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Fitness for Sevens

"When the skills are equal, fitness will win."

-- Jeff Butterfield, as quoted by Mike Williams

I doubt that anyone would disagree with that statement; one problem in applying it, however, is quantifying just what fitness is. The problem is many-fold: a) how do we determine what aspects of physical fitness are relevant to the game of sevens, b) how can players train to maximize their fitness, and c) how do we test players to determine their level of fitness.

There are many approaches to measuring and developing fitness; this section will discuss the approach currently being taken by USA Rugby fitness coach Ron Artingstall.

This chapter will deal with those attributes of fitness needed to play sevens to the best of one's physical capacity as well as training to best develop those attributes.

The second chapter in this section will give specific examples of how fitness for sevens is being tested in the United States.

The chapters will present the principles of fitness as applied to rugby in general, augmented with a discussion of sevens specific considerations.

Some of the material in this chapter has appeared in print before, either in Chapter V of the current USARFU Coaching Manual, a chapter contributed by Artingstall, or in his articles in Rugby.

Components of Fitness

Ron Artingstall has described the components of fitness and listed them in priority order:

Aerobic base. An endurance type activity requiring oxygen (can be thought of as the ability to sustain activity over time: a 5-mile run, for example).
Anaerobic endurance. The ability to repeat bouts of intense muscular exertion, up to 3 minutes, without oxygen (sprints, for example).
Power. The ability to recruit muscle fibers quickly.
Strength. The ability to apply a maximum muscular effort against a resistance in order to overcome that resistance.
Strength endurance. Ability to constantly repeat bouts of maximum or near maximum effort during a game.

Aerobic Base

Players often object to running several miles at non-sprinting speeds, claiming that this is not what occurs during the course of a game.

Ron Artingstall agrees that training must be as specific as possible, but explains that a good, sound aerobic base is needed to be able to recover quickly from the specific demands of the game in order to be able to do them repeatedly with little rest: a good aerobic base, therefore, reduces the need to "pace yourself" during a game.

It is quite common in sevens to have to put together back to back long sprints with very little rest; as well as requiring excellent anaerobic endurance, described below, this requires a sound aerobic base on which to build that anaerobic endurance. In Ron's words,

although the large thrust of the energy source [in sevens] is anaerobic, there's an aerobic component as well. To be aerobically fit means you have the ability to reapply those high intensity bouts throughout the game.

We metabolize lactic acid, at rest, through our aerobic system. The fitter you are aerobically, the quicker lactic acid is cleared from the body and the faster you recover from bouts of high intensity anaerobic loads (between games in a sevens tournament or even between sprints in a sevens game).

So while it's largely an anaerobic sport, the aerobic portion of it is an integral part as well.

What are good aerobic activities?

Any activity that elevates the heart rate to approximately 85% of its maximum level for a sustained period (30-40 minutes) builds the aerobic base. The energy source for aerobic activity is largely fat metabolized in the presence of oxygen.

Aerobic conditioning should be done in the off season (long runs, ideally 4-5 miles). As the pre-season approaches, training should then more replicate the demands of the game (anaerobic via things like the jingle jangle routines [described later in this chapter]).

Anaerobic Endurance

Even the fastest and strongest person in the world will not be an effective rugby player without the ability to repeat episodes of maximum effort several times throughout the duration of a game.

A.T.P. (adenosine triphosphate), the body's primary energy source, however, lasts only about 30 seconds even in a trained athlete.

The only way we can compensate for its loss and continue to perform efficiently is, according to an Artingstall article in Rugby (May 1990),

by cultivating the other two types of the anaerobic energy system, 1) lactic acid system, and 2) alactic system.

Lactic acid is a waste residue caused as glycogen (a type of sugar molecule) is broken down to form A.T.P. The whole process is called anaerobic glycosis. Lactic acid, though, has a drawback that no doubt every rugby player has experienced: it puts pressure on nerve endings and makes arms and legs feel like lead. This anaerobic system supplies energy for all out work bouts lasting between 1-3 minutes.

Following such an intense work bout we continue to breathe fast and heavy even though the demand has ceased. The oxygen taken in at this time above resting consumption, is used to replenish our A.T.P. levels. This is the alactic portion of the system, also referred to as oxygen debt.

In 20 seconds, 50% of A.T.P. is replenished.

In 40 seconds, 75% of A.T.P. is replenished.

In 60 seconds, 87% of A.T.P. is replenished.

Within 3-4 minutes, A.T.P. is totally replenished.

So what we need to do as rugby players is to condition ourselves so we can "push through" the fatigue associated with massive lactic acid build up, by building a tolerance to it. One method is by deliberately creating lactic acid build-up with short duration, high intensity activity (like jingle jangles, peripheral heart rate training) and decreasing rest intervals.

[But only after an excellent aerobic level is established.]

Jingle Jangles

A jingle jangle is one 80-yard shuttle (40 yards out and 40 yards back). Jingle jangle training consists of several jingle jangles done back to back.

Many rugby players that have gone through jingle jangle testing and training consider them to be the devil's own invention.

Nevertheless, Ron Artingstall, although stressing that no one single regimen can prepare a player to be a complete rugby player, nevertheless gives it a ringing endorsement, as seen in the following quote:

If they just train for that test [number of jingle jangles completed in 4 minutes], they'd be pretty quick at rugby. I hope nobody does, because it's a bad way to go about it, they're going to miss a lot of components.

But if you had to pick one thing out to the exclusion of all the other things, if you just trained to perform well on that test, it'd equip you pretty nicely to get through a game [sevens or fifteens].

The method of training simulates the demands of a game more closely than other methods such as interval running, because of

o The constant change of direction,

o The shorter distance involved,

o The very short periods allowed

result in only partial recovery.

A procedure for training using jingle jangles is given in Appendix D1-A.

Clappers

"Clappers" is a test and training regimen Artingstall devised in 1990 to build anaerobic endurance in a manner that is specific to the game of rugby: quick bursts of speed, falling to the ground and exploding from the ground.

He describes the routine as follows:

1) Measure of distance of 6 yards.

2) At either end of the 6 yards, create some kind of termination (with tape or cones).

3) Start this drill lying face down on the grass or gym floor.

4) On the command "go," clap your hands behind your back then sprint as fast as possible to the other marker.

5) Again assume a face down position and repeat.

Accent should be placed on exploding off the ground as fast as possible.

Whilst you are aiming at sprinting fast between the markers, you will find that fatigue will dictate the pace, and that's when you push yourself.

Although repeating that training needs to be varied beyond these two tests, Artingstall claims that clappers combined with jingle jangles will provide excellent value for effort expended.

Other training regimens that improve anaerobic endurance include peripheral heart rate (PHR) training and interval circuit weight training. Examples of both are given in the sample training program described in Appendix D1-A.

Speed Endurance

One subset of anaerobic endurance that is worth mentioning on its own is speed endurance, an attribute of fitness that is probably more important to sevens than fifteens.

Speed endurance can be described simply as the ability to maintain your maximum speed (or near maximum) for as long as possible.

Even maintaining top speed once over 100 meters involves an element of speed endurance, but much more demanding is the requirement of the sevens game that a player do this several times, often with little or no rest. Ron on training to improve:

There's several ways to work on speed endurance. One way is to find the longest possible straight length of ground -- a long [disused] airport runway would be perfect -- and run as fast and hard as you can until you're physically incapable of running another step, and then recover for three times the activity time.

So if you lasted a minute, you'd rest three minutes.

Do three of those -- which would probably wipe you out, and then you could repeat after 48 hours.

An example of a specific routine Artingstall has devised for speed endurance follows:

1) 10-15 x 250/300 yards flat out (no turns, and preferably on an uphill grade of about 4°)

2) Walk back to recover

3) 2-3 times per week in pre-season

4) 1-2 times per week in season

Interchange the above with the following routine:

1) 8-10 x 200 yards flat out sprints

2) jog back recovery

Power

Power is defined as the movement of a mass through distance over time (power increases with the mass and distance involved and as the time required decreases)

Speed itself, therefore -- the movement of a person's weight through a distance in time -- is power.

Speed training.

Can people really increase their speed? "They used to think, several years ago," comments Artingstall,

that whatever you were genetically dished out, that's what you were stuck with. We now know that isn't the case. You're not going to turn a tortoise into a cheetah, but the correct type of training can have a significant impact on a person's explosiveness, reflex reactions and ultimately, overall speed.

It has been shown that track athletes (specifically 100/200 meter sprinters) reach their maximum speed at about 60 meters.

A field athlete (rugby, soccer, lacrosse, etc.)'s longest average sprint in a game is approximately 30 yards.

The factor that dictates optimum speed in that 30 yard sprint is quickness over the first 5 or 6 steps. An effective method of developing quickness in these initial steps (referred to as "overcoming inertia") is a training technique Soviet athletes have been using for about 25 years called "plyometrics."

Plyometrics.

Plyometrics is a generic term for a large number of jumping exercises that effect both eccentric and concentric muscle contractions; these are explained in slightly more detail (but not enough to get you started) in an article Artingstall wrote in the April/May 1990 Rugby. More detailed information can be found in Radcliffe and Farentinos' Plyometrics (see Bibliography).

Examples of plyometric drills include jumping on to, off of, and on to again, a series of boxes ranging in height from 18" to 36."

Caution: Artingstall cautions that, because of the tremendous stresses place on joints, ligaments, and tendons, a requirement for beginning plyometric training is the ability to squat 1-1/2 times one's own body weight. Ron adds: "There are numerous plyometric routines. But seek experienced guidance before attempting them."