AFL Football in South Africa
There are some great stories coming out of South Africa at the moment and some that are just inspiring for all concerned. We have heard a lot from clubs over this pre season about the need for players to not only improve as footballers but evolve as people and it is just about impossible for players involved in the experiences in South Africa to not walk away realising how fortunate they are and how priveledged they should be for being in the position they find themselves in as AFL Footballers. For example the entire Carlton group walked through an AIDS clinic, Sparrow Village, the biggest home for people battling AIDS in the world. If that doesn’t change your view on life then nothing will.
The media outlets generally have nothing to talk about during the pre seasons of AFL Football other the the off field antics of the players and it is great to see these good stories circulate the world. I guess the public at large find great interest in “Player’s behaving badly” news stories and they are the ones that generally fin their way around the world as I saw on Daves’ Football Blog the other day. It is always interesting to see what makes headlines in other parts of the World. Even Mick Malthouse made the news with his outbursts at the AFL over the new interchange rules.
Below is a great news report from South Africa that was aired on Channel 10 in Perth that I first saw on World Footy News. There is some great vision and show what an impact the players are having in the communities in South Africa.
By seeing the enjoyment that AFL Football brings to the faces of these children is quite astounding and is something I am sure will live with these young AFL Players for ever and hopefully will inspire a few new fresh faces in AFL ranks in the near future.
It will be certainly interesting to see how Carlton, Fremantle and Collingwood develop as teams in 2008 and beyond.
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
