strength training
Defined as the maximum force produced in singular muscle contraction, strength is the capacity of a muscle or muscle group to apply force against a resistance. Strength training would be relevant and beneficial for netball players as it improves muscular endurance, allowing players to perform over long periods of time without their muscles becoming fatigued, and increasing strength and power, important for throws, jumps and push-offs during the game.
There are three main types of strength training, and within each the muscles being trained are used differently. In isotonic training athletes perform exercises that cause eccentric and concentric muscle contractions, in isometric training athletes perform exercises in which the muscle length remains the same throughout, and in isokinetic training athletes use machines to ensure the most beneficial resistance is being applied to the muscle during the exercise. The best strength gains will be made when the training is exercise specific, uses progressive resistance, and applies the overload principle.
For strength training to be effective for a netball player, the muscle groups used in a netball game should be considered. As the two main areas used in netball are the legs; for running and breaking free, and arms/shoulders; for throwing, shooting and defending, exercises should be found that increase the strength of those particular areas. Specific exercises like squats (legs), leg press (legs), bench press (chest, arms, shoulders) and military press (arms and shoulders) will improve their given muscle groups and would be especially effective for the training of a netball player. Other exercises for certain muscle groups are as follows;
There are three main types of strength training, and within each the muscles being trained are used differently. In isotonic training athletes perform exercises that cause eccentric and concentric muscle contractions, in isometric training athletes perform exercises in which the muscle length remains the same throughout, and in isokinetic training athletes use machines to ensure the most beneficial resistance is being applied to the muscle during the exercise. The best strength gains will be made when the training is exercise specific, uses progressive resistance, and applies the overload principle.
For strength training to be effective for a netball player, the muscle groups used in a netball game should be considered. As the two main areas used in netball are the legs; for running and breaking free, and arms/shoulders; for throwing, shooting and defending, exercises should be found that increase the strength of those particular areas. Specific exercises like squats (legs), leg press (legs), bench press (chest, arms, shoulders) and military press (arms and shoulders) will improve their given muscle groups and would be especially effective for the training of a netball player. Other exercises for certain muscle groups are as follows;
aerobic training
Aerobic training aims to improves the body's efficiency at using oxygen by training the bigger muscles groups (arms, legs and chest) to sufficiently combine with the cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen to an athletes body and active muscles. Aerobic training would be beneficial for netball players as it improves an athletes cardiovascular endurance and therefore allows a player to participate longer.
There are four main types of aerobic training; continuous training is where the athlete exercises at constant intensity with no rest. Fartlek training includes short bursts of high intensity exercise while having slower more lengthy exercise in between bursts. Interval training involves alternating periods of intense work and then recovery, this is repeated multiple times in a constant process. Circuit training is a style of interval training that includes using different exercises or work stations for a predetermined amount of time with a small amount of rest, if any.
The type of aerobic training recommended for netball is fartlek training as it puts more stress on their system, to which their body will eventually adapt to therefore increasing their speed and anaerobic threshold, both of which are important during a netball game. An example of a fartlek training exercise that would be beneficial for a netball player is a 300m run at a comfortable pace (around 75% intensity), then a sprint for 100m (about 95% intensity), and then back to another 300m at their comfortable pace. This routine can be followed for a set amount of time and/or distance. Interval training is also beneficial to netball players as it not only allows the body to build new capillaries and increases its ability in supplying oxygen to the working muscles, but also mimics the stop start action of a netball game. An example of an interval training exercise that a netball player could participate in would be a 200m sprint in 35 seconds followed by a 60 second break, then a 200m sprint in 35 seconds followed by a 30 second break.
There are four main types of aerobic training; continuous training is where the athlete exercises at constant intensity with no rest. Fartlek training includes short bursts of high intensity exercise while having slower more lengthy exercise in between bursts. Interval training involves alternating periods of intense work and then recovery, this is repeated multiple times in a constant process. Circuit training is a style of interval training that includes using different exercises or work stations for a predetermined amount of time with a small amount of rest, if any.
The type of aerobic training recommended for netball is fartlek training as it puts more stress on their system, to which their body will eventually adapt to therefore increasing their speed and anaerobic threshold, both of which are important during a netball game. An example of a fartlek training exercise that would be beneficial for a netball player is a 300m run at a comfortable pace (around 75% intensity), then a sprint for 100m (about 95% intensity), and then back to another 300m at their comfortable pace. This routine can be followed for a set amount of time and/or distance. Interval training is also beneficial to netball players as it not only allows the body to build new capillaries and increases its ability in supplying oxygen to the working muscles, but also mimics the stop start action of a netball game. An example of an interval training exercise that a netball player could participate in would be a 200m sprint in 35 seconds followed by a 60 second break, then a 200m sprint in 35 seconds followed by a 30 second break.
flexibility training
Flexibility is the range of motion that a joint or joint group can perform. Netball is a very agile sport and the inability to move quickly and to full joint mobility may be disadvantageous. One of the most beneficial aspects of stretching is the lowered risk of injury due to the improvement of the neuromuscular pathways. There are four main ways in which flexibility can be trained; static stretching is a type of passive stretching that involves stretching a muscle eccentrically to its farthest point and sustaining it there for a short period of time. PNF stretching (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) combines static stretching and isometric stretching to adapt to the new length of a the muscle. Dynamic stretching involves movement and consists of actively moving parts of the body that are being stretched to extend the length of the muscle. Ballistic stretching is a variation of dynamic stretching that forces the muscle further than its natural range of motion by utilizing the movement of the body. A beneficial type of flexibility training would be static stretching as it improves joint mobility and allows the body to adapt to the extended length of the stretched muscle which can severely reduce the risk of muscle injuries that are prevalent within netball. As it is performed in a slow and controlled way, static stretching is safe and over-stretching is very unlikely to occur. An example of a static stretch would be hamstring stretch that is held for 20-30 seconds to stretch out the hamstring muscle, as seen below.