PDHPE HSC Enrichment Day

2010

Improving Performance

Concept Map of Focus Questions

Application to Athlete Eamon Sullivan

(Short Distance Swimmer)

How do Athletes Train for Improved Performance?

•Anaerobic training (power and speed)

•Flexibility training

What are the Planning Considerations for Improving

Performance?

oInitial planning considerationsoPlanning to avoid overtraining

What Ethical Issues are Related to Improviing Performance?

oUse Of DrugsoUse Of Technology

Profile of Case Study Athlete: Short Distance Swimmer

Eamon Sullivan

• Main events: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4 x 100m medley

• Training: Power and speed training (including resistance), flexibility, skills

• Personal best:50m freestyle - 21.28sec (WR); 100m freestyle - 47.05sec (WR)

Anaerobic Training1. Resistance Training• Beneficial for all athletes.• Resistance for power and speed training

should be 30-70% of 1 RM• 2-3 sets with 6-8 repetitions performed

at a high speed• Examples for a speed swimmer = leg

press, hamstring curls, calf raises, chest press, lateral pull-down, cable tricep pull-down, bicep curls

2. Short Interval • Alternating short bursts of intense

activity with periods of rest or recovery to allow ATP stores to restore.

3. Plyometrics• Lengthening of a muscle performing an

eccentric contraction followed quickly by its shortening through a concentric contraction

• Speed swimming demands an explosive start, powerful push-offs from the wall during turns, and sprint finishes

Flexibility Training1. Static stretching – stretching a

muscle to a certain point for 15-30 seconds

2. Dynamic stretching – uses momentum and active muscular effort to bring about a stretch.

3. Ballistic stretching – involves the use of motion or bouncing to enhance the stretch

4. PNF stretching - static stretch followed by an isometric contraction (in opposite direction while in the stretched position) followed by a repeat of the original static stretch

Initial Planning Considerations

1. Performance and Fitness Needs

Individual Planning Considerations

Team Planning Considerations

Physical fitness levelSkill levelFitness and skill level needed to succeedArousal levelMotivation levelShort and long term goalsRecovery days

Team goalsEach swimmer’s strongest eventEach swimmer’s strengths/weaknessesTraining days and venuesRecovery days

2. Schedule of Events/CompetitionsYearly training plans for swimmers should be based around all the competition events throughout the year. Coaches need to ensure athletes peak at the right time.

3. Climate and SeasonFor indoor events, such as swimming, it is necessary to ensure adequate ventilation on hot, humid days.

Planning to Avoid Overtraining

• Overtraining = a chronic psychological and physiological condition caused by an amount of training that is too demanding for an athlete to manage. It leads to ‘burnout’.

• Better attention to amount and intensity of training when planning training programs for athletes is essential.

Overtraining Issues

• How much training is too much?

• What are the signs of overtraining in athletes?

• What strategies can be taken to reduce overtraining in athletes?

Physiological Signs and Symptoms

Psychological Considerations and Symptoms

• Lethargy• Injury• Loss of strength,

coordination, aerobic capacity

• Loss of weight• Constant muscle

soreness• Early onset of

fatigue when training and competing

• Loss of motivation

• Reduced commitment

• Sleep disturbances

• Depression• Irritability• Emotionally

sensitive

Use of Drugs in Sport

Drugs can be used to:• Enhance strength (human growth hormone;

anabolic steroids)• Enhance aerobic performance (EPO)• Mask other drugs (diuretics; alcohol)

Dangers of drug use in sport include:

• Physical effects such as cancer, hypertension, kidney and liver tumors, reduced fertility, mood swings, aggression and depression

• Loss of reputation• Loss of income resulting from loss of

sponsorships

Why may some elite athletes risk taking performance enhancing drugs, despite such dangers?There is a long history

of drug use in sport

Drug Testing

What are the pros and cons of drug testing?

Use of Technology – Training Innovation

• Training innovation: an aid that assists training and competition performance

• Lactate threshold devices – used to determine the point at which blood lactate starts to accumulate rapidly

• Biomechanical analysis – used to explore movements in detail so as to monitor and improve an athlete’s technique. Measures include video analysis, slow motion replays, and photography.

Use of Technology Equipment Advances

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLBscMz3O5Y

The high technology Speedo LZR Racer swimsuits athletes wore at

the Beijing Olympics in 2008

Australian Fanny Durack wears a long woollen

swimsuit with a skirt in 1912, when women were

first allowed to swim in the Olympic Games.

.

TECHNOLOGY USE IN SPORT ETHICAL ISSUES

• Has technology gone too far?• Has access to technology created

unfair competition?