Oh Paul Wee, MESc, CSCS Head Performance Conditioning Coach Singapore Sports Institute
Published on 4 December 2009
The 2009 SEA Games are just around the corner. Most if not all athletes should be in the final preparation phase of their training in their respective sports by now and all that effort will come to a climax in Laos.
If you have been performing strength and conditioning alongside your sports training at least for the past one year and you come from a court- or field-based sport such as Volleyball and Soccer, speed training should be your focus now. Training of speed for court or field-based sports is very different from the methodologies used by track and field sprinters. For one, stationary crouch starts are not necessary in sports other than track sprinting and athletes in court or field-based sports have other things on their minds, such as evading opponents or getting to a ball, rather than just running straight with maximum speed. All these can affect the body and limb positions of these athletes when they start running. The article "Speed Training for Sports Performance" written by Ken Lim, Assistant Performance Conditioning Coach, will highlight the essential components of speed training for athletes in these sports.
If you have not included strength and conditioning training as part of your preparation for this year's SEA Games, this may not be the best time to begin formal training. Proper strength and conditioning training for strength, power and speed requires correct execution of various exercise techniques to positively enhance your sports performance. The learning of techniques requires time and may result in some muscle soreness in the beginning, which could affect your training in your sport during this crucial period. However, certain strength and conditioning principles, such as warm-ups, can be implemented during any training cycle. Traditional warm-ups have always focus on the use of static stretches which may not optimally prepare the body for fast ballistic movements such as those experienced in most sports. The article "Performance and Dynamic Warm-ups" written by Louis Yiau, Performance Conditioning Coach, will touch on the application of dynamic warm-ups which you can use before training or competition.
For all Team Singapore athletes going to the 2009 Laos SEA Games, there will be a recovery center set up to enhance regeneration and recuperation especially between competition days. Nutritional replenishment and hot-cold contrast baths will be available in the recovery center. However, there are some recovery modalities which you can apply on yourself from now till the SEA Games as well as between competitions during the Games if you cannot get to the recovery center. These modalities are especially important during this crucial "peaking" period before the Games as training intensity may have increased. The beauty of the modalities described in the article "Regeneration: Recovery Through Stretching and Massage" by Julian Lim, Performance Conditioning Coach, is that you can perform these all by yourself. Stretching and self-massage can be performed anywhere and do not require a partner or coach.
*These
exercises have been considered by the Performance Conditioning Unit coaching
staff to be suitable if all safety measures are observed and correct technique
is used. However, readers are advised to seek professional advice on their
personal condition before attempting these exercises. The authors will not be
held liable for any injuries sustained as a result of following any of the
training methods and techniques shown in any articles.
