Introduction
Gaelic Football is one of the most popular sports in Ireland. Currently, there are approximately 295,000 male participants and 140,000 female participants of the sport in Ireland. (GAA, LGFA). The game is characterized as an intermittent high-intensity field sport, which is similar in nature to soccer, rugby, basketball, and Australian Rules football. (Brown et al. 2014; Florida-James et al. 1995)
Gaelic football place a range of demands on players who must possess the necessary fitness to cope. The fitness requirements for Gaelic games are multifactorial. (Collins K). Speed and agility are important characteristics in winning possession and evading opponents and for chasing opponents in possession of the ball. Endurance and
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Maximal strength refers to the highest force that the neuromuscular system can perform during one maximum voluntary contraction (1RM). Power is the product of strength and speed. Maximal strength influences power performance; an increase in maximal strength is usually connected with an improvement in relative strength and therefore with an improvement in power. A significant relationship has been observed between 1RM and acceleration and movement velocity. This maximal strength/power performance relationship is supported by jump test results as well as in 30m sprint results. By increasing the available force of muscular contraction in appropriate muscle groups, acceleration and speed may improve in skills critical to Gaelic football such as turning, sprinting and changing pace. High levels of maximal strength in upper and lower limbs may also prevent injuries. (Stolen et al. …show more content…
When the intent is to contract the muscle as fast as possible with maximum rate of force development (so-called ‘ballistic’ contractions), motor units begin firing at a very high frequency, followed by a rapid decline in frequency (Duchateau 2014) The peak firing rates attained are in excess of those needed to achieve maximum force in a sustained contraction. Van Cutsem et al (1998) observed an increase in the number of motor units that fired doublets (2-5ms interspike intervals) during ballistic dynamic contractions following 12 weeks of dynamic resistance training. Doublets are defined as 2 pulses that occur within 20ms or less. They are commonly observed during both reflex and voluntary contraction and increase in frequency during dynamic muscle fatigue. Thus firing doublets may be a strategy on the part of the central nervous system to increase force during resistance training and fatigue. Doublets positioned at the onset of a stimulus can increase force generation by enhancing calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and by taking up the slack of the passive elements of the muscle more rapidly with the force generated by the first pulse in the doublet. Increases in the number of doublets and reductions in motor unit recruitment thresholds are indicative of increases in the excitability of the central nervous system during the early phase of contraction. The high
In the beginning phases of muscle contraction, a “cocked” motor neuron in the spinal cord is activated to form a neuromuscular junction with each muscle fiber when it begins branching out to each cell. An action potential is passed down the nerve, releasing calcium, which simultaneously stimulates the release of acetylcholine onto the sarcolemma. As long as calcium and ATP are present, the contraction will continue. Acetylcholine then initiates the resting potential’s change under the motor end plate, stimulates the action potential, and passes along both directions on the surface of the muscle fiber. Sodium ions rush into the cell through the open channels to depolarize the sarcolemma. The depolarization spreads. The potassium channels open while the sodium channels close off, which repolarizes the entire cell. The action potential is dispersed throughout the cell through the transverse tubule, causing the sarcoplasmic reticulum to release
The production of physical movement in humans requires a close interaction between the central nervous system (CNS) and the skeletal muscles. Understanding the interaction behind the mechanisms of these two forces, and how they are activated to provide the smooth coordinated movements (such as walking or picking up a pencil) of everyday life is essential to the study of motor control. Skeletal muscles require the activation of compartmental motor units that generate their own action potentials, and produce a voltage force within the muscle fibers that can be detected and recorded with the use of a electromyography (EMG). Therefore, the purpose of this lab was to determine the differences between the timing of force production
Muscle fatigue is a decline in ability of a muscle to generate force within any part of the body. Muscular fatigue is a particular response when it comes to an untrained athlete that is starting an intense workout program, and the muscles of the body is not able to respond in an orderly manner as it would respond to an elite athlete. This paper will focus and provide general information about recent studies on peripheral fatigue. Peripheral fatigue is one of the sites for possible fatigue and its where neural, mechanical, or energetic events can hamper tension development. Neural fatigue is a factor of peripheral fatigue, which occurs when the nerves are unable to generate a signal and this reduces the ability of the muscle fiber to contract which is considered to be metabolic fatigue. Neural factors deals with the movement of action potential going through a process to produce a muscle contraction and when this process does not go through the proper steps then fatigue set in because the muscles will not be able to contract. Neural fatigue has two main factors which is, a shortage of...
The Science Behind Sports: Football. Farmington Hills: Lucent, 2012. Print. The.
Imagining myself as a high school soccer coach, I would like to optimize my team’s kicking performance. Some players consistently kick the ball successfully with the correct use of power and accuracy. To ensure that all players are able to achieve the same optimal kicking habits, this paper will document (1) the effective and ineffective habits of kicking, (2) describe biomechanical based kicking assessments, (3) describe how these assessments will measure the effective aspects of kicking and expected findings, and (4) provide suggestions on how I may modify programming based on the insights gained from these assessments.
Though this movie was made to portray the life in Korea 110 years ago, it really resonated with me because I found it very similar to life in present-day Nigeria—where I am from. The impoverishment of the people and the clear distinction in the social classes was all too familiar. I also observed similar customs as well as unity of the people through a sport. This paper would be addressing the similarity and some of the factors in the movie that I could really relate to or have personally experienced.
Van Roie, E., Delecluse, C., Coudyzer, W., Boonen, S., & Bautmans, I. (2013). Strength training at high versus low external resistance in older adults: effects on muscle volume, muscle strength, and force-velocity characteristics. Exp Gerontol, 48(11), 1351-1361. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2013.08.010
In October of 2015, a young man named Kenny Bui was killed as a result of a tackle playing football (BBC news, 2015). This tragedy is not an uncommon event in contact sport and it is ignorant to think that it is simply a fluke. This man as well as three other young men are only a few to have lost their lives from a severe concussion in American football (BBC news, 2015).The fatal consequences of playing a simple game are present in all contact sports. Particularly hockey and football which has been the focus of my research. These two sports embody a culture that is unique to hockey and football but similar to a warrior/military culture (R. Graham, F. Rivara, M. Ford, & C. Spicer, 2014, pg. 3). This is a culture which many athletes, students,
Football is said to have originated from the Han Dynasty in China, from around two or three B.C. Although there is no specific creator of Football, there is evidence that the Chinese ‘dribbled’ balls made of various different animal skins filled with light-weight materials. After dribbling the ball, they were to kick the ball into a small net. Along with being a leisure activity for the ancient Chinese, evidence has been found that they also used it for training their vast army, the only difference in the training was the height of the nets. The balls were to be kicked into a net that was thirty feet or higher off the ground in order to make the Chinese army ready to move and also to make them stronger in the legs. Since the Chinese played ‘Football’ there have been many advancements in the game around the world and the rules have also changed greatly.
The problems and injuries that come with playing football have been obvious since the beginning, and to this day are still being discovered and researched in hopes of finding solutions so that the sport is not so dangerous. Malcolm Gla...
Fitness Requirements for Football Football is a game that requires aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Aerobic fitness is the most important quality in football, closely. followed by anaerobic fitness, running, speed and agility. Footballers tend to cover less distance and work at lower intensities during the second half of the game then during the first half. This is because fatigue limits a player to a certain level.
Evidence of lifting weights can be traced back to the origins of man. As far back as cave painting and scrolls, there exists evidence of weightlifting. Initially as an expression of strength, to competition and functional training, weightlifting has carved its path through the ages. It has taken on a new role in the modern world; athletic training. With an entirely new emphasis in sports on speed, strength, and flexibility; weightlifting is more popular than ever. Unfortunately, young athletes often do more harm than good by injuring themselves lifting. When these uneducated lifters try to jump right into a program, lifting more than they should, an injury is imminent. What is overlooked, is that when weightlifting is done correctly, it has a great potential to prevent injuries instead of cause them. Understanding how the body works, using proper technique on the appropriate lifts, and participating in regular physical activity can greatly reduce the risk of athletic injuries.
Creative new training methods, developed by coaches, athletes and sport scientists, are aimed to help improve the quality and quantity of athletic training ( Kellmann, 2010, p.1). However, these methods have encountered a consistent set of barriers including overtraining ( Kellmann, 2010, p.1). Due to these barriers, the need for physical and mental recovery in athletics brought an increasing attention in practice and in research ( Kellmann, 2010, p.1).
The contraction of a muscle is a complex process, requiring several molecules including ATP and Cl-, and certain regulatory mechanisms [1]. Myosin is motor protein that converts chemical bond energy from ATP into mechanical energy of motion [1]. Muscle contraction is also regulated by the amount of action potentials that the muscle receives [2]. A greater number of actions potentials are required to elicit more muscles fibers to contract thus increasing the contraction strength [2]. Studied indicate that the larger motor units, which were recruited at higher threshold forces, tended to have shorter contraction times than the smaller units [3]. The aims of the experiment were to reinforce the concept that many chemicals are required for skeletal muscle contraction to occur by using the rabbit muscle (Lepus curpaeums) [2]. In addition, the experiment was an opportunity to measure the strength of contraction and to observe the number of motor units that need to be recruited to maintain a constant force as the muscles begin to fatigue [2]. Hypothetically, the rabbit muscle fiber should contract most with ATP and salt solution; and the amount of motor units involved would increase with a decreasing level of force applied until fatigue stage is reached.
Every person has an object, idea, or person who has greatly affected their perception of the world. However, every person’s object, idea, or person is different and unique. Something that has significantly affected my perception of the world is the sport of rugby. The sport of rugby can be described simply with two words: elegant violence. This oxymoron has become a popular phrase to describe rugby by both clothing companies and rugby teams. Rugby, or football to islands in the Pacific Ocean, is a team sport that involves courage, selflessness, perseverance, and grit. Whether rain or shine, warm or cold, big or small, the sport of rugby is enjoyed by millions of people across the world. Furthermore, the lessons in toughness and discipline I received has made rugby very important in my life.