On Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:05:37 -0000, "Bully"
<neil_simpson@spam-me-not_btinternet.com> wrote:
>JMW wrote:
>> "Ranieri" <nah> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "Hobbes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]...
>>>> In article <[email protected]>, "Ranieri" <nah>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I recall from the golden days of MFW that it's generally
>>>>> inadvisable to try
>>>>> to duplicate a speed/skill athletic movement (ie slapshot,
>>>>> throwing a baseball, etc.) with a heavier weight because it can
>>>>> mess up the neural adaptation one has developed for the movement.
>>>>> What I'd like to find is a cite of some sort...anybody?
>>>>
>>>> There are lots of them. Search under 'skill transfer' and
>>>> 'resistance training'.
>>>
>>> A little background - #1 son is a competitive swimmer and his coach
>>> has him on a pretty good strngth training program. Squat, DL, hang
>>> cleans, cable rows, pull ups. Somebody was wondering whether the
>>> swimmers should be doing more sport specific stuff like cable pulls
>>> on a sliding bench to mimic a butterfly, for example. My thought was
>>> that they are better off training for overall body strength and to
>>> work the specific muscles of each stroke by swimming.
>>
>> Absolutely. When you train a specific movement for strength, not only
>> are you improving the strength of the movement by causing accretion to
>> the muscle tissue, but also by entraining neural patterns. Attempting
>> to approximate a sport-specific movement with heavy resistance is
>> likely to entrain a rate coding pattern that makes the stroke stronger
>> but slower. Not a good idea for a swimmer.
>
>I've been thinking about the exact same subject but in relation to rugby.
>If, for example, we practice passing the ball with over-weight balls it will
>strengthen the movement -- agreed. Now, JMW, you say it will also slow the
>movement. But, if we practice for 10 mins/week with over-weight balls and
>the other say 80 mins per week with normal-weight balls, will it have a
>significant slowing effect?
Passing a rugby ball is not a skill that requires a particularly high
level of strength of power, given that the ball is nothing more than a
bag of air.
There is nothing to gain by using weighted balls and perhaps a
considerable amount to lose. A player using a weighted ball may adjust
to the heavier ball, and when returning to the normal ball may well
overthrow or loft.
Passing a normal ball is the best practice for passing, while players
in training sessions should be encouraged to carry and distribute the
ball as much as possible.
Strength and power training with weights or man on man opposition
exercises, is best aimed directly at those areas that require such
strength, which are mainly contact skills to do with upper body
strength and legs.