Scenario:
Emma has been playing netball for 6 years since she was very little, this season she was put into the Cadet Firsts (Ages 15-17). She is an extremely sporty girl whilst she plays netball she also undertakes other sports such as rowing, cross country and mountain biking. She has recently started to complain about being tired and muscle fatigue. It has begun to affect her performance across all her sports especially netball where she has lost her agility and speed on the court.
Strategy:
To identify the effectiveness of warm-up, stretching and cool-down as injury prevention measure is needed, including the benefits of different types of warm-up, cooling-down and stretching practices and optimal duration, frequency and intensity of each component.
How to implement:
Emma has been playing netball for 6 years since she was very little, this season she was put into the Cadet Firsts (Ages 15-17). She is an extremely sporty girl whilst she plays netball she also undertakes other sports such as rowing, cross country and mountain biking. She has recently started to complain about being tired and muscle fatigue. It has begun to affect her performance across all her sports especially netball where she has lost her agility and speed on the court.
Strategy:
To identify the effectiveness of warm-up, stretching and cool-down as injury prevention measure is needed, including the benefits of different types of warm-up, cooling-down and stretching practices and optimal duration, frequency and intensity of each component.
How to implement:
- The specific needs of the injured netball player, versus the non-injured netball player, should be considered when setting up a warm-up program. Injured netball players should seek professional advice (eg. a physiotherapist) about appropriate exercises.
- Warming up will help improve Emma’s performance and is a great step towards preventing injury.
- It prepares her body for physical activity, preventing a rapid increase in blood pressure, improving blood flow to the heart, increasing muscle temperature and making muscles more pliable.
- In preparation for a netball game, warm up exercises including dynamic stretches focusing on fingers, wrists, shoulders, neck, back, hips, knees and ankles are recommended. This should help Emma because it encourages blood to flow directly to the areas of your body that need energy so you perform at her optimum whilst playing, this should reduce her fatigue on the court.
- Dynamic stretches have continual movement as you are not holding a stretch for a long period of time. You take the muscle to the end of its range then straight back again. By targeting muscles and replicating actions you would use in a game, this will help to reduce muscle tension by increasing flexibility and freedom of movement, this will help Emma with helping her agility on the court becomes her muscles will be warm and ready to make short sharp movements.
- A netball warm up session only needs to last between 10-15 minutes. It is to begin with a low intensity activity, for example 3-5 minutes of jogging/side steps and stride outs on court followed by 7-10 minutes of stretching exercises, for example passing and catching.
- A good warm-up consists of:
- Aerobic exercise: Easy exercise such as walking, jogging and cycling continuously for 5-10 minutes
- Stretching: Dynamic stretching is best for warming up and involves moving your limbs through a range of motion.
- Sport-specific exercises: When warming up for Netball you should be sure to include some of the exercises specific to the sport such as; short sprints, shuttle runs, quick changes of direction, shooting drills and defensive exercises with a partner.
- In contrast to a warm up exercises, static stretches are more appropriate for exercise during a netball cool down session. Static exercises – also known as isometrics – exert muscles at high intensities without movement of your joints. Static stretches need to be held for approximately 20 or 30 seconds for it to be effective.
- Emma will benefit from static stretches because it will increase flexibility and freedom of movement, reduce muscle tension, reduce muscle waste products within the body, reduce muscle soreness and stiffness.
- Netball cool down exercises enable Emma to compete again at the similar level fitness within a short period of time. This would be good if she was playing multiple sports in one day.
- A good cool-down should consist of:
- Light aerobic exercise: This low-intensity exercise should last for 5-15 minutes and include activity such as slow jogging to a walk
- Hydration: As soon as the cool-down starts, hydration should begin. Re-hydrating is important to replace fluids that have been lost during the game/training.
- Static stretching and low level dynamic stretches: Stretching after exercise may reduce the risk of injuries happening and may promote flexibility.
- Nutrition: it is important to eat appropriate food after exercise to replace energy and assist with muscle repair. Note that athletes can begin eating recovery food while stretching.
- Injury assessment and management. Ensuring athletes receive the appropriate treatment for any injury they may have sustained is an important part of recovery.
- Recovery is one of the basic principles of training. It’s during the recovery period or rest period from training that you adapt to the load placed on you during training.