Needs Analysis

Evaluation of Sport

The game of rugby has changed vastly over the years. There has been an increase in the number of tackles, passes, rucks and tries, and the mass of a rugby player has increased by about 2.6 kg each decade from 1905 to 1999 (Posthumus, 2009).

As a centre the player is required to pass the ball quickly and accurately to both sides, meaning that good timing, hand speed and co-ordination are vital skills. They also need to be able to take a tackle when the game becomes defensive, meaning they need to be a good size and strong. Explosive acceleration and pace are also required for the moment when a tackle has been broken (NZ rugby resources, 2007).

Rugby has one of the highest incidences of injury when compared to other popular team sports. It has been found that on average a club team will up to 18% of their players unavailable to play due to various injuries (Brooks, Fuller, Kemp and Reddin, 2005).  Brooks et al. (2005) found that ankle sprains occurred at a rate of 1.1 per 1000 hours of rugby played. This high rate indicates a need for prehabiliation programmes to increase the functional strength of the ankle joint (Brooks et al., 2005).

Evaluation of Athlete

This athlete is an international rugby player, in the position of centre. He has experience with resistance training and shows good technique with both free weights and resistance machines. He has sustained numerous lateral ankle sprains to his left ankle within the past 18 months. 

In the movement assessment he showed good basic strength and reactions, he also performed well in the agility tests, showing good technique and footwork. However, he struggled during the transitions and showed some poor balance mechanics on some of the drills. His good basic strength has probably come from his past history of resistance training, as the test is looking at basic strength, the programme will look to improve more functional aspects of strength. The poor balance mechanics shown during various drills in the assessment is most likely due to his past history of lateral ankle sprains. He probably has developed laxity in his ligaments and weakness of the surrounding muscles, therefore, a prehabilitation programme will be added to the training to help improve his balance and proprioception and help to avoid any further ankle injuries. It has been mentioned that he can get bored of his programmes, therefore, the exercises can be moved around or mixed up to help keep it interesting. 

Current season:  Off Season

Training status:  Not injured and training fully

Primary resistance training goal;

·         Muscle hypertrophy and building power (strength and speed).

Other training goals;

·         Increasing ankle strength and proprioception.

·         Building general fitness.

·         Improving each component of a match.

·         Encouraging team enthusiasm and solidarity.