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FMC:%RUGBY% Using%Functional%Movement%Control%Principles%to%Reduce%Injury%and% Enhance%Performance%in%Youth%Rugby%Players% Dear!Rugby!Coach,! We#would#like#to#invite#the#rugby#programme#within#RGS#worcester#to#participate# in# a# 3<year# research# project# entitled# â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FMC:# RUGBYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,# which# has# the# aim# of# improving#the#physical#development#and#reducing#the#occurrence#of#sport#injuries# experienced#by#rugby#players#in#the#U15<U18#age#groups.# This#study,#backed#by#the#RFU#Game#Development#and#Education#Departments,#is# planned#on#a#larger#scale#than#previous#studies#in#youth#rugby#and#should,#for#the# first#time,#provide#a#clear#picture#of:#the#normative#values#for#physical#capabilities# of# school<age# rugby# players;# which# modifiable# factors# are# actually# associated# with#injury#risk#in#youth#rugby#players;#and#whether#exercise#programmes#can#be# used#to#successfully#reduce#this#injury#risk.# The# project# team# is# based# at# the# University# of# Bath# and# we# are# there# to# coordinate#the#study#and#to#support#the#participating#schools#as#much#as#we#can# at# every# stage,# including# initial# visits# to# explain# data# collection# processes,# conducting#all#of#the#physical#fitness#testing#sessions#that#are#part#of#the#study,# visiting#for#feedback#sessions,#and#ongoing#face<to<face/phone/email#support.# ! AIM%OF%THE%PROJECT% To! evaluate! whether! integrating! the! principles! of! functional! movement! control! as! part! of! the! warm<up! and! training! programmes! of! youth! rugby! players! can! enhance! performance! metrics!and!reduce!the!risk!of!injury.! !
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BENEFITS%OF%PARTICIPATION%
Enhance!the!reputation!of!the!school!as!being!at!the!forefront!of!student!welfare! and!sports!development.!!
Participation!in!a!world!leading!youth!sport!performance!development!and!injury! prevention!programme.!!
Enhanced!experience!for!the!schools!rugby!players,!through!exposure!to!leading! sport!science!support.!
Opportunities!for!school!Mathematics,!Science,!and!Physical!Education!departments! to!be!involved!in!cutting!edge!sport!science!research.!!!
Provide!coaches!with!regular!accurate!feedback!on!the!physical!development!of! their!players!!
Allow!coaches!to!monitor!and!evaluate!the!success!of!their!training!programme!in! comparison!with!the!average!of!other!similar<level!schools.!
Provide!coaches!and!medical!personnel!with!a!real<time!view!of!the!injury!status!of! their!squads!and!comparison!of!their!squad’s!injury!profile!in!comparison!with!the! average!of!other!schools.!
Player!ownership!of!their!development!through!an!individualised!training!diary!that! will!provide!them!with!a!record!of!their!progress!and!allow!them!to!set!training! goals.!
Provide!coaches!with!an!indication!of!which!of!their!players!may!be!at!increased!risk! of!injury.!
! BACKGROUND% Rugby!players!need!to!demonstrate!a!range!of!physical!attributes,!including!strength,!speed,! power,!and!aerobic!fitness.!! The! foundations! of! athletic! ability! are! the! control! and! efficiency! of! movement,! often! referred!to!as!functional!movement!control!(FMC),!which!incorporates!elements!of!strength,! flexibility,!motion,!stability,!resistance!to!fatigue!and!joint!position!sense.!FMC!competency! is!the!foundation!of!simple!movements,!such!as;!squatting,!lunging,!and!hopping,!and!is!also! the!essential!base!for!the!development!of!increases!in!strength,!power,!speed,!and!technical! performance.!! Within! rugby,! high! demands! are! placed! on! FMC! by! core! elements! of! the! game! such! as! cutting,! tackling,! scrummaging,! lineout! lifting,! managing! contact,! passing! and! catching! on! the! move.! ! All! require! the! player! to! have! a! high! degree! of! multi<directional! movement! control!in!order!to!achieve!the!required!level!of!performance!and!skill!and!at!the!same!time! without!sustaining!an!injury.!!
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Studies!in!American!Football!have!shown!that!low!FMC!competency!is!associated!with!injury! risk,!and!improved!FMC!scores!can!be!achieved!with!the!corrective!training.!Low!FMC!scores! have!also!been!show!to!correlate!with!occurrence!of!injury!in!female!collegiate!athletes!in!a! variety!of!sports!including!soccer,!volleyball!and!basketball,!and!in!military!recruits!and!fire! fighters.! There!is!growing!evidence!that!exercise!programmes!designed!to!improve!FMC!competency! (comprising! balance! and! agility,! stretching,! plyometrics,! running! exercises,! cutting! and! landing! technique,! and! strength! training)! incorporated! into! warm! ups! conducted! by! school/club!coaches!can!reduce!the!risk!of!lower!limb!injury!in!invasion!sports!by!up!to!50%.! There!is!a!need!for!further!research!to!demonstrate!the!effectiveness!of!developing!FMC!as! an!injury!prevention!tool!in!male!contact!sport!such!as!rugby!in!particular.!It!has!also!been! suggested! that! improving! functional! movement! control! will! improve! physical! performance! of!athletes.! !
PROJECT%OBJECTIVES% •
To! perform! longitudinal! monitoring! of! the! physical! development! of! youth! rugby! players!at!various!age<groups!to!establish!a!set!of!norms!to!which!individual!results! can!be!compared,!accounting!for!maturation!status;!
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To!collect!information!on!the!nature!of!injuries!being!sustained!in!English!school!and! academy!rugby!union!in!order!to!inform!future!injury!management!strategies;!
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To!establish!the!association!between!FMC!scores!and!injury!risk!in!youth!school!and! academy!rugby!players;!
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To!identify!the!individual!and!combined!factors!which!are!associated!with!injury!risk! in! youth! school! and! academy! rugby! players,! including! anthropometric,! physical! performance,!FMC!screening,!and!training!behaviour!metrics;!
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To! develop! the! FMC<inspired! ‘Rugby! XV’! warm<up! for! use! as! an! injury! prevention! tool!in!school!and!academy!rugby;!
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To!evaluate!the!effectiveness!of!a!FMC<inspired!intervention!programme!to!reduce! injury!risk!in!youth!school!and!academy!rugby!players.!
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STUDY%PROCEDURES%
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Duration:!A!3<season!project!(2013<14,!2014<15,!2015<16).! Population:! Looking! to! recruit! U15! (Year! 10)! to! U18! (Year! 13)! rugby! squads,! approximately!12!schools!in!total.! Participation:!!Voluntary!participation!decided!by!each!individual!player!&!parent.! Inclusion% Criteria:! Rugby! coaches! not! currently! using! FMC! principles! as! an! injury! prevention! strategy.! School! need! to! be! involved! in! the! medical! care! of! all! rugby< related!injuries,!i.e.!have!a!school!doctor,!nurse!and/or!physiotherapist.! Involvement:!! o 1)!Players!from!each!squad!go!through!a!2<hour!battery!of!performance!tests! (speed,! strength,! flexibility)! once! at! the! start! and! once! at! the! end! of! each! season!–!results!fed!back!to!coaches;!! o 2)! Players! from! each! squad! complete! baseline! psycho<social! questionnaires! once!at!the!start!and!once!at!the!end!of!each!season!for!30!minutes;!! o 3)!Coaches!keep!a!record!of!players!involved!in!each!match!and!basic!details! on!each!organised!training!session;!! o 4)! Doctor/Nurse/Physiotherapist! provide! diagnosis! details! on! each! injury! sustained! during! playing/training! which! results! in! time! away! from! participation;!! o 5)!Players!keep!a!simple!training,!sleep!quality!and!wellness!diary.!! Protocol:! o 2013<14:! pre<season! testing,! baseline! rugby! exposure! monitoring! and! injury! reporting,!post<season!testing;! o 2014<15:! pre<season! testing,! FMC! (group)! intervention! &! injury/exposure! monitoring,!post<season!testing;! o 2015<16:! pre<season! testing,! FMC! (group! and! individual)! intervention! &! injury/exposure!monitoring,!post<season!testing.! Pre/PostNseason% testing:% A! battery! of! tests! will! include! anthropometrics! (height/weight),! RFU! FAST! testing! (speed,! strength,! agility)! and! FMC! screening.! Questionnaires! will! establish! motivation! for! sport! and! rugby,! attitudes! to! injury,! barriers!to!participation.! Group%Intervention%(season%2014N15):!Group<based!FMC<informed!warm<up!routine! (approximately!15!minute!duration!before!each!training!session!and!match!either!as! a!standalone!segment!or!integrated!into!existing!warm<up).! Individual% Intervention% (season% 2015N16):! Individualised! off<season! and! pre<season! corrective!exercise!programme!based!on!FMC!profile!(completed!as!part!of!general! training!programme!outside!of!rugby!sessions).! Exposure% Monitoring:! Coaches! record! match! exposure! for! each! player! throughout! season.! Coaches! record! group! training! exposure! through! a! record! of! duration! and!
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activities!undertaken!for!each!session.!Players!to!record!a!simple!individual!training,! sleep!and!wellness!diary!via!a!web<based!portal.!! Injury% Monitoring:! Medical! staff! at! schools! and! academies! to! record! injury! occurrence!and!diagnoses!using!Orchard!Sport!Injury!Classification!system.% Analysis:!! o Develop!normative!profiles!of!physical!performance!measures!for!each!age< group,!accounting!for!maturation!status;! o Compare!injury!rates!before!and!after!exercise!intervention;! o Compare!different!age<groups!in!terms!of!training!habits!and!injury!patterns;! o Identify!risk!factors!for!rugby!injury;! o Develop!an!injury!prediction!model!for!youth!rugby!players!from!risk!factors;! o Longitudinal!tracking!of!individual!players!across!seasons!to!assess!injury!risk! and!talent!identification!metrics.!
! OUTCOMES%&%IMPLICATIONS% •
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Development! of! an! evidence<based! injury! prevention! programme! for! implementation! across! rugby! playing! schools,! academies,! clubs,! universities,! adult! clubs.! Potential!reduction!in!injuries!across!the!game! Reduction!in!perceived!risk!of!injury!amongst!players,!parents,!and!teachers!! Increased!recruitment!and!retention!in!the!game! Potential! for! reduced! risk! of! injury! for! young! athletes! across! all! of! their! sport! participation! Increased! pool! of! players! with! the! necessary! level! of! physical! performance! characteristics!for!selection!into!school!senior!squads!and!!RFU!Talent!Pathway! Reputation!of!participating!schools!and!RFU!enhanced!as!leaders!in!injury!prevention! and!player!development!in!sport!
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TIMELINES(
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LOOKING'FOR'PARTICIPANTS'
We# are# looking# to# recruit# schools# into# the# study# population# with# a# view# to# being# involved#for#the#39season#duration#but#with#the#understanding#that#individuals#(i.e.# players)#and#schools#will#be#free#to#withdraw#from#the#study#without#prejudice.# We# will# support# schools# and# coaches# throughout# the# study# period# to# ensure# that# their#involvement#is#as#problem9free#and#beneficial#to#them#as#possible.#
' SUMMARY'OF'INVOLVEMENT'DEMANDS'
Each# squad# of# players# in# U159U18# age# bracket# to# undergo# a# 29hour# performance# testing#session#twice#a#season#at#the#school#venue#at#a#time#convenient#to#the#school# timetable.# All# players# to# complete# 30# minutes# of# questionnaires# twice# a# season# relating# to# motivation#for#sport#and#rugby,#attitudes#to#injury,#barriers#to#participation.# Coaches#of#U159U18#teams#to#keep#a#record#of#match#day#squads#and#brief#details#of# all#rugby9related#training#sessions#(e.g.#duration,#emphasis,#activities).# Medical# personnel# to# complete# an# injury# report# form# for# all# ‘time9loss’# injuries# reported#to#them#from#rugby#training#or#match#play.# Players#to#keep#an#individual#training,#sleep#and#wellness#diary.#
' FUTURE'ACTIONS'
We#are#keen#to#hear#from#interested#Coaches#/#Directors#of#Rugby#who#would#like#to# register#their#interest#as#soon#as#possible,#ideally#before#the#summer#break.# Towards# the# end# of# the# summer# break# we# will# make# contact# again# to# re9establish# interest#and#confirm#involvement# We# can# then# commence# discussions# to# arrange# meetings# with# coaches# /# medics# to# introduce#data#collection#tools#and#book#1/2#day#block#for#first#set#of#squad#testing.#
# Please#do#get#in#touch#if#you#are#interested#to#hear#more.## # Yours#sincerely,#
Grant Trewartha Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics Email: g.trewartha@bath.ac.uk Tel: 01225 383055 !
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Keith Stokes Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology Email: k.stokes@bath.ac.uk Tel: 01225 384190
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