National Institute of Sports Studies

The ability to express power is considered one of the main determinants between successful elite athletes and sub-elite athletes. Information regarding the nature and magnitude of strength and power adaptations in pre-elite athletes is less comprehensive than the information available on elite athletes. In addition to power, practitioners reasonably assume that movement ability is strongly linked to performance, but this quality has been largely overlooked in the performance research. The overall aim of this thesis is to provide a basis of research to examine the influence of movement ability on performance outcomes into the future. To achieve this longer-term aim, a series of studies were conducted, beginning with an information gathering study that was designed to provide context to the thesis by investigating the current practices for strength and conditioning coaches and sport scientists working with junior athletes (Chapter 3). The survey responses highlighted the need in high performance sport for more investigation into training methods for junior, pre-elite athletes and to ensure the research outcomes provide practical coaching application.
Based on this need, an examination of the typical response to strength and power training as junior athletes enter a high performance sport program was conducted (Chapters 4 and 5). Substantial improvements in power were observed within 10 weeks in three separate athlete cohorts. These improvements are similar or greater in magnitude to improvements seen in elite athletes over years of training. A recommendation arising from the time course analysis in these studies is that in order to provide comprehensive training analysis, frequent assessments (weekly or fortnightly) of a range of strength and power characteristics should be performed. 
The results of the survey (Chapter 3) also suggested that movement assessment tools presented in the scientific literature do not meet their needs since most rely on modified versions of these tools. A lack of standardisation within this realm limits the potential for examining and understanding how movement ability impacts performance. To understand this relationship of movement ability and performance, it was therefore considered important to develop a movement assessment tool which meets the needs of practitioners. The Athletic Ability Assessment (AAA) was designed as a potential solution to this problem and the first step in investigating its utility was to ensure good reliability which is supported by the results presented in Chapter 6. It is hoped that further scientific validation of the AAA or other movement assessments tools may prompt much needed investigations where movement ability is considered alongside the appraisal of physical fitness and performance characteristics. The study in Chapter 7 provides preliminary evidence for a relationship existing between improvements in movement ability and physical performance, however much more evidence to confirm this relationship in the wider sporting context is required. The research conducted in this thesis is part of the initial steps toward validating the importance placed on movement ability in junior athletes and indeed, senior athletes. This body of work addresses the need for more scientific evidence for the conjecture placed on movement assessment and training at present. Although it is acknowledged the research does not answer all the questions it is the vital first step towards this. Future research can be based off this initial work and shows the importance of this thesis in the context of providing a worthwhile contribution to the field of strength and conditioning, as it attempts to consolidate its footing in applied sports performance science.

Abstract: Parsonage, JR, Williams, RS, Rainer, P, McKeown, I, and Williams, MD. Assessment of conditioning-specific movement tasks and physical fitness measures in talent identified under 16-year-old rugby union players. J Strength Cond Res 28(6): 1497–1506, 2014—Preparedness to train was assessed using a battery of conditioning-specific movement tasks (CSMTs) on a group of talent identified rugby union players (n = 156; age = 15 ± 7 years; stature = 176 ± 7 cm; and mass = 74 ± 14 kg). In addition to explore the link between movement competency and performance, a series of standard fitness tests was conducted. Overall the group's CSMTs competency ratings were low, but task dependent. The proportion of competent players ranged from 14% for a single leg squat to 70% for a double to single leg landing. Players were subsequently grouped based on their CSMTs ratings using cluster analysis. This analysis classified players on features of the CSMT battery that distinguished between groups rather than an arbitrary score. Fitness test scores were then compared between the 3 groups identified. The “general low competency” group jumped 9.1 cm lower (p = 0.0218), sprinted slower across 10, 20 and 40 m (range, p = 0.0126–0.0018) and covered 389 m less (p = 0.0105) Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 distance compared with the “squat competent group.” In summary, at this important time before academy selection, most players could not competently perform the CSMTs that underpin rugby conditioning and may not be prepared for the transition into the “training to compete” stage of the suggested long-term athlete development model. For this sample of players, the athlete development process may therefore be unnecessarily inhibited. Moreover, our observations that competency in some CSMTs may explain better running and jumping performances in some players suggest that a focus on monitoring and addressing movement competencies during the training to train stage of player development should be considered.

The purpose of this study was to report the current practices and application of long term athlete development theory within elite athlete pathways. Sixty-five strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and other professionals participated by completing an electronic survey. The survey elicited information about awareness, understanding and use of common athlete development models. Seventy-two percent of the respondents apply some elements of long term athlete development theory. The most commonly understood model is Balyi’s LTAD model. There is awareness of alternative models; however these are not as deeply understood. Additional questions were asked regarding the use of movement assessment and performance testing in junior athletes. All respondents reported the use of some form of performance assessment, with strength and power assessment most common. Movement assessments are also widely used, however no set methodology is preferred with the majority of practitioners usi...

This study investigated the associations between fundamental athletic movement and physical fitness in junior Australian football (AF). Forty-four under 18 players performed a fundamental athletic movement assessment consisting of an overhead squat, double lunge, single leg Romanian deadlift and a push up. Movements were scored on three assessment criterions using a three-point scale. Additionally, participants performed five physical fitness tests commonly used for talent identification in AF. A Spearman's nonparametric correlation matrix was built, with correlation coefficients being visualised using a circularly rendered correlogram. Score on the overhead squat was moderately positively associated with dynamic vertical jump height on left (rs = 0.40; P ≤ 0.05) and right (rs = 0.30; P ≤ 0.05) leg take-off, stationary vertical jump (rs = 0.32; P ≤ 0.05) and negatively associated with 20-m sprint time (rs = -0.35; P ≤ 0.05). Score on the double lunge (left/right side) was modera...

A fundamental challenge for practitioners in high-level sporting environments concerns how to support athletes in adapting behaviours to solve emergent problems during competitive performance. Guided by an ecological dynamics framework, the design and integration of competitive performance preparation models that place athlete-environment interactions at the heart of the learning process may address this challenge. This ecological conceptualisation of performance preparation signifies a shift in a coach’s role; evolving from a consistent solution provider to a learning environment designer who fosters local athlete-environment interactions. However, despite the past decades of research within the ecological dynamics framework developing an evidence-based, theoretical conceptualisation of skill acquisition, expertise and talent development, an ongoing challenge resides within its practical integration into sporting environments. This article provides two case examples in which high-l...

This study explored the differences in match play between elite and semi-elite Australian football (AF) conceptualised through the lens of ecological dynamics. We sampled naturalistic constraints from match play across two AF competitions (elite and semi-elite) and heuristically classified them into task, environmental and individual classes. Data was extracted from 22 Australian Football League (AFL) games, and 18 semi-elite AF games, with a total of six constraints being sampled from each game. Match play within the AFL generated a greater percent of total disposals in general play within a processing time of 0–1s (d = 1.24 (0.64–1.80)), a greater opposition density surrounding the ball carrier (d = 0.82 (0.26–1.37)), and more disposals being performed while running (dynamic; d = 0.89 (0.33–1.45)). This data highlights differences with regards to the informational sources available to players across both competition standards to inform their movement choices. Specifically, a great...

Cloud computing is providing sport coaches with opportunities to transform their work with athletes. This paper identifies characteristics of Cloud computing and discusses sport coaches’ use of the ‘Cloud’. Examples are presented of this use in the sport of canoeing in Australia. The paper examines some of the risks inherent in a move to Cloud computing whilst acknowledging the dynamic possibilities available from new ways of communicating. The paper concludes with a discussion of the use of iterative ‘good enough’ approaches to digital repositories.

This paper presents data from the games (n = 16) in the first two rounds of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Attention is drawn to patterns of goal scoring and the relationship with FIFA ranking (18 March 2011). The paper includes a profile of winning, losing and drawing in the 16 games (presented as averages). The paper is used as a stimulus paper for discussion of technical and tactical aspects of game play at this World Cup and in football generally. The presentation makes use of Prezi to share these data.
http://prezi.com/21c82yn9orcj/winning-performance-at-the-2011-fifa-womens-world-cup/