Keeping fit during a Sevens competition

[Deeps]

I said elsewhere that there are certain niggly aspects about the modern game that annoy me. I have just found another, a pulled hamstring!

What is is about Sevens! You warm up for the first game and stretch out, roll on to the next because you are still getting warmed up; then your buddy comes on for a couple of games and you run touch to keep warm. On you go again and 'twang' away it goes. You get egg on face and the referee coordinator goes spare. What warm up routine would anyone advise for Sevens and what do people do between games to preserve game fitness?

I am off to the physio later as I am acutely aware of my commitment to Rosslyn Park next week.

 

[Pablo]

The system that works for me (though maybe it's just the robustness of youth!?), is to have a warm tracksuit on pitch side and to put it on during half time and immediately after your games, and also wear it while you're TJing for the other refs. Stretch as much as time permits and keep moving as much as possible. Hopefully that way, you'll just finish the day stiff instead of injured!

 

[Davet]

The general rule has to be keep warm, and keep stretching. If you stand around then muscles will start to stiffen, and when you then need the elasticity its gorn.

I also find it useful to wear the old "rubber pants" not because of the effects of the war wound - but they do keep the hamstrings warm.

 

[Deeps]

The general rule has to be keep warm, and keep stretching. If you stand around then muscles will start to stiffen, and when you then need the elasticity its gorn.

I also find it useful to wear the old "rubber pants" not because of the effects of the war wound - but they do keep the hamstrings warm.

This nice young lady drilled her thumbs into the back of my thigh earlier on this evening so it was not only the linament that made my eyes water. Thanks guys, I'll have to find a 'rubber pants' shop now and be a bit more conscientious about keeping warm and supple between games.

 

[AlanT]

Remember to do a warm down stretch after a game, too.

I coach athletics where the warm down is as important as warm ups wrt injury prevention.


Alan .................

 

[Mat 04]

I was at Rosslyn Park 7's

Dwr-y-Felin school.

 

[Robert Burns]

So were quite a few of us, next year we'll have to arrange a meet and get a piccy.

Any of you at the Middx 7's?

 

[Mat 04]

lol I meant I was actually playing

 

[Robert Burns]

lol, I see, ok.

 

[Deeps]

My original starter to this thread is a year old now. This year I was able to pace myself better and lasted well for all 5 days of the National School Sevens without muscle injury; I had a couple of blisters on toes by Thursday though and resorted to my astro turf shoes on the Friday. I think general fitness helps avoid injury (obvious statement I suppose), clearly my fitness level must have been higher.

Wrapping up and keeping on the move between games seems to help and proper stretching as many have commented; I always think it is disastrous to sit down or put the feet up. Rehydration at half time and at the end of the game whether you feel thirsty or not is important too. A wise old navy doctor once told me to check the colour of your urine regularly; if it is anything other than clear then you are dehydrated.

 

[Robert Burns]

Nostalgia in a thread eh?

 

[tim White]

Dehydration

Some years ago (continuing the nostalgia thread) I worked in Saudi Arabia, a wise old man suggested to me it matters not when you last had a drink but when you last had a pee. His rule of thumb was to drink enough so you wanted to pee every one to two hours at the most, this also is consistent with the colour theory. I personally dislike too much liquid before or during exercise as I feel bloated, but I try to make sure I am drinking plenty in the build up to the game.

 

[Simon Thomas]

Having suffered most of last season with achilles and calf pulls, mainly due to old injuries coming home to roost, I finally realised that age has finally caught up and took some specialist advice - more than a specialist sports physio.

As an ex-first class rugby player (training daily in the 80s in the evenings) and a county standard athlete in my 20s - I know all the right practices, theories and practicalities on warm up / warm down, hydration, etc covered so well above by colleagues.

Older age referees must realise that once over your mid-30s all muscles start to loose flexilibity and your tendons start to shorten - all you can do is extra work to retain as much flexibility as you can. And your body just doesn't repair as fast or as completely as it used to.

I now have a detailed stretching regime which I follow morning and night (it gets me strange looks at Heathrow at 6 am when travelling on business !).
Fingers crossed for this season.

 

[Bryan]

I've just returned from a three day Sevens Tournament (World Police and Fire Games). I've found so far that with all the 7s tournaments I've reffed, there are never enough refs assigned. Tournament organisers tend to think that the running in an 80 minute match is the same as the running in 5 Sevens matches (about 75 mins total), which is far from the truth!

I started off the first day on turf shoes, (molded rubber studs were not going to help on the hard pitch), and by the 2nd day reverted to running shoes when running touch and switching back to turf-shoes while in the middle. The evening matches (Mens Div 1) were played on the Stadium Astroturf, which made for some even faster rugby with players who were just starting out and refs who had been going since 9am.

Water is your best friend, and hearing the world "forfeit" is the happiest moment of the day. The important thing I found is to use your time between matches to warm down, drink plenty of fluids with the odd fruit or snack-bar between games. Stretching is key- if you don't feel the stiffness that day, you'll feel it the next morning when you get out of bed!

-Bryan

 

[ExHookah]

Simon,

I'd be very interested to see that stretching routine you mentioned. I'm only 30, but I have been having trouble getting my calves and achilles loose, especially when doing multiple matches in a day (which is unavoidable in the US, I've done 3 full 15's matches in a weekend recently). This past weekend I also suffered my first hamstring problem, which I'm sure is related to tight calves and tight back pulling on it. Thought it was just a pull, but think it might actually be a tear. Going to have to rehab this carefully.

 

[AlanT]

I am starting to experience/understand the different fitness issues in 7s and 10s tournements.

Did a junior 7s at the end of last season - 8 games reffing mostly U14s and 2 games running touch (with several gaps/rests) and ended up with bad calf cramp that stopped me training after and took a good couple of weeks to get out of my legs.

Did an U18s 10s this week and ended up with sore calves and very tight/painful hamstrings for the last 2 games and since. I warmed up and stretched beforehand, took water and stretched a bit between games, but no rests and 4 hours on feet. Two days later I can jog slowly but I can't run.

Simply too much on the day - I could run a marathon in that sort of time, so it's no wonder the body's complaining.

Stamina wasn't the problem - I have been a regular road runner for many years (44sec for 10k, 1:39 for half marathon - nothing quick, but OK) and have been training 3-4 times a week over the summer doing hills, reps, fartleks, drills and refs runs.

Fatigue was the major issue IMO.

I won't do 7s/10s again without insisting on some proper rests during.

 

[AlanT]

Got a bruised toe as well ... (

 

[Jacko]

44sec for 10k

We have a superman in our midst!

 

[AlanT]

A "Stupidman"!