Rugby League Coaching Manuals

By Brad Walker, Associate Diploma of Health Science - Imagine an awkward tackle where a players arm and shoulder are forced behind him. Imagine simply stepping in a pot-hole at training and being left with a swollen ankle.  These are all common injuries which unfortunately can occur. But what can be done about them, how can they be prevented?

Some statistics indicate states that 1 out of every 17 participants of sport and exercise will suffer an injury of some kind while engaged in their chosen sport.

This can be even higher for contact sports like Rugby League. But equally staggering is the fact that many of these injuries may have been prevented.

While preventative measures such as warming up, obeying the laws, using protective equipment and plain common-sense are all useful, stretching plays an underestimated, yet vital role in helping to prevent the occurrence of injury.

Stretching is one area of football preparation often neglected. Why is it that such an important injury prevention tool isn’t taken seriously? Mostly, it’s a simple lack of knowledge about what stretching can do for the player. If players were able to witness first hand the benefits that a structured stretching routine can bring, there would be no doubt as to the importance of stretching.

One of the greatest benefits of stretching is that it increases the length of muscles and tendons. This leads to an increased range of movement, which means that limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs.

For example, if the muscles of the neck are tight and inflexible this limits the ability to look behind. If for some reason the head is turned backwards, past its normal range of movement, it could result in a muscle tear or strain. This can be prevented by increasing the flexibility, and the range of movement, of your neck muscles.

The benefits of an extended range of movement includes: increased comfort; a greater ability to move freely; and a lessening susceptibility to injury.

However, these aren’t the only benefits. Increasing muscle and tendon length increases the distance over which muscles are able to contract. This results in a potential increase to the individuals muscles’ power and therefore increases performance ability, while also leading to an improvement in dynamic balance, or the ability to control muscles.

Stretching, when done as part of an effective cooldown, also helps to alleviate post exercise soreness (that pain felt for two days after the first training session since last season) by lengthening the individual muscle fibres, increasing blood circulation and removing waste products.

Lastly, stretching can also help to alleviate the effect of fatigue. Fatigue is a major problem for everyone and especially during a Rugby League match. It results in a decrease in both physical and mental performance.

Increased flexibility through stretching can help prevent the effects of fatigue by taking pressure off the working muscles. For every muscle in the body there is an opposite muscle and if the opposing muscles are more flexible, the working muscles do not have to exert as much force against the opposing muscles.

Therefore each movement of the working muscles actually takes less effort.

There are a number of benefits and reasons why a player (and a coach) should be taking stretching far more seriously.

So what are the results of neglecting flexibility............read more RLCM eBook 10