Strength and conditioning practices of high school rugby coaches: A South African context

Abstract

Although rugby union as a sport is well established, the strength and conditioning practices of high school level players are not well known. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine the current strength and conditioning practices that coaches implement at South African high school level rugby. A secondary purpose was to compare practices between high schools of different socio-economic status in South Africa. An online survey or in person interview (depending on the school) was conducted and 43 responses were received: from 28 coaches at schools among the top 100 rugby schools in South Africa for 2016 and from 15 coaches at no-fee public schools in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Most coaches (72%) performed some form of physical testing, with the most common parameter tested being ‘speed’. The most common strength and conditioning practices utilised included flexibility (stretching), speed (free sprinting), agility (cone drills), plyometric (box drills) and resistance (weight lifting) training. Unlike the no-fee schools, the top 100 rugby schools implemented conditioning practices similar to best-known international practices. Furthermore, no-fee school coaches did not have the qualifications necessary to administer the correct training techniques. Education and upskilling on the best strength and conditioning practices for school level coaches need to be improved, particularly in less privileged schools. Such improvement is crucial to the transformation goals set out by the South African Rugby Union, which would benefit from player development in lower socio-economic schools.

Physical Preparation in Female Rugby Codes: An Investigation of Current Practices

“…The present study is the first to comprehensively describe the physical preparation practices in female rugby. A total of 37 participants responded to the questionnaire, this is in-line with previous studies investigating male athletes which have received between 20 and 43 responses (Ebben and Blackard, 2001 ; Simenz et al, 2005 ; Gee et al, 2011 ; Jones T. et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Robinson et al, 2019 ). This study accounted for a multitude of aspects that influence physical performance (i.e., seasonal changes in physical preparation, recovery, monitoring and sport science technology, and unique considerations in female rugby).…”

“…Results from this study have highlighted great heterogeneity in physical preparation practices in female rugby which may signify context-specific constraints or a lack of consensus on a best-practice approach which is similar to findings investigating male athletes (Ebben and Blackard, 2001 ; Ebben et al, 2004 , 2005 ; Simenz et al, 2005 ; Gee et al, 2011 ; Winwood et al, 2011 ; Jones T. et al, 2016 ; Pote and Christie, 2016 ; Crowley et al, 2018 ; Robinson et al, 2019 ). Some participants of this study may work within large multidisciplinary teams where responsibilities of certain aspects of physical preparation may fall outside of their remit, in these cases data may be skewed and should therefore be viewed with caution.…”

“…This has implications for developing comprehensive physical preparation programmes and continuing professional development to optimize physical performance and decrease injury risk in female rugby. Previous S&C practices research (Ebben and Blackard, 2001;Ebben et al, 2004Ebben et al, , 2005Simenz et al, 2005;Gee et al, 2011;Winwood et al, 2011;Jones T. et al, 2016;Crowley et al, 2018;Robinson et al, 2019) investigating male athletes have not represented holistic approaches to physical preparation, as certain key aspects to physical performance (e.g., recovery and monitoring) have not been explored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore a comprehensive approach to physical preparation practices currently utilized in female rugby codes.…”

“…While an evidence base from research studies is typically slow to emerge, practice may evolve at a faster rate (Coutts, 2016 ; Jones B. et al, 2017 ). Within male athlete literature, the strength and conditioning (S&C) practices (e.g., physical testing, speed, and power training) of various sports have been previously described (Ebben and Blackard, 2001 ; Ebben et al, 2004 , 2005 ; Simenz et al, 2005 ; Gee et al, 2011 ; Winwood et al, 2011 ; Jones T. et al, 2016 ; Pote and Christie, 2016 ; Crowley et al, 2018 ; Robinson et al, 2019 ). Research describing the S&C practices applied to male athletes found considerable heterogeneity which suggests either, limited consensus on best-practice or that there are multiple methods available to achieve an end-result.…”

Training Practices of Academy Rugby League and their Alignment to Physical Qualities Deemed Important for Current and Future Performance

“…Notwithstanding the scientific literature pertaining to rugby league, there is little published information available describing the training practices of academy rugby league players. Strength and conditioning practices have been examined in elite rugby union, [28][29][30] however, there are no data available specifying the frequency and duration of training sessions during different phases of the season in rugby league. Information relating to common trends in training practices could act as useful reference sources for those involved in the physical preparation of academy rugby league players.…”