HOW TO: PREVENT & MANAGE INJURY

July is the time of the season when everything counts. With two months until the finals, there are no more second chances for some teams. Making sure you are able to compete injury free is essential at this stage of the season.

A lot of injury prevention is common sense. Ensure that you are properly stretched and warmed up before training and matches, and keep your body warm. Do not cut corners.

If you already have an injury, ensure you properly treat it as soon as it is sustained to maximise your rehabilitation and recovery. Follow your physio’s advice and do all the extra strengthening and stretching work to get you back to full fitness before finals.

Gerrard Woods
Director, Sportsmart

HOW TO: GET MORE OUT OF YOUR TRAINING

• Be specific in your goal-setting

What you want from your training? If fitness is the goal, train for fitness; if strength is the goal, train for strength; if an increase in skill is the goal, practice that skill. Focusing on too many things at once or having vague goals can be counterproductive.

• Give yourself the best chance at success

Educate yourself in what training is required for your goal and get the right equipment.

• No excuses

Schedule time in your week to spend on training as you would any other serious endeavour or commitment.

Sportsmart Kilsyth Assistant Manager, Fitness, Adam Musovic

CHOOSING FITNESS EQUIPMENT

Sportsmart Clayton/Olympic Fitness Store Manager, David Scerri

Q. How should I choose which type of fitness equipment to buy?

Start by thinking about what types of exercise you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy riding, don’t buy an exercise bike. If running bores you to tears, avoid a treadmill. Remember that if you don’t enjoy your training time you’ll never keep it up. For most goals, 30+ minutes a day, 5 to 7 days a week is all it takes!

Q. I’ve chosen which type of equipment to buy, but there are so many variations. How do I select the machine that best suits me?

There are many variables to consider when choosing your new exercise machine. They can be as important as how heavy or tall you are, or as simple as finding the quietest or the one that best suits the size of your room. In the end, however, the best way to select an exercise machine is to just try it out – just like choosing a pair of shoes – and if it feels good, it is most likely right for you.

The four big considerations are horsepower, deck size, programs and top speed. While these seem simple, the horsepower and programs options can prove to be confusing to customers.

Horsepower is often marketed in a manner that is designed to trick a buyer who sees a bigger number and so assumes a better motor. The important figure to consider is the machine’s continuous horsepower, rather than its peak horsepower.

When buying a treadmill, it helps to get your head around the different program options and what you think will best suit your needs. Programs are not all the same; a majority of treadmills use generic, slightly differing versions of their competitor’s programs. Simply asking for ‘incline only’ programs, or the ability to design your own program, will help to narrow down your choices. If programs aren’t important to you, ignore this feature and look at other areas of the machine.

Deck size, in my opinion, is highly over-rated and adds many dollars to your choice. Width is far more important than length if you’re of average height. Length is important to all those who intend on running quite fast or sprinting, but is rarely worth looking at if you intend to use your machine to jog lightly, or even walk.

Bikes, cross trainers and bench presses simply have to suit your height and weight. These are the simplest of all machines to choose, as there are no major components to worry about. Consoles all look very different but when looking below $1500 they all do much the same thing. A bench press has to suit your strength requirements – most wont hold much more than 250kg, but most people don’t require more than that.

HOW TO: SHOOT A NETBALL

Netball is a game of skill, pace and flexibility – but one very important aspect is shooting accuracy. Whether you are a Goal Attack or Goal Shooter, or you are just keen to try your hand at shooting, breaking the motion down into steps allows you to focus on technique at each point in the shot. Here are five basic steps for shooting a netball:

1. Align your body to the netball post so your whole body faces the post

2. Ensure your feet are shoulder-width apart – this helps with balance

3. Hold the ball in both your hands and stretch your arms straight above your head

4. Bend your knees and elbows then release the ball and push it upwards as you straighten

5. Flick with your wrists as you let go of the ball – this give it some backspin to give the shot more control.

Achieving greater accuracy takes practise – so keep at it for better results! 

Sportsmart Moorabbin Bat and Ball Manager, Tom Kilpatrick

CHOOSING NETBALL SHOES

Sportsmart Footwear Manager, Ryan Meggs

Q. Why is it important to get the right netball shoes?

Netball is one of the most physically demanding sports around, requiring movements in all directions, which and creates a lot of stress on the knees, ankles and feet.

Q. What are the key features to look for when selecting netball shoes?

• Cushioning for comfort against impact (i.e. running and jumping)
• Ankle support as well as mid-foot and heel stability to keep the shoe and foot rigid to help avoid injury
• Outsole grip for greater court traction and durability.

HOW TO: PERFECT YOUR JUMP SHOT TECHNIQUE

Firstly, position yourself for the shot. If you’re stationary, take a short step forward to create momentum and rhythm for the jump. If you are dribbling, pivot on the balls of your feet to square yourself to the basket. Make sure your knees are bent and hold the ball with both hands close to your body.

If you a right-handed shot, the left hand should act as a guide on the side of the ball while your right hand is the trigger (positioned square/in front of the face). The opposite applies for left-handed shooters.

Jump as high as possible, although the height of the jump is not as important as the timing.

As you take off (jump), bring the ball up, making sure to keep it close to your body until it is above your head, which is usually at the peak of the jump. Shooting the ball from above your head makes it difficult for defenders to block the shot. The shooting elbow must be bent.

In executing the jump shot, remember to steady/position/balance yourself before shooting and to jump up rather than forward.

Swish…

Sportsmart Moorabbin Bat and Ball Manager, Tom Kilpatrick

CHOOSING BASKETBALL SHOES

Sportsmart Footwear Manager, Ryan Meggs

Q. Why is it important to get the right basketball shoes?

Basketball demands a lot from your feet, ankles and knees, which is why it’s important to choose a basketball shoe that’s right for you with plenty of cushioning, support and grip.

Q. What are the key features to look for when selecting basketball shoes?

• Cushioning for comfort against impact (i.e. running and jumping)
• Ankle support as well as mid-foot and heel stability to keep the shoe and foot rigid to help avoid injury
• Outsole grip for greater court traction and durability.

HOW TO: PREVENT & MANAGE INJURY

Most teams are now at that stage of the season where every point counts – that extra point you earn now may go a long way to determine where you end up on the table this season, and it is important to stay injury-free.

A lot of injury prevention is common sense. Ensure that you are properly stretched and warmed up before training and matches, and keep your body warm. Do not cut corners.

If you already have an injury, ensure you properly treat it as soon as it is sustained to maximise your rehabilitation and recovery. Follow your physio’s advice and do all the extra strengthening and stretching work to get you back to full fitness before the end of the year. 

Gerrard Woods
Director, Sportsmart

Q&A: KEEPING WARM

with Sportsmart Clothing Manager, Liam Collins

Q. Why is it important to keep warm while training and playing?

A warm muscle is a strong muscle. Warming up before exercise and staying warm during exercise increases the movement of blood through the tissues and increases delivery of oxygen to muscles.

Once muscles are warm they become more limber, which helps prevent injury during exercise.

A warm-up prepares your heart for an increase in activity and prepares your muscles for stretching (note: stretching should be completed after or during the warm-up, not before). In general, a warm-up is essential to exercising safely.

Q. What is the best way to do warm up?

When exercising for general fitness, allow 5 to 10 minutes for your warm-up (or slightly longer in cold weather). This could consist of a light jog, working at 25–35% of maximum heart rate, which will increase body temperature. You should complete movements that gradually increase your heart rate.

As you warm up, your core temperature will increase. As this happens, you can ramp up your warm-up intensity to prepare your body to start your workout/training/game. For example, you might opt to do 6 sets x 40-metre strides at 70% of maximum heart rate.

An athlete, advanced exerciser or someone who is training for a particular sport may need a more advanced and longer warm-up.

Q. Are there any products that help to optimise body temperature?

Compression garments assist with preparation, performance, recovery and body temperature by accelerating blood flow and oxygen to muscles, which assists with eliminating lactic acid to allow you to compete at a higher rate for longer. They also draw moisture away from the skin and improve circulation to optimise body temperature in hot and cold environments.

Some of the options Sportsmart has on offer are:

Skins™ (compression)

Can be worn in either hot or cold environments. A common misconception is that skins can only be worn during winter as they will be too hot in summer, but this is incorrect. I personally like to wear my Skins™ sport long tights all year-round.

Skins™ also has a travel & recovery range, which can be worn after exercise/activity to aid recovery or during long travel.

Under Armour® (compression)

Includes the ColdGear® range, engineered to be worn in the cold/winter months, and also HeatGear®, designed for the warm/summer months.

 

Come in store to compare the different options that Sportsmart can offer you.

HOW TO: PERFECT YOUR FOREHAND

The key to a perfect forehand is getting yourself in a good position to hit the ball out in front of your body. Good footwear is essential to getting in position quickly – maximising the timing and balance required to play the shot.

It is important to get the racquet back early so you don’t rush the stroke. This early preparation will make it easier to make contact with the ball in front of the body with the correct weight transference into the stroke.

Make sure you follow through and finish the shot with your racquet high over your opposite shoulder.

Sportsmart Tennis Manager and tennis coach, Ray James