FITNESS AND CONDITIONING

depth of lunge (don’t go past 90º), keep knee lined up over toes. Try 2-3 sets of 10 reps.

Off court lower core stability

Figure 19a+b: Don’t let knee get ahead of the toes. Keep load through the heels and compress ball into wall

Ball wall squats ■ Start with ball against the player’s lower back and the wall (figure 19a) ■ Ask them to switch on their core (light tension) like a dimmer switch or ‘Fire the core’ and sustain (5) ■ Increase deceler- ation leg strength

and stability by gradually increasing number of repetitions and depth of the squat (figure 19b) ■ Start with 1-2 x 10 and increase to 2-3 x 20. Keep knees lined up over toes. Progress to single leg squats when able.

Figure 20a+b: The hands can be clasped behind back to decrease balance

Single leg squat (ball at side or ball at back) ■ Instruct the play- er to stand on one leg leaning (60-70º) against a ball placed at hip height or with ball at their back (figures 20a+b) ■ Lift inside foot and place behind opposite ankle.

■ Switch on the core (pelvic tension) ■ Do a 1/4 squat, then drive up into extension using the gluteal muscles and quads.

Figure 21: Gastrocnemius stretch

Figure 22: Adductor stretch

Figure 23: Quadriceps stretch

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Figure 24: Seated gluteal stretch

Pre and post training conform stretching Research suggests that dynamic warm- up is the best activi- ty before playing. Studies on pre-exer- cise static stretching found no imp-rove- ment in performance or injury prevention (6,7). Static stretch- es prior to exercise did not prevent lower extremity overuse injuries, but addi- tional static stretch- es after training and before bed resulted in 50% fewer injuries occurring (8).

Once the player is warmed and if some muscles still feel a little tight you can suggest doing some gentle conform stretches to maintain muscle length. These type of stretches are not aggressive enough to tear and weaken muscle fibres. Hold the stretches for 15 - 20 seconds at the point of tension only (never pain) (9). The state of tension in the muscle groups should be assessed on a daily basis and new stretches added to ensure that a good length-tension bal- ance is maintained in all muscle groups responsible for on court performance.

THE R-RULES OF COOL DOWN Re-hydrate Ensure the player drinks plenty of water or sports drinks diluted with water, the minimum is 0.5-1 liter per hour during training. The goal is for them to have light colored urine. The harder, higher and hotter conditions you train or play in, the more you need to drink. Pre-hydration and immediate re-hydration are key. Losing as little as 2% of body weight through sweat can impair an athlete’s abili- ty to perform due to low blood volume and less than optimal utili- sation of nutrients and oxygen. Also, younger players may need to be more vigilant about hydration strategies as dehydration seems to be more detrimental to children than to adults (10).

Re-fuel Ensure that adequate nutrition (carbohydrate fuel) is consumed post-training. Adequate supplies of glycogen in the muscle and in the liver are needed to support the energy demands of the player and promote recovery for the next training session. Dietary carbo- hydrate is the primary source for the body to manufacture glucose (11). Since glycogen stores take 24-48 hours to replenish, they must be replaced daily (12). There is a window of opportunity within the first 20 minutes after strenuous exercise, to replenish muscle fuel stores at a faster rate than if carbohydrate intake is delayed for longer. Small amounts of protein taken with carbohy- drates before, during and after hard training, help minimise mus- cle protein breakdown as a result of heavy workloads (13).

Recovery workouts The utilisation of recovery techniques must become habitual and performed daily (14). Studies suggest that light aerobic exercise following anaerobic training (eg. sprint) might facilitate recovery of force or speed/power by increasing lactic acid removal, thus possi- bly helping restore normal calcium levels within muscle fibres (15).

Try the following routine ‘spin only’ light resistance cycle at 85- 90 RPM (revolutions per minute) and a heart rate of 100-115 beats per minute for 15-20 minutes. At higher pedalling rates there is a greater recruitment of slow twitch fibres. Since slow twitch fibres are more resistant to fatigue a higher pedalling rate will prove advantageous and less likely to cause premature fatigue (16). Other recovery modalities such as water running or walking can be used in the absence of a bike. A well developed lower core stability,

strength and mobility is important to allow good court

movement and minimize the chance of injury from the quick stops and starts and deceleration forces in on court activities. Performing quick functional tests on your players prior to training will help you pick up any weak links in the functional chain. Off and on court corrective exercises that include balance, central nervous system and muscle tendon warm-up will help to improve off and on court performance. As well proper cool down and recov-

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