Higher PE Body Preparation Simple cycle of analysis Always name your sport and say whether you have a particular position. 1. What is your weakness? What proof do you have? a. Internal feedback b. From your coach c. Other methods of analysis (e.g. video, test etc.) 2. What effect is this having on your performance? a. In the actual activity b. Physiologically 3. Planning your programme – what did you take into account? e.g. Had to monitor throughout, therefore need to assess after one week (justify) etc. or peaking for competition 4. Your programme and its justification. e.g. This should be extensive (could be worth 6 marks), therefore you need to give details. Will you have 2 programmes? 5. How did you monitor the programme and evaluate its success? 1 6. Higher PE – Body Preparation Aspects of Fitness Table Activity Aspect of fitness Body Part Flexibility Speed (anaerobic) Power Muscular Endurance Cardio-Respiratory Mobility 7. 2 When Used During Game Higher PE – Body Preparation Badminton Standardised Fitness Tests Aspect of fitness Test Cardio Respiratory 20 m shuttle run test (bleep) see page 34 – 35 Leckie and Leckie Power No official test, instead use a smash action using the grip dynomometer. Average of 3 attempts * Speed 10 x 10 Shuttle run test Flexibility Muscular Endurance Mental Fitness Skill Related Fitness Reaction Time Sit and reach test No official test instead use sit ups for abdominals, bench jumps for leg, press ups for arms * Questionnaires or self evaluation Illinois Agility run test Ruler test *I completed each test 3 times, taking my average score, and then compared this to the results of 3 players of similar build. This helped to prove where my weaknesses lay. 3 Higher PE – Body Preparation Principles of Training Leckie and Leckie (P46 – 48) F – Frequency – how many times I train each week I – Intensity – cardio respiratory (70%-85%) power (100%) D – Duration – specific to Badminton, each session lasts approx 40 min which is equivalent to a 3 set match A – Activity – practices relevant to Badminton Specificity – Practices related to my specific fitness requirements Overload – When the programme becomes too easy e.g. do more, work at the upper level of training zone, work for longer Progression – Keep overloading at the correct time to ensure progression Reversibility – Not dropping off on the training in case you lose the gains already made. Remember that you lose at twice the speed that you gained Other Factors (Leckie and Leckie (P49 – 52) Methods of Training Within the activity – skill related, called “conditioning” in your case, a conditioning circuit Out with the activity – continuous, circuit, fartlek and interval (see course notes booklet) Targets – Short and long term goals Short term – trying to stay within my training zone during the programme Long term – setting my target at being able to train at the upper level of my training zone nearing the end of my 6 week programme. (see separate sheet for long term programme) Variety required to prevent boredom 4 Higher PE – Body Preparation Specificity Specificity means doing specific types of activity or exercises to bring about improvement in performance or fitness. An exercise to improve strength will not necessarily improve flexibility or agility Your training activities must include: 1. Exercises to improve the particular component of fitness which applies to your sport e.g. strength for weight lifters, endurance for marathon runners or flexibility for gymnasts 2. Exercises to improve the muscle groups most important to your performance; e.g. shoulder and leg muscles for rowers, arm muscles for tennis players or leg muscles for skiers 3. Activities to improve the skill of your sport; e.g. dribbling in Hockey, shooting in Basketball, serving in Tennis or putting in Golf An example of Specificity Strength training for a Shot PutterThe effects of a strength training programme will be very specific. If very heavy weights are lifted for a small number of repetitions, then strength will be increased. The muscles will not only become stronger, but they will also increase in size. If the exercise is carried out at speed, then power will be increased. See Leckie and Leckie p46 5 Higher PE – Body Preparation The Effects Lack of Cardio Respiratory or Power Can Have on Performance On your Physical Performance 1. As the game progresses, I am unable to sustain court coverage due to lack of CRE, resulting in……………. 2. During the game I am unable to clear to the back of my opponent’s court, or kill off my opponent with a powerful smash, due to lack of power in the arms and shoulders, resulting in…………… Deterioration in your Skill Level (CRE only) 1. Increased service errors, resulting in direct loss of serve, or low service played too high resulting in………… 2. Deterioration in the quality of net play, drop shots, resulting in……….. 3. The quality of my backhand returns deteriorate due to inability to move into the correct position, resulting in…………… Quality of Decision Making drops due to fatigue setting in 1. Choosing the wrong option, by not continuing to vary my serve, allowing my opponent to…………… 2. Choosing the wrong option in attack – when I had my opponent in back court, I failed to capitalise by…………… 3. In defence, because I am tired, I just return the shuttle instead of selecting the correct shot, or where the shuttle should be placed. 6 Higher PE – Body Preparation Physiological effect a weakness can have on your performance Lack of power In Badminton, lack of power in my arms and shoulders is due to the fact that my muscles are unable to store enough energy to produce the explosive arm action required to hit a powerful shot. Power is anaerobic and requires a combination of speed and strength to produce this explosive action. By working on an appropriate power programme I should be able to increase the capacity of my muscles to store energy and thereby increase my ability to kill off my opponent. Lack of Cardio Respiratory Endurance As the game progresses I find that my breathing becomes extremely difficult and irregular – this causes me to puff and pant, and as a result has a major effect on my performance. This lack of Cardio Respiratory is due to the fact that my lungs do not have the capacity to take in enough oxygen, and that my heart is not strong enough to pump the blood to the required muscles 7 Higher PE – Body Preparation Test No. 2 Discuss, in detail, the effect your current level of fitness is having on your overall performance? 10 Marks 8 Higher PE – Body Preparation Methods of Gathering Information Why do we need to gather information? To find out the effects different aspects of fitness are having on my overall performance and then use this information to play to my strengths and to the work on my weaknesses. What methods do you use? For initial DATA 1. Video of performance and match results 2. Internal feedback 3. Time Related Observation Schedule ( T.R.O.S.) from video on all aspects of fitness involved, including skill related and mental aspects 4. Coach More focused Data on my weakness for Cardio Respiratory 1. T.R.O.S from video on court coverage – C/R, muscular endurance, agility T.R.O.S on skills – C/R, muscular endurance, movement anticipation T.R.O.S on decision making – C/R, reaction time, movement anticipation, managing emotions 2. Heart rate monitor – C/R 3. Standard Test – 20 metre shuttle run – C/R 9 More focused Data on my weakness for power 1. O.S from video on smash – power, timing, balance 2. O.S from video on high clear 3. Scatter diagram on high clear and smash 4. Devised standard test – using grip meter in throwing action In exam if only asked for 1 aspect choose physical e.g. C.R.E. or power. However if asked to answer on 2 different aspects then link answer in C.R.E. for the physical with agility in skill related, whereas if using power as your physical aspect then it is better to use skill related option of timing and balance in smash or high clear but do not go into any great technical depth. Why were these methods appropriate? Initial 1. Video – The video was appropriate because I was able to view it as many times as I needed in order to make the appropriate O.S’s. I was able to watch it with my coach to hopefully confirm my internal feedback. Also, I was able to retain it for comparison later 2. Internal feedback – This was appropriate because it told me how my body was reacting to the different aspects of fitness required in a game of Badminton. It tells me straight away how I am feeling e.g. if I am puffing and panting, then my problem is C.R.E. if my legs are getting sore then it is muscular endurance, and if I am unable to kill my smash, then my problem could be a lack of power. 3. O.S – on all aspects of fitness is most appropriate because it covers all aspects of my performance and this allows me to identify what areas are my strengths and weaknesses. It is filled out by my coach who has expert knowledge. Focused Data for C.R.E. 1. The T.R.O.S on court coverage, skills and decision making was appropriate and valid because it gave me factual evidence on my court movement and agility 10 throughout, it also told me the effectiveness of different skills, reaction time and my movement anticipation at different stages of the game and it told me the effectiveness of my decision making and how I managed my emotions throughout the game. 2. The heart rate monitor was valid because it gave me factual evidence on my pulse rate before, during and after the game. It was appropriate because it told me when I was working aerobically or anaerobically, and at exactly which points in the game this was happening. It also told me if my pulse rate was recovering quickly during rallies, between sets or at the end of the game. It also gave me valid data to analyse as the graph could also be retained for comparison to a new graph after my training programme. 3. The standard tests were appropriate and valid because they provided factual evidence of my current fitness level, and could be retained to see if any improvement had been made after my training. 11 Focused data for power 1. The O.S’s on the high clear and the smash were appropriate as they told me the effectiveness of my high clear and smash throughout the game. 2. The scatter diagram was appropriate and valid as it gave me factual evidence of exactly where every high clear shot and smash were played from and landed. 3. The devised standard test on power was most appropriate and valid as it provided factual evidence of my current fitness level and could be retained to see if any improvement had been made after my training programme What information about aspects of your performance were you are able to derive from the data gathered? Initial Video – The video allowed my coach to pinpoint situations later in the game where lack of C/R had been my downfall, either through inability to reach the shuttle or because of mental fatigue resulting in the wrong shot selection. From the video the coach could give me feedback on when lack of power had caused me problems. It also showed clearly how I was managing my emotions throughout the match, and how my skill related aspects of fitness such as reaction time and movement anticipation were affected. Internal Feedback – This told me that I have good power in my arms as I could feel my powerful smash was allowing me to win many points e.g. the speed of the shuttle meant that my opponent was not able to reach it to play a return. Also, my speed about the court is a strength because it allowed me to sprint from the back to front court and retrieve shots that were being played to the extremes of the court, e.g. after playing a back court high clear return, I was then able to sprint forward and return my opponent’s subsequent drop shot. Internal feedback also told me that I have a weakness in my C/R because, as the game progressed I began puffing and panting for breath, and was therefore no longer able to keep up with the pace of the rallies – by the third set this became much more apparent. 12 O.S - This was completed by my coach, on all aspects of my performance, physical, skill related and mental. It told me exactly what areas were my strengths and weaknesses. At this point you identify what these are. Focused data on C/R The first part of my T.R.O.S – This was on court movement – it told me the number of times I was able to reach my opponent’s shots and that my reaction time and movement anticipation were excellent. It also told me that in the early stage of the game I was able to cover all areas of the court and return the majority of my opponent’s shots, however, as the game progressed my success rate clearly deteriorated e.g. in the first set I reached 8 out of 10 of my opponent’s drop shots, but I could only reach 3 out of 11 in the final set. Clearly, lack of cardio respiratory was having an adverse effect on my physical and skill related performance. The second part of my T.R.O.S – This was on skills – it showed the number of times each skill was effective throughout the game, e.g. I had 45 out of 63effective high clears in the first set, but only 18 out of 42 were effective by the third ser. I also noted that there was a decrease in the number of high clears attempted from the first to the third set (63 in the first / 42 in the third). Again, lack of C/R and deterioration in my movement anticipation was causing me problems. The third part of my T.R.O.S – This was on decision making –it confirmed that a lack of CRE was having a major effect on my ability to manage my emotions. In the first set I was consistently choosing the correct option in attack and defence and staying calm under pressure. However, by set 3 as I got more tired I constantly chose the wrong shot selection under pressure and started to lose my temper and concentration. This resulted in me losing even more points. My reaction time had also slowed considerably, making it even more difficult to sustain rallies. Heart rate monitor – The graph from the heart rate monitor showed that as the game progressed my heart rate moved quickly into anaerobic exercise and tended to remain there for the rest of the game. Although my pulse rate did come down slightly between rallies, it quickly moved into anaerobic exercise again as soon as the next rally began. As the game progressed, the graph showed that I was seldom able to make any significant recovery during these times when a recovery would have been expected, and as a result my pulse tended to remain in a high anaerobic state until I eventually became exhausted – my opponent took advantage at this point and easily won the game. At the end of the 13 game my pulse took a long time to get back to its resting rate. All these results prove that my problem is related to lack of CR.E. Standard Test – The test I used for CRE was the 20m shuttle run. My score was below that of the average expected of my age group. This valid and factual information confirmed that I have a problem with lack of C.R.E. Focused data for power The O.S’s on high clear and smash told me the exact number of effective high clears I had throughout the match and how many successful smashes I performed throughout the match. It allowed me to work out an exact % success rate for both power driven skills. I only managed 8 successful smashes out of 40 attempted in the match, which gave me a 20% success rate. This clearly shows that my power is very weak indeed. Scatter Diagram – this provided me with an excellent record of exactly where my attempted high clears were landing. The great majority of them (40 out of 60) were landing mid court, with only 10 out of the 60 reaching the back tramlines. This is clearly a weakness in my power. The scatter diagram also showed that 39 of 60 high clears were aimed right down the middle of the court which showed another weakness, my inability to exploit space on my opponent’s court. ( This could also be used to record the effectiveness of your smash also. ) Devised standard tests – When I compared my average 3 smashing actions with the grip meter, to 3 other pupils’ attempts in the class who were the same height and build to me, I found I was scoring a lot lower than them which confirmed my internal feedback and O.S that I did have a weakness in power. 14 Higher PE – Body Preparation Methods of Training 1. Conditioning Training 2. Circuit Training 3. Continuous Training 4. Interval Training 5. Fartlek Training 6. Weight Training The main two training methods we will concentrate on are “conditioning” and “circuit”. For more information on these, plus the others, read pages 33 – 35 of your course notes booklet. One of the main questions you will be asked will be to compare the benefits of each. The advantages of Conditioning training are – This type of fitness training involves working on skill related practices, this means that as well as improving your fitness level you will also be improving the skills required in the game itself. This must be the main benefit of a conditioning programme. Conditioning also means that you will be working on the specific muscles required for each skill Working on skill related practices to improve your fitness is the most enjoyable method because it is game related – this means that lots of variety can be added and therefore boredom during training is reduced. It is easy to set practices for different aspects of fitness e.g. continuous front and back court feeds for cardio-respiratory, or high mid court feeds for power smash. Progressive overload can easily be applied in the same manner used in other methods e.g. do more reps, speed up practices etc. 15 The advantages of circuit training are – Circuits can be adjusted to work on either general training or more specific training. It is also easy to adjust the exercise to suit the type of fitness programme e.g. general circuit, cardio-respiratory circuit, power circuit etc. Circuit training is more specific to improving the particular muscle group required within the game Circuit training does not necessarily involve the use of equipment and is therefore easy to set up Circuit training can be done either indoors or outside In the main exercises are easy to understand therefore everyone can take part regardless of skill level Progressive overload, work/rest ratio etc. are very easy to apply if using circuit training. 16 Higher PE – Body Preparation Initial Data Observation schedule on all aspects of fitness to be completed by coach from video of performance during a 3 set match Aspect of Fitness Strength Cardio-respiratory endurance Physical Muscular Endurance Power Speed Flexibility Reaction time Agility Skill Related Co-ordination Balance Timing Movement anticipation Level of arousal Mental Rehearsal Managing Emotion 17 Weakness Higher PE – Body Preparation Cardio-Respiratory Observation Schedule Name________________________ O.S 1 – Movement This O.S was completed from a video taken during a best of 3 games against an opponent of similar ability to myself. I ticked the appropriate box every time I returned, or failed to return, to my base position. Return to base Yes No % Success Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Total O.S – Technique This O.S was completed from the same video. I selected 2 technically difficult skills, the backhand drive/clear and the drop shot – for each skill I noted the effectiveness of the technique every time I played a shot during the 3 games Backhand clear or drive Effective Not Effective Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Total 18 % Success Drop shot Effective Not Effective % Success Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Total O.S – Decision Making The O.S was completed form the same video. I noted the number of times I selected the wrong shot option during the 3 games Decision making Wrong option chosen Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Total 19 Time Related Observation Schedule ( TROS ) 1. MOVEMENT Yes No 2. TECHNIQUE % success Yes No 3. MENTAL % success Yes No % success TIME 010mins 10 20mins 20 30mins 1. OS on Movement - This OS was completed from a video taken during a 30 minute game against an opponent of similar ability to myself. the I ticked the appropriate box evry time I returned, or failed to return to my 'Base position' 2. OS on Technique - This OS was completed from the same video. I selected 2 technically difficult skills, the backhand drive / clear' and the 'drop shot' - for each skill I noted the effectiveness of my technique every time I played a shot during the 30 minute game. 3. - OS on Decision Making - This OS was also completed from the same video. I noted the number of times I selected the wrong shot option during the 30 minutes of the game. 20 Higher PE – Body Preparation Conditioning Programme for Improving Cardio-Respiratory Endurance Practice No.1 – 4 Corner Drill This practice involved movement to all four corners of the court and then returning to my central base position (see order of movement). Initially I had to shadow the practice for 1 minute, then my coach fed the shuttle to the different parts of the court and I had to attempt a return. I did this for a further 2 minutes. At all times I wore a heart rate monitor to ensure that I stayed in my training zone – if I did go above my training zone, all my coach did was slow down the speed of the practice. This practice was also particularly relevant to improving my agility, reaction time and movement anticipation. The shadow drill was my mental rehearsal for the practice Practice No.2 – High Clear Returns From 2/3 back on court (see diag.) initially I shadowed a movement across court, from side to side, pretending to play a high clear return for 1 minute. For the next 2 minutes my coach then played a series of high shots, both left and right, and I played an actual high clear return. Practice No.3 – Alternate Net Shots and High Clear Returns This practice (see diag.) involves playing a high clear from back court, then moving forward to play a net shot, and so on. Once again I shadowed the practice for 1 minute, followed by 2 minutes of actual drill. 21 Practice No.4 – Forehand and Backhand Mid-court returns This practice involved movement across the court from side to side to play a forehand or backhand return. Again I shadowed the practice for 1 minute, still working within my training zone, and then my coach stood facing me on my side of the net and threw me constant feeds to each side for 2 minutes. Relevant Point and Justification I chose this method of training because each practice was specifically designed to keep me moving constantly and was therefore relevant to improving my cardio respiratory, agility, reaction time, movement anticipation and level of arousal. In addition, because the practices were enjoyable and varied, this also reduces boredom Although the practices were designed to improve CR, I was also able to work at improving my skill level at the same time. Each practice lasted 3 minutes (1min shadow, 2 min skill) totalling 12 minutes for a circuit of 4 practices. I performed the circuit twice, totalling 24 minutes. I wore a heart rate monitor at all times so that I could work within my training zone (70-85%). Initially, I tried to keep at the lower end of my training zone (70-80%) After 2 weeks I felt that the training programme became easier, so I overloaded the practices by working within the upper level of my training zone (75-85%). My next progression was to increase the actual skill related practices from 2 minutes to 2 minutes 30 seconds. My final progression was to increase the sets from 2 to 3. After performing this conditioning circuit twice, I then moved on to a conditioned game – the conditions were that I had to play a 10 shot rally with my partner, keeping within the training zone, before being allowed to make an attempt to beat my partner over the next 3 shots. This was particularly relevant because it initially had to be cardiorespiratory related before being allowed the enjoyment and competitive element of trying to beat my partner. I played this type of game for 5-7 minutes. 22 I finished the session with a 5-7 minutes full game to create enjoyment and push my heart and lungs to an anaerobic level as would be the case in a real match. The whole session has now lasted approximately 40 minutes, particularly relevant because this is approximately the time taken for a 3 game match. It also gave the opportunity to see if any improvement was occurring in my CR and movement anticipation (skill related fitness) and managing my emotions (mental fitness) throughout the match. I repeated this programme 3 days a week, with a days rest in between to allow my body a rest day to recover. My programme lasted 6weeks, overloading when appropriate. 23 Higher PE – Body Preparation Circuit Training (Muscle Specific) For Badminton Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Chest Raise Squat Jumps Sit Ups 15 reps ( O/L 20) 15 reps ( O/L 20) 15 reps (O/L 20) Exercise 6 Exercise 5 Exercise 4 Burpees Press Ups Bench Jumps 15 reps (O/L 20) 15 reps (O/L 20) 15 reps (O/L 20) 3 sets, 70-85%, No Rest Periods Points 1. This circuit was used to back up my activity based programme. 2. I wore the heart rate monitor at all times – this means that the circuit was solely related to improving my cardio respiratory because, unlike the activity programme where I had to concentrate on the skills as well, the exercises were so easy that I only needed to concentrate on working at the correct intensity (70-85%) 3. I had no rest periods between reps or sets – this meant that I could work within my training zone at all times. 4. 15 reps of each meant that I was able to work on my heart and lung and prevent boredom setting in 5. Working within my training zone completing 3 sets meant that the circuit lasted approximately 20 minute – this was sufficient to bring about improvement in cardiorespiratory. 6. To start with I tried to keep within a training zone of 70-85%, but after 2 weeks I felt that the circuit was becoming too easy, so I overloaded by increasing the intensity to 75 - 85%. After a further 2 weeks, I overloaded again by increasing the reps from 15 to 20 to allow further progression. My final overload was to increase the sets from 3 to 4. 24 Higher PE – Body Preparation Arm and Shoulder Power Observation Schedule Name________________________ To assess my arm and shoulder power I completed the following Observation Schedules O.S 1 – My Smash O.S 2 – My High Clear Both O.S’s were completed from a video taken during a best of 3 games against an opponent of similar ability to myself. Before completing the O.S, I got my coach to look at the video and he confirmed that my technique in both strokes were sound and that the angle that I hit the shuttle was correct – this confirmed that the O.S was valid and was a good method of assessing my arm and shoulder power. I ticked the appropriate box every time I won a point directly from my smash, or high clear or if my opponent was able to attempt a return. I did not record high clears or smashes that were going out. My Smash Point Won – opponent unable to return Opponent able to return Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 25 % Success My High Clear Point Won – opponent unable to return Opponent able to return % Success Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Scatter Diagram – High Clear Return Again I completed this from the video. I marked an x every time I returned the shuttle using a high clear, and marked the spot with an x1 where I played it from and a corresponding x1 where it landed on my opponents court. In game 1, it can be seen that out of 17 high clears, I only managed to get 3 returns into my opponent’s back court High Clear Return To Opponents Back Court Unable to Reach back Court % Success Game 1 3 14 21% Game 2 3 16 19% Game 3 4 15 27% Total 10 45 22% 26 Higher PE – Body Preparation Conditioning Programme for Improving Arm and Shoulder Power Practice No. 1 Smash This practice was very simple – the shuttle was fed high above my own service line and I had to smash it back as hard as I could. I did 10 repetitions (1 set) with 100% effort and then rested for 1 minute, before moving on to the next practice. This practice was also excellent for improving my skill related aspects of fitness such as co-ordination, timing and balance. Practice No. 2 High Clear Return The next practice involved a feed to back court and I had to attempt a high clear return. Once again I did 10 (1 set) repetitions with 100% effort and then rested for 1 minute, before moving on again. Practice No. 3 Forehand and Backhand Mid-court Drives In this practice I had to play 5 forehand drives, immediately followed by 5 backhand drives. In each case I had to make sure that I drove the shuttle low over the net and as hard to the back of the court as possible. Once again I rested for 1 minute and then moved on. 27 Practice No. 4 Net Kills This practice involved my coach throwing the shuttle approximately 1 metre above the net for me to lunge forward and play a net kill using a whip like action with my hands, arms and shoulders. I completed the full circuit 3 times with 2 minute rest after each circuit. Relevant points and Justification 1. I chose this method of training because all the practices were specifically designed to improve my power, co-ordination, balance, timing and managing my emotions. 2. The practice were enjoyable and varied and therefore reduced boredom 3. In addition, although the practices were designed to improve power, I was also able to work at improving my skill level at the same time 4. The reason I performed 10 reps of each was because power exercises are anaerobic and use up a lot of energy, therefore need to be performed using low repetitions 5. Each drill had to be performed at 100% intensity because power is a combination of strength and speed and therefore need to be performed full out. 6. The reason for the 1 minute rest periods between sets was to allow my muscles enough time to recover before beginning the next set. In addition, the 2 minutes between circuits was necessary for a full recovery before starting the next one. Power practices need to be performed using a 1:4 work/rest ratio to allow sufficient recovery time. 7. After 2 weeks I felt the programme becoming easier, so I overloaded the practices by wearing 1kg wrist weights to make the exercises more difficult. My next progression was to increase the reps from 10 to 12, and my final overload was to increase the circuits from 3 to 4. 28 After performing the conditioning practices, I had a 3 minute rest – again this was to allow my muscles time to recover and stop the session becoming cardio respiratory related. I then moved to a conditioned game – the conditions were that I had to play a 6 shot high clear rally with my partner before making an attempt to beat my partner over the next 3 shots – even then I could only win a point by using one of the power related skills from the practice drills. This was particularly relevant because all the skills in the conditioned game were power related. I played this type of game for 5 minutes only because it was totally anaerobic and extremely tiring. After a further 3 minute rest period I finished the session with a 5 minute full game to create enjoyment and push my heart and lungs further into anaerobic state as would be the case in a real match. It also gave me the opportunity to monitor any improvement taking place in my physical, skill related and mental fitness levels. The whole session has now lasted approximately 40 minutes (including recovery times), particularly relevant because this is the approximate time taken for a 3 game match. I repeated this programme 3 days a week, with a day of rest in between to allow my body to recover. I did this programme for 6 weeks on a Mon/Wed/Fri, overloading when appropriate and then, to add variety and make it more muscle specific, I would replace the Wednesday programme with a weight circuit. 29 Higher PE – Body Preparation Weight Training Circuit for Badminton Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Chest Raise Bench Press Sit Ups 15 Reps (O/L 20) 6 Reps (O/L 8) 15 Reps (O/L 20) Exercise 4 Exercise 5 Exercise 6 Forward Press Leg Press Medicine Ball – Throw against wall 6 Reps (O/L 8) 6 Reps (O/L 8) 6 Reps (O/L 8) 100% Intensity, Work/Rest ratio 1:4 between reps, 3 sets – 2 mins, rest between each set Points 1. This circuit was completed in the school’s Fitness suite because this allowed me to make it more muscle specific and could be directly related to improving my arm and shoulder power. 2. The circuit consisted of 3 exercises specifically related to power in the arms and shoulders – for the bench press and the forward press I worked at 70% of my maximum lift, and used a heavy medicine ball for the throw to simulate a throwing action 3. I needed to perform each of these exercises at 100% intensity (at speed) to make them power related 4. The other 3 exercises were used to create a balance within the circuit – incorporating leg, stomach and back exercises 5. I made sure that I had a 30 second rest period between exercises to allow my muscles to recover, although the 3 non power related exercises did allow a natural recovery for my arms and shoulders 30 6. I performed the circuit 3 times – this was sufficient to bring about an improvement in power. 7. After 2 weeks I felt that the circuit was becoming too easy, so I overloaded by increasing the reps for the power related exercises by 2. After a further 2 weeks, I overloaded again by increasing the weight used by 5kgs for each of the power exercises. My final overload was to increase the number of circuits from 3 to 4 31 Higher PE – Body Preparation Skill Related Fitness Training Methods (Leckie and Leckie P52) For skill related fitness the methods of training selected need to add skill demands to physical fitness demands. In many activities, players in training move around the playing area completing different tasks at each station. This is similar to circuit training for physical fitness, except that in this circuit you are completing skill related tasks at each station. In this Badminton example the shuttle drop is excellent for reaction time and agility as the performer must be quick to react to the shuttle dropping and get down low to catch it before it hits the floor. The four corner drill for aerobic exercise is excellent for movement anticipation as the worker has to anticipate the feeder’s signals on where the feed is going. The practice to touch and chassis around different coloured cones is again designed to help improve reaction time and balance as it is important to react quickly and still stay in dynamic balance when covering all areas of the court while playing attacking and defensive shots. The alternate high clear and net shot practice is useful for 32 improving agility as both speed and co-ordination and timing are required in this practice. Mental Fitness Training Methods Mental practice before performance can help you to manage your emotions better during performance. There are many different approaches used in this area. They often differ depending upon the nature of the activity The main components of mental practice are: 1. Selecting a quiet area, away from the competition / performance space 2. Establishing a clear picture in your mind of a quality performance 3. Breaking the performance into manageable parts 4. Being positive, imagining doing well 33 Higher PE – Body Preparation The Difference between Planning a Programme and Implementing a Programme The most important point you should make is to relate everything to me and my level of performance within the game e.g. I must plan my whole programme based on my specific weaknesses, and that by improving my level of fitness this will make me a better player. Refer to self at all times e.g. I did this, or my....... The main difference between the Planning stage and the Implementation is that – In the planning stage you have not yet started, therefore you should use “future tense. “ E.g. Frequency – before I started my programme I had to decide e.g. how many days I would need to train each week. This was important because I had to make sure that the weekly programme would have an effect on my fitness level, but also make sure that it would not be too difficult for my body to cope with the level of exercise required. In addition, when deciding how many days per week I would train, I had to take account of skills sessions, and the fact that I had a game every Saturday. For the implementation stage, you say what you did, therefore write in past tense E.g. Frequency – I decided to train 3 days per week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This allowed me to work hard at each of the first two sessions because I knew that I had a days rest in between to allow me to recover. Also, I used the rest days to work on skills and the tactical element of my game. On the Friday I had a light session to prevent fatigue setting in before the game on the Saturday. The Sunday gave me a full day to recover before starting on the next week’s programme. The difference between the two is that, in the planning stage, you write in general terms, whereas, in the implementation, you become more specific. 34 Higher PE – Body Preparation Training Programmes This 8 week Training programme mainly applies to Body Preparation, but several aspects also apply to a skills programme Let us assume that you have mentioned that you have 3 training sessions per week Rest day in between You are training to peak for a particular event in 8 weeks time 1. After the first session, adjust your programme to make sure that it is specific to your needs, (based on internal feedback) 2. After a further 2 sessions (end of week No.1), make any further minor adjustments, just in case you have over compensated with your first adjustment 3. Continue for a further 1 or 2 weeks, overloading at the appropriate time. You have now completed 3 weeks 4. At the end of the 3rd week, professional advice suggests that it is best to spend the next week easing off. Not cutting out training altogether, because reversibility might set in. Instead, ease down to about 70% of your normal programme. The reason for this easing off is to allow the body to recharge its batteries before the final push over the next few weeks. 5. There may be one further progression during the next 2 weeks, depending on how you feel 6. The last of the programme should now be one of an “easing down.” The first 2 sessions should be a gradual cutback (i.e. on the Monday and Wednesday). There should be no work at all on the Friday – this will allow the body to set itself up to peak for the competition on the Saturday or the Sunday. 35 Higher PE – Body Preparation Planning Personal Training Effective planning is an important initial stage to gain maximum benefit from a personal training programme. The planning stage should include an identification of key events and competitive demands and recognition of short term, and longer terms needs. It is important to identify when intensive training periods should take place, and to plan appropriate rest periods throughout the implementation of the personal training programme. The pattern of competition and the structure of the Badminton season must be taken into account when planning a personal programme and the need to respond to key events will influence the training strategy selected. Players have to take key events into account and adopt training strategies to allow them to produce “peak” performances accordingly. The 3 Phases of Training 1. The Preparation Period (pre season training) This period is based on improving basic fitness levels, through general conditioning work. This is followed by more specific training, incorporating an increase in the intensity of the physical work. The fitness work at this stage will be specific to the nature of the activity, and your specific needs within the sport of Badminton, it will also incorporate skill related work as well as the physical aspects of fitness. 2. The Competition Period This period involves maintaining fitness. This can often be difficult due to limited time because of game commitments. Often there can be a conflict between fitness related and skill related training. The most effective training during this period is a conditioned training programme. Selected specific game like routines allows both types of fitness to be developed at the same time. Within this competition phase, you may have to peak for a particular competition. This then involves the 36 3 Training Cycles 1. Microcycle (Short term) – This is the training involved for one specific week within the programme 2. Mesocycle (Medium term) – This involves identifying medium term personal fitness needs and setting specific training targets to bring about an improvement over a 2-6 week period (see next page for a 6 week example) 3. Macrocycle (Longer term) – This is the term used to describe longer term training objectives. This would include details of your training plans for particular competitions/events, and would allow for tapering down your training programmes prior to competition and rest periods following competition. 3. The Transition Period (Off Season Training) This period is between the end of the previous season and the beginning of the new season. This is a period of rest and recovery for players. 37 Higher PE – Body Preparation Monitoring Performance to PEAK For a competition in 6 weeks time, it is important to monitor your performance as the programme proceeds. This should begin as early as the first week: After the first session, adjust your programme so that it is specific to your needs (based on internal feedback) After a further 2 sessions (e.g. end of week No.1), make any further adjustments just in case you have over compensated with your first adjustments. Continue for a further few weeks, monitoring using internal feedback, and making appropriate overloads as you go along. At the end of the 3rd week, professional advice suggests that you spend the next week easing off. Not cutting out the training altogether because reversibility might set it. Instead, ease down to about 70% of your normal programme for week 4. The reason for this easing down is to allow your body to recharge its batteries before the final push over the next few weeks. Monitor once again during week 5, as one further progression may be needed, depending on how you feel For week 6 the programme should be one of gradually easing down. The first 2 sessions should be a gradual cutback (e.g. Monday and Wednesday). The Friday should only be used for some simple skill related practices to keep the mind alert – this will now allow the body to peak for the competition on the Saturday. Target Setting An effective Badminton player needs to set targets to help bring about improvement in performance – these can be divided into short/immediate targets or long term targets Each performer will require different targets, which must be realistic and attainable and should be specific to meet personal needs. Target setting will help indentify development needs, prioritise training requirements and provide a benchmark to monitor progress. 38 Prior to embarking on any development programme it is essential to establish a realistic starting point. Many factors will influence this such as: Previous experience Personal, Physical and mental characteristics Knowledge of training methods Ability to monitor progress Available time to reach targets The benefits of target setting are: It increases motivation and determination – goals have to be realistic and attainable It reinforces the desire to keep working and builds self confidence It provides a purpose and performance focus It provides valuable feedback An example of a realistic short term target could be: To improve your overhead clear in training by improving your accuracy. During training sessions you would work on hitting the shot to specific targets in order to improve accuracy. An example of a realistic long term target could be: To improve your cardio respiratory endurance throughout a training programme, which would then give you the required stamina to win the competition at the end. 39 Higher PE – Body Preparation Monitoring, adapting and Evaluating your Programme of Work Monitoring This is where you assess whether your programme is working or not, as you go along. Adapting This is where you change your programme because it is not working, or it is too easy. Evaluating This allows you to see if the programme has had any effect on your fitness levels and whether this has resulted in an improvement in your overall performance. Monitoring For Cardio Respiratory – before I started my programme I was videoed and from this I completed a time related observation schedule (T.R.O.S.) on three different areas – my court coverage, my skill success and my decision making over three sets. This gave me my base line fitness level to compare against. I re-did these observation schedules every 2 weeks to ensure that progression was taking place. The match results also enabled me to monitor if improvement was occurring. I also wore a heart rate monitor during my training programme and “all end of session matches.” This made sure that I was staying in my training zone during training, and told me what was happening to my heart rate during games. I also used internal feedback to tell me how my body was reacting to the demands of the activity and noted this down after every session in my training diary so I could compare and reflect on any improvement. Regularly using the video was an additional monitoring source. For Power – before I started my programme I completed observation schedules on high clear and smash. I also completed scatter diagrams. I re-did these observations schedules and scatter diagrams every 2 weeks to compare and ensure that progression was taking place. The match results also enabled me to monitor if improvement was occurring. 40 I also used internal feedback to tell me how my body was reacting to the demands of the activity and noted this down after every session in my training diary so I could compare and reflect on any improvement. Regularly using the video was an additional monitoring source. Adapting At this point you could say that you found through the monitoring process that your conditioning programme was too easy/hard for you. As a result you had to adapt it to either make it easier, or overload it to make sure that progress was being made. You might at this point make reference to bringing in circuit training out with the activity to make it more fitness specific, and ensure progression. On the other hand, you could say that you were peaking for a competition, therefore you had to taper down. This means that you need to cut down on some of the fitness work e.g. reduce the number of circuits in the conditioning programme. Evaluating At the end of the programme I re-did all the methods of gathering information that I used at the start. This included my match results, my O.S’s, my initial feedback, the video, the scatter diagrams for power or the heart monitor for CRE As a result of analysing these different methods, I can clearly see that I have improved my................(what can you do now, in your overall performance, that you couldn’t do before?) Say at this point why you think improvement took place, eg I think it was because I used a conditioning programme as my method of training that I gained such good results as it was so enjoyable I was motivated to complete it. Etc etc. 41 Higher PE – Body Preparation Badminton – Power This question relates to your training programme. However, it must be assumed that you have already completed an initial assessment on your performance. Your main weakness is a lack of power. At this point in an exam question, you may be asked how you planned your programme. Note that this is different from the question about to be answered, which is about implementing the programme. Question Describe and justify a course of action which brought about an improved performance I decided to use a conditioning circuit as my main method of training. This way I was able to improve the power in my arms while at the same time improve the actual skills used in a game – making it not only realistic to my needs, but also providing enjoyment and variety throughout the programme. No 1 No 2 10 reps (approx 15 secs) The Smash High clear Returns 1 min rest between drills 3 circuits, 2 mins, rest between each No 3 No 4 F/hand and B/hand Net Kills Mid-court drives I set myself attainable short term goals on a weekly basis and adjusted these targets to suit e.g. week 1, practice 2 – my aim was to get over 50% success rate on my high clear returns, the following week over 55% and so on. This coincided with the ultimate long term goal of improving not only my power, but also to bring about an improved performance within my game itself. My programme lasted a period of 6 weeks which I felt was an adequate time to bring about an improvement 42 Each practice was specifically designed to improve the power in my arms and shoulders e.g. practice 1 was particularly appropriate as I had to improve my smash in order to make it more difficult for my opponent either to return the shot or to play an attacking shot e.g. the steep trajectory of the smash means they must lift the shuttle high in return, giving me further opportunity to kill the rally. Practice 2 was also excellent as again I need to have the ability to clear the shuttle to the back of my opponent’s court in order to put him under pressure. This in turn not only relieves the pressure on me but also gives me the opportunity to mount an attack and dominate the rally. Practices 3 & 4 were again appropriate as they gave me the opportunity to work on making my mid court drives and net kills more powerful and effective. The improvement in power and execution of the shots in the training programme increased my overall confidence in my ability causing even further improvement. I performed each practice at 100% intensity because power is a combination of speed and strength and therefore needs to be performed full out. The reason I performed 10 reps of each was because power exercises are anaerobic and use up a lot of energy, therefore low repetitions are required. Power practices need to be performed using a 1:4 work/rest ratio to allow the muscles enough time to recover, thus the reason for the one minute rest periods between practices. In addition, the two minutes between circuits were necessary for a full recovery to take place before starting the next one. After two weeks I felt the programme becoming easier, so I overloaded the practices by wearing 1kg wrists to make the exercises more difficult. My next progression was to increase the reps from 10 to 12, and my final overload was to increase the circuits from 3 to 4. It was important to overload at the correct time in order to ensure that maximum progression would take place. After performing the conditioning circuit I had a 3 minute rest, again to allow my muscles time to recover. I then moved on to a conditioned game. The conditions were that I had to play a 6 shot high clear rally with my partner before being allowed to make an attempt to beat him. I 43 could only win the point however by using one of the power related skills from the practice drills. This made it particularly relevant to me I played this type of game for 5 minutes only because it was totally anaerobic and extremely tiring. After a further 3 minute rest period I finished the session with a 5 minute full game to create enjoyment and push my heart and lungs further into an anaerobic state, as would be the case in a real match. It also allowed me to see if my programme was having an effect on my performance The whole session has now lasted approx 40 minutes including recovery times, particularly relevant as this is approx the time taken for a three set match. I repeated this programme 3 days a week, with a days rest in between to allow my body a rest day to recover. I did this programme for 2 weeks on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday and then to add variety and to make it more specific, I replaced the Wednesday programme with a weight training circuit for the last 4 weeks. 44 Higher PE – Body Preparation Badminton – Cardio-Respiratory This question relates to your training programme. However, it must be assumed that you have already completed an initial assessment on your performance. Your main weakness is a lack of cardio-respiratory. Question Describe and justify a course of action which brought about an improved performance I used the following programme over a period of six weeks to improve my level of cardio-respiratory. I used a conditioning programme as my main method of training because this way I could also improve the skills within the game. By making the programme realistic to the game it made it both enjoyable and varied. I set myself short term goals on a weekly basis and adjusted these targets to suit, as well as the long term target of improving my CR fitness. This would then allow me to perform to the best of my ability nearing the end of the game where currently these is a severe decline in my performance. Examples from my programme I wore a heart monitor at all times during the practices so that I was able to keep working within my training zone. My programme started with 4 cardio-respiratory related drills – all the practices were designed to improve my CR and my skill level at the same time e.g. my first practice was the four corner drill, I had to shadow the practice for one minute then actually play the appropriate shots from the four corners for the next two minutes. It is crucial to reach the four corners of the court with relative ease throughout the game, as this will allow me to get into position to select the appropriate shot against my opponent. Therefore, this practice allows me to keep fluency in my footwork and practice returning to mid court base to be ready for my opponents next shot. 45 Another example from my CR drills was “alternate net shots and high clear returns” – this was a particularly appropriate drill because during a game I will be asked to play a number of shots which will require a variety of approaches. Some need power while others require touch, by alternating strokes over three minutes I keep playing the variety of shots needed in the game, but at the same time am working on my CR e.g. before the training sessions, in the actual game I was initially able to select and play a variety of shots, but as the game progressed, my lack of CR forced me into playing a less appropriate shot – an overhead clear instead of a smash. Now by working this practice I am aiming to maintain the variety and control of shot while improving my CR so that my judgement and execution is still as accurate at the end. I completed all four practices as a circuit, three days a week, Monday /Wednesday/ Friday, with a rest day in between to allow my body to recover. I did 3 sets of each circuit except on a Friday, because I did not want to be fatigued for my match at the weekend. I tried not to miss any training days in case reversibility set in, which could have caused me to lose any gains in cardio-respiratory at twice the speed of the improvements. It was imperative that the programme was completed at 70-85% intensity in order to improve my cardio-respiratory and that each session lasted approx 40 minutes to make it as near the length of a match as possible Following the circuit I played a conditioned game where I had to play a minimum of a ten shot rally before I could attempt to win the point. This was particularly relevant because initially it was cardio-respiratory related but also gives me the enjoyment and competitive element of trying to beat my opponent. I then finished my session with a five to seven minute full game to push my heart and lungs to an anaerobic level as would be the case in a real match. The whole session lasted forty minutes which is appropriate as this is the approx time taken for a three game match After two weeks I felt the programme becoming easier so I overloaded the practices by working at the upper end of my training zone. My next progression was to increase the actual skill related practices from two minutes to three minutes still maintaining the shadowing exercise for a minute. My final overload to ensure progression was to increase the sets from two to three when appropriate. 46 47