Untitled from Elise Davies on Vimeo.
This is a video of me in the Welsh Athletics Indoor Championships 2011. This video is of my heat race for the 60m sprint in the Under 17 age group. From the information i have collected on my observation checklist which i reviewed on my own performance, i can identify strengths and weaknesses. I have rated my starting power a 3. I could see from the video evidence that there was slightly too much of a hesitation when the gun was fired. I can also see that there was a lack of power coming from my left leg which would have helped the first 30m of the race to be a lot more powerful. To improve this i need to make sure i include some plyometrics training within my training routine so that my muscle fibres get used to working explosively. I also need to practice my sprint start on a regular basis and make sure that i am comfortable with my block settings, even if it means taking an extra few minutes at the start of a race to set them and practice them properly. This is something that i am already improving and can already see the improvements being made.
I have also scored myself a 4 for my arm drive. My arms are not coming high enough infront of me and this is due to my shoulders being too tense. My elbows are not driving powerfully enough when coming infront of my body. This is something that i have always had a problem with and have been working on for a while. To improve this i need to include upper body muscular stregth and endurance exercises within my training routine. Invloved in a circuit for example. This should then help them to flow more naturally. I also need to work closely with my coach to make sure that i am constantly improving and focusing in relaxing my upper body. However, i think my arms are driving quite well behind me and that they are moving very fluently for the majority of the time and i can see that it is a lot more effortless than i know i have seen my arm drive looking in the past. For this reason i can see that the training i am currently doing is paying off and i just need to keep working in the way that i currently am in order for it to keep improving.
For my knee lift i have scored myself a 3. This is because my knees are not lifting quite high enough which is forcing my heels to flick backwards underneath my hips instead of them coming forward like they should be. For this I need to practise my technique on a regular basic in training and also do drills which will help to emphasise the knee lift motion. However, my knee lift got significantly better in the last 20m or so in the drive towards the finish line. This is a problem that can easily be addressed as my body positioning is already quite good. I have scored myself a 5 for this technical component. I can see from the video recording of my race, that I have a good, upright posture which is quite relaxed. I am also quite tall which means that it will be easier for me to make the knee lift improvements. The thing i think i need to work on for my body positioning in keeping my hips high which will help to encourage my posture. I think i have been able to get my posture to a good standard because i do quite a lot of core stability and lower back work within my training sessions. This subsequently helps to keep your body positioning tall and strong.
For my stride length i have given myself a 4 out of 5 rating. This is because over the last 30m especially, my strides where a good legth, even though my knees were not coming up high enough. My strides were long whilst still being powerful and this is due to practising on a regular basis, having a fortunate body composition which allows me to have a long stride length. Having a long stride length is important in sprinting as it allows you to cover more ground more quickly without wasting energy. To improve this even further i think i need to continue to do various drills which will also emphasise lengthing my stride.
From watching the video of my performance back, i can also identify the strengths and weaknesses of my reactions. Along with my starting power is have identified my reaction to the gun. I have rated myself 4 out of 5 for my reaction to ther gun, as i moved quickly after the gun was fired. However, i think that i was not explosive enough out of the blocks which put me at a disadvantage over the first half of the race. This shows that i have the ability to get out of the blocks quickly i just need to perfect the skills and improve my explosive strength. Linked to this point is my reaction over the first 30m, which i have rated myself a 3 for. I think it was a bit too slow and lacked explosive strength which would also be improved by doing plyometrics training like i suggested to improved my starting powert.
I can also see that my dip at the finish line was not very good and i rated myself a 2. However, i think that this is a poor reflection of this skill, as this result is unreliable due to the video being of a sprint race over 60m where it is not as necessary to dip at the finish. As 60m is such a short race is is very hard to get a good dip at the finish line and it is not as effective as it would be in a longer sprint race.
Assignment 7
This is a video of the ANZ Netball World Championship Final 2010. From watching the Goal Attack on the T'Birds (blue) team, i have been able to fill in an observastion and performance checklist which i can now use to identify her strengths and weaknesses within the game of netball.
Firtst of all i rated her technical skills out of 5. I also kept a tally of how many of each component she managed to achieve. I rated this player 3 out of 5 for her passing skills. This is because she performed some good, sneaky well thought out shots which tricked her opponents very well. Wer can see that this GA makes some good precise passes with power and speed behind them as she made 7 successful passes which were safely recieved by a team member, within the first quarter of the match. However, she made 3 passes which were intercepted of more recieved by another team member. This shows that she made some rushed decisions and was slightly off balanced when making the passes which is a sign of rushing. I think in this case it is due to nerves and the pressure getting the better of her but to improve this she needs to, practise this skill on a regular basis under a pressured environment and also keep her cardio vascular endurance to a high standard. She can do this by including contiuous training exercises into her training diary which will help her to be able to relax more and focus on the pass and the other skills.
For the first quarter of the match, i rated the GAs' dodging a 3. This is because she often was not able to get away from her opponent and her team mates were unable to pass the ball as she was often defended. From my performance checklist i can see that the GA made 3 unsuccessful dodges. However she made 6 successful dodges which she made space really well. I think she could improve her dodging skills by including more agility exercises into her training ragime, such as SAQ. This will enhance The GA ability to change direction at speed whilst mainaining control, which is a very important skill for a y way of getting the ball to the goal quickly and effectively. Overall, i gave her tactical attacking skils 4 out of 5. she was able to make space to recieve the ball well, often able to get away from her defender quickly and easily In contrast to this, i awarded the GA 3 for her marking skills. She was able to keep with her opponent constantly and prevent her from getting very far away from her and running into a space. This shows that she currently has a fairly good level of cardio-vascular endurance as she was able to keep on the go constantly. However, when making her opposition who had the ball, she was too far away. Even with her arms stretched out, she was not close enough to her opponent to put her under pressure. This is something she needs to work on improving. In general, I awarded this GAs' tactical defending skills 3 out of 5, as in general she was applying pressure to her opponent at all times it was only her close marking skills that let her down.
I have awarded the GA shooting performance a 2 out of 5. During the first quarter she only scored one goal. This is a weak score considering the amount of oppertunites there where within the goal circle. The GA made 9 entries into the shooting circle and for her to only make one shot on target is quite poor. The other goals were scored by the GS because the GA was often not in the right position or able to recieve the ball due to having a defender close by. To improve this percentage she needs to practice her shooting and perform co-ordination training sessions such as SAQ so she can make sure she is always in a space to help the GS.
I think this GA deserves 4 for her understanding of the game, as she was constantly looking to make space for her to recieve the ball. She also made no foot-fault errors during the match which is crucial in not giving away posession of the ball. This player also only conceeded 2 penalties/free passes throughout the game, which are just mistakes that naturally occured and were not through too much fault of her own. For these reasons i do not think she has much to improve in this area of the game. Her positioning was generally very good, she was not taking over the jobs of other team members and causing confusion within the team too much. The only thing i would say is that she often spent a bit too long getting to the correct position where she was needed. For this reason i gave her a 3 for her overall positioning throughout the game.
Assignment 5
Athletics - Sprinting
The rule in athletics that causes the most debate is the false start rule in sprinting. The IAAF's strict rule of one false start was introduced in 2010. Since then, i think it is fair to say that, all athletes have felt the pressure. Even world class athletes who are at the top of their game have seen the worst side of this rule.
Until 2001, all athletes had the right to one false start before having to risk disqualification. This rule was abolished in 2001, partially due to broadcasters becoming annoyed at the fact races were taking so long to start, with every athlete in the race entitled to one false start each. I agree with this rule being abolished as i think part of what the broadcaster and commentators are saying is true. In a World Championship final for example, all athletes have been mentally preparing themselves to go out onto the track and run the race of their life. All athletes become used to the occasional false start at the beginning of a race, with adrenaline and nerves of competing at such a high level it is understandable for the odd slip up. However, athletes were then using this rule to their advantage and as a tactic. They had figured out that if one innocent false start occurs then they could follow that by another one which would disrupt the flow of the race and shatter the focused mind set of some of the competitors. For this reason, i think it was the right decision for them to get rid of this rule.
A second version of this rule was then developed in 2001, which was, athletes had the right to make one false start and then the whole field was given a warning with any subsequent false starts leading to disqualification. However this rule did not go to plan either and also had to be abolished when athletes began to use this rule tactically. This rule brought the risk of what IAAF director of communications Nick Davies called "a bit of gamesmanship". (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/14779544.stm) Athletes had begun to purposefully false start, which would result in the field receiving a warning but not put themselves at risk if they knew they were a steady starter and did not have the tendency to false start. They used this tactfully if they knew a competitor in the race was a poor starter and had the tendency to false start. This then put them at risk of being disqualified through another persons spite. I strongly agree with this rule being abolished as this rule had a clear floor and it was unfair for world class athletes to be tricked out of winning a title that could have been theirs. However, I personally experienced this rule as an athlete and i feel it worked well for younger athletes. As a junior competitor the rule was not twisted to be used as a tactic against other competitors, it was just taken as a serious rule that must be followed to the letter. I feel that for junior athletes it gave them the warning that they needed if a false start occurs without the mental disruption that the previous rule would have caused.
The rule was then changed again in 2010, to the famous 'one false start' rule. This rule claims that "An athlete, after assuming a full and final set position, shall not commence his start until after receiving the report of the gun. If, in the judgement of the starter or recallers, he does so any earlier, it shall be deemed a false start. Except in combined events, any athlete responsible for a false start shall be disqualified". This rule was put the test many times this year in The World Championships in Deagu. The most talked about example of this rule coming into play was when the worlds fastest man, Usain Bolt, was disqualified for the 100m final.
After looking in good form in both the heats and semi-final, Bolt sprung from his blocks well before the gun was fired. As the rule states, anyone who should false start shall be imediately disqualified, and that is exactly what happened. This triggered off world wide debate as to whether this rule is fair. It is heartbreaking not only for the athlete but their friends, family and supporters, to see all the hard work they have put in to just go in the blink of an eye. Britains, Christie Ohuruogu, felt how harsh the rule can be also in the championships when being disqualified for a false start in the 400m.
The sensors, placed within the athletes starting blocks, determine whether a start is a false start of not. If an athlete leaves their blocks within 0.2 seconds of the gun being fired, it is claimed as a false start as it has been scientifically proven that it takes that amount of time for the brain to respond to the stimulus. To a certain degree i think that this rule is fair and it is right for it to be in place. The world class athletes, like Usain Bolt, train day in day out and have been competing since the age of 12, in his case. For this reason I think, they have done enough training and enough preparation to be able to start a race safely and efficiently so this rule should not be too much to ask from them. Bolt has even said in various interviews, that the disqualification 'taught him a lesson' and he doesn't demand to change the rule in any way. However, i have seen the devastating effects this rule can have on a person in real life. A fellow amateur team mate of mine was disqualified from the semi final of the commonwealth games trials for a false start. It then makes you realise what a harsh reality it is to see all the hard work you have put in for the past year of two go to waste for one stupid mistake. This is one of the weaknesses of the rule that i think should be thought about more deeply. A solution to this weakness i think is to only use this rule on an international level, where athletes are considerably more experienced and they are clearly aware of the consequences of the false start.
Another weakness of this rule, is one that found Dwain Chambers sitting on the side of the track during the semi-finals of the 100m in Deagu. Chambers merely twitched when in the set position in his blocks, but that was enough to set off the sensors in his blocks, calling a false start. I think that this is an unfair side to the rule, as i know from personal experience in competing, that you are unable to control how your body shakes due to nerves and adrenaline. It is not right, in my opinion, to identify a false start if the athletes foot has not left the blocks.
Dispite all the controversey, the rule is not set to change for the 2012 Olympics.
London 2012 chief Lord Coe, an IAAF vice-president, said: "The issue is very simple for me. You have to be consistent. You have a rule and you don't suddenly revisit it because a high-profile athlete has fallen foul.
"I'd rather not have Usain false start in London. But the start's not separate from the race; it is part of the race. It's not a technical nicety. It's part of the sport like a knockout punch in boxing.
"You pay to watch a title fight in Vegas knowing that a fighter might get knocked down in the first round." I agree with the point that Lord Coe is trying to get across. These are professional athletes, they have to obide by the rules and the one false start rule is one of them. No matter how devistating it may be at the time, all athletes are aware of the rules before they enter the competition so have no excuse, if they do get disqualified, to argue with it.
Netball
A netball rule that I find can be controversial is the obstruction rule. The rule states 'When an opposition player blocks any movements that interferes with a pass or shoot. A penalty pass or shoot is awarded to the obstructed team'. Everyone that is has played netball, is familiar with the obstruction rule and is aware of the consequences of it.
A defender must be at least 3 feet away from their opponent which has the ball. This means that they cannot interfer physically with the pass or shot before it has let the opponents hands, they can only distract the player or intersept the pass once it has left their hands.
I agree with this rule, I think it makes it fair for each player to make a good shot or pass to a team mate when in posetion of the ball. As this rule applies to everyone on the court, everyone is in the same position and makes the same mistake they will all face the same consequence. Also, a penalty pass being awarded if an obstruction occurs is a fair consequence as it is the individual players fault for making the mistake so the opposition so be about to take the next pass on their own.
However, there is another way of writing the rule which is; 'Not moving at least 3 feet away from an opponent when they have the ball. This also applies when neither player has the ball, arms must be kept close to the body unless playing the ball or trying to get it'. (http://physicaleducationresources.com/physical_education_resources_netball_rules.aspx). I think that the part of the rule i have already spoken about is fair and it is definitely a strong rule in netball. However, there are different ways of interprting the second part to the rule. I have experienced the differences in the way people interpret the rule and i think it should be written more carefully. One way of reading this part to the rule is; when marking your opposition who does not have the ball, your arms must not come much higher than resting position. You can block the person using your body but you can not use your arms to mark them. They must be able to turn and be able to get away from the defender easily. I think it is a big weakness to the rule if you read it in the way as it is taking the rule too far and it is unnatural to be able to run and dodge whilst keeping your arms that close to your side as you naturally tend to bring them up to gain balance.
The other way of reading this rule is; when a defender is marking their opposition their arms can come up infront of the attackers body, aslong as they are not unnaturally high or are obviously completely preventing the attacker from getting away. Their arms may come infront of the attackers body if reaching for the ball however. I think this is a better way of reading the rule as, aslong as the attacker can turn and move freely away from the defender it should not be called an obstruction.
At the very beginning of this video, about 2 seconds in, you can see a player in red who runs behind her team mate who is receiving the ball. She has her arms out in a natural position, so that she has balance, but she is not blocking the other player out of the game completely. I think this is the better way for the rule to be read, and that is the way the umpire of this game is using it.
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