optimised for synthetic playing fields to be to be safe and suitable for use. This criteria has now been accepted by the Australian Football League and Cricket Australia and the use of synthetic surfaces for Australian football and cricket is imminent.
Do hard playing fields increase the risk of injury in community level Australian football?
- Twomey, Dara, Otago, Leonie, Finch, Caroline, Chivers, I., Orchard, John
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Otago, Leonie , Finch, Caroline , Chivers, I. , Orchard, John
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at ASICS Conference of science and medicine in sport 2008, Hamilton Island : 16th-18th October 2008
- Full Text: false
- Description: Introduction: Certain ground conditions, including hardness, have been associated with an increased injury risk. Many sporting grounds have been deemed unplayable based on hardness measures and subsequently closed. However, most research linking injury to ground conditions has been based on subjective observations or focussed at high performance venues. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between ground hardness and injury incidence in community level Australian football. Methodology: Measurements of ground hardness, using the Clegg hammer, were recorded on eight community level football grounds between 4 and 8 times during the 2007 season. Injury data was collected by trained data collectors over the season. The 1st Clegg hammer drop was used as the hardness measure, and injuries were ranked as ‘likely’, ‘possibly’, and ‘unlikely’ to be related to grounds by three independent assessors. Results: 130 injuries were recorded at the grounds tested. The Clegg hammer measures ranged from 55 to 134 gravities (g), with four injuries sustained at readings over 120 × g. Of the 130 injuries, 12 were classified as ‘likely’ to be related to ground conditions, 29 ‘possibly’ related, 75 ‘unlikely’ and 14 unknown due to incomplete details. None of the ‘likely’ injuries were sustained on readings over 120 × g. No significant relationships were found between ground hardness and any injury profiles (0.02 < r < 0.14, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Presently, sporting grounds are being closed with hardness readings exceeding 120 × g. The results of this study provide some evidence to challenge this, however, due to low injury rates further research with a larger cohort is necessary.
Priorities for reducing the burden of injuries in sport : The example of Australian football
- Gabbe, Belinda, Finch, Caroline, Cameron, Peter
- Authors: Gabbe, Belinda , Finch, Caroline , Cameron, Peter
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 10, no. 5 (2007), p. 273-276
- Full Text: false
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- Description: The promotion of safe sports participation has become a public health issue due to rising obesity rates and the potential for parental concerns about safety to inhibit sports participation. The safety of Australian football and its elite game, the Australian Football League (AFL), is often the focus of media commentary. Participation in the modified version of the game (Auskick) has been shown to be safer but by the time children reach the under-15 age group, adult rules are in place and the umbrella of safety provided by modified rules is gone. Figures released recently by the AFL suggest that injury rates at the elite-level are at an historical low, but equivalent information for the more than 400,000 non-elite participants is not available. Published literature related to preventing injuries in Australian football highlights a significant knowledge gap with respect to the aetiology of injuries in non-elite participants and only a very small evidence base for prevention of injuries in this sport. Gains in reducing the public health impact of football injuries, and injury-related barriers to Australian football participation, will only come from substantial investment in large-scale trials at the non-elite level, and a co-ordinated and multidisciplinary approach to dealing with safety and injury issues across all levels of play. Active and committed collaboration of key stakeholders such as government health agencies, peak sports bodies, sports administrators, clinicians, researchers, clubs, coaches and the participants themselves will be necessary. © 2007 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005774
Relationship between pre-season anthropometric and fitness measures and indicators of playing performance in elite junior Australian rules football
- Authors: Young, Warren , Pryor, Luke
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 10, no. 2 (2007), p. 110-118
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- Description: The purpose of this research was to determine the relationships between selected anthropometric and fitness measures with indicators of performance in elite junior Australian football players. During the pre-season, 485 players from the elite Victorian under-18 Australian Rules football competition were tested for height, body mass, hand span, arm length, standing reach, vertical jump, 5 and 20 m sprint times, agility, predicted over(V, ) O2 max and sit and reach flexibility. Performance indicators included being selected for the first game of the season and the number of possessions, marks, hitouts, and the number of games where votes were awarded in the first eight games of the season. The top and bottom four teams on the ladder were also compared after eight games. Players were divided into groups on the basis of the above indicators and the groups were compared statistically by analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were several significant differences between selected and non-selected players. Players acquiring the most possessions were significantly (p < 0.05) shorter (effect size: ES = 0.78), with less body mass (ES = 0.55) and possessed greater acceleration (ES = 0.44-0.56) and endurance (ES = 0.51). Body mass was significantly related to the number of marks and height was related to hitouts (p < 0.05). Acceleration was the only fitness quality to discriminate between higher and lower vote winners. The players from the top four teams had a significantly greater standing reach (p = 0.038, ES = 0.53), were heavier (p = 0.032, ES = 0.55) but not superior in any fitness measure. Generally hand span, agility and flexibility were not related to performance indicators. It was concluded that shorter and lighter players who possess high levels of speed and endurance are more likely to acquire possessions and be awarded votes, however these attributes do not guarantee team success. The small relationships between agility and flexibility to performance might be explained by the choice of tests used to assess these qualities. © 2006 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005642
- Authors: Young, Warren , Pryor, Luke
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 10, no. 2 (2007), p. 110-118
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this research was to determine the relationships between selected anthropometric and fitness measures with indicators of performance in elite junior Australian football players. During the pre-season, 485 players from the elite Victorian under-18 Australian Rules football competition were tested for height, body mass, hand span, arm length, standing reach, vertical jump, 5 and 20 m sprint times, agility, predicted over(V, ) O2 max and sit and reach flexibility. Performance indicators included being selected for the first game of the season and the number of possessions, marks, hitouts, and the number of games where votes were awarded in the first eight games of the season. The top and bottom four teams on the ladder were also compared after eight games. Players were divided into groups on the basis of the above indicators and the groups were compared statistically by analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were several significant differences between selected and non-selected players. Players acquiring the most possessions were significantly (p < 0.05) shorter (effect size: ES = 0.78), with less body mass (ES = 0.55) and possessed greater acceleration (ES = 0.44-0.56) and endurance (ES = 0.51). Body mass was significantly related to the number of marks and height was related to hitouts (p < 0.05). Acceleration was the only fitness quality to discriminate between higher and lower vote winners. The players from the top four teams had a significantly greater standing reach (p = 0.038, ES = 0.53), were heavier (p = 0.032, ES = 0.55) but not superior in any fitness measure. Generally hand span, agility and flexibility were not related to performance indicators. It was concluded that shorter and lighter players who possess high levels of speed and endurance are more likely to acquire possessions and be awarded votes, however these attributes do not guarantee team success. The small relationships between agility and flexibility to performance might be explained by the choice of tests used to assess these qualities. © 2006 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005642
Predictors of hamstring injury at the elite level of Australian football
- Gabbe, Belinda, Bennell, Kim, Finch, Caroline, Wajswelner, Henry, Orchard, John
- Authors: Gabbe, Belinda , Bennell, Kim , Finch, Caroline , Wajswelner, Henry , Orchard, John
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports Vol. 16, no. 1 (2006), p. 7-13
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Hamstring injuries are the most common injury sustained by elite Australian football players and result in substantial costs because of missed training time, unavailability for matches and lost player payments. Evidence to support proposed risk factors for hamstring injury is generally lacking, limiting the development of appropriate prevention strategies. To identify intrinsic risk factors for hamstring injury at the elite level of Australian football. A prospective cohort of 222 players underwent baseline measurement in the form of a self-report questionnaire and a musculo-skeletal screen during the pre-season period of the 2002 Australian football season. Injury surveillance and exposure data were collected for the full season. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent predictors of hamstring injury in this group of players. Thirty-one players sustained a hamstring injury. A past history (previous 12 months) of hamstring injury and increasing age were found to be independent predictors of hamstring injury. Older players and those with a previous history of hamstring injury are target groups for further research and implementation of injury prevention strategies. Restricted ankle dorsiflexion range of movement warrants consideration in the development of prevention programs for hamstring injury.
- Description: 2003004976
Perceptions of injury prevention in community level netball and Australian Rules football players
- Bennett, Fiona, Otago, Leonie, Swan, Peter
- Authors: Bennett, Fiona , Otago, Leonie , Swan, Peter
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2005 Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, Fifth National Physical Activity Conference, Fourth National Sports Injury Prevention Conference : Promoting Innovation, measuring success, Melbourne Convention Centre, Melbourne, Victoria : 13th-16th October 2005
- Full Text: false
- Description: The significant cost of injury rehabilitation to the individual and the community combined with the funding provided for injury prevention (IP) research over the past decade demands some measurement of the effectiveness of IP programs. The measurement of IP strategies is a complex issue because injury prevention relies on the behaviours of the sports people involved. This study involved qualitative analyses of interviews conducted with ten netball players and seven football players. The players were selected from the highest and lowest senior grades of a semi-rural community level club. Data collected from the interviews were transcribed and analysed using themes to categorise the information. The findings highlight the different structural issues faced by community level netball and Australian Rules football players. Players who had been exposed to higher levels of competition appeared to have an increased use of and better attitude towards the use of IP measures. Some of the contrasts highlighted were the structure, access and availability of IP measures to players. Netball players did not have access to sports trainers or protective equipment and the choice to use IP strategies was a more personal choice. In contrast, the football clubs had sports trainers and protective equipment was offered to players at no cost. The most significant theme emerging from the study related to the social influences at the community level. The players’ attitudes and beliefs were directly attributable to the acceptance and promotion of IP strategies by significant people within the clubs.
- Description: 2003003332
Ground hardness and injury in community level Australian football
- Twomey, Dara, Finch, Caroline, Lloyd, David, Elliott, Bruce, Doyle, Tim
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Finch, Caroline , Lloyd, David , Elliott, Bruce , Doyle, Tim
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol.15, no. (4), p.305-310
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
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- Description: Objective: To describe the risk and details of injuries associated with ground hardness in community level Australian football (AF). Design: Prospective injury surveillance with periodic objective ground hardness measurement. Methods: 112 ground hardness assessments were undertaken using a Clegg hammer at nine locations across 20 grounds, over the 2007 and 2008 AF seasons. Details of 352 injuries sustained by community level players on those grounds were prospectively collected as part of a large randomised controlled trial. The ground location of the injury was matched to the nearest corresponding ground hardness Clegg hammer readings, in gravities (g), which were classified from unacceptably low (<30 g) to unacceptably high hardness (>120 g). Results: Clegg hammer readings ranged from 25 to 301 g. Clegg hammer hardness categories from low/normal to high/normal were associated with the majority of injuries, with only 3.7% (13 injuries) on unacceptably high hardness and 0.3% (1 injury) on the unacceptably low hardness locations. Relative to the preferred range of hardness, the risk of sustaining an injury on low/normal hardness locations was 1.31 (95%CI: 1.06-1.62) times higher and 1.82 (95%CI: 1.17-2.85) times higher on locations with unacceptably high hardness. The more severe injuries occurred with low/normal ground hardness. Conclusions: Despite the low number of injuries, the risk of sustaining an injury on low/normal and unacceptably hard grounds was significantly greater than on the preferred range of hardness. Notably, the severity of the injuries sustained on unacceptably hard grounds was lower than for other categories of hardness. © 2012 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Finch, Caroline , Lloyd, David , Elliott, Bruce , Doyle, Tim
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol.15, no. (4), p.305-310
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To describe the risk and details of injuries associated with ground hardness in community level Australian football (AF). Design: Prospective injury surveillance with periodic objective ground hardness measurement. Methods: 112 ground hardness assessments were undertaken using a Clegg hammer at nine locations across 20 grounds, over the 2007 and 2008 AF seasons. Details of 352 injuries sustained by community level players on those grounds were prospectively collected as part of a large randomised controlled trial. The ground location of the injury was matched to the nearest corresponding ground hardness Clegg hammer readings, in gravities (g), which were classified from unacceptably low (<30 g) to unacceptably high hardness (>120 g). Results: Clegg hammer readings ranged from 25 to 301 g. Clegg hammer hardness categories from low/normal to high/normal were associated with the majority of injuries, with only 3.7% (13 injuries) on unacceptably high hardness and 0.3% (1 injury) on the unacceptably low hardness locations. Relative to the preferred range of hardness, the risk of sustaining an injury on low/normal hardness locations was 1.31 (95%CI: 1.06-1.62) times higher and 1.82 (95%CI: 1.17-2.85) times higher on locations with unacceptably high hardness. The more severe injuries occurred with low/normal ground hardness. Conclusions: Despite the low number of injuries, the risk of sustaining an injury on low/normal and unacceptably hard grounds was significantly greater than on the preferred range of hardness. Notably, the severity of the injuries sustained on unacceptably hard grounds was lower than for other categories of hardness. © 2012 Sports Medicine Australia.