The Secret of Altitude Training and the AFL Footballer
It seems to be the buzz training technique employed by some AFL Football Clubs over the past few years, so much so that Collingwood Football Club have got an altitude training room at their training base at the Lexus Centre. So I thought I would do a bit of research into why clubs think it is so helpful to their players’ fitness levels and performance.
Well here is what it is all about:
Athletes that train at higher altitudes can theoretically improve the capacity at which they are able to exercise. Because there is lower level of oxygen the body acclimatizes to that level, this is where the real benefit is, as a result of the body acclimatising the body improves its ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles, the more oxygen the body can deliver the better the performance. The training of an AFL Footballer means that their bodies must use oxygen to generate energy (because training lasts longer than a few minutes). Without the supply of oxygen the muscles may seize up and become damaged. Altitude training can produce more red blood cells; these cells are the ones that carry the oxygen around the body.
There are other benefits aside from this and they include: An increase in the number of small blood vessels, an increase in buffering capacity (ability to manage the build up of waste acid) and changes in the microscopic structure and function of the muscles themselves. And scientific studies have shown that altitude training can produce increases in speed, strength, endurance, and recovery. Read more
What Everybody Ought to Know About The Saints in 08
The Saints, who finished ninth last year and well below the lofty expectations of many football observers, will be hoping to launch themselves up the AFL ladder in 2008.
Let’s take a look at the incoming and outgoing players for 2008.
ADDITIONS:
Exchange period – received: Sean Dempster (Sydney), Charlie Gardiner (Geelong), Steven King (Geelong), Adam Schneider
(Sydney)
Rookie elevation: Jarryn Geary, Clinton Jones
Scholarship elevation: Khan Haretuku (rookie)
NAB AFL Draft: Eljay Connors (Bendigo Pioneers), Fraser Gehrig (St Kilda), Ben McEvoy (Murray Bushrangers), Jack Steven (Geelong Falcons)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Matthew Clarke, Fraser Gehrig, Aaron Hamill, Andrew Thompson, Brett Voss
Delisted: Barry Brooks, Andrew McQualter, Phil Raymond, Justin Sweeney, Fergus Watts, James Wall (rookie)
New found ruck strength.
An area that the Saints will be looking to improve on which has been an area that has caused them great concern for the last few years will be in the Ruck department. But heading into the 2008 season the Saints big men look to be in good shape. Michael Gardner is fit and raring to go, and they have drafted Geelong Premiership ruck man Steven King, who a lot of people regard as a bit of a dud pick up but I for one think that they have made a great decision. Then throw Justin Koschitzke, Michael Rix and Jason Blake into the mix and suddenly they have a plethora of big men to choose from. The Saints onballers with be salivating at the prospect.
A stat that I found quite alarming was the fact that the Saints were ranked last in points scored per game. Although Fraser
Gehrig was their leading goal kicker I am just not sure he is the answer and I can not believe they re drafted him. If he is to make a difference to the Saints he needs to be a more consistent goal scorer and not just kick a couple of bags of goals and end up winning the goal kicking. Maybe the Saints can rest him unless they are playing at the Telstra Dome. Read more
8000 expected for South African Practice Match
It seems the AFL is making it’s biggest push into another country yet, with the organizes of the South African practice match between Cartlon and Fremantle hopeful of reaching 8000 fans for the game.
In an interview with World Footy News AFLSA’s Operations Manager Joel Kelly has said:
“Getting exposure to the game at the highest level is an enormous boost for the code in South Africa - it is all well and good to teach the skills at grass roots but until young South Africans see the game played in the flesh, it will always be hard to establish that unbridled excitement that we readily associate with AFL - for the local FootyWild kids to see their heroes in the townships through the AFL community camps that Fremantle and Carlton will run in the North West and Gauteng respectively, then for those same kids to actually see them play live, is an incredible opportunity that we, as Australians, would probably take for granted - these kids will not and we are genuinely excited about what the AFL club visits will do for the code in South Africa in the longer term”.
It is some what of a reality check when you read this kind of thing, I mean it is just a practise match to us and something we take for granted but for the people of South Africa it is a huge event and will be broadcast live on South African cable channel SuperSport 2. Quite amazing really and something that a lot of us here in Australia can’t really relate to.
Read the full article at World Footy News here.
Get rid of the NAB Cup once and for all
The 2008 AFL NAB Cup competition is looking like being an even bigger waste of time than in previous years. As we would all know by now the AFL have decided to trial a new interchange rule, meaning clubs will only bee able to have 16 interchange rotations per quarter and 64 in total, with send offs due to the blood rule being included as a rotation. The backlash from this has been widespread with most clubs and medical experts alike are bemused at the rule and have questioned why there is a need to change it.
Not Prepared to risk players
The fall out of this rule change in particular is that clubs will not be prepared to risk their star players that are coming back from injury or players that need to be eased through the pre season prior to Round 1 because they will not be able to control the amount of game time they play. This has meant that many clubs, some who already don’t take the NAB Cup all that seriously to begin with will be forced to rest their better players and play the younger less experienced ones so they are in tip top shape come Round 1. Carlton, who has won the last 2 NAB Cups have even said that they will not be risking their stars and will not be fielding their best side. If the AFL regard the pre season competition as an important part of AFL Football then they need to pull their heads out of the clouds and work out a way they can resurrect it because it is a shambles at the moment and they may as well abandon it and go straight into the Regional Challenge (practice games).
I read a comment from Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos in regards to the interchange rule where he stated that the AFL had said there was not enough evidence yet to suggest that there is any link between injuries going up an the use of interchange rotations and therefore thought that there would be no change to that rule. So how can they now make the decision to change the rule? Because they are the AFL I guess.
No one takes the NAB Cup seriously do they?
There are a number of clubs that have already stated that they will not be fielding very experienced and strong sides in this years competition and Leigh Matthews has said “No one really takes this seriously do they?” What incentive do clubs have to even consider taking it seriously? Well there is probably only one $$$. The kangaroos have eluded to the fact they will after the prize money in this years NAB Cup “We have always been aware that our performance really indicates our bottom dollar. If we drop off, it does hurt us financially. With most of the other clubs preparing for the NAB Cup the way they are then it opens the door for clubs like the Kangaroos to field a strong team and take the cash, something that we all know the desperately need, and in turn will hopefully improve their membership tally. But the more financially secure clubs don’t really need the cash and therefore have no real incentive.
The time has come to get rid of the NAB Cup unless the AFL can do something so the clubs can both prepare their sides the best way they can for the start of the season and also create a competition that clubs will want to play in. Which they are not doing at the moment. Clubs are better off playing a series of practice matches instead.
Post your comment and let football world know your thoughts on the NAB Cup.
Can the Kangaroos put the off field dramas behind them?
After what has been the biggest off season in the North Melbourne Football Club’s history, James Brayshaw and his team have made their decision to stay in Melbourne and the North fans are rejoicing while others are not so sure. The question is can the Kangaroos player and coaching staff get them selves up for the 2008 season and build on what was an impressive 2007 where they unexpectedly made the Preliminary Final, this was on the back of them being touted as Wooden Spooners. I have posted previously about some great highlight packages of the Kangaroos to get the adrenalin going.
Let’s go through their additions and deletions from the list:
ADDITIONS:
Exchange period – received: Ben Davies (Collingwood), Sam Power (Western Bulldogs)
Rookie elevation: Leigh Adams, Matt Campbell
NAB AFL Draft: Levi Greenwood (Port Adelaide Magpies), Blake Grima (Kangaroos), Josh Smith (West Perth), Robbie Tarrant (Bendigo Pioneers), Scott Thompson (Geelong VFL)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Glenn Archer (veteran – outside list), Kasey Green, Jonathan Hay
Exchange period – traded: Brad Moran (Adelaide)
Delisted: Blake Grima (second list lodgement), Daniel McConnell, David Trotter, Callum Urch, Djaran Whyman, Ben Hughes (rookie), Tim Hutchison (rookie)
With a finishing ladder position of 4th in 2007 the Kangaroos will not be expecting anything less than another top 4 finish in 2008. Dean Laidley has got this team gelling together as a unit very nicely. The don’t have the superstar players that other teams have, unless you can put Brent Harvey and Daniel Wells in that category, but what they do is play as an old fashioned team as you would expect given they are the “Shinboners”.
In 2007 the Kangaroos seemed to have the better of the teams outside the eight but were found out a bit by the teams inside the eight as illustrated by the fact that they only won 4 of 13 games against these teams, this is something that I am sure Laidley has discussed at length with the playing group.
In 2007 Laidley produced a more attacking game plan and the Kangaroos now play an exiting attacking, high scoring style of football which from a spectators point of view is good to watch. Laidley’s faith in a couple of players in Michael Firrito, who was exceptional at holding down full back and the emergence of Josh Gibson in the back half was great to see. These two will be the leaders in defence along with Daniel Pratt now that the Shinboner of the Century has retired and his on field presence will be missed. A youngster by the name of Levi Greenwood may just slot straight into the great mans shoes and from all reports bares a striking resemblance to the way Archer played.
Last year saw what I would rate as career best form from the likes of Brent Harvey, Corey Jones, Shannon Watt, Jesse Smith and Hamish McIntosh. It will be interesting too see if this group of players and along with the likes of Andrew Swallow and Scott McMahan can back up their exceptional years and have another fantastic season because that will go along way to determining the outcome of the season for the Kangaroos. Let’s not forget the Kangaroos had 9 players in the finals series that had played under 50 games so those players should now be ready to take a big step forward.
Neitz Captain of Melbourne for 9th AFL Season
Well it is official Melbourne has announced that David Neitz will captain the club for a 9th consecutive season. I personally think the Demons have missed a perfect opportunity to blood a younger captain while Neitz is still a player at the club and can lend some assistance as Essendon did under Kevin Sheedy. Any way the Demons thought otherwise and decided Neitz is the man for the job for the clubs 150th birthday celebrations.
The Demons also announced the rest of the leadership team with Cameron Bruce, James McDonald, Brock McLean, Brad Miller, Russell Robertson, and Adem Yze among the rest of the team. It also beats me that Brad Miller is in this group? I just don’t think he is a big contributer to the side, he must to things behind closed doors that we don’t see.
Melbourne you have missed a golden opportunity in my opinion to start a fresh future in your celabratory year.
Post your comments and tell everyone your thoughts on this.
AFL Clubs slam NAB Cup interchange cap
Well it was bound to happen wasn’t it, the AFL have decided to trial a new rule and already there has been backlash from the powerhouses clubs of the AFL. I was talking to a couple of friends and my football club last night at our 2nd post christmas pre season session (pretty tough I might add), and we were discussing this exact issue, where the AFL have decided to cap the interchange rotations that each team is able to have and the effect it will have on other areas of the game and players.
What the clubs are saying is very true, this cap makes it very difficult for players that are coming back from injury to have limited game time to ease back into the fold. I was reading an article this morning in the Herald Sun here in Melbourne Australia and a leading sports medico has said that players may try and avoid being detected by the umpire when they are bleeding and injured players may worsen their injuries because they are forced to stay on the ground, I have mentioned on a couple of forums that I thought the fact that players will have less time on the bench to rest that they might then become more fatigued resulting in more soft tissue injuries.
AFL Clubs were told that the interchange rule would not come in and all of a sudden the AFL have made the decision to trial the rule during this years NAB Cup regardless of the clubs objections. Do the AFL take anything else into consideration when they make these decisions? I mean surely they should have consulted the clubs and medical officers about the ramifications of such a rule?
It will mean that the Clubs will just treat the NAB Cup as even more of a joke than they do now. Clubs just will not risk bringing players back during the NAB Cup if they can’t control the amount of game time that they are able to play. In an even more ridiculous situation the Western Bulldogs are due to play the Kangaroos in the humid town of Darwin and requested to be allowed to have extra player swaps during that game but the AFL knocked it back!
If this rule comes in to the regular season then it will mean that the older players and legends of the game will be forced to retire earlier because they are forced to play more time because of the interchange rotation rule. Players like Robert Harvey, as fit as this bloke is, probably wouldn’t be playing this year if the rule had been introduced previously.
I thought the investigation that the AFL is conducting this year on the perceived link between the speed of the game, interchange rotations and impact injuries was going to determine whether they would take this line? They haven’t even started that investigation and the rule is already being trialled. This is just another example of the AFL throwing thier weight around regardless of what the people playing the game think.
More interesting times ahead for the clubs and the AFL.
Is Neil Craig under pressure in 2008 ?
Well Neil Craig must be feeling the pressure over there in Adelaide one would think. Adelaide fans and the club were disappointed with their results in 2007 and they only just scraped into the 8 at the end of the year and had an elimination final loss. I guess the fact that Riccuto missed most of the year didn’t help their cause. The Crows have had a turnover of 14 players which has given the Crows a very different look in 2008. A new leadership team lead by Simon Goodwin has also been put in place.
Lets first take a look at who Adelaide has gained and lost for the 2008 Season
ADDITIONS:
Exchange period – received: Brad Moran (Kangaroos), Brad Symes (Port Adelaide)
Rookie elevation: Greg Gallman
Scholarship elevation: Taylor Walker
NAB AFL Draft: Tony Armstrong (Calder Cannons), Aaron Kite (Calder Cannons), Myke Cook (Sandringham Dragons), Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong Falcons), Jarrhan Jacky (Subiaco), Andy Otten (Oakleigh Chargers)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Mark Ricciuto (veteran – outside list)
Exchange period – traded: Ben Hudson (Western Bulldogs), Martin Mattner (Sydney), John Meesen (Melbourne)
Delisted: Matthew Bode, John Hinge, Ian Perrie, Darren Pfeiffer, Jason Torney, Scott Welsh (second list lodgment), Rhys Archard (rookie), Andrew McIntyre (rookie), James Turner (rookie)
High Possession Team
Adelaide are a very high possession team and play like a game of keepings off, Neil Craig is very big on “Tempo Football” and as a result they are very high on the list of disposals per game. It is a bit of a misleading stat in that the only reason they have high possessions is because of their style of play in that they chip the ball around all over the place, they are far from a side that is direct and long kicking. 
This is Craig’s style though, he comes across as a coach that is more interested in tactics and inventing new ways to play the game rather than the old fashioned style of coaches, although I think there has to be some of this involved in a game plan Craig seems to go a bit to far in my opinion. This maybe because they haven’t got a spearhead down in their forward line as a direct target and rely on freeing up other players as their avenue to goal.
No Goal Kicking Power
Bring on the 2008 AFL Season !
Not long to go now AFL Fans to the start of the 2008 Season, but if you can’t wait and need to wet your taste buds, check out this marks highlights package that has recently been added to YouTube. There is a bit of a Collingwood bias but don’t hold that against it, it is a great package and well worth a look. Enjoy !
AFL Football around the World
For those readers here at AFL Football Blog that are interested in what is happening with the game of Australian Rules Football in other parts of the world should check out this great site World Footy News. You won’t find all the general AFL news that is happening here in Australia but you will find some interesting information about what is happening in the game of Australian Rules Football from around the world.
One article that really caught my eye, considering the AFL Clubs currently flirting with the South African region to recruit prospective players, was this one about an American experiment that the West Perth Falcons are undertaking. The experiment involves two brothers James and Jared Brunmeier from the Milwaukee Bombers who undertook a pre season with the Falcons and then played a full year in the reserves but from all accounts made quite an impression and they have been invited back in 2008.
If you remember a while back Essendon dabbled with an American by the name of Dwayne Amstrong, who I remember playing on at Punt Road one day, he was the biggest guy I had ever seen on a football field, as a 17 year old kid it was a daunting task even though he couldn’t really play. I think he was remembered more for dating Ross Oakley’s daughter than for his abilities on the football field.
Considering the work that the AFL has been doing in “growing the game” and brand of AFL Football in South Africa and the fact that they have over 8000 kids enrolled is Auskick in that Country it would be a fantastic opportunity for the AFL if it could grab a small piece of the market share of the US sports market. There has been a bit of tallk about the possibilities of more Americans coming “Down Under” to try their hand at our game, and given the AFL have a scholarship list that enable clubs to have players from 15 to 23 years of age on the list for as little as $20 000 a year which will be used for schooling. I am sure there is some incentive there for the American kids to make the journey.
It is an interesting exercise that the West Perth Falcons have undertaken and one that I will be watching with great interest to see the progress of the 2 American lads. Hey even Kevin Sheedy thinks there is a need for a stadium in Los Angeles. Who know America could end up following the Irish down here.
