Comparison of offensive agility techniques in Australian Rules football
- Authors: Bradshaw, Ryan , Young, Warren , Russell, Andrew , Burge, Peter
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 14, no. 1 (2011), p. 65-69
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Agility skill is important in Australian Rules football (ARF) as it enables an attacking player to successfully evade an opponent. To date, no research has examined offensive agility techniques in ARF. There were two purposes of this study: first, to compare the change of direction (COD) speed of three offensive agility techniques, and second, compare the reaction speed and accuracy when observing the same techniques from a defensive perspective. The techniques included the side-step, shuffle, and split-step. Seventeen players from an Australian Football League club were required to perform four trials of each technique. COD speed was expressed as a total time, and divided into entry, foot plant preparation, and exit time. In addition, nineteen players from the same club were assessed on a video-based reaction test. Players were required to respond by depressing a thumb switch to indicate whether the player on screen changed direction to the left or right. From an offensive perspective, the split-step foot plant preparation time (0.66. s) was significantly slower than both the side-step (0.7 s) and shuffle (0.75 s) (p< 0.05), but there were no significant differences in entry and exit times between techniques. From a defensive perspective, the players were significantly slower and less accurate when reacting to the player in the video performing the split-step (0.19. s) and shuffle (0.15. s) compared to the side-step (0.12 s) (p< 0.05). In a one-on-one situation in ARF, the split-step may be the most effective offensive technique. Not only was it slower and less accurate to react to, the exit speed following the change in direction was not significantly slower than the side-step. However, a performer would need to consider the cost of a slower foot plant preparation time versus the potential to deceive an opponent when under time stress. © 2010 Sports Medicine Australia.
Comparison of playing positions in elite Australian football: A case study of one club
- Authors: Young, Warren , Burge, Peter , Russell, Andrew , Carlon, Todd
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning Vol. 18, no. 4 (2010), p. 11-13
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Previous research using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to track Australian football (AF) games has used a 1 Hz sampling rate and limited variables to describe game demands. The aim of this study was to compare midfielders and forwards/backs from one elite Australian football club via GPS tracking of games. Game files (n=100) were collected from 19 players (14 midfielders, 5 forwards/backs) and the total distance covered at various speed and acceleration/deceleration zones was analysed. Player positions were statistically compared by one-way ANOVA. Midfielders covered a greater total distance and distance at running speeds between 4-7 m.s. (p<0.05), whereas forwards/backs produced slightly greater maximum running speeds, greater distance sprinting at speeds over 7 m.s, and greater distance peforming high accelerations (p>0.05). The movement demands for midfielders tended towards moderate to fast running speeds whereas forwards/backs displayed a greater proportion of their distance covered at high speed and acceleration/deceleration. It is suggested from the GPS variable that used conditioning should be somewhat indidvidualised to match the specific demands of the playing positions.
- Description: C1
Quantification of Achilles and patellar tendon structure on imaging does not enhance ability to predict self-reported symptoms beyond grey-scale ultrasound and previous history
- Authors: Docking, Sean , Rio, Ebonie , Cook, Jill , Carey, David , Fortington, Lauren
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 22, no. 2 (2019), p. 145-150
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Tendon pathology on imaging has been associated with an increased risk of developing symptoms. This evidence is based on classifying the tendon as normal or pathological. It is unclear whether the extent of tendon pathology is associated with the development or severity of symptoms. Objectives: To investigate whether the presence and extent of tendon pathology on ultrasound tissue characterisation (UTC), or a previous history of symptoms, were associated with the development of symptoms over a football season. Methods: 179 male Australian football players underwent UTC imaging of their Achilles and/or patellar tendon at the start of the pre-season. Players completed monthly OSTRC overuse questionnaires to quantify the presence and severity of Achilles and/or patellar tendon symptoms. Risk factor analysis was performed to identify associations between imaging and the development of symptoms. Results: A pathological Achilles tendon increased the risk of developing symptoms (RR = 3.2, 95%CI 1.7–5.9). Conversely, a pathological patellar tendon was not significantly associated with the development of symptoms (RR = 1.8, 95%CI 0.9–3.7). Quantification of tendon structure using UTC did not enhance the ability to identify athletes who developed symptoms. Previous history of symptoms was the strongest predictor for the development of symptoms (Achilles RR = 3.0 95%CI 1.8–4.8; patellar RR = 3.7 95%CI 2.2–6.1). Conclusion: Tendon pathology was associated with the development of self-reported symptoms; however previous history of symptoms was a stronger risk factor. The extent of disorganisation quantified by UTC should not be used as a marker for the presence or severity of current and future symptoms.
Training and testing of 1v1 agility in Australian football
- Authors: Rayner, Russell
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Little is known of how agility events occur in the sport of Australian football (AF). As a result, appropriate training and testing methods are unknown. This thesis investigated 1v1 agility in AF to evaluate alternative methods for training and testing agility. The thesis was undertaken in three studies. Study one investigated if training and testing practices used in elite AF align with the demands of competition. A notational analysis revealed substantial variation in movement patterns used by, and the cognitive demands of, athletes in agility events. A survey of high-performance managers in the AFL revealed that a mixture of open and closed training methods are used in elite AF, and that subjective agility assessment is preferred to formal testing. Study two assessed the reliability and ecological validity of a field-based test of attacking and defending agility for AF. The text exhibited excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, as well as moderate test-retest reliability. Characteristics of the test were compared to the notational analysis to assess the ecological validity of the test. While the test did not fully replicate the agility demands of AF, the test improved ecological validity when compared to previous tests described in the literature. Study three evaluated the effectiveness of a four-week 1v1 training intervention for improving attacking and defending agility in Australian footballers. In addition, the study assessed the crossover of attacking training to defending agility and defending training to attacking agility. Improvements in attacking agility were found which were greater for attacking-trained athletes. However, no improvements in defending agility were realised. This thesis indicates that 1v1 training and testing is suitable for assessing and developing agility in Australian footballers. However, 1v1 training may be more suitable for improving attacking agility. Further, agility is context-specific, and testing and training should consider the role of the athlete.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Association between preseason training and performance in elite Australian football
- Authors: McCaskie, Callum , Young, Warren , Fahrner, Brendan , Sim, Marc
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance Vol. 14, no. 1 (2019), p. 68-75
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: To examine the association between preseason training variables and subsequent in-season performance in an elite Australian football team. Methods: Data from 41 elite male Australian footballers (mean [SD] age = 23.4 [3.1] y, height =188.4 [7.1] cm, and mass = 86.7 [7.9] kg) were collected from 1 Australian Football League (AFL) club. Preseason training data (external load, internal load, fitness testing, and session participation) were collected across the 17-wk preseason phase (6 and 11 wk post-Christmas). Champion Data© Player Rank (CDPR), coaches’ ratings, and round 1 selection were used as in-season performance measures. CDPR and coaches’ ratings were examined over the entire season, first half of the season, and the first 4 games. Both Pearson and partial (controlling for AFL age) correlations were calculated to assess if any associations existed between preseason training variables and in-season performance measures. A median split was also employed to differentiate between higher- and lower-performing players for each performance measure. Results: Preseason training activities appeared to have almost no association with performance measured across the entire season and the first half of the season. However, many preseason training variables were significantly linked with performance measured across the first 4 games. Preseason training variables that were measured post-Christmas were the most strongly associated with in-season performance measures. Specifically, total on-field session rating of perceived exertion post-Christmas, a measurement of internal load, displayed the greatest association with performance. Conclusion: Late preseason training (especially on-field match-specific training) is associated with better performance in the early season.
Injuries in Australian rules football : An overview of injury rates, patterns, and mechanisms across all levels of play
- Authors: Saw, Richard , Finch, Caroline , Samra, David , Baquie, Peter , Cardoso, Tanusha , Hope, Danielle , Orchard, John
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sports Health Vol. 10, no. 3 (2018), p. 208-216
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Context: The nature of Australian rules football (Australian football) predisposes both unique and common injuries compared with those sustained in other football codes. The game involves a combination of tackling, kicking, high-speed running (more than other football codes), and jumping. Two decades of injury surveillance has identified common injuries at the professional level (Australian Football League [AFL]). Objective: To provide an overview of injuries in Australian rules football, including injury rates, patterns, and mechanisms across all levels of play. Study Design: A narrative review of AFL injuries, football injury epidemiology, and biomechanical and physiological attributes of relevant injuries. Results: The overall injury incidence in the 2015 season was 41.7 injuries per club per season, with a prevalence of 156.2 missed games per club per season. Lower limb injuries are most prevalent, with hamstring strains accounting for 19.1 missed games per club per season. Hamstring strains relate to the volume of high-speed running required in addition to at times having to collect the ball while running in a position of hip flexion and knee extension. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are also prevalent and can result from contact and noncontact incidents. In the upper limb, shoulder sprains and dislocations account for 11.5 missed games per club per season and largely resulted from tackling and contact. Concussion is less common in AFL than other tackling sports but remains an important injury, which has notably become more prevalent in recent years, theorized to be due to a more conservative approach to management. Although there are less injury surveillance data for non-AFL players (women, community-level, children), many of these injuries appear to also be common across all levels of play. Clinical Relevance: An understanding of injury profiles and mechanisms in Australian football is crucial in identifying methods to reduce injury risk and prepare players for the demands of the game. © 2017,
The agility demands of Australian football : a notational analysis
- Authors: Rayner, Russell , Young, Warren , Talpey, Scott
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport Vol. 22, no. 4 (2022), p. 621-637
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Agility is essential to success in Australian football (AF). However, the nature of agility events in competition is currently unknown. This study analysed in-game 1v1 agility events to identify the movement and cognitive demands of agility in elite AF. The study described the technique, the angle of change of direction (COD), and the approach speed. Cognitive demands were inferred by recording inter-athlete position and deceptive manoeuvres. Findings revealed sidestepping to be commonly used for both attacking and defending athletes. However, attacking athletes were substantially more likely to use the sidestep technique than their defending counterparts (74% vs 39% of the time). Analysis of movement speeds indicated a preference for submaximal approaches. Further, the movement technique was varied, with the angle of directional change particularly diverse. Overall, the notational analysis indicates a need for agility training and testing that reflects in-game agility demands. To achieve this, training and testing must allow for submaximal movement speeds, context-specific techniques, and the use of deceptive manoeuvres. Field-based or subjective assessment methods are proposed as viable testing alternatives. Further, the effectiveness of recorded deceptive actions suggests that athletes should be provided with training opportunities to practice fake disposals and fake CODs. © 2022 Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Abacus football club
- Authors: Gorman, Sean , Lusher, Dean , Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport in Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2016), p. 538-548
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Abacus football club is an AFL club that participated in this Australian Research Council project Assessing the Australian Football League’s Racial and Religious Vilification Laws to promote Community Harmony, Multiculturalism and Reconciliation. Abacus participated in both the surveys and the interviews. This club and its players and staff have all been deidentified as required by Curtin University’s ethics guidelines. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.