Tim Kettenring: Rugby Speed & Understanding Conditioning
Oct 5, 2024
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Tim Kettenring, the High Performance Director of NOLA Gold Rugby, dives into the intricacies of speed and conditioning in rugby. He discusses strategies for optimizing speed tailored to player positions, exploring the significance of stiffness in performance. Tim emphasizes mastering deceleration to enhance athletes' efficiency and injury prevention. Innovative drills and techniques for improving athletic speed take center stage, while the conversation touches on conditioning strategies and their cognitive impact in high-intensity sports.
Tim Kettenring emphasizes the importance of speed development in rugby, noting that high sprint momentum significantly enhances a player's performance during games.
Innovative training strategies combine acceleration and deceleration drills, focusing on proper mechanics and game-like scenarios to improve athletes' responsiveness on the field.
Conditioning needs can often be met during routine practice sessions, suggesting that coaches should prioritize aerobic foundation while incorporating low to moderate intensity work.
Deep dives
Transition from Collegiate to Professional Sports
The episode discusses Tim Kenring's transition from being a head strength and conditioning coach at Loyola University New Orleans to becoming the high performance director for New Orleans Gold Rugby. This transition was facilitated by a contact within the physical therapy field who linked him to the rugby team's management. Kenring emphasizes his ongoing commitment to both his performance company, Valhalla Performance, and his role with the rugby team, indicating a busy schedule filled with various training responsibilities and consulting roles. This change marks a significant step in his career, illustrating how professional opportunities can arise unexpectedly within the sports industry.
The Importance of Speed Development
Speed development is highlighted as a crucial aspect of performance, with Kenring expressing his preference for discussing it over conditioning. He explains that rugby places a significant emphasis on acceleration and sprint momentum, suggesting that players who achieve high sprint momentum often experience greater success in making line breaks during games. Tim shares insights into the training regimen for his athletes, which incorporates heavily loaded acceleration work to improve sprint momentum. This focus on speed is critical for rugby, where rapid acceleration can make the difference between advancing the ball and being tackled.
Training Strategies for Acceleration and Deceleration
Kenring shares innovative training strategies used to improve both acceleration and deceleration for rugby players. The emphasis is placed on proper mechanics during acceleration, with specific drills designed to enhance foot and ankle stiffness to project athletes forward effectively. In terms of deceleration, the training incorporates game-like scenarios that require players to read and react, enhancing their ability to manage speed and make decisions during play. This method ensures that athletes are not only physically prepared but also equipped cognitively to handle the dynamic nature of a rugby match.
Conditioning in Sports Practice
Conditioning practices in sports are analyzed, particularly how routine practice sessions can often fulfill conditioning needs without requiring separate sessions. Kenring draws comparisons, stating that depending on the sport's demands, athletes may get sufficient aerobic training through practices rather than traditional conditioning activities. He suggests that coaches should understand the necessity of incorporating low to moderate intensity work to develop an aerobic foundation that supports athletes during high-intensity drills. This balanced approach helps maintain the athletes' efficiency and performance levels throughout the season.
Mitigating Decision Fatigue in Athletes
The concept of decision fatigue is explored, particularly how unconditioned athletes may struggle to make effective decisions during competition. Kenring emphasizes that athletes' conditioning levels can affect their cognitive engagement during high-pressure situations in games. An athlete who has a strong aerobic base is likely to maintain better decision-making abilities than one who is fatigued or unconditioned. Enhancing both physical conditioning and cognitive skills is essential in developing well-rounded athletes who can perform under pressure while executing game strategies effectively.
Tim Kettenring - High Performance Director of NOLA Gold Rugby - joins us for the 66th episode of MTN. Today on the show, we dive into speed and conditioning. Two topics that are typically looked at on the very opposite ends of the spectrum. Today's episode was a phenomenal conversation around developing speed within the game of rugby and adding answers to conditioning within team sports.
Make sure to follow Tim on X @timkettenring and IG @timkettenring13
Find us on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episode.
Big Thanks to our sponsor Lumin Sports:
Lumin continues to change the game within the AMS realm and recently launched their new strength builder platform. Head on over to luminsports.com - and mention Move the Needle at Check out to receive 20% off your first full year.
& a huge Thank You to our sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics:
Hawkin is the world leader in force measuring, and continues to put forth the tools for high-performance practitioners to be exactly that, high performers. If you haven't yet checked out Hawkins - head over to their website at: https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ and check out everything they have to offer
Make sure to check out our sponsor, Samson Equipment: Samson is a leader in manufacturing elite weight room equipment (and have been for nearly 50 years). Founded by Dave and Linda Schroeder, Samson is weight room equipment made by coaches for coaches. Check them out at samsonequipment.com for more information
Shoutout to our sponsor, 1080 Motion. The 1080 Sprint is the single best piece of training equipment in the world & has continually changed the game for training speed, strength, and power. Go to 1080motion.com to learn more.
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