SCHOOL NEWS// THE WHOLE SCHOOL MATTERS
LEADING THE WAY
IN PROMOTING
SAFE SPORT
Rugby and Hockey players at
Pocklington School are benefiting
from sophisticated GPS tracking units
designed to help them analyse and
improve performance levels and fitness.
Rugby players are also taking part in a
nationwide research project aimed at
identifying and reducing injury risk.
Both schemes reflect the Sports
Department’s determination to help
talented athletes fulfil their potential
in a closely monitored environment
where injuries are minimised as far as
possible.
Since September, senior players have
been wearing professional-standard
GPS tracking units which measure
their work-rate, speed, positioning and
number of collisions during training
and matches.
The objective data helps coaches
structure training and plan tactics, as
well as incentivising students to improve
performance levels. Players themselves
can access the same data via an app and
have the option to share it with friends
and external coaches.
Pocklington School’s Head of Athletic
Coaching and Development, Jonathon
Wheeler, said: “We constantly review
training and performance programmes to
help pupils compete safely and to improve our
understanding of their performance, and we’re
delighted to have been able to introduce these
professional-standard GPS tracking units.
“They came fully into use this year and we’re
already seeing the benefits in terms of players’
fitness and performance. We’ve used them to
pinpoint areas for improvement and to ensure
players aren’t over-exerted – so if a player
runs 5km in Monday training, including
400m sprinting, and is then involved in a
high intensity game covering lots of meters
per minute and a similar sprint distance on
Wednesday, we can see that player would
probably benefit from resting or having a
lighter session on Friday before playing again
on Saturday.”
The GPS units have been worn by 32
senior hockey and rugby players so
far, across the 1st and 2nd teams, and
coaches plan to expand their use across
other teams.
The School is also working with
researchers supported by the Rugby
Football Union (RFU) in a data study
to better understand the demands of
Rugby at schools’ level, to work out
injury risks and the best way to prevent
them occurring in the future.
sessions as well as improving safety in schools
nationwide. We take our responsibilities as
coaches very seriously and will support in
any way we can to help that research going
forward.”
As part of the study, School players have
added the RFU’s injury prevention
warm-up to their pre-match routine.
Links with elite coaches at clubs such
as Yorkshire Carnegie and Leeds
Beckett University, together with the
School’s Strength and Conditioning
(S&C) programme, have also resulted
in effective training techniques which
promote the fitness and health of our
sportsmen and women.
Researchers at Bath University are
gathering data on injuries and recovery
time (on an anonymous basis) and
comparing the data with other schools
and
institutions
nationwide, to identify
the level of injury risk
and highlight areas
where injuries may
be prevented in the
future. The School
will
automatically
receive feedback and
data about the team’s
exposure to injury
and the number and
type of any injuries
suffered.
Richard
Wareham,
Director of Rugby,
said: “The researchers’
feedback will prove
extremely useful to us
in devising our coaching
THE POCKLINGTONIAN
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