A lower body height and wider foot stance are positively associated with the generation of individual scrummaging forces in rugby

Green, Andrew; Kerr, Samantha; Dafkin, Chloe; Olivier, Benita; McKinon, Warrick

doi:10.1080/24748668.2017.1309094

Cited by 5 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…If studies reported longitudinal changes in scrummaging force data across a season, only baseline force outcomes were extracted. Prior research has consistently demonstrated that force production in the scrum is strongly related to the player's body mass [7,[12][13][14] and that as playing level increases, player body mass increases [15,16]. Therefore, to be able to make comparisons between playing levels independent of the increased mass of players at higher levels, when possible, we normalized force production by dividing the reported average force produced by the sample by the average reported body mass of the player(s) or forward pack performing the test.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Force Production during the Sustained Phase of Rugby Scrums: A Systematic Literature Review

Martin

Beckham

2020

Preprint

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Background: Since World Rugby changed the laws regarding scrums in the 2013-2014 season, the sustained push phase of the scrum has become of greater tactical importance. Therefore, the purpose of this sytematic literature review was to examine the biomechanical demands during the sustained push phase of individual, unit, and full pack scrummaging. Methods: Pubmed, EBSCO (specifically and simultaneously searching Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus), and Google Scholar were searched for any research that presented force production in a live or simulated rugby scrum. Study quality was appraised using the National Institute of Health's Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Recorded scrum forces, positioning of players including joint angles, and testing procedures were extracted and narratively synthesized. Results: Twenty six studies were included in the review. 50% of included studies were rated good, 31% fair, and 19% poor. Major limitations included not reporting any effect size, statistical power, or reliability. Reported group mean values for average sustained forces against a machine generally ranged from 1000-2000 N in individual scrums and 4000-8000 N for full packs of male rugby players older than high school age. Individuals seem to optimize their force generation when their shoulders are set against scrum machine pads at approximately 40% of body height, with feet parallel, and with knee and hip angles around 120°. A 10% difference in pack force seems to be necessary for one pack to drive another back in the scrum, but little data exist to quantify differences in force production between winning and losing packs during live scrums. Data collection within studies was not standardized, making comparisons difficult. There is a lack of data in live scrums, and the current research indicates that machine scrums may not replicate many of the demands of live scrums. There is a lack of data for female rugby players. Conclusions: This review indicates an optimal individual body position for players to strive to achieve during scrummaging, consisting of a low body height (40% of stature) and large extended hip and knee angles (120° each).

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Force Production during the Sustained Phase of Rugby Scrums: A Systematic Literature Review

Martin

Beckham

2020

Preprint

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“…[10] The kinetics of the scrum therefore, closely represent the kinematic changes which occur. [30] Du Toit et al [14] stated that the front row requires vertical stability before being able to apply force. Furthermore, du Toit et al [14] suggested that the front row make a deliberate effort to scrum higher up to prevent the scrum from potentially collapsing.…”

Section: Preparation Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It can be presumed that starting at a lower, more flexed position could be beneficial as the player could produce greater upward force through the extension of their hips and knees. [30] The sustained force phase follows the engagement phase. [10] Forces during the sustained phase fluctuate around a constant magnitude which is lower than the force produced during the engagement phase.…”

Section: Preparation Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The steady state phase (pre-ball feed) The steady state phase, which occurs on immovable scrummaging machines, reflects the sustained force period with the players remaining in a largely isometric position. During the sustained phase, the lower limbs exhibit a large degree of extension [13,15,30,31,34] , and the trunk will gradually rise above the horizontal position. [18,19] This movement and body position may result in players 'overextending' which could cause the scrum to collapse.…”

Section: Preparation Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…[45] Therefore, it is not surprising that researchers have shown significant relationships between scrum force and combined pack mass. [10,[13][14][15][16]20,24,30] In the only study to have considered a combined power metric, Green et al [23] demonstrated that winning scrums also had significantly higher combined vertical jump heights.…”

Section: Muscular Strength and Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A review of the biomechanical determinants of rugby scrummaging performance

Green

Coopoo

Tee

et al. 2019

S. Afr. j. sports med

Self Cite

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Background:The scrum is a physical contest unique to the game of rugby union, important for determining match outcomes. Objective: This review will describe the current understanding of the kinetic and kinematic determinants of successful scrum performance to support coaching interventions and inform on future research. Methods: Literature review. Results: Individual and combined scrumming forces increase with playing level but there is no concurrent increase in body mass or player strength. There is very little variation in individual kinematics between individuals and across levels of play, suggesting that there are limited possible techniques for successful scrummaging. Live scrum contests are dynamic and require constant adjustments to body positions in response to increased compressive force and exaggerated lateral and vertical force components. Skilled performers are able to exert high levels of horizontal force while maintaining effective body positions within this dynamic environment. Conclusion: Success in scrummaging depends on the optimisation of joint angles and force production at the individual level, and the coordination of effort at a team level. The analysis presented here demonstrates that producing large scrum-specific forces and achieving the optimal 'body shape' are essential for successful scrum performance.

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Force production during the sustained phase of Rugby scrums: a systematic literature review

Martin

Beckham

2020

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Since World Rugby changed the laws regarding scrums in the 2013-2014 season, the sustained push phase of the scrum has increased in tactical importance. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic literature review was to examine the biomechanical demands during the sustained push phase of individual, unit, and full pack scrummaging. Methods: Pubmed, EBSCO (specifically and simultaneously searching Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus), and Google Scholar were searched for any research that presented force production in a live or simulated rugby scrum. Study quality was appraised using the National Institute of Health's Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Recorded scrum forces, positioning of players including joint angles, and testing procedures were extracted and narratively synthesized. Results: Twenty six studies were included in the review. 50% of included studies were rated good, 31% fair, and 19% poor. Major limitations included not reporting any effect size, statistical power, or reliability. Reported group mean values for average sustained forces against a machine generally ranged from 1000 to 2000 N in individual scrums and 4000-8000 N for full packs of male rugby players older than high school age. Individuals seem to optimize their force generation when their shoulders are set against scrum machine pads at approximately 40% of body height, with feet parallel, and with knee and hip angles around 120°. A 10% difference in pack force seems to be necessary for one pack to drive another back in the scrum, but little data exist to quantify differences in force production between winning and losing packs during live scrums. Data collection within studies was not standardized, making comparisons difficult. There is a lack of data in live scrums, and the current research indicates that machine scrums may not replicate many of the demands of live scrums. There is a lack of data for female rugby players. Conclusions: This review indicates an optimal individual body position for players to strive to achieve during scrummaging, consisting of a low body height (40% of stature) and large extended hip and knee angles (120°e ach).

show abstract

A lower body height and wider foot stance are positively associated with the generation of individual scrummaging forces in rugby

Cited by 5 publications

References 23 publications

Force Production during the Sustained Phase of Rugby Scrums: A Systematic Literature Review

Force Production during the Sustained Phase of Rugby Scrums: A Systematic Literature Review

A review of the biomechanical determinants of rugby scrummaging performance

Force production during the sustained phase of Rugby scrums: a systematic literature review

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