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Post by MarcMadill on Mar 31, 2008 16:09:51 GMT
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Post by lilmiguel on Mar 31, 2008 22:43:55 GMT
I'd tend to disagree Marc, whilst your right in saying that a sprinter trains to give out short bursts of energy, it's not like the only training they do is sprinting. Any athlete, track or field, and particularly of World Class standard, is incredibly fit.
What actually tends to determine whether or not someone is good at sprinting or a distance running is their muscle type. 'Fast twitch' muscles will usually mean that the person in question is better suited to activities that require large bursts of energy over short time-spans (e.g. sprinting), whereas 'Slow twitch' muscles will usually mean that the person in question is better suited to activities where the energy output is sustained over a longer period of time (e.g. distance running). However, this does not mean that a sprinter is unable to run long distances, or that a distance runner can't sprint, it simply means that they will be better at one than the other.
(At this point I should add that you can have a mix of the two muscle types, but we won't get into that right now!)
Endurance and stamina are both things that can be built up through training. Something he may have to do is to learn how to conserve his energy - i.e. not go flat out every single time he gets the ball - but look at players such as Jason Robinson, arguably one of the fastest players of recent years (he played rugby league before switching to union) he is definately someone who I would class as probably having 'fast twitch' muscles, yet he never seemed to have any problems with his stamina.
On top of that, Rugby League tends to be a bit more stop start, that's not to say that you won't get tired playing it. But if you're playing as a winger (as I'm guessing he will) there will be times when you get the chance to take a breather.
As for build, if he could give American Football a shot, then he can give Rugby League a shot. Not everyone has to be a beast to play rugby, particularly rugby league, where there is less emphasis on scrums, and no rucks or malls.
I know people feel cheated by him because of what he did. But the fact is that it's been done now and he's at least holding his hand up and trying to make up for it. He's not doing this as a publicity stunt (although the more publicity he can get the better - both for his legal appeal to get to appear at the Olympics, and his bank balance), he's admitted himself that he's doing it because he needs the money to pay back what he owes to British Athletics. Whether that's the right reason to do something or not is a different question, but the point is that he's taking responsibility for the mistakes that he's made, so I think people should cut him a little slack.
That's just my opinion...
Mike
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adds
Oilcats Rookie
Posts: 77
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Post by adds on Apr 1, 2008 16:52:57 GMT
mike and timmer
as much as i'd love to go into the biology of this I think you'll find the most vital muscle for any sport resides between the ears. One requires dedication and huge commitment to succeed, regardless of ones 'muscle type'. On that measure, regardless of your opinions on chambers, he has both of the above attributes in spades. There is no reason why he cannot make the seamless transition from track to RL.
yrs
the prof
#88 (percentage of players required for NFL training to commence)
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Post by theref on Apr 1, 2008 18:38:14 GMT
He will do ok as long as there is no test for steroids .
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Post by MarcMadill on Apr 1, 2008 19:45:21 GMT
I agree with both Mike and Adam, but it also helps if you've actually played a game of rugby before as well - think of the number of players who went thru the ranks from school to just below super league, then get told they're not quite good enough to make it at even the bottom team. Then Dwain Chambers comes along because he disgraced himself in athletics and has to play rugby to pay back the British Athletics team.
I'm all for giving a guy a second chance, and don't fault him for trying to make up for it - but it just seems to me that he thinks he can just waltz into either rugby league or NFL and expect it to bank roll his dues - why not just get a job?
On the fitness front, I still don't think he's gonna make the switch too easily - I know about fast/slow twitch muscles - and while he will have a high fitness level - as a sprinter, he would focus on making sure he can be as fast as he can for the duration of whatever event he's doing (100m, 200m, 400m, etc) - he may be able to improve his endurance enough that he lasts thru games - but he can't rely on just his speed - cos he'll need to be able to take and make tackles too.
That's the key thing in rugby, even if league isn't as physical in terms of rucks and malls, there's still hefty tackles that get dealt out - learning to take hits isn't something to be taken lightly, and as the coach has said he won't be doing contact training - St Helens will be even more up for 'welcoming' him to the game if he gets the ball in his hands.
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