INSPO Fitness Journal March 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

POWER PLAY International Women’s Day was marked in the first week of March by worldwide demonstrations and celebrations, adding more momentum to the global #MeToo movement and sparking even more conversations about gender diversity on middle management and boards, and the illogical pay gap. BY ALISON STOREY Proudly then, global sport works to be an equaliser of opportunity at its highest level. The upcoming Youth Olympic Games in October are making history, having approved athlete quotas at an exact fifty-fifty male to female split. It seems hard to believe now, especially where in New Zealand several of our most decorated Olympians are women, that as recently as 1984 the Olympics did not include events like the women’s marathon, as the common accepted belief was that women should not run long distances for medical reasons and inferred it would harm their ability to conceive children. Women’s rowing took until 1976 to be included in the Games and then only at 1000m instead of the 2000m racing distance we know today, for similar gender bias reasons, and the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) recognized the women’s pole vault only in 1992. And it’s not just the athletes; at the upcoming Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia, Basketball is joined by hockey and swimming in confirming that, for the first time ever, at least 50 percent of each sport’s technical officials will be women. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has already approved seven additional women’s event categories to the Gold Coast 2018 sports programme to ensure, that men and women compete for an equal number of medals (133 women’s events; 133 men’s events; nine mixed/open events). There however remains a niggly issue; some of the female games, such as beach volleyball, have become highly popular events drawing enormous TV ratings and unfortunately, this is anecdotally attributed to voyeurism. Some argue that the clothing worn by beach volleyballers plays its part, however if one was to make an honest comparison with athletics, and pool-based sports, it would be hard to justify this reason alone. This also ignores the fact that in 2012 the governing body of volleyball made a rule change stating; “Players can wear shorts of a maximum length of 3cm above the knee with sleeved or sleeveless tops or a full body suit”. So there. Beach volleyball also proudly pays the same prize money to its male and female teams in World Tour events and the game has no gender specific modifications. Beach volleyball differs from the indoor version in three ways – it’s played on sand, a team is two instead of six, and it’s first to 21 in a best of three sets match, instead of 25 in a best of a five setter. Same court size, same net height. As for indoor, due to the dynamics involved in team on team play, understanding an opposing teams style of play, their strengths and weaknesses, both physically and mentally, and working with these in mind, all form part of the game plan. The physical demands of the beach game are however arguably much greater. With just two players to share responsibility for alternating three touches of the ball before it must go back over the net, the amount of Photos by Scott Kingston, SWKPhotography.com ground/sand that has to be covered if passes aren’t perfect means players seldom spend a play entirely on their feet. If you’ve ever done burpees, let alone on sand, you will have some idea of how taxing this might be. An article in The Psychology of Sport & Exercise showed just how fast the decision-making process needs to be in the game of beach volleyball with serves reaching close to 85km/hr and an unpredictability of play that requires accurate execution of a skill in a massive variety of body positions and movement patterns, and mostly while moving. Core strength and stability, balance, jumping and leg power, eye-hand coordination, flexibility and mobility, game sense and visual tracking against non-locatable areas such as sky are all included in the skill set needed of a top-class beach volleyball player. Not forgetting there are the elements of wind, sun and rain to compete against as well as the other team. A comparative study of game play between men’s and women’s teams in 2015 showed the average game lasts between 46 and 53 minutes, and in that time involves between 396 and 405 jumps off the sand, with the latter being in the women’s game. This same study also showed that the women’s game has longer rallies; has an average of more contacts per rally; has more “flying ball” time; has a higher percentage of rallies with three or more exchanges than the males’; has more long rallies in general; and that there are more defences, and consequently more counterattacks in the female than in the males’ game. Also, in the women’s game there are more ball contacts per game and rally, and consequently more exchanges and time spent under game pressure. It might pay to remember this when watching the Kiwi female beach volleyball team in action at the Commonwealth Games this April, and it should be no surprise as to why there is athletic value in the women’s game. Regular beach volleyball tournaments and training sessions are held at the Karapiro Sandcourts at Mighty River Domain every summer. For more information go to www. beachvolleyball.co.nz 12 INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL MARCH 2018
TRAIN SMARTER Commonwealth Games Athlete training smarter with the Waikato Human Performance Hub. Shaunna Polley has gone from strengthto-strength in the sport of beach volleyball. Now based in Hamilton, she is working with Wintec’s Centre for Sport Science and Human Performance to prepare for the upcoming Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia. It was a conversation with Shaunna’s mother, a postgraduate student within the Centre for Sport Science, that kick-started the training relationship, explains Kerin Mc- Donald, an academic staff member within the centre and a postgraduate student himself. “At that point Shaunna hadn’t been selected so the question was, is there something we can help with to give her that extra edge, that extra something that might be able to get her across the line?” The process started earlier this year with a strength and conditioning assessment, during which Shaunna underwent a series of tests including skinfolds, vertical jumps, maximum strength and repeated high intensity sprints. Post-test blood lactate levels were also taken to evaluate Shaunna’s ability to recover. “The baseline testing helped to identify Shaunna’s strengths and weaknesses and provides recommendations to improve her performance. An assessment of her dietary intake was also completed to ensure energy intake was meeting training and competition demands.” These recommendations will be used in conjunction with exposure in Wintec’s heat chamber leading up to the Commonwealth Games in an attempt to prepare her for the environmental conditions she will face in Australia, explains Kerin. The acclimation process has been shown to be beneficial for athletes and Shaunna appreciates the support she has received from Wintec and the Waikato Human performance Hub. “When she’s in, she’s extremely grateful. She’s had limited opportunity to be exposed to sport science as an athlete and understands it could improve her medal chances on the Gold Coast.” Wintec’s Waikato Human Performance Hub (WHPH) is a service offering exercise expertise and advice to the whole community. The WHPH’s scope of services range from elite athletes through to those needing exercise to restore wellbeing and full function in their lives. Services include individually prescribed exercise programmes, physiological and biomechanics testing, rehabilitation services, personalised nutrition plans and strength and conditioning assessments. Find more information about the Waikato Human Performance Hub at wintec.ac.nz/whph If you’re serious about your wellbeing or sports performance, you’ll love the Waikato Human Performance Hub. With industry experts gathered under one roof and state-of-the-art facilities, we’ll support you in achieving your best with strength and conditioning assessments, nutrition plans, biomechanics testing and rehabilitation. Whether you’re an international athlete or just need some advice, we’ll help you find your footing in the world of sport. Check us out at www.wintec.ac.nz/whph or call 07 834 8860 create your world www.wintec.ac.nz INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL MARCH 2018 13
Page 1 and 2: Waikato Edition MARCH 2018 Fitness
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS MARCH 2018 On the cover Ad
Page 6 and 7: Things we love SONIC BOOM Give grav
Page 8 and 9: A modern approach to WELLBEING Ther
Page 10 and 11: THE POWER OF TWO When it comes to g
Page 14 and 15: MASTERS OF THE GAMES When it comes
Page 16 and 17: TOUGH AS NAILS Tyla Nathan-Wong fir
Page 18 and 19: PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD When it
Page 20 and 21: ADRENALINE PUMPING ADVENTURES in Ha
Page 22 and 23: 10 FOOD MYTHS that change your life
Page 24 and 25: WELLBEING - YOUR WAY I’m stressed
Page 26 and 27: TO GYM OR NOT TO GYM… BY LYNNE O
Page 28 and 29: TRIPLE TREAT Hannah Knighton is a k
Page 30 and 31: Lodge Cheers to Champions Advert OC
Page 32 and 33: STRENGTH TRAINING FOR LONGEVITY Sin
Page 34 and 35: BE KIND TO YOURSELF Have you ever n
Page 36 and 37: TAKAPOTO ESTATE SHOWJUMPING A new e
Page 38 and 39: WORLD CLASS COMPETITION Rotorua wil
Page 40 and 41: CHOOSE YOUR LIFESTYLE >WIN Celebrat
Page 42 and 43: BOOK CORNER Grab the ultimate summe
Page 44 and 45: MAD MIKE When it comes to setting g
Page 46 and 47: PURPLE IS THE NEW BLACK Could black
Page 48 and 49: Jazz Unlimited Jazz Unlimited boast
Page 50 and 51: DIABETES AWARENESS More than 240,00
Page 52: SAVE THOUSANDS ON EQUIVALENT NEW RR

INSPO Fitness Journal March 2018

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?