loris bertolacci

Karmichael Hunt and AFL fitness requirements

I watched the ABC with interest. Obviously the Gold Coast simply had to throw him in ASAP to get things going. Not ideal. Coming off Rugby Union and not even League and after finals and mixed in with hype and haste. He probably even is a little fatigued from training and especially kicking more. That can cause hammies grief. So there are so many factors to consider.

All the press and pundits have spoken about the fitness needs. Really in the end it will be more about whether he can play or has some specific skills suited to AFL. Looked okish until he got stuffed.

We hear stuff about GPS ( AFL vs League) and AEROBIC FITNESS and bodyshape and so on. I even listened to Craig Harper on SEN a few weeks sayng the same things and was bemused given his credentials and obvious knowledge. Our bodies are in a state of flux always. Depending on Hunts fast twtich/slow twitch profile he will have a certain percentage of interchangeable fibers. If his genetic profile sits somewhere in the middle for speed and endurance then the appropiate training over time will cause that change. Just depends on his potential for change and adaptation and the training method used and how many games he plays.

His 2km time was just passable which suggests he has some capacity for switching a few fibers around. I once watched a bodybuilder  train for a marathon and run 2 hours 55 after totally changing his training well into his late 30’s. He also won the C Grade Zatopek 10,000 at an advanced age so we can change anything in our bodies.

Now there is this silly belief that all AFL players are aerobically gifted or have Lance Armstrong tanks. That is laughable. I have tested 100’s of players in LABS since 1987 to 2007. Ranges from 48ml/kg/min to 70 plus. Dustin Fletcher was a great APS sprinter/jumper etc and I can assure you his tank is not a Range Rover. Players like Paul Chapman have moderate engine capacities but over time develop their speed repeatability and maximize the correct mix of fibres and fitness by specifically training and playing AFL. Just playing causes the correct adaptive response. Even inseason players adapt a lot despite different adaptations to pre-seasons. Was their pre-season biased to speed ot strength or endurance. By mid year physiologies tend to become very AFL ish.

If Paul Chapman played Union and lived under a squat rack pumping 200kg plus full squats his legs would be bigger than Hunts.

James Hird had that perfect mix of adequate tank and fast twitch fibres. But once when injured he decided to bulk up and benched huge amounts and then tried to run and realized he had to drop weight. He was massive and didnt last one km. So instead of benching 150 plus he still was strong but benched 130ish. Just got to get the right mix for every sport , individual and position.

So what is KHunt’s tank? Who knows. But for sure bigger than some AFL guys.

Ever seen Josh Hunts legs. If Josh played Union or did Olympic Lifting he would make Dean Lukin’s legs  look like Twiggy.

So if KHunt squats reps on 200 plus for example then maybe reps on 130 or even less might suffice for AFL. Then he can alter the distribution of muscle between quads and hams over time given the huge need for hip extensors in AFL. So much running at sub maximal 6 to 7m sec range in AFL.

So have the GOLD COAST run a Genetic test on Hunt? That would be a good idea. They should contact MYGENE. Have they done a MAX VO2 test.  Cameron Ling is simply a genetic freak with a massive engine. Tested him years ago and he was massive. Gazza had an excellent tank and good speed and awesome change of direction. Perfect mix of genetics it seems for AFL added to strong legs.  Buckley had to work hard on his capacity and speed repeatability.

I remember at Collingwood in 1994/95. Bucks had amazing power but could not repeat 150m strides. So he busted his arse and adapted. He drastically changed his body.

Ever played squash after years, Sore arse! Yep every sport is totally specific. We just adapt. Often we have seen huge men bowled over by skinnie miniies in AFL when tired. That is just fatigue. In a pub brawl that skinnie minnie would be thrown into the stratosphere but in an AFL game with rules and fatigue one little push can bowl over a behemoth.

So if  Hunt wants to take centimetres off his legs thats easy. Do extra running and slightly less volume under squat rack. Maximize his aerobic capacity without compromising speed. Can be done. Improve speed repeatability. Can be done. Change power/weigh ratio. Improve lactate tolerance.  Can be done. Again what is his genetic endowment. That will tell us a bit. Which way will training changes push him and how much.

Can he play? That is the question. Can he develop Game Sense? Has he got unique perceptual skills? Whatever. One can alter bodyshape dramatically in 3 months but Game Sense etc takes longer. Thats the focus. Seems to take AFL players 50 games on average and approximately be 21 or 22 on average to really make an imprint in AFL despite years playing. One part of this is simply their bodies but also they need to learn the game at high speed.

So lets not crap on about GPS etc  and obvious blah blah. He simply needs to play games and train and then in a year or two we will know.

Given his sporting ability he should adapt.

June 13, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Josh Ross and Dallas Combine tryout

Piero Sacchetta and Josh Ross are at a combine in North Texas assessing Josh’s ability to play American Football. Piero has assisted Josh since before Xmas with training and backup. This is being done at their own expense and is a very gutsy effort. Josh has trained very hard at his skills and specific tests with Piero so they are as prepared as you can be coming from Australia. Josh is an awesome athlete and has lots of runs on the board. We did a genetic test with MYGENE recently and the amazing fact is that he is more suited to hybrid sports than sprinting which underlines his sporting ability. Great story already that they have had the guts to go there. I met Josh at Health Club 101 in St Albans Melbourne in October 2009 and the owner, Paul Galea helped him with training and accomodation. Then Piero Sacchetta took over with Josh and the dream to play American Football was hatched. Piero was an Australian Javelin Champ, teacher and is a businessman now, so is an astute sports person.

June 5, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hamstring Injuries in the AFL 2010

AFL players at injury breaking point

This article appeared in the Herald Sun written by Jason Akermanis.

I suppose I should have an opinion on the current hamstring hysteria in the AFL. I am not going to delve into statistics in this post but simply will point out some possible curve balls. The LOAD factor that Jason talks about is real. One very good friend of mine (Rudy Pilotto from Serious Consulting) once explained the concept of vicious and virtuous cycles n business and how they may relate to sport.

Well in AFL  winners are grinners. Clubs that go well usually make good decisons and don’t over react in training. Medicos and fitness staff have time to get players right or “pull” them off the track at training (so to speak!). Thus a virtuous cycle is in swing and the good team also makes good decisions usually with player management. IE St Kilda last year. ( I think Riewoldt might just be a clanger injury!). Even Geelong was able to take it’s time given games won and get players right for the finals. But when teams are under the pump everyone trains harder and all the cliches abound on the track. And often  more injury. Sometimes a win but usually in the end more losses. Also compounding this is less players on the track and changed work rest ratios and thus more  intensity. Not always, but a trend. That is why it is hard to get out of a vicious cycle. So many factors over and above media scrutiny and pressure.

Certainly the rule changes and the interchange increase has caused problems. No doubt. Well documented that the AFL has egg on it’s face for having listened to researchers that did consultancies a few years ago.  Now these stats below are off a website so could be way off but anyway worth a look. It would be interesting to see if we are up on the start of most years. Certainly we havent seen as many operations on hamstrings but again let’s remember that hamstrings simply dominate the injury statisitics always in AFL. And I think there is often a spike early in the year. WHY this opinion. I could research the stats at the end of this post and that is worth doing, but at this stage  I will simply provide an opinion.

So despite the obvious changes in the game what do I base my opinion on.

WHY A POSSIBLE SPIKE EARLY INSEASON AND NAB?

1) Often players have not adapted to high intensity repeat speed exercise early in the season. Especially now with the use of cross training and management of players. Cross training is great for fitness but does nothing for hammies at all!  In the end the only way to prepare hamstrings for stress is to stress and adapt at high speed.

2) Often teams keep higher loads going into the start of the season. Great weather, coming off pre-season, coming off lower NAB Cup game loads, means teams do not make subtle adjustments to training loads. Funny thing once RD 6 to 10 comes and weather gets crappy and teams stop reacting usually LOADS are dropped a massive amount. HA The old reactive opposite effect. What? Sometimes fitness people outsmart themselves. They forget that 99% percent of the worlds people live in maybe 10% of the habitat. What? All this crap that coaches and fitness gurus go on about is funny. Human beings are a very weak species!

3) Grounds are great and players want to zing around. Coaches are keen and want to do that little extra with “extras”.

4) Great players usually have great speed and endurance and tough minds and push harder in trainng and games.

So Riewoldt and Kerr? Interesting that Riewoldt had a groin injury going into the GF. And also I couldnt get over his warmup in the week before. HA. Reminded me of James Hird. Warmed up early, then again with team and then was pumping the sprints. The thought passed my mind he was in absolute peak condition. Did he think he was invinvible? I reckon some of the greats think like this. Kerr is simple. Great capacity to run but injury plagued and hip/core related in past years. YUK. So the question is if when he turned the burners on was he ready at that extra 1% his brain can tell his body to go at? Like Cousin’s the year before. I am not in the inner sanctum so all opinions.

Akermanis is still very fast but is old. So that is a risk.

Aker is 100% right though. Risk increasing loads inseason in the hardest team sport by far and look out. Remember the CROWS in 2006! Aaaghhh. Forgot about the 99%/10% rule!

So the next step in this whole argument is to strictly look at statistics. Are there more hamstrings as we speak? Or will it be about the same. Only time will tell this season. But facts count.

And saying there is a bigger problem because high profile players have gone down is not great logic.

One problem is teams are trying to look at GPS data and create repeat speed demons. Is this flawed? I think a little and this might be a slight problem. In the end you still have to get the pill and kick it. And I reckon that most teams have equal physiologies by round 18 due to adaptation to games rather than pre-season.

Certainly though one simply has to give David Misson’s player management a massive tick. So again Riewoldt is a clanger maybe.

I was able to lower the hamstring injury rate from 1999 to 2006 to half the AFL rate and that is raw hard data folks! . How. Simply heaps of factors. Load management, core stability, running technique, speed in preseason, skills from Day 1, hamstring and gluteal strength and function. IE Trying to tick all boxes.

So let’s take a deep breath and analyze the data at the end of the year. If 25% of all injuries are hamstrings then there is a drastic problem. If the % rate is on par with average since early 2000’s then lets think again and look at individual cases.

Remember once you have adapted to eccentric exercise with speed at 99 to 100% then a dose every 8 days will keep you immune. Aker is smart!!

Western Bulldogs Injury List Matthew Boyd (broken hand) – 1 week
Tim Callan (knee) – TBA
Ayce Cordy (shoulder) – 3 weeks
Christian Howard (hip) – 4 weeks
James Mulligan (hamstring) – 1 week
Liam Picken (ankle) – 5-6 weeks
Shane Thorne (knee) – 12 weeks
Callan Ward (groin) – 5 weeks
Easton Wood (knee) – test
Updated April 19

April 21, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tennis and Patrick White

McNamee the perfect face – shame about mask

The article above appeared in today’s Australian.Zero comment on politics from me. But certainly did want to comment on some simplistic comments in the article as quoted below.

“Everybody knew Australian tennis was in trouble. A quick survey found only nine Australians who could hit the ball over the net with consecutive shots and none who could serve overhead. Bernard Tomic was hailed the next great hope, but only because he owned three racquets. But a deeper look would have shown a broadening base of talent that was yet to mature. More courts were being upgraded and if Little Lleyton’s best was behind him, Sam Stosur was on a run which took her into the world’s top 10.”

Whilst White does say there is a reasonable base, it still perpetuates the myth that none can play. Reality yes, is we havent got many players in the top echelon. Kids go overseas to academies and to pursue improvement. That has been going on for a while. People have been trying hard for a while. But what has to be remembered is that in my opinion this may be the toughest sport around to succeed in now. I have been in a number of elite sports and now first hand see the tennis industry. Tough.

It is an individual sport where millions of people are trying to squeeze into a few 100. As against the ‘good old days” everyone plays. And clay courts have become an issue added to the decline of grasscourt.

It is an expensive sport where you cant make much money at all unless you are top 100. Chances of that are slim. So how do you support yourself till 22/23 given the average age of grand slams and top 100;s is always 25ish. Well apart from some AIS funding real tough in OZ. No real club structure that supports players and just up to parents and some funding that seems to change all the time.

So in OZ you cant support yourself. And again forget people talking about years ago. Kids cannot afford to continue to gamble into their 20’s now. Forget the 60’s/70’s and 80’s and even 90’s. Added to this is the tyranny of distance. If you live in Europe or the States you can whisk around and pick up points winning a round or two and build your ranking. When your ranking gets to 200 to 500 you can then get into small tournaments and win a game or two. This then ups your ranking and off you go. So one needs to play and rack up points. OR be a superstar and go wham bam kazaam. Will happen once a generation. Hewitt? At least now we have a PRO circuit and Molik was able to rack up points and get going. Thats the system. You just dont play once. There are 10,000/25.000/50,000 etc and soon and they all require points to get in and the better the tournament the more points you make! Gotta get over there to make points!

As stated in the article there is a groundswell of players that constitute a solid base. But lets have a look at Stosur. She was born in 1984. So at approximately 16 she was  600 and only made the top 100 at 20ish. So even though she is a superb talent given she is top 10, it took a while. From what I have seen until 2003 this would have been a costly affair.Why stuff your career to play tennis? Play Netball and have some fun locally and get on ONE HD and work and study. Or play AFL and get delisted and play in the local leagues and make more dollars than a top 200 player can in a year! Amazing eh! Play State League soccer in melbourne and make more money!

YEAR-END WTA RANKING
Singles

Doubles
2009 13 7
2008 52
2007 47
2006 29
2005 46
2004 65
2003 153
2002 265
2001 271
2000 682 –

Not everyone agrees with some of the things that occurred around Tomic. But of course he did win the US Open juniors and lots of people are busting their butt to do this. It means a lot as long as he is developed properly. If he comes good ASAP great but he might take time. But he obviously has talent. Give him time. If it happens early take it!

If an Australian player is ranked 200 can he hit a ball over the net? I would say this guy is a far better sportsman than an AFL player who gets into Mike Sheahan’s AFL TOP 50. A TOP 50 player almost gets legendary status and clubs that do well become sporting centres. Odd! I trained AFL guys for 20 years ( and trained Track and Field & everything else) and there are some amazing guys playing. But there are some real schmucks who prosper within the system and get paid well and thats ok. People love AFL. But if one goes to the OZ Open and watches Qualifying and sees the distraught look on very good players from all over the world that lose narrowly in RD 1 of Quals. They have to pay coaches and bills. It is tough. They are great players. Not Federers but remember a player ranked 200 in the AFL is deemed a valuable commodity. So work that one out. Ranked 200. Knocked out of quals in a big tournament and losing money. Tough gig!

I think we have had a lot of real talent go through to keeper in tennis. Burnout, overtraining, lack of funds or just a bad year or two. Overtraining is a huge one. Too many kids train too much too early. Worldwide problem in the tennis actually in my opinion. Some survive! There is a better system.

A lot of thought has to go into how to 1) Unearth the GRAND SLAM winner in OZ 2) Get the 200 to 600 guys able to to stay in the sport so they form a base in the top 150. These are 2 different aims.

BUT they can play and lots of kids are great. Past eras mean nothing. The skills and athleticism required in tennis now totally eclipse the past. And soon Sports Science and elite coaches will invade the sport and we will see another jump.

Tough gig. Seems to me we have got a real talent base now coming through and lots of players pusihing into 200’s etc. Lets get these very good players up and make them exceptional players. But they can’t do it on a diet of PAL dog food!

April 20, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Five Star Fitness 24 hour Gym in Thomastown

Well Chris Guccione has left to the US after spending 3 months rehabilitating his achilles and then getting fit to play. I enjoyed the experience and look forward to seeing Chris play again. Chris lives in the Northern Suburbs and used the 24/7 facility in Thomastown (Five Star Fitness) owned by Tony Mercuri. Amazing place and one of the first if not the first 24/7 gym around. Costs $3, 30 to train there and there is a massive amount of gear and also a separate ladies only gum. I use it heaps and Chris also did lots of sessions there since December. Here is a pic of me with Chris….Geez I thought I was 5 11 but have to confess to 5 10….Oh well.

Here is a link to the website.

www.5stargym.com.au

March 19, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tennis and overtraining. Maybe just more the problem?

My background was track and field and I was lucky to train in Europe and listen to many of the gurus that underpinned periodization. Tschiene, Bondarchuk and so on.

Trained sprinters then and moved into the AFL from 1987 to 2007. Volleyball, netball and many other sports.

So I have tested and seen first hand how people train, how much and how intensely. And the results. Things change of course every year and sometimes athletes push barriers. Clubs do more in training etc. But always there remains a breaking point.

But even in my days with Franz Stampfl who sometimes did huge loads, I can always remember him “getting out of gaol” by giving an athlete 5 days totally off before a competition of importance. 5 days. HA….

We all are privy to stories of swimmers who missed their taper and peaked whilst on holidays after a competition.

I have never known a sport where athletes train so much as tennis in Australia. They just seemed obsessed. It is actually quite odd. The courts are like rock and they just cannot wait to get on court and hit. Yet when I test tennis players they are not particularly outstanding. Often random kids turn up and test better. Maybe it is a TID factor but I think it is the monotonous slow training.

Kids who are super fit aerobically and are a bit slow but can play often do really well as young players. Who cares. Nice for them but what happens when the hormones kick in. Whoosh one needs power and speed and repeat speed. Yes and of course an adequate aerobic base.

Netball players who train and play 5 days a week at high intensity look more toned and in fact are often fitter. They nearly always test heaps faster at every age group and every level. It is weird. Tennis players just are catabolic half the time. It seems to me that lack of planning and continuous monotmous loads are a real problem.The weeks roll on and on and the loads ( yawn) are high and the training is full of junk and core and slow things and volume and hitting when the body is just rooted.

Thus we generally have slow players who train at sub maximal speeds and then have to click up a gear in top notch comp.

What does the rest of the world do? Seems there are some smart ones but also lots of broken down bodies and minds in this sport. Forget the Russian formula. Won’t work here. Simple. So the more professional we get the more the sport is running out of control.

I can understand the need for more clay courts also given what I see.

We respect things like the beeper test too much in tennis in OZ when maybe we need to look at a more specific ability. Can they play, can they move and have they had a comprehensive mulitaleteral development.

The data to me suggests overtraining. Most coaches in OZ are what I call “slow-coaches”.That is an opinion at this stage but we have a massive tennis industry and there has been a massive amount of hitting in the last ten years, and coaches making players do suicides on court and then calling that speed and movement.

Parents see this and are happy given in their ignorance often they equate this to a formula for success.

Again let me assess this one again in a few years. The AIS  seems to be getting good people in and there seems to be a core group of people in Tennis Australia that are on top of this. And there is a push with TID and seems some good kids and good fitness guys starting to move in. Hope it changes a culture of “slow-coaches”.

March 18, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Josh and Chris…..Sports Scientists? Visit to mygene…..

Paid a visit to mygene in South Yarra today. Josh Ross and Chris Guccione came along also and had a look at the operations and in fact provided a sample for analysis which will be interesting. All totally private information for the athlete and coach but certainly genetic testing for sport is  a new frontier and I will be able provide people with their product and of course back up advice on training and developmental needs.

Bit worried about the white coats but maybe they have found their new career for after sport!

Dannielle Hulett is my niece and is their scientist and I am very proud of her achievements.

Anyway will chat further on this area. Thought the pics were ok for the moment!

The tall one is Chris Guccione and er the shorter one is Josh Ross……The bloke below…er me

March 10, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Josh Ross, NFL and St Albans!

Josh Ross and NFL

This is an article from Sundays press.

Josh was coached recently by a good mate of mine Adam Larcom and won the Nationals last year with Adam. Adam was an assistant at a number of AFL clubs and also head fitness co-ordinator at Fremantle AFL before completing his physiotherapy studies. Josh retired after the Worlds and one day he just appeared in another mate’s gym in Saint Albans. Health Club 101 which is owned by Paul and Rebecca Galea. They have helped Josh with training facilities and he spent pre-xmas pumping iron deep in Saint Albans. They have a great gym.

Health Club 101 St Albans

Anyway another mate of mine, Piero Sacchetta-Ex OZ Jav Champ ( I have heaps of friends!) started talking to Josh about NFL. I contacted Nathan Chapman from PROKICK and now we have Josh on you tube and even in the main print today.

Josh Ross NFL Promo Prokick

So watch this space and good luck to all concerned. Worth a go given what I saw. Can catch, can run and can jump!

February 28, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Training Loads in Tennis. How much is enough?

Reading journals such as the British Journal of Sports Medicine or other journals of Sports research etc there are lots of articles or studies on the physiological effects of playing tennis. From HR data to lactate and RPE anlaysis there is heaps of info to provide some background to the impact of tennis.

Players in Australia seem to just train and train. That doesn’t seem to be the problem. Yet often their fitness tests are very poor. Doesn’t make sense.

Everyone seems to say it is different and yet no one seems to want to draw a line in the sand and say ..”hey, this exists an optimal load for a training block and an optimal load for a competitive block.”

Players seem to me to train at low intensity or use huge volumes.

I use perceived exertion data to get some feel for the loadings needed in tennis. I think players go into tournamants at 80/90% optimal states quite often. If they are lucky to win a match they then just freshen up a bit.

Coaches in general in Australia will not accept Sports Science. That is an opinion. They say they do then say a player is mentally weak and train them for another 2 hours if they lose. Some just go back to the old days of OZ tennis.

I was lucky to evolve with Track and Field from the early 70’s till now and see the whole specificity of loadings and relationship to performance. Then in AFL I went from the VFL to the AFL and from HR monitors to RPE data to GPS data and saw clubs evolve to accept loading dogma. HA! Why? because they won more if they did and CEO’s said whoa you coaches, adapt or perish!

Tennis is weird. It is one BIG IMBROGLIO…….I call it the AAAAAGHHHHHHHHHH principle of training. Condiitoning staff seem scared of coaches and everyone just does their own thing.
So as a result we have players doing massive loads who lose in RD 1 of qualifyings.

Intensity and Volume. There must exist some optimal loads in tennis.
Forget the studies on the impact of tennis on physiology!

How much is enough to win matches given all things ( Skills etc) being equal.

Invite your feedback

February 27, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Specificity of running in Tennis

Watching Andy Murray running down balls in his semi final at the Australian Open made me think. There is a lot of literature in tennis fitness about the need for speciic running versus traditional training. We hear time and time again about how 80% or more  of running is multidirectional and less than 4metres.

Recently I watched a powerpoint by Mark Kovacs from the USTA who superimposed Blake off the mark with Tyson Gay and showed the differences in gait.

But watching Murray it seemed that the key points involved 100% explosive running efforts. I think there is a need for a really good EMG study on this topic.

Often players are running laterally with their upper body twisted,  but hips pointing in the direction they are running to. Thus in this case I would assume hamstring and quads are contracting maximally and whilst moving across the court it is essentially a straight line burst.

So how are these statistics compiled about movement needs in elite tennis? This is important because it impinges on training needs.

Just seems to me that the big boys really run heaps.

Food for thought.

January 29, 2010 Posted by Loris Bertolacci | Uncategorized | Leave a comment