Swanny says training ground is too hard

[K]

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

I think someone has confused this with, "Swanny says, training is too hard"

[Cam]

[PyreneesPie]

[K]

Jock & Journo:
https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=406287
[33:53]

Jay Clark: "However your training ground, from everything I can understand, is still too hard. You haven't fixed that yet."

Pendlebury: "I've no idea what that means... I played basketball my whole life... so I played on a hardwood from 5 to 18..."

Clark: "It is built on a tunnel or cement..."

???: "The Burnley tunnel's underneath it."

Pendlebury: "We train in a pretty good location..."

[K]

Best management practices for sustainable and safe playing surface of Australian Football League sports fields
Craig Henderson et al

"In regularly auditing ground conditions across 12 AFLQ fields in SE QLD, we discovered surface hardness (measured by Clegg Hammer) was the No. 1 factor affecting player safety and surface performance. Other important indices were turf coverage and surface compaction (measured by penetrometer). AFLQ now runs regularly audits affiliated fields, and closes grounds with hardness readings greater than 190 Gmax.

Aerating every two months was the primary mechanical practice improving surface condition and reducing hardness levels to < 110 Gmax on the renovated project fields. With irrigation installation, these fields now record surface conditions comparable to elite fields.
...

Laboratory studies showed incorporated biosolids / composts, or topdressed crumb rubber, improved compaction resistance of soils. Field evaluations confirmed compost incorporation significantly reduced surface hardness of high wear areas in dry conditions, whilst crumb rubber assisted turf persistence into early winter. Neither amendment was a panacea for poor agronomic practices."

[K]

"A number of parameters are currently measured on sports surfaces and are related to factors that impact most upon the player-surface interaction. These factors are friction and traction, hardness and resilience and ball-surface interactions... Other parameters include moisture, surface evenness, ground cover, compaction, ball bounce, sward height, and wear.
...

Hardness is defined as the ratio of an applied vertical force to the amount of surface deformation. Either a Clegg hammer or a penetrometer can be used to measure hardness. Until Holmes and Bell completed their work ..., no guidelines had been proposed for Clegg hammer measurement of surface hardness in sports turf. Current standards for hardness are in the range of 30 – 180 g for rugby union and soccer.
...

A recent study of the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in AFL (played on natural turf) found a positive correlation between increased risk/incidence of ACL injury with ground hardness, the occurrence of high evaporative rates and low rainfall periods (Orchard 1999; Orchard 2002).
...

Hardness is negatively correlated with soil moisture, increasing as soil moisture decreases, and often positively correlated with compaction. Grass cover, type and quality also influences hardness. Thick, dense, stoloniferous grasses usually help soften the surface in comparison to worn, thin areas of grass or weeds. Turf mowing height, however, may have only minimal effect on playing surface hardness..."

[PyreneesPie]

^ This is a very good find K!!!

Very interesting correlation between ground hardness and ACL's! I wonder if the players who have suffered them are aware of this? Would be interesting know if there was any correlation between hamstrings and ground surface.

Also very informative with regard to the factors which affect ground hardness.

Would love to know how our training ground measures up and how it is maintained (irrigation, aeration etc). Maybe the club could get this mob down to assess it???

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

[K]

[K]

"Improper traction between the shoe and the playing surface may result in injury. (Nigg and Yeadon 1987) discussed how the fixation of the foot on the ground is a critical component in the mechanism of injuries. For example, the incidence and severity of knee and/or ankle injuries are significantly reduced by shoes with lower friction properties. Excessive traction may also produce a foot fixation injury...

Shoe-surface interactions are influenced by a number of surface characteristics such as ground hardness, soil moisture content, grass type and density... Surface hardness is mainly controlled by moisture content whereas traction is more related to grass cover...

Grass type and length affect surface traction. Couch grass (Cynodon dactylon) provides high surface traction and may lead to a higher risk of ACL injury than perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) that grows better in winter conditions, and in addition, provides a more slippery surface .... Reduced grass mowing height ... and removal of verdure ... can significantly lower traction. However, grass mowing height may have only minimal effect on playing surface hardness ... Shoe design, specifically cleat style and configuration, may also affect the traction response between player and surface.
...

Examples of relevant testing procedures include: a torsional traction test, which uses a loaded studded plate rotated on the surface ...; a sliding traction test, which measures the distance a weighted studded boot
travels when supported on a trolley, such that the studs just contact the surface of the turf ...; or a rotational and linear friction of a leg and foot assembly ..."

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

I blame the AFL

Footy is traditionally a winter sport, when the ground is soft and the grass is healthy due to rains

By extending the number of clubs, games, length of season, introducing pre-season comps and negotiating TV rights to allow players to get paid enough to become full-time professionals, they have forced players to play/practice during the summer months, on hard surfaces due to lack of rain/increased sunshine, exacerbated by global warming & daylight savings

Surely a massive lawsuit from the AFLPA is on the way

[Woods]

[stui magpie]

[Woods]