Kevin Bartlett and Fitness Advisors in the AFL
I listened to SEN yesterday where Kevin Bartlett and Darryl Wakelin spoke about fitness advisors in the AFL after Mark Williams and Port Adelaide claiming overtraining in preseason caused problems in 2010.
Overtraining caused injuries: Williams
When Kevin Bartlett brought up Peter Grant and 1979 and Richmond I nearly choked on my Ravioli. I remember he spoke about how Grant pushed them too hard in his first year but softened the next and they won the flag. Darryl Wakelin referrred to how about teams get to the end of preseason ( or closish) and often can feel worse than at the start. Then again in general terms the interview suggested that fitness people were often not in touch with the demands of the game for want of a better explanation. Anyway if you listened that was the general trend of the interview.
Just odd.
People like David Misson at St Kilda and David Buttifant at Collingwood use Sports Science, data and any feedback they can obtain to manage loads and players as effectively as they can. This happens at most clubs.This would happen at the World Cup behind the scenes. Years ago we saw the AC Milan LAB and now that is old hat. Phew. Peter Grant! 1979!
I felt that listeners would listen to this interview on SEN and then think that fitness gurus in AFL clubs ran around like RAMBO and impose their will on players. Instead there are meetings after meetings with medical staff and coaches to try and get Loads right in probably the most demanding team sport in the world.
I was privy to the opposite claims in 2006 which were the opposite end of spectrum. Anyway I found these links on Google which relate to undertraining rather than overtraining, so have a read if you want. The reality was that Brian Cook was chillingly correct in his 2006 review on fitness and I couldn’t agree more with what he said . Remember though that winners are always grinners whatever the facts may be.
http://www.thecattery.com.au/Multimedia/GFCLetter_060928.pdf
http://www.thecattery.com.au/Articles/25112006_2.php
So Undertaining or Overtraining or Live on the edge or just off the edge?
The main thing is to have a mature side with lots of experience and a well funded club with great resources. Then the best of these teams wins, whether it is the best game plan, or smartest players, or most skilled kicks, or luck, or best managed, or whatever variable that discriminates teams.
So it is great fun being a fitness person in the AFL but every now and then logic defies physiology!
loris bertolacci 