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Session 15August 10, 2023KEY INFORMATION TIME & LOCATION For this session, we don’t need much. Just a flat piece of ground, ideally with some lines with no tripping hazards. The astroturf / artificial pitches are ideal. Regular running shoes can be used, but for the accelerations, studded shoes are preferable. We will meet at X. Please get there by 19:00 so that we can start on time! WARM UP Start with 600-800m at a “talking jog” (2-3 laps of a football field); Activation (see below subsection); Coordination drills; (not just a warm-up, this is an important part of the whole training) and 4x Gradual 60m accelerations ( up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). ACTIVATION During our warm-up we want to prepare the body for movement by activating our system. Although the Activate warm-up for rugby training and games (find the adult version here on the World Rugby Site), we have a chance to mix things up with something similar. In fact, I wonder if the below program didn’t actually inspire the activate program itself! For those people who are curious, or who want to incorporate this mobility and activation focused program, you can watch the following 3 YouTube parts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summarizing @ 3-5 reps per exercise, this whole program will be finished earlier than you would expect! Images are a work in progress… Image Done Walking backwards 1/2-way Toes in, 1/2-way Toes out Spiderman crawl (I don’t agree with the gif, we do it the Thor way) Foward & back! I would instead keep the forearms as vertical as possible and focus on the shoulders. The example seems a little wild: try and perform this with more control, focusing on balance. Jaw massages Back slaps etc. Personal needs COORDINATION DRILLS The following coordination drills aim to develop our balance, and help us master different movements which will support our efforts to become better at general running (sprinting is a highly coordinated activity), and finally to apply it to our chaotic world of rugby! Exercise Images Done Do this but faster and accelerate at the end; don’t forget about the arms! A-Skips & B-skips. Prioritize the A-skips: we wan’t to exercise this “piston action” in our drive phase Remove row American skipping (B skip motion, but running continuously) Sprunglauf (another piston-action front side mechanics drill) Remove row View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jay DeMayo (@cvasps) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Portland – Speed Coach, Coach to coaches (@coach_sportland) Sideways hops back & forth 1 leg Forward/back hops back & forth 1 leg GRADUAL ACCELERATIONS 4x Gradual 60m accelerations (up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). Main FOCUS AREA Today we practice straight line acceleration in a drive phase. We are emphasizing the importance of good front-side mechanics and a “piston action” of our legs working together with the rest of our body to maximize our effectiveness at accelerating as quickly as we can. We will do a progression of straight-line drills. Don’t worry about things not being “rugby specific” (I personally dislike the term). You have to walk before you can run, and everyone benefits from being able to focus on maximizing their output in a highly controlled and simple setting before we adapt those skills by introducing agility (quick responses to stimuli) and additional workloads that we might expect in a rugby game. Exercise 1: Falling starts (3-4x), 20-25m Stand with two feet on the line, approximately shoulder-width apart. Shoulders and chest are proud and the body is a strong straight line. Allow your whole body to fall foward Wait until the last moment and accelerate forward 20m Think about the piston action of the legs like what was practiced during the coordination drills I think the back should be strong and straight throughout the drive I think the hamstrings should be close to fully extended (we have no more push left) Try and find your power-point (trade-off of stride length & frequency that aims to maximize acceleration) Videos can help, but experiment with stride length and frequency; keep trying! Try not to pop up too soon! Exercise 2: 3-point starts (3-4x per side), 20-25m Same as above, but stand with one foot on the line Put your toes of your second foot just slightly behind the first foot’s heel On the side of your second foot, reach down with your hand and place it on the line Get into a start stance and put your muscles under tension; the opposite arm is up behind you ready to drive forward To test your set up, set up and test it by executing a sudden explosive jump Exercise 3: Accelerate-Maintain (x3) Choose your own setup: I recommend the 3-point start Accelerate to the goal kick box from the side, 35ish meters At the end of this drive phase you are probably near the top speed Try not to force the sprint, and instead maintain the speed “effortlessly” whilst maintaining your balance – this should be a bit of a flow state COOL DOWN We will perform the 800m talking run that we started with, followed by an unstructured set of stretches to kick-start our recovery. RESULTS Coming soon! [...] Read more...

Session 14August 10, 2023KEY INFORMATION TIME & LOCATION For this session, we don’t need much. Just a flat piece of ground, ideally with some lines with no tripping hazards. The astroturf / artificial pitches are ideal. Regular running shoes can be used, but for the accelerations, studded shoes are preferable. We will meet at X. Please get there by 19:00 so that we can start on time! WARM UP Start with 600-800m at a “talking jog” (2-3 laps of a football field); Activation (see below subsection); Coordination drills; (not just a warm-up, this is an important part of the whole training) and 4x Gradual 60m accelerations ( up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). ACTIVATION During our warm-up we want to prepare the body for movement by activating our system. Although the Activate warm-up for rugby training and games (find the adult version here on the World Rugby Site), we have a chance to mix things up with something similar. In fact, I wonder if the below program didn’t actually inspire the activate program itself! For those people who are curious, or who want to incorporate this mobility and activation focused program, you can watch the following 3 YouTube parts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summarizing @ 3-5 reps per exercise, this whole program will be finished earlier than you would expect! Images are a work in progress… Image Done Walking backwards 1/2-way Toes in, 1/2-way Toes out Spiderman crawl (I don’t agree with the gif, we do it the Thor way) Foward & back! I would instead keep the forearms as vertical as possible and focus on the shoulders. The example seems a little wild: try and perform this with more control, focusing on balance. Jaw massages Back slaps etc. Personal needs COORDINATION DRILLS The following coordination drills aim to develop our balance, and help us master different movements which will support our efforts to become better at general running (sprinting is a highly coordinated activity), and finally to apply it to our chaotic world of rugby! Exercise Images Done Do this but faster and accelerate at the end; don’t forget about the arms! A-Skips & B-skips. Prioritize the A-skips: we wan’t to exercise this “piston action” in our drive phase Remove row American skipping (B skip motion, but running continuously) Sprunglauf (another piston-action front side mechanics drill) Remove row View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jay DeMayo (@cvasps) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Portland – Speed Coach, Coach to coaches (@coach_sportland) Sideways hops back & forth 1 leg Forward/back hops back & forth 1 leg GRADUAL ACCELERATIONS 4x Gradual 60m accelerations (up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). Main FOCUS AREA Today we practice straight line acceleration in a drive phase. We are emphasizing the importance of good front-side mechanics and a “piston action” of our legs working together with the rest of our body to maximize our effectiveness at accelerating as quickly as we can. We will do a progression of straight-line drills. Don’t worry about things not being “rugby specific” (I personally dislike the term). You have to walk before you can run, and everyone benefits from being able to focus on maximizing their output in a highly controlled and simple setting before we adapt those skills by introducing agility (quick responses to stimuli) and additional workloads that we might expect in a rugby game. Exercise 1: Falling starts (3-4x), 20-25m Stand with two feet on the line, approximately shoulder-width apart. Shoulders and chest are proud and the body is a strong straight line. Allow your whole body to fall foward Wait until the last moment and accelerate forward 20m Think about the piston action of the legs like what was practiced during the coordination drills I think the back should be strong and straight throughout the drive I think the hamstrings should be close to fully extended (we have no more push left) Try and find your power-point (trade-off of stride length & frequency that aims to maximize acceleration) Videos can help, but experiment with stride length and frequency; keep trying! Try not to pop up too soon! Exercise 2: 3-point starts (3-4x per side), 20-25m Same as above, but stand with one foot on the line Put your toes of your second foot just slightly behind the first foot’s heel On the side of your second foot, reach down with your hand and place it on the line Get into a start stance and put your muscles under tension; the opposite arm is up behind you ready to drive forward To test your set up, set up and test it by executing a sudden explosive jump Exercise 3: Accelerate-Maintain (x3) Choose your own setup: I recommend the 3-point start Accelerate to the goal kick box from the side, 35ish meters At the end of this drive phase you are probably near the top speed Try not to force the sprint, and instead maintain the speed “effortlessly” whilst maintaining your balance – this should be a bit of a flow state COOL DOWN We will perform the 800m talking run that we started with, followed by an unstructured set of stretches to kick-start our recovery. RESULTS Coming soon! [...] Read more...

Session 13August 10, 2023KEY INFORMATION TIME & LOCATION For this session, we don’t need much. Just a flat piece of ground, ideally with some lines with no tripping hazards. The astroturf / artificial pitches are ideal. Regular running shoes can be used, but for the accelerations, studded shoes are preferable. We will meet at X. Please get there by 19:00 so that we can start on time! WARM UP Start with 600-800m at a “talking jog” (2-3 laps of a football field); Activation (see below subsection); Coordination drills; (not just a warm-up, this is an important part of the whole training) and 4x Gradual 60m accelerations ( up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). ACTIVATION During our warm-up we want to prepare the body for movement by activating our system. Although the Activate warm-up for rugby training and games (find the adult version here on the World Rugby Site), we have a chance to mix things up with something similar. In fact, I wonder if the below program didn’t actually inspire the activate program itself! For those people who are curious, or who want to incorporate this mobility and activation focused program, you can watch the following 3 YouTube parts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summarizing @ 3-5 reps per exercise, this whole program will be finished earlier than you would expect! Images are a work in progress… Image Done Walking backwards 1/2-way Toes in, 1/2-way Toes out Spiderman crawl (I don’t agree with the gif, we do it the Thor way) Foward & back! I would instead keep the forearms as vertical as possible and focus on the shoulders. The example seems a little wild: try and perform this with more control, focusing on balance. Jaw massages Back slaps etc. Personal needs COORDINATION DRILLS The following coordination drills aim to develop our balance, and help us master different movements which will support our efforts to become better at general running (sprinting is a highly coordinated activity), and finally to apply it to our chaotic world of rugby! Exercise Images Done Do this but faster and accelerate at the end; don’t forget about the arms! A-Skips & B-skips. Prioritize the A-skips: we wan’t to exercise this “piston action” in our drive phase Remove row American skipping (B skip motion, but running continuously) Sprunglauf (another piston-action front side mechanics drill) Remove row View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jay DeMayo (@cvasps) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Portland – Speed Coach, Coach to coaches (@coach_sportland) Sideways hops back & forth 1 leg Forward/back hops back & forth 1 leg GRADUAL ACCELERATIONS 4x Gradual 60m accelerations (up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). Main FOCUS AREA Today we practice straight line acceleration in a drive phase. We are emphasizing the importance of good front-side mechanics and a “piston action” of our legs working together with the rest of our body to maximize our effectiveness at accelerating as quickly as we can. We will do a progression of straight-line drills. Don’t worry about things not being “rugby specific” (I personally dislike the term). You have to walk before you can run, and everyone benefits from being able to focus on maximizing their output in a highly controlled and simple setting before we adapt those skills by introducing agility (quick responses to stimuli) and additional workloads that we might expect in a rugby game. Exercise 1: Falling starts (3-4x), 20-25m Stand with two feet on the line, approximately shoulder-width apart. Shoulders and chest are proud and the body is a strong straight line. Allow your whole body to fall foward Wait until the last moment and accelerate forward 20m Think about the piston action of the legs like what was practiced during the coordination drills I think the back should be strong and straight throughout the drive I think the hamstrings should be close to fully extended (we have no more push left) Try and find your power-point (trade-off of stride length & frequency that aims to maximize acceleration) Videos can help, but experiment with stride length and frequency; keep trying! Try not to pop up too soon! Exercise 2: 3-point starts (3-4x per side), 20-25m Same as above, but stand with one foot on the line Put your toes of your second foot just slightly behind the first foot’s heel On the side of your second foot, reach down with your hand and place it on the line Get into a start stance and put your muscles under tension; the opposite arm is up behind you ready to drive forward To test your set up, set up and test it by executing a sudden explosive jump Exercise 3: Accelerate-Maintain (x3) Choose your own setup: I recommend the 3-point start Accelerate to the goal kick box from the side, 35ish meters At the end of this drive phase you are probably near the top speed Try not to force the sprint, and instead maintain the speed “effortlessly” whilst maintaining your balance – this should be a bit of a flow state COOL DOWN We will perform the 800m talking run that we started with, followed by an unstructured set of stretches to kick-start our recovery. RESULTS Coming soon! [...] Read more...

Session 12August 10, 2023KEY INFORMATION TIME & LOCATION For this session, we don’t need much. Just a flat piece of ground, ideally with some lines with no tripping hazards. The astroturf / artificial pitches are ideal. Regular running shoes can be used, but for the accelerations, studded shoes are preferable. We will meet at X. Please get there by 19:00 so that we can start on time! WARM UP Start with 600-800m at a “talking jog” (2-3 laps of a football field); Activation (see below subsection); Coordination drills; (not just a warm-up, this is an important part of the whole training) and 4x Gradual 60m accelerations ( up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). ACTIVATION During our warm-up we want to prepare the body for movement by activating our system. Although the Activate warm-up for rugby training and games (find the adult version here on the World Rugby Site), we have a chance to mix things up with something similar. In fact, I wonder if the below program didn’t actually inspire the activate program itself! For those people who are curious, or who want to incorporate this mobility and activation focused program, you can watch the following 3 YouTube parts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summarizing @ 3-5 reps per exercise, this whole program will be finished earlier than you would expect! Images are a work in progress… Image Done Walking backwards 1/2-way Toes in, 1/2-way Toes out Spiderman crawl (I don’t agree with the gif, we do it the Thor way) Foward & back! I would instead keep the forearms as vertical as possible and focus on the shoulders. The example seems a little wild: try and perform this with more control, focusing on balance. Jaw massages Back slaps etc. Personal needs COORDINATION DRILLS The following coordination drills aim to develop our balance, and help us master different movements which will support our efforts to become better at general running (sprinting is a highly coordinated activity), and finally to apply it to our chaotic world of rugby! Exercise Images Done Do this but faster and accelerate at the end; don’t forget about the arms! A-Skips & B-skips. Prioritize the A-skips: we wan’t to exercise this “piston action” in our drive phase Remove row American skipping (B skip motion, but running continuously) Sprunglauf (another piston-action front side mechanics drill) Remove row View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jay DeMayo (@cvasps) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Portland – Speed Coach, Coach to coaches (@coach_sportland) Sideways hops back & forth 1 leg Forward/back hops back & forth 1 leg GRADUAL ACCELERATIONS 4x Gradual 60m accelerations (up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). Main FOCUS AREA Today we practice straight line acceleration in a drive phase. We are emphasizing the importance of good front-side mechanics and a “piston action” of our legs working together with the rest of our body to maximize our effectiveness at accelerating as quickly as we can. We will do a progression of straight-line drills. Don’t worry about things not being “rugby specific” (I personally dislike the term). You have to walk before you can run, and everyone benefits from being able to focus on maximizing their output in a highly controlled and simple setting before we adapt those skills by introducing agility (quick responses to stimuli) and additional workloads that we might expect in a rugby game. Exercise 1: Falling starts (3-4x), 20-25m Stand with two feet on the line, approximately shoulder-width apart. Shoulders and chest are proud and the body is a strong straight line. Allow your whole body to fall foward Wait until the last moment and accelerate forward 20m Think about the piston action of the legs like what was practiced during the coordination drills I think the back should be strong and straight throughout the drive I think the hamstrings should be close to fully extended (we have no more push left) Try and find your power-point (trade-off of stride length & frequency that aims to maximize acceleration) Videos can help, but experiment with stride length and frequency; keep trying! Try not to pop up too soon! Exercise 2: 3-point starts (3-4x per side), 20-25m Same as above, but stand with one foot on the line Put your toes of your second foot just slightly behind the first foot’s heel On the side of your second foot, reach down with your hand and place it on the line Get into a start stance and put your muscles under tension; the opposite arm is up behind you ready to drive forward To test your set up, set up and test it by executing a sudden explosive jump Exercise 3: Accelerate-Maintain (x3) Choose your own setup: I recommend the 3-point start Accelerate to the goal kick box from the side, 35ish meters At the end of this drive phase you are probably near the top speed Try not to force the sprint, and instead maintain the speed “effortlessly” whilst maintaining your balance – this should be a bit of a flow state COOL DOWN We will perform the 800m talking run that we started with, followed by an unstructured set of stretches to kick-start our recovery. RESULTS Coming soon! [...] Read more...

Session 11July 17, 2023KEY INFORMATION TIME & LOCATION For this session, we need a hill – something hard to find in our lovely country. Combined with the need for a shaded spot for the warm-up and running form exercises, the area near the TU Delft Library has been chosen as our training venue. We will meet at the TU Delft Library. Please get there by 19:00 so that we can start on time! WARM UP Start with an 800m at a “talking jog” (1 lap of the Jaffa park thing nearby); Activation (see below subsection); Coordination drills; (not just a warm-up, this is an important part of the whole training) and 4x Gradual 60m accelerations ( up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). ACTIVATION During our warm-up we want to prepare the body for movement by activating our system. Although the Activate warm-up for rugby training and games (find the adult version here on the World Rugby Site), we have a chance to mix things up with something similar. In fact, I wonder if the below program didn’t actually inspire the activate program itself! For those people who are curious, or who want to incorporate this mobility and activation focused program, you can watch the following 3 YouTube parts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summarizing @ 3-5 reps per exercise, this whole program will be finished earlier than you would expect! Images are a work in progress… Image Done Walking backwards 1/2-way Toes in, 1/2-way Toes out Spiderman crawl (I don’t agree with the gif, we do it the Thor way) Foward & back! I would instead keep the forearms as vertical as possible and focus on the shoulders. The example seems a little wild: try and perform this with more control, focusing on balance. Jaw massages Back slaps etc. Personal needs COORDINATION DRILLS The following coordination drills aim to develop our balance, and help us master different movements which will support our efforts to become better at general running (sprinting is a highly coordinated activity), and finally to apply it to our chaotic world of rugby! Exercise Images Done Do this but faster and accelerate at the end; don’t forget about the arms! A-Skips & B-skips Remove row American skipping (B skip motion, but running continuously) Sprunglauf Remove row View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jay DeMayo (@cvasps) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Portland – Speed Coach, Coach to coaches (@coach_sportland) Sideways hops back & forth 1 leg Forward/back hops back & forth 1 leg GRADUAL ACCELERATIONS 4x Gradual 60m accelerations (up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). Main FOCUS AREA Today we hill sprint! Applied in a bastardization of the French Contrast Method as a fun experiment. We will do a circuit of the following. Goal is 4-5 sets! Exercise 1: A heavy compound lift, Heavy static isometric for us due to lack of equipment, max output 2-3 reps Option 1: DL/RDL Option 2: Squat) (20-30s rest) Exercise 2: A force-oriented plyometric movement, max intent 2-3 reps Option 1: Broad jumps Option 2: Hurdle hops (20-30s rest) Exercise 3: A speed-strength movement, We will use hill-sprints up the library! Limited to 30 meters (20-30s rest) Exercise 4: A speed-oriented plyometric movement, max speed Option 1: Assisted sprints Option 2: Assisted squat jumps (2-5 minutes rest and repeat) COOL DOWN We will perform the 800m talking run that we started with, followed by an unstructured set of stretches to kick-start our recovery. RESULTS Coming soon! [...] Read more...

Session 10July 17, 2023KEY INFORMATION TIME & LOCATION For this session, we need a hill with a ~10% gradient. WARM UP Start with an 800m at a “talking jog”; Activation (see below subsection); Coordination drills; (not just a warm-up, this is an important part of the whole training) and 4x Gradual 60m accelerations ( up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). ACTIVATION During our warm-up we want to prepare the body for movement by activating our system. Although the Activate warm-up for rugby training and games (find the adult version here on the World Rugby Site), we have a chance to mix things up with something similar. In fact, I wonder if the below program didn’t actually inspire the activate program itself! For those people who are curious, or who want to incorporate this mobility and activation focused program, you can watch the following 3 YouTube parts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summarizing @ 3-5 reps per exercise, this whole program will be finished earlier than you would expect! Images are a work in progress… Image Done Walking backwards 1/2-way Toes in, 1/2-way Toes out PART 3 beginning Lateral neck slides Forward walking lunge with high knees & twist Chest sinks Squat down, grip something in front, move sternum in and out Foward walking lunge; high legs, arms to sky laced palms up Knee rolls Regular knee roles Lateral shifting lunge Lunge to aductor stretch, bounce back, repeat Straight leg figure 8s, chin down Lateral lunge with ankle tilts The straight leg ankle remains stiff such that foot comes of ground and pivots around edge Trunk rolls Spiderman crawl Leg swings forward & back. Integrate chin movement. Toe touch hammy walks Leg swings right & left each leg Reversed lunge with palms to ceiling Squatting internal rotation Duck walks Stay in squat position and walk forward Toe roll Walking 1 leg romanian deadlifts Reindeer arm circles Shoulder roles but instead of straight arms, reindeer Frankensteins with a skip Fighter shoulder rolls backwards Arms down shoulder roles Walk backward with long reaches Standing arm circles with wrists fully extended and palms facing out Walking ankle grabs Fighter shoulder rolls backwards Lateral crossover lunges Thumb lookaways. Put one of your thumbs up, and look outside, and repeat. Change thumbs/sides. Start head center, look at thumb, then move head to outside direction of thumb arm and look. Repeat Sideways lateral crossover lunges High knee over lead foot travelling sideways ending in a curtsey squat Jaw massages Do a quick antirotation test and release 5min personal needs COORDINATION DRILLS The following coordination drills aim to develop our balance, and help us master different movements which will support our efforts to become better at general running (sprinting is a highly coordinated activity), and finally to apply it to our chaotic world of rugby! Exercise Images Done Tripling Skipping Skipping 1-2-3-doublehop Galloping (dadummm dadummm) Sprunglauf A-skips and B-skips, both with double bounce recoveries. B-skip = American skipping. Single leg double hops Kneel down in arms length from stable surface. Push off outside leg towards surface, bracing with your arm Sideways hops back & forth 1 leg Forward/back hops back & forth 1 leg GRADUAL ACCELERATIONS 4x Gradual 60m accelerations (up to: 60%; 70%; 80%; and 90% respectively). Main FOCUS AREA Today we run: 10x HILL SPRINTS Each sprint should last ~10s. I run roughly 60m, but don’t worry about distance too much! Sprint as fast as you can: have the intent to run maximally fast Walk slowly and adapt your walk so that you arrive back at the start line in about 2 minutes Repeat. Don’t worry if it doesn’t feel “heavy”, it’s not that kind of workout; it isn’t an endurance-builder nor a VO2 max developer like the 10x400m in our previous block, for example. Try and stay consistent. You’ll probably start to feel it as you proceed (I’d estimate at rep 6 or 7 😉). If you feel lightheaded or overwhelmed, take a double-rest (4 minutes) and try again and retry the 2 minute rest. If it happens again, you are done; try and improve next week! COOL DOWN We will perform the 800m talking run that we started with, followed by an unstructured set of stretches to kick-start our recovery. RESULTS Coming soon! [...] Read more...