Make Sure They Are Ready, Or, The Duty To Properly Condition by Dick Borkowski, Ed. D., C.A.A.
Rugby coaches and any one connected with moving bodies, come in all sizes and abilities, like members of every other profession. Some are great organizers; some astute strategist; some, great recruiters; and some are all or none of the above.
But, if there is one common denominator among every person who ever carried a clipboard, blew a whistle or yelled "knock on," it would have to be the knowledge and ability to properly prepare and condition a participant. Getting someone ready, in shape, set to go, is fundamental. It is the first step in lowering the chance of injury to your players. It also help keep lawyers away from the pitch.
The body of knowledge in sport medicine is ten fold what it was a decade or two ago. Professionals are better trained. The literature is extensive. We know more about nutrition. Teams have certified Athletic Trainers. Equipment and facilities to "get in shape" are far better than the days of Tom Brown’s Schooldays.
The folklore method of coaching, while not gone entirely is sinking fast. Water is not restricted. We know what a real training meal is - and it is not steak. All reasonable coaches know the word stretching, cool downs and weight training.
Here are some basic conditioning suggestions for the rugby coach. They are not rocket science. The bottom line is to HAVE A PLANNED CONDITIONING PROGRAM and to FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT. Make sure your player is physically prepared to participate.
Sometimes we know better, but still curtail, or eliminate, the conditioning/warm up phase to get to the game activity. That is wrong - period. What's worse, we know it. Only the law profession will gain from the lack of appropriate conditioning for participants.
Follow all the safety rules and regulations of your union. Simple? I spoke in Albany, New York. My colleague, an expert in sport law, and I, expected the usual workshop crowd of about 100 to 150 people. Instead, over 400 coaches and administrators jammed the auditorium. While we tried to convince ourselves that the large crowd was due solely to our reputations, we knew the real reason was the recent death of an athlete.
Investigation into the heart attack death of this young man showed that he never had a pre-season physical examination, despite the school district's ironclad rule. If this player had received an examination, if someone had followed the rules - his condition would have been diagnosed.
Use your very best "insurance" policy. I've said that the certified athletic trainer, is your number one source of safety for kids and best line of defense against litigation. I'll continue to say it until every institution has an A.T. on their staff. Get one and give him/her the time and power to be an effective insurance policy for all. Check with the local schools to see if you can "borrow" a trainer for games and practice. A free jersey and honorarium might do it. If that is not in the cards, check on family members for nurses and/or EMT’s. You want someone not only for emergencies, but someone who has knowledge about physical conditioning
Don't take it for granted everyone in sports knows everything there is to know about physical conditioning. We are continually adding to this body of knowledge. The trainer should review conditioning techniques just like the coach reviews the offensive.
Remember the rule of specificity. Conditioning is both general and specific, although a baseball player and a rugby player need to do similar conditioning activities, each must participate in exercises specifically oriented for their specific sport. Ruggers, for example, must exercise the neck area far more regularly and extensively than a baseball player. Boys might need more flexibility work time than girls. The point is to prepare each participant for the activity. Rugby requires general strength, explosive strength, cardio-vascular endurance and flexibility.
Do not ignore the need to follow the concept of progression. As a young, enthusiastic and dumb Rugby coach, I always required my players to run a mile and a half on the first day of practice. My theory was the players, knowing this requirement, would report to practice in reasonable shape. Most of the time, the ploy worked. Some players suffered more than others, some got sick, and on occasion, some left camp the next day. No one every suffered serious consequences due to my stupidity. I was foolish, and my kids were lucky.
The practice of testing a player, before preparing him or her was and remains wrong - physically and legally. Proper conditioning means a slow, regimented, step by step procedure that will bring the participant to the proper physical level required to perform well and to reasonably insure the physical safety of the individual
A summer wrestling camp opened on a Sunday evening. The next day, a camper was injured while participating in a tournament. While the case involved a number of standards that fell below the normal standard of care, the paramount question was, "but Mr. Camp Director, shouldn't there have been some kind of progressive conditioning activity sessions to prepare and evaluate the wrestler prior to placing him in competition? What exactly could you do to meet this duty in less than 24 hours?"
Keep records of your conditioning process. Just as you maintain records of all other aspects of your program, keep records of what you do to get kids into shape. The practice or lesson plan you pull out from the previous year will spell out what you did the prior year. What flexibility work you did, what conditioning units you did within the body of the practice, and what overload activity you may have done at the end of the workout. Avoid just listing something like "conditioning period." Spell it out. It'll help you run a better class this year and guide you next year.
I would suggest keeping an attendance record. It lets you know who did and did not attend enough practices to be ready to play. Records are good support documents for demonstrating the quality of your program.
Proper conditioning is more than physical conditioning. Instruct your students about nutrition, rest and organizing their time. This includes emphasizing the need to report injuries. The days of "I can play, Coach - it's only broken a little bit!" are over. "No gain without pain" is dumb. Pain is a message your body gives when something is wrong.
Stay abreast of current conditioning information. As a professional, you should continually seek ways to increase your knowledge. What you did to get in shape as a player may not be the best for your players. My personal contribution to future bad knees was my requiring people to do the deep knee bend "duck walk." It was hard, so it must have been good for you. Hopefully, no one remembers that exercise.
My last suggestion is both the easiest and hardest to follow: Make time for appropriate conditioning. We are always trying to find more time. Teaching and coaching is a battle against time. More time is always needed to stick in a new play or work with the "B" side prop that’ll be starting "A" side in 24 hours. But do not cut short or cut out the important warm up and conditioning elements of your lesson or practice.
The very best piece of safety or protective equipment you can give a player is his or her own strong, agile and well prepared body. Schedule time for this very special piece of equipment. It'll help keep everyone on the playing field and off of the legal field.
