Career Performance Trajectories of Professional Australian Football Players

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1363-1368
Author(s):  
Courtney Sullivan ◽  
Thomas Kempton ◽  
Patrick Ward ◽  
Aaron J. Coutts
Keyword(s):  
Peak Performance ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Career Trajectory ◽  
Career Trajectories ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Peak Match ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Specific Career ◽  
Age Of Peak Performance ◽  
Career Performance

Purpose: To develop position-specific career performance trajectories and determine the age of peak performance of professional Australian Football players. Methods: Match performance data (Australian Football League [AFL] Player Rank) were collected for Australian Football players drafted via the AFL National Draft between 1999 and 2015 (N = 207). Players were subdivided into playing positions: forwards (n = 60; age 23 [3] y), defenders (n = 71; age 24 [4] y), midfielders (n = 58; age 24 [4] y), and ruckmen (n = 18; age 24 [3] y). Linear mixed models were fitted to the data to estimate individual career trajectories. Results: Forwards, midfielders, and defenders experienced peak match performance earlier than ruckmen (24–25 vs 27 y). Midfielders demonstrated the greatest between-subjects variability (intercept 0.580, age 0.0286) in comparison with ruckmen, who demonstrated the least variability (intercept 0.112, age 0.005) in AFL Player Rank throughout their careers. Age had the greatest influence on the career trajectory of midfielders (β [SE] = 0.226 [0.025], T = 9.10, P < .01) and the least effect on ruckmen (β [SE] = 0.114 [0.049], T = 2.30, P = .02). Conclusions: Professional Australian Football players peak in match performance between 24 and 27 years of age with age, having the greatest influence on the match performance of midfielders and the least on ruckmen.

Elite Junior Throwers Unlikely to Remain at the Top Level in the Senior Category

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Gennaro Boccia ◽  
Marco Cardinale ◽  
Paolo Riccardo Brustio
Keyword(s):  
Transition Rate ◽  
Peak Performance ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
The World ◽  
Elite Level ◽  
Senior Athletes ◽  
World Class ◽  
Age Of Peak Performance ◽  
Career Performance

Purpose: This study investigated (1) the transition rate of elite world-class throwers, (2) the age of peak performance in either elite junior and/or elite senior athletes, and (3) if relative age effect (RAE) influences the chance of being considered elite in junior and/or senior category. Methods: The career performance trajectories of 5108 throwers (49.9% females) were extracted from the World Athletics database. The authors identified throwers who had reached the elite level (operationally defined as the World all-time top 50 ranked for each age category) in either junior and/or senior category and calculated the junior-to-senior transition rate. The age of peak performance and the RAE were also investigated. Results: The transition rate at 16 and 18 years of age was 6% and 12% in males and 16% and 24% in females, respectively. Furthermore, elite senior throwers reached their personal best later in life than elite junior throwers. The athletes of both genders considered elite in the junior category showed a large RAE. Interestingly, male athletes who reached the elite level in senior category also showed appreciable RAE. Conclusions: Only a few of the athletes who reach the top 50 in the world at 16 or 18 years of age manage to become elite senior athletes, underlining that success at the beginning of an athletic career does not predict success in the athlete’s senior career. Moreover, data suggest that being relatively older may confer a benefit across the whole career of male throwers.

Training Periodization of Professional Australian Football Players During an Entire Australian Football League Season

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 566-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Moreira ◽  
Johann C. Bilsborough ◽  
Courtney J. Sullivan ◽  
Michael Cianciosi ◽  
Marcelo Saldanha Aoki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Exertion ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Training Load ◽  
Rating Of Perceived Exertion ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Training Intensity ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Football Team ◽  
Cross Training ◽  
Australian Football

Purpose:To examine the training periodization of an elite Australian Football team during different phases of the season.Methods:Training-load data were collected during 22 wk of preseason and 23 wk of in-season training. Training load was measured using the session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) for all training sessions and matches from 44 professional Australian Football players from the same team. Training intensity was divided into 3 zones based on session-RPE (low, <4; moderate, >4 AU and <7 AU; and high, >7 AU). Training load and intensity were analyzed according to the type of training session completed.Results:Higher training load and session duration were undertaken for all types of training sessions during the preseason than in-season (P < .05), with the exception of “other” training (ie, re/prehabilitation training, cross-training, and recovery activities). Training load and intensity were higher during the preseason, with the exception of games, where greater load and intensity were observed during the in-season. The overall distribution of training intensity was similar between phases with the majority of training performed at moderate or high intensity.Conclusions:The current findings may allow coaches and scientists to better understand the characteristics of Australian Football periodization, which in turn may aid in developing optimal training programs. The results also indicate that a polarized training-intensity distribution that has been reported in elite endurance athletes does not occur in professional Australian Football.

scholarly journals Relationship Between Preseason Training Load and In-Season Availability in Elite Australian Football Players

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 749-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick B. Murray ◽  
Tim J. Gabbett ◽  
Andrew D. Townshend
Keyword(s):  
Global Positioning System ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
Gps Technology ◽  
Risk Of Injury ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
The Relationship

Objectives:To investigate the relationship between the proportion of preseason training sessions completed and load and injury during the ensuing Australian Football League season.Design:Single-cohort, observational study.Methods:Forty-six elite male Australian football players from 1 club participated. Players were divided into 3 equal groups based on the amount of preseason training completed (high [HTL], >85% sessions completed; medium [MTL], 50–85% sessions completed; and low [LTL], <50% sessions completed). Global positioning system (GPS) technology was used to record training and game loads, with all injuries recorded and classified by club medical staff. Differences between groups were analyzed using a 2-way (group × training/competition phase) repeated-measures ANOVA, along with magnitude-based inferences. Injury incidence was expressed as injuries per 1000 h.Results:The HTL and MTL groups completed a greater proportion of in-season training sessions (81.1% and 74.2%) and matches (76.7% and 76.1%) than the LTL (56.9% and 52.7%) group. Total distance and player load were significantly greater during the first half of the in-season period for the HTL (P = .03, ES = 0.88) and MTL (P = .02, ES = 0.93) groups than the LTL group. The relative risk of injury for the LTL group (26.8/1000 h) was 1.9 times greater than that for the HTL group (14.2/1000 h) (χ2 = 3.48, df = 2, P = .17).Conclusions:Completing a greater proportion of preseason training resulted in higher training loads and greater participation in training and competition during the competitive phase of the season.

Evening Whey Protein Intake, Rich in Tryptophan, and Sleep in Elite Male Australian Rules Football Players on Training and Nontraining Days

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Cassandra Ferguson ◽  
Brad Aisbett ◽  
Michele Lastella ◽  
Spencer Roberts ◽  
Dominique Condo
Keyword(s):  
Whey Protein ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Protein Intake ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Protein Supplementation ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Protein Supplement ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Australian Rules Football ◽  
Australian Football

Objectives: To investigate the effect of evening whey protein supplementation, rich in tryptophan, on sleep in elite male Australian Rules Football players. Design: Double-blinded, counterbalanced, randomized, cross-over study. Methods: Sleep was assessed using wrist activity monitors and sleep diaries in 15 elite male Australian Football League players on two training and nontraining days following evening consumption of an isocaloric whey protein supplement or placebo in preseason. A 5-day preintervention period was implemented to determine habitual dietary intake and baseline sleep measures. These habitual data were used to inform the daily dietary intake and timing of ingestion of the evening whey protein supplement or placebo on the intervention days. The whey protein supplement or placebo was consumed 3 hr prior to habitual bedtime. Results: Separate one-way repeated-measures analyses of covariance revealed no differences between the whey protein supplement and the placebo on sleep duration, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, or wake after sleep onset on either training or nontraining days. Conclusions: Evening whey protein supplementation, rich in tryptophan, does not improve acute sleep duration or quality in elite male Australian Football League players. However, elite athletes may be able to ingest a high protein/energy intake close to bedtime without impairing sleep, which is important for athlete recovery. Future research should investigate the effect of evening protein intake, high in tryptophan, on sleep duration and quality, including sleep staging during periods of restricted sleep and in poor-sleeping athletes.

The Effect of Body Mass on Eccentric Knee-Flexor Strength Assessed With an Instrumented Nordic Hamstring Device (Nordbord) in Football Players

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 721-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Buchheit ◽  
Yannick Cholley ◽  
Mark Nagel ◽  
Nicholas Poulos
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Knee Flexor ◽  
Professional Soccer ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Training History ◽  
Absolute Strength ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Flexor Strength

Purpose:To examine the effect of body mass (BM) on eccentric knee-flexor strength using the Nordbord and offer simple guidelines to control for the effect of BM on knee-flexor strength.Methods:Data from 81 soccer players (U17, U19, U21, senior 4th French division, and professionals) and 41 Australian Football League (AFL) players were used for analysis. They all performed 1 set of 3 maximal repetitions of the bilateral Nordic hamstring exercise, with the greatest strength measure used for analysis. The main regression equation obtained from the overall sample was used to predict eccentric knee-flexor strength from a given BM (moderate TEE, 22%). Individual deviations from the BM-predicted score were used as a BM-free index of eccentric knee- flexor strength.Results:There was a large (r = .55, 90% confidence limits .42;.64) correlation between eccentric knee-flexor strength and BM. Heavier and older players (professionals, 4th French division, and AFL) outperformed their lighter and younger (U17–U21) counterparts, with the soccer professionals presenting the highest absolute strength. Professional soccer players were the only ones to show strength values likely slightly greater than those expected for their BM.Conclusions:Eccentric knee-flexor strength, as assessed with the Nordbord, is largely BM-dependent. To control for this effect, practitioners may compare actual test performances with the expected strength for a given BM, using the following predictive equation: Eccentric strength (N) = 4 × BM (kg) + 26.1. Professional soccer players with specific knee-flexor-training history and enhanced neuromuscular performance may show higher than expected values.

Anthropometric Profiling of Elite Junior and Senior Australian Football Players

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Veale ◽  
Alan J. Pearce ◽  
David Buttifant ◽  
John S. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Bone Mineral ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Junior Athletes ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Senior Athletes ◽  
And Training

Purpose:Body structure and physical development must be addressed when preparing junior athletes for their first season in a senior competition. The aim of this preliminary study was to measure the extent of the assumption that final year junior Australian Football (AF) athletes are at a physical mismatch to their senior counterparts.Methods:Twenty-one male participants (17.71 ± 0.27 y) were recruited from one state based elite junior AF competition and forty-one male participants (22.80 ± 4.24 y) were recruited from one club competing in the senior elite Australian Football League (AFL), who were subsequently divided into two groups; professional rookies aged 18-20 y (19.44 ± 0.70 y; n = 18) and professional seniors aged 21+ y (25.43 ± 3.98 y; n = 23). Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans of all participants were completed.Results:Despite being an average 6.0% and 6.1% lighter in total weight and lean mass respectively, no significant difference was found between the elite junior athletes and their professional AFL rookie counterparts. However, significant differences were demonstrated in comparison with the professional AFL senior athletes (P < .01). Both professional AFL groups demonstrated greater than 0.3 kg total bone mineral content (BMC) than the elite junior athletes (P < .01) and significantly greater segmental BMC and bone mineral density (BMD) results (P < .05).Conclusion:While the results identify the differences in body composition of the elite junior athletes, development in a linear fashion is noted, providing useful information for the creation of age appropriate expectations and training programs.

Shorter time to first injury in first year professional football players: A cross-club comparison in the Australian Football League

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren V. Fortington ◽  
Jason Berry ◽  
David Buttifant ◽  
Shahid Ullah ◽  
Kathy Diamantopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Australian Football

scholarly journals Physical and Anthropometric Characteristics Do Not Differ According to Birth Year Quartile in High-Level Junior Australian Football Players

Sports ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Paul Larkin ◽  
Carl T. Woods ◽  
Jade Haycraft ◽  
David B. Pyne
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Jump ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Density Distributions ◽  
Australian Football League ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Anthropometric Characteristics ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
High Level

The aim of this study was to explore differences in the physical fitness and anthropometric profiles between birth year quartiles of players attending the Australian Football League (AFL) National Draft Combine. Date of birth, anthropometric, 20 m sprint, vertical and running vertical jump, AFL planned agility, and 20 m Multi-Stage Fitness Test (MSFT) data were obtained for players selected to attend the Combine between 1999 and 2019 (n = 1549; Mage = 18.1; SDage = 0.3). The underlying density distributions of the data were visually explored using violin plots overlaid with box and whisker plots. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was then used to model the main effect of birth quartile (four levels) on the physical and anthropometric scores. Results showed that physical and anthropometric test scores did not significantly differ according to birth quartile (V = 0.008, F = 0.880, p = 0.631). We conclude that the physical and anthropometric profiles of high-level junior Australian Football players were similar according to birth year quartile across the modeled period. Therefore, how players utilize their physical and anthropometric attributes during game-play via contextualized, representative assessments, such as small-sided games, should be considered when examining potential causes of a RAE.

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