Unit 5 research structure template – Rob Fogerty referral 1/2

unit 5 Research Structure Template referral

Rob Fogerty – Unit 5 research template referral 1/2

Unit 27 – Task 4 – Rob Fogerty

To complete a review and judge success of the eight week training plan

Unit 5 – Research structure template – Rob Fogerty

Unit 27 – Task 3 – Rob Fogerty

Unit 27 task 3 evidence 1 of 7

Unit 27 task 3 evidence 2 of 7

Unit 27 task 3 evidence 3 of 7

Unit 27 task 3 evidence 4 of 7

Unit 27 task 3 evidence 5 of 7

unit27 task 3 evidence 6 of 7

Unit 27 task 3 evidence 7 of 7

Profiling Wheel Week 4

ASA API week 4

Profiling Wheel Week 8

ASA API Week 8

In this first paragraph I am going to be comparing the profiling wheel for the initial start of the training process compared to the week 4 midpoints I will be drawing out similarities and differences between these two profiling processes.
One noticed difference between the initial profiling prior to training and the midpoint review was the speed trait in the initial profiling process both my rating score and Alfie’s coaches rating score was rated 2 and 5 compared at the profiling process at week 4 both rating scores from me and Sam had changed to 3 and 6 so noticed improvement with regards to Alfie’s speed had been identified by myself due to Alfie’s test results at week 4 and Sam’s perception of this trait during training. At this point when analysing and sitting down with Alfie we were both very satisfied with this and Alfie was humbled at the fact that his coach has noticed a slight change in his speed due to the 4 weeks of speed training I had done with him. Another difference between the initial profiling prior to training and the midpoint review was Alfie’s body composition rating score from both myself and Sam during the initial profiling process mine and Sam’s rating for his body composition was both rated at 5, compared to the midpoint review where both of our scores were 4 from myself and 5 from body composition this was interesting and this was only my perception of Alfie. The big difference between the initial profiling process and the midpoint profiling was Alfie’s ASA/API scores with regards to speed at the first stage his initial API for speed was rated at a 6 and his ASA was rated at a 2 compared to week 4 where his API changed to 7 and his ASA was 4 this therefore changed the discrepancy score from 48 to 42 which shows that intrinsically Alfie feels he is improving in terms of his speed as well as identifying the importance of speed from week 1 to week 4.

One main difference between the final judgements, week 4 and task 2 is the difference in API/ASA and profiling wheel scores for her two weakness priorities Speed and Body Composition. Originally at the initial profiling stage before training Alfie’s discrepancy score for body composition was 30 compared to week 4 where his discrepancy score was 40. Both ratings from the initial profiling stage and week 4 were also different as mentioned previously in paragraph one, this was surprising as I expected that the discrepancy score would be lower than the initial profiling stage however this was not the case and was very surprising. This outlined that progress may have been restricted and these figures made me question my body composition training. In week 8 at the last profiling process the scoring rating from both Sam and me had not changed from week 4 and in fact my rating score at the start of the process was one rating higher than the last profiling. Although this was no expected and we were displeased with the results it supports the final week of body composition where we conducted the BMI Test which in fact showed that Alfie had increased from 26.7% body fat to 27% body fat which was categorised at overweight. Another difference between the initial profiling process week 4 and week 8 was Alfie’s speed ratings from me and his coach Sam. Initially my rating for his speed was 2 and Sam’s was a 5 compared to week 4 where my perception of speed was 3 and Sam’s changed to 6  I felt that I had seen improvement at the midpoint review the testing process at week 4 would support the increase in ratings from both myself and Sam as Alfie’s Average 35 meter sprint time was 5.55 compared to his average 35 meter sprint time at week 1 which was  5.02 in the final week of speed testing Alfie’s average 35 meter sprint time was 4.98 overall this shows that improvement had definitely been made compared to the initial testing process and both myself and Alfie were extremely satisfied with these results and this improvement with regards to speed will benefit Alfie within his chosen sport.

Unit 5 – Task 1 – Referral – Rob Fogerty

Unit 5 task 1 referral

Unit 5-Literature review-Rob Fogerty

Literature review unit 5 research project.

P1) I am carrying out a research project that involves investigating whether there is a relationship between height and PB performance of male 100m sprinters. The main purpose of reviewing other sources of literature is to support my research in terms of similar methods used by another person’s research I can draw conclusions using other research to evaluate the reliability and validity used in my research. Another important purpose of reviewing other sources of literature is to clarify that there has been no identical research into the field that I am carrying out my research on. The criteria used to select the reviewed sources are that the sources found must be linked to our individual research aim’s variable, measure and population. The more sources I can find that have 2 or more links to my research project the better as it will help support my individual research project.

P2) Dyja et al(2006) carried out a study involving elite male and female sprinters body build stride length and stride frequency (taking into account height weight). The aim of the study was to determine which of the stride parameters (length or frequency) has the greatest impact on 100m results. The method involved within this research study involved 109 elite male sprinters and 79 elite female sprinters. In terms of scope the research study did not take into account the type of track each sprinter the research project also doesn’t take into account non elite athletes. Within the sample was analysed and there 100m races were recorded, on the basis of recordings each athlete’s stride length was calculated by two individual experts (athletic coaches). The findings from this research concluded that body height had a significant influence on the running stride length as well as stride frequency in both groups; this applies to both males and females. The method used by Dyja et al (2006) supports the method used in my own research design in terms of taking into account height and using it as a main factor and the reason for the both males and females being faster than those smaller athletes over the 100m.  “Body height has a significant influence on the stride length and stride frequency in both groups” (Dyja 2006 p33-37.)However it should be noted that stride length had the greater correlation to race result than stride frequency in males. However this is not directly within the scope of my research as my research is looking at height and Personal best performance and not on stride length and frequency.

P3) K Kumagai et al (2000) carried out a study involving male sprinters investigating. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between muscle fascicle length and sprint running performance in 37 male 100-m sprinters. The method involved within this research study involved 37 male 100m sprinter having 6-15 years of experience. Personal-best performance for 100-m sprint was recorded for each sprinter from recent published competition results. Best 100-m sprint times ranged between 10.00 and 11.70 s. For comparison by sprint running performance, the sample was divided into two groups according to the personal-best 100-m record: 10.00–10.90s (s11) and 11.00–11.70 (s 10).In terms of scope the research carried out by Kumagai et al did not take into account a large sample as 37 sprinters is quite a small sample to base a research study on. The research carried out my Kumagai et al (2000) also doesn’t take into account female athletes. The results show that there were no significant differences between S10 and S11 in standing height (172 ± 4 vs. 173 ± 6 cm) respectively 1.6 vs. 39.9 ± 2.2 cm, respectively) lengths. The study carried out by Kumagi et al will support my research project as it is taking into account the same measure as this study is taking into account height as well as linking to my population elite male sprinters. However this research does not fit in directly within the scope of my research is this bit study is an extremely in depth research project taking into account muscle fascicle length this is something that is not relevant to my own research study.

P4) Taylor MJD (2012) carried out a study involving 3 of the top male elite sprinters competing in the world. The aim of this study was to analyse characteristics of the top 3 fastest men on earth. Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell. The data was collected during the 2009 world championships in Berlin and the modelling of Morin et al. The findings from Taylor MJD suggest that Anthropometric characteristics for the individual sprinters had an impact on their 100m times. The results from the study showed that Usain Bolt exhibited an extreme morphology and that there may be greater variance in body size among elite sprinters. However, Charles and Bejan stated that world record holders in the 100 m sprint are becoming taller and heavier .There were only 3 participants involved within the research study they were 3 of the fastest elite male sprinters in the world. In terms of scope this study does not take the other elite 100m sprinters in the world as this would give a more reliable and valid study as your sample size would be far greater. This study also doesn’t take female elite athletes to allow you to make comparisons and conclusions. The method use by Taylor MJD (2012) will support the method used in my own research design as he has used personal best performance as a key measure to determine the athletes that he used in his research study.  However this study is not directly linked within the scope of my own research design as my study is specifically looking at the effect of height on Personal best performance and not taking into account other factors such as age, stature body mass etc. within a much larger sample size. They found that the reciprocal ponderable index (indicating that athletes have become taller and more linear) is a more significant factor of success. The study carried out by Taylor MJD (2012) will support my research project in terms of my measure Taylor MJD has used height which is an anthropometric factor in his conclusion.

P5)Merck (2014) the purpose of this study is to investigate the association between anthropometric characteristics and performance in all track and field running events and assess Body Mass Index (BMI) as a relevant performance indicator. Data of mass, height, BMI and speed were collected for the top 100 international men athletes in track events from 100 m to marathon for the 1996–2011 seasons, and analyzed by decline of performance, in terms of scope this research study is taking into account BMI although I am focusing purely on height as a factor on personal best sprinting I am not taking into account other factors such as body weight. This research study does not take into account female elite sprinters, data of mass, height, BMI, and speed were collected for each international male athlete among the top 100 rankings of eight running events: 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, 10.000 m and marathon during the 1996–2011 seasons. This represents 12,800 annual-performers and 3,852 different athletes. Height and mass values were coincided with each individual’s best performance by year. Speed is significantly associated with mass and but moderately with height The Anova test shows significant differences among events for height (excluding 10,000 m vs. marathon, 200 m vs. 800 m), mass (excluding 10,000 m vs. marathon and 100 m vs. 200 m and 400 m, and 200 m vs. 400 m) and BMI (excluding 3,000 m vs. marathon). The study from (Merck A et al) is relevant to my research study because it is a longitudinal study involving nearly four thousand athletes and therefore it can’t be ignored and in terms of findings it will be significant. This study will also help criticize and help develop my own research study.

P6)

Adayemi Do (2009) Correlations of Anthropometric and Body Composition Variables with the Performance of Young Elite Weightlifters The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations of anthropometric and body composition variables with the performance (i.e., snatch; clean & jerk; front squat; back squat) of Iranian elite weightlifters. All subjects competed at the Iranian National Championship. Anthropometric and body composition variables including height, sitting height, BMI, Lean body mass index etc. 42 elite male weightlifters with an age range of 16.21+3.22 years were involved.  In terms of scope the research study is taking into account 42 elite male weightlifters however this study is not taking into account female elite weightlifters. Results from the study showed that  the snatch and clean & jerk records significantly correlated with height, sitting height, weight, shoulder and chest circumference, LBM, BMI; whereas we showed negative correlations between the snatch and clean & jerk records with the %fat as well as WHR values. According to the results, it was concluded that there was strong correlations existing between weightlifter performance and the anthropometric and body composition variables. Although my own research study is not directly within the scope of Adayemi DO (2009) as I’m not looking at weightlifters and I’m also just looking at height as a factor for elite performance. Typically 100m sprinters are known as “power athletes” (Hedayatneja, 2010, p.125-131). So this would definitely be associated with specific power exercises such as the snatch and clean and jerk, which were both found to be affected by height. Therefore in my research I expect to find that height has a positive impact on Personal best performance.

P7) David Ornstein (2009) wrote an article looking at what makes Usain Bolt special. David Ornstein mentioned during the article that without doubt evidence from Raphael Brandon has suggested that running 9.40 seconds is a more than likely achievable target for bolt. A study by the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that world champion sprinters ranged between 5ft 9in to 6ft 3in but Bolt has turned such evidence on its head with consistent 1^st place medals and world record times. Later on the article he starts to talk about the mechanisms and factors as to why Usain Bolt is as dominant in the world of sprinting, the article suggests that the world of sprinting due to Usain Bolt’s dominance is slowly moving away from the traditional short and powerful sprinter and starting to move towards a taller yet extremely muscular sprinter. “The attitude was always, tall guys, long stride but slow; small guys, short stride but quick”. (Brandon, 2009, But Bolt has shown you can be both tall and quick via long strides. This article supports my study in terms of my hypothesis’ benefit of my research project.

P8) Steve Connor 2012 wrote an article with a starter heading of “Will there will ever be a more perfect sprinter”?This was making reference to Usain Bolt currently the fastest man in the world. In paragraph 2 Steve speak about the individual factors that typically make up the perfect 100m sprinters factors such as Body shape, muscle strength, the relative lengths of legs etc. At the start of paragraph 3 Steve Connor makes a clear reference to Bolt describing his 6ft 5 rangy figure and how he physically dominates his typically short and powerful competitors such as Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake. Alan Neville of the University of Wolverhampton believes that Bolt epitomises the changing shape of world-class sprinters who are getting more “linear – taller and leaner than their shorter, more muscle-bound predecessors”(Neville 2009, the independant. Later on in the article Steve Connor goes on to say some experts believe that world class sprinters are born as opposed to made. This article from Steve Connor supports my research project in terms of my hypothesis and whether there is a link between height and personal best performance amongst 100m sprinting.

P9) An Anonymous article written in the international science times was talking about how Michael Phelps’ body was made for swimming, and why he could slack off and still win. The first paragraph talks about his success in the pool throughout his extremely long career. The second paragraph goes on to say that it would be a great story for aspiring young swimmers if the story and success of Phelps was one of hard work however this was not the case. The fourth paragraph is started by a sub heading so what genetic traits make Phelps such a gifted swimmermechanisms and factors as to why Usain Bolt is as dominant in the world of sprinting, the article suggests that the world of sprinting due to Usain Bolt’s dominance is slowly moving away from the traditional short and powerful sprinter and starting to move towards a taller yet extremely muscular sprinter

P10) An article written by David Jackman talks about Athletes’ biological clocks affect their performance the first paragraph Competitive success and failure can vary as much as 26 percent over the course of a day based on the time of the event, according to new research by University of Birmingham scientists. In arenas where 1 percent can mean the difference between winning and losing, knowledge of an athlete’s individual body clock may be key to assuring his or her best chance of success. “We now know that individual performance depends very much on the body clock type, i.e. whether a person is a lark or an owl” Brandstaetter, 2015) although this article is not entirely specific in terms of testing athletes and not 100m sprinters. The scope of this article does not take into account specifically 100m sprinters; the article does also not specify the gender that was involved within the research. Brandstaetter pointed out how important a 26 percent difference really is. In a press release for the report, he pointed out that a one percent difference can mean the difference between 1st and 4th place in an Olympic 100 meter race. This article will support my work in terms of my scope as my study’s scope is not taking into account specifically biological clocks as this is a very in depth bit of science that could have a definitive impact on the results of the athletes personal bests who took part in my research study.

P11) An article written by Edward McClelland starts off with a sub heading of, the 6-foot-5 Usain Bolt set two more world records. Why haven’t there been more tall sprinters? The first paragraph talks about how the impressive frame and stature of Bolt has been leaving his competitors left wondering. The paragraph ends with the question as to why tall sprinters have never succeeded before. In The third paragraph Edward makes reference to previous years of sprinting and that typically “height has been seen as a detriment to sprinting” McClelland, 2009)this article written by Edward McClelland will support my research project in terms of my aim and the benefit that I am trying to ascertain from my research project findings.

P12) There were many trends and similarities between my sources as my 5 abstracts all involved specifically male athletes with 7/10 of my sources were had a scope of specifically elite performers such as weightlifting and elite 100m sprinters. A very key trend that I identified within my sources were the fact that the studies that were carried out involved a large sample size for example Paruzel 2006 had a sample size of 189 sprinters this is also linked to Berthelot study between anthropometric characteristics and performance in all track and field running events where the sample size was 700 athletes. Another key trend between my sources is linked to scope and what the study’s and research did not include females 7/10 of my sources focused on males, for example Kumagai et al studying the relationship between muscle fascicle length and sprint running performance in 37 male 100-m sprinters did not have a scope that took into account female sprinters this is similar to Adayemi Do (2009) who’s study was purely focusing on elite male weightlifters. The main difference between the my sources were the sample size of the individual research study’s for example the study carried out by Taylor MJD(2012) involved an extremely small sample size of 3 elite sprinters as opposed to the study carried out by Paruzel (2006) had a sample size of 188 athletes.

P13) There were many weaknesses with my sources, one main weakness that I identified was that not all of my sources linked to the required 2/3 of my population, variable and measure this meant that it was difficult to link the sources directly to my aim and find similarities in terms of methods, scope and findings. another weaknesses of my sources were some of the dates that the studies were carried out for example Kumagai et al (2000) this study was 15 years ago his study was focusing on personal best times of 100m male sprinters despite this study being linked specifically to my aim technology in terms of video analysis and analysis of individual performance has changed drastically in 15 years. Training methods and coaching quality has definitely increased over the 15 year period which means that individual personal Bests without doubt have improved immensely. Due to some of my research being older than other sources the way in which the data was collated for similar methods would have been different due to advances in technology. Many of the sources that I read I strongly agreed with for example when analyzing Taylor MJD (2012) he had a very in depth analysis as to why the results turned out the way they did another reason why I strongly agreed with the results were due to how recent the study is as it is involving athletes who are still competing at the present moment as well as the technology being very modern due to this study being carried out in 2012.

P14) In close relation to my 10 sources and the research that I have carried out I would hypothesize and expect to find that there is a strong link between height and personal best performance of male 100m sprinters. Many of the sources I have found conclude or show signs that height has played a pivotal role in the success of an individual’s performance whether it was the performance of elite sprinter, weightlifters or swimming I felt that it was appropriate to find one other source from another sport such as swimming to back up my evidence to further point, for example the article written from Anon referring to Michael Phelps “Phelps was simply born to swim “throughout the article he talks about how simply his genetic makeup and not his hard work has been. Another source that supports my hypothesis is the article written by Steve Connor makes reference to the fastest man in the world “will there ever be a more perfect sprinter “O’Connor, 2015) many experts suggest that elite sprinters are “born and not made” the last source of research that supports my hypothesis is the article written by David Ornstein started of with a heading of what makes Usain Bolt special? The key bit of information that will further support my hypothesis is later on in the paragraph where David makes reference to the mechanisms and factors as to why Usain Bolt is as dominant in the world of sprinting, the article suggests that the world of sprinting due to Usain Bolt’s dominance is slowly moving away from the traditional short and powerful sprinter and starting to move towards a taller yet extremely muscular sprinter. A question that has been raised from my literature review is the qualifications that the researchers have for the studies that I have gathered as I am unable to ascertain these. This poses questions and criticisms of particular researches and whether they have the required skills for the specific topic area they’re looking at in terms of a fully detailed method which could affect the reliability of the results. Another question for me that came into play was how reliable is the method of my research project, if another person were to do this study would they get the exact same results, I feel strongly about this question because some of my athletes personal bests were extremely hard to find from secondary sources such as IAAF therefore I had to use unreliable data such as Wikipedia in order to gather the data I needed. Another question that has crossed my mind is will anyone ever break Usain Bolt’s personal best or is he just a freak of nature, will we ever be able to find a definitive answer as to whether taller sprinters are better?

Adayemi Do (2010) Correlations of Anthropometric and Body Composition Variables with the Performance of Young Elite Weightlifters, journal of human kinetics Pages 125–131

Kumagai et al (2000) Relationship between muscle fascicle length and sprint running performance, Journal of applied physiology 811-816

Merck A et al (2014) Association between anthropometric characteristics and performance in all track and field running events and assess Body Mass Index (BMI) as a relevant performance indicator. PLOS One 90183

Dyja et al. (2006) Elite male and female sprinters body build stride length and stride frequency, university of school of physical education in Poland. 33-37

Taylor MJD (2012) Spring mass characteristics of the fastest men in the world. International journal of sports medicine 667-670

Unit 27 – Task 2 – Rob Fogerty

 

Unit 27 Task 1 – Rob Fogerty

Unit 27 task 1 Pass Criteria. Role (P1)

1. Performance profiling is a valued technique, within performance and elite sport, it is used to identify strengths as well as areas for improvement, organize training, preparation and the development of an individual this technique can provide important information on athletes, which can be used to implement realistic goal setting strategies agreed upon by the athlete and there coaches and help maximize their goals. If applied correctly, these interventions can help focus the individual on the key aspects of their performance and help direct their training to the areas of perceived need. The first role within performance profiling is building relationships it is important that coaches build positive relationships with their athlete so that the athlete feels comfortable when receiving information on the strengths of their performance but more importantly the weaknesses for example in football a coach may devote extra training time for their athlete in order to further their progression in order to become a better player, this will give the player the confidence and motivation knowing that their coach is giving up his/her time in order for the athlete to become a better player. A positive relationship between player and coach will allow the player to have confidence that the coach is trying to make the players performance reach a higher level. Building a positive relationship between athlete and parents is also a function of performance profiling, performance profiling can allow parents who are with their son/daughter (who is the athlete) on a regular basis so they can support their son/daughter whether it’s nutrition at home, rest and recovery etc, in order to maximise the success of their son/daughter this will give the athlete confidence and motivation knowing they have full backing of their parents. The second role within performance profiling is promoting opportunities this may be the opportunity for the athlete/player to progress further on in their sport and play at an elite level. Performance profiling can identify areas that the athlete needs to improve on in order to become a better player. The chance for the athlete to play at a higher level can reward them with possible scholarship opportunities for example in rugby if a player is part of an academy set up at 16/17 well established colleges may identify these players and provide them with scholarship opportunities. Having the chance to compete in their sport at a high level will further the athlete’s progression and see them moving up the ranks. The third role within performance profiling is developing awareness this will be developing awareness of strengths of the athlete/players performance which is as important as focusing on weakness, many coaches make mistakes within performance profiling and focus the attention away from the strengths, over time if the current strengths are not taken into consideration than your athlete will be average. Lastly by simply focusing on the weaknesses and not the strengths your athlete will lose morale therefore will slowly lose motivation. Developing awareness is also important for an athlete/player enabling them to compare their performance to other players who may be a threat to their position. This will give them the opportunity to see the criteria that is needed for their position to move up to the next level, for example in rugby there is specific criteria that needs to be met in order to be ranked at a certain level for example maintaining the ball in contact, effective tackling, effective 1 v 1 attacker. The fourth role within performance profiling defining goals this is essential for an athlete defining goals must be SMART Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic and Time based. Defining goal between player and coach will give the player the ability to set suitable objectives in order to reach the end goals. For example a goal between coach and striker in football might set a goal of 20+ goals by the end of the season. The fifth role that performance profiling plays is increasing intrinsic motivation levels of the particular athlete, this will be inevitable for an athlete during performance profiling with their coach, defining goal will without doubt increase the athletes motivation, intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual. Performance profiling is used towards the higher end of the competitive level, performance and elite, athletes at this level will have already experienced intrinsic motivation from when they first started playing whether this is turning out for there Saturday local team at foundation level or playing for their local rugby team on a Sunday, there would have been an element of intrinsic motivation in order for the athlete to get to performance/elite level. The sixth role that performance profiling has on an athlete is an increase in extrinsic motivation of the particular athlete; Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual. The motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. An extrinsically motivated person will work on a task even when they have little interest in it because of the anticipated satisfaction they will get from some reward. However in the case of performance profiling an athlete will be extrinsically motivated to reach set goals, overcome threats etc in order to progress in their own performance in their sport. If an extrinsically motivated athlete realises the anticipated rewards then he/she will do their upmost to achieve the set goal in order to earn more money, win trophies, medals etc. The sixth role that performance profiling has is increasing team cohesion, in order to be a successful team it is essential that everyone is striving towards the same goals and doing their upmost with regards to nutrition, conditioning and training within team sports such as rugby, football, basketball usually you know who your “go to men/woman” are for example England Rugby’s go to man in his reign was seen to be Jonny Wilkinson. I believe that your teammates play a pivotal role in your success as an athlete; many people refer to the team spirit that the England rugby 2003 squad had leading up to the world cup and this played an important role in the success of the team. Within a team game such as rugby at elite level a player may have a set goal of representing the British and Irish Lions which is the ultimate accolade, having a supportive team mates will only be of an advantage to you as they will realise this and do there upmost to all buy in and help you achieve your set goals.

Function (P1) to quantify perceptions of the coach, to quantify perceptions of the performer, holistic approach to personal development and training for sports performance.   Function refers to the outcome of what you are trying to achieve. The first function of performance profiling is to quantify the perceptions of the coach, quantify is the ability to judge and scale performance of an athlete, many coaches use ability scales in comparison to specific criteria that needs to be met by the athlete in order to progress in their development for example a coach in rugby for a performance/elite level will use a profiling tool to rank their player in comparison to the criteria that needs to be met for example maintaining the ball in contact and effective 1 v 1 defender. It is essential to quantify perceptions of the player this allows the player to rank and judge there performance for example in rugby a player may self asses there performance using a self-analysis form to reflect on things the player did well, why did these go well, what things could he/she improve on for next time etc. Performance profiling enables the sports coach and performer to work collaboratively to consider, evaluate and agree performance goals. Differences which can be discussed between player and coach and the reasons why the coach may feel the player is not as good at a particular skill such as passing. The third function of performance profiling is the holistic approach to personal development A holistic view means that we are interested in engaging and developing the whole person, this is important for a performance/elite athlete in order to be willing to develop there all round character, for example Jonny Wilkinson was a highly respected player in the world of rugby many people focus in the pivotal role that he played for England during his career especially the 2003 world cup but he was equally respected for his sportsmanship and modesty during and after a game the holistic approach to personal development also refers to the physical approach to sport which links to skill related traits required for excellence Jonny Wilkinson had a very good holistic approach to personal development with regards to improving his skill related traits for example he used to spend countless hours after training finished to improve and make his kicking on point, this shows that his all-round attitude to training to become a better player was the main reason to why he enjoyed so much success in the game of rugby. The fourth function of performance profiling is to quantify the perception of the athletes parents, this is important because in performance and elite sport when the competition for places are limited many parents can disagree with certain choices that coaches make for example not picking the parents son/daughter for the next county match, obviously parents will have a bias view towards their child and feel that they’re superior and in their eyes the most talented player in the squad, in addition to this it is important that coaches build up a trustworthy relationship with their son/daughters coach, In order to respect and trust the coach as to why their son/daughter wasn’t picked. The fifth function of performance profiling is improving sporting performance. At performance and elite level every athlete should be willing to improve their performance in their sport whether it’s nutrition, conditioning, training etc. Improvement in a player/athletes performance means many doors will open such as having the opportunity to play in a league higher above which could lead to a higher wage and possible breakthroughs into higher honours such as England.   Identifying athletes strengths and weaknesses. The sixth function of performance profiling is to allow the athlete to identify his/her strength and weaknesses, it is important for a player to identify their strengths in order to keep confidence levels high and use these strengths to their advantage, it is also important to identify an athlete’s weaknesses in order to find suitable training strategy to improve identified weaknesses. Squad selection The seventh function of performance profile is squad selection, a coach may base the selection of his chosen squad based on the performance profiles of the coaches players. A coach may have a certain philosophy and different coaching style with regards to selection of squads and pick a player in comparison to a player performance wheel discussed between player and coach.

Traits for excellence (P2) Alfie Dunk 18 performance level open side flanker coaches Ben Coulson + Sam Hewick Physical abilities: strength, speed,, agility, athleticism, aggressiveness, etc.

Technical abilities: passing, tackle technique, kicking, etc.

Tactical abilities: game knowledge, field vision, awareness, creativity, reacting to opposition defence.

Mental abilities: confidence, good attitude, team player, aggression

Physical fitness  

Aerobic endurance –

aerobic fitness is the ability to exercise continuously for extended periods without tiring, this is important in rugby for an open side flanker, due to the need to get around the field and have a positive impact during the 80 minute period, making tackles, competing and rucks and to carry effectively.

Flexibility   Flexibility, mobility and suppleness all mean the range of limb movement around joints this is important in rugby for an open side flanker to have sufficient amount of limb movement around the joints in order to prevent injury from the different joints used in making tackle, and the isometric contraction when jumping at a lineout.

Muscular endurance. Muscular endurance is very important for people playing sports and who have to sustain an activity for long periods of time. Using a sporting example of rugby for an open side flanker it is essential that he/she has good muscular endurance in order to maintain optimum performance and also prevent injuries such as cramp.

Strength As an open side flanker it is important to be a strong player in attack and defence, for example when “jackling” for the ball it is important to stay in a strong position even when opposition players are trying to clear you out, staying in a strong position gives you as an open side flanker the opportunity to win the ball and turn the ball over.

Speed Speed is the ability to move quickly across the ground in terms of rugby and an open side flanker speed is important in order for the player to get to rucks faster that his opposite number in order to compete and win the ball for his team.

Body composition Body composition is the percentage of body weight which is fat, muscle or bone.it is important that an openside flanker has a balance between body fat and muscle percentage. Different sports have different requirements in terms of body composition in rugby an open side will usually have the a mesomorph somatotype in order to be strong in the lower and upper body whilst also having the ability to get around the pitch.

Skill related fitness  

Reaction time Reaction time is important as an open side flanker throughout the game the ball is on the floor and it is important that the player has quick reaction time to dive and secure the ball in order to win possession back for his team.

Balance  is the ability to stay upright or stay in control of body movement. for an open side flanker it is important that the player has good balance in order to stay on their feet and remain in a legal position during rucks when opposition players are trying to clear them out.

Power

essentially strong movements, performed with speed. For open side rugby it is important to have a lot of power in the shoulders in order to shrug opposition defenders off when they’re trying to make a tackle. This will be of an advantage to the player buying time for support and breaking the gain line. Agility Agility is the ability of the body to change direction quickly for an open side flanker in rugby it is important for the player to have good agility when making breaks in the loose to sidestep opposition defenders effectively which involves transferring weight quickly.

Coordination Hand eye coordination affects your timing, reaction speed, body control and balance in   For example, a jumper in the lineout jumping to catch a ball requires good hand eye coordination to successfully catch the ball, but at the same time requires good eye-body coordination in order to put his body in the correct position in order for him to successfully catch the ball.  

Technical.  

Evasive Footwork before contact as an open side flanker you take a responsibility of carrying into contact which involves running off 9 and 10, as an open side flanker it is important to have good footwork in order to destabilise opposition defenders, giving you the opportunity to get over the gain line and make.

Handling skills in close contact. Handling skills in close contact are important as a flanker, as an open side flanker you are normally receiving and giving passes in close proximity to opposition defenders such as a “tip on” to move the focus point of contact.

Tackle technique As an open side flanker your role is to compete and make effective dominant tackles, it is important that you have good tackle technique and stop your opposition attackers from getting over the gain line.

Psychological

Use of skills It is important that as an open side flanker you have good skills set in your repertoire whether it’s a physical skill such as offloading out of the tackle or a mental skill just as being a strong leader within your team to motivate. It is essential that you use your skills to have a positive influence on your team for example prior to a game just before kick off having a huddle and motivating the team to perform.

Concentration

is  the ability to focus attention on the task at hand and not be affected or disturbed by internal or external distractions. In rugby an open side flanker will need to have good concentration skills in a lineout call to listen to the lineout call given by the second row and avoid being distracted by opposition forwards putting them off prior to the lineout lift.

Control of anxiety

Anxiety is a negative aspect of experiencing stress, for an open side flanker in rugby it is important that the player has control over anxiety levels, anxiety levels can be caused by many factors for example external factors such as pressure from the crowd it is important that as a player you can control pressure from the crowd and not let it affect your performance.

Aggression

In the game of rugby it is essential that aggression is part of a players game play, however aggression levels must be controlled in some cases if aggression is taken to the extreme it could result in the player being sent off. Controlled aggression is important for example psychologically it will help you make effective dominant tackles as well as dominant carries on the ball all a pivotal role as an open side flanker.

Tactical

  Decision making (the line out) The line out is a crucial part of a rugby game and many teams use different calls and systems to outwit the opposition line out, as an open side flanker it is important to be well equipped tactically in a defensive line out in order to prevent the opposition winning line out ball as well as attacking line out ball and trying to outwit the opponents.  

Defense at the scrums. Good defense as an open side flanker is essential in rugby in order to prevent the number 8 from making valuable meters and getting over the gain line. If you know your opposition 8 and he is a very physical and robust eight you need to stop him at source tackling low and getting off the scrum as early as possible.    

Rob Fogerty P5 Referral