Training Apples' Training Threads 2018/19

[sr36]

I’d be interested to see how your club runner mate held up running around getting smashed in an AFL standard intensity footy game. He might be able to run around a track quicker than them but it doesn’t necessarily make him a better athlete.

He doesn't call himself an elite athlete. To him an elite athlete is an olympian and he's just talking about faster, higher, stronger - not ball skills/spacial awareness etc... Very few AFL footballers have the potential to get close to an olympic level in any event and even if they did, they're not trained to be athletic specialists. I've personally got no objection to his definition of an elite athlete.

He was suburban seniors on the football field 20 years ago. Could take a hit, but skills were pretty bad and didn't read the game. Nowhere near AFL standard as a footballer, but he was definitely AFL standard athletically.

 

[jonbe54]

He doesn't call himself an elite athlete. To him an elite athlete is an olympian and he's just talking about faster, higher, stronger - not ball skills/spacial awareness etc... Very few AFL footballers have the potential to get close to an olympic level in any event and even if they did, they're not trained to be athletic specialists. I've personally got no objection to his definition of an elite athlete.

He was suburban seniors on the football field 20 years ago. Could take a hit, but skills were pretty bad and didn't read the game. Nowhere near AFL standard as a footballer, but he was definitely AFL standard athletically.

You could say that AFL footballers can be close to elite in the broad spectrum of athletic disciplines they need to master in order to make the top.

In other words elite athletic generalists lol.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

As long as Collingwood wins the elite prize then that will do. That will do.

 

[Albert Parker]

A friend of mine is a pretty decent club runner. He guffaws and rolls his eyes whenever footy players are described as elite athletes.

Does your friend manage to kick, mark, tackle and absorb big hits, with repeat sprint efforts for up to 18km in a game?
It's not all about running times that defines the best AFL players as elite athletes for mine.

 

[Nick Ster]

If you have elite kicking, vision, handballing, game reading or decision making etc, does that make you an elite athlete?

It makes you an elite FOOTBALLER.

 

[sr36]

Does your friend manage to kick, mark, tackle and absorb big hits, with repeat sprint efforts for up to 18km in a game?
It's not all about running times that defines the best AFL players as elite athletes for mine.

Like I've said above - it's a definitional thing. If you define athlete by the original olympics idea of faster, higher and stronger and you define elite as Olympic level, Blicavs is the only one current player who has been close to elite - and he wasn't elite. Did any others have the potential to be at an elite olympic level? Probably not.

Footy has become over the top with its superlatives. We call a huge number of players elite and when we can't classify them overall as elite, we find a particular attribute that they are "elite" in, so that they too can be described using the word elite, or they are elite by position. Imagine describing the 120th best tennis player in Australia as having an elite backhand smash or some district cricketer as being an elite backward point fieldsman - we do the equivalent when describing footballers.

 

[Nick Ster]

I'm not sure why you say that. Not sure what your assertion adds to the conversation either.

I can see how it could be read a way not meant. I'll rewrite.

What does he do and how did he get the job? How might someone go about getting a part-time job at the club, and what can they expect in the job?

 

[partypie]

Nope, absolute rubbish.

He actually crossed the finishing line with a set of double cartwheels.

Poor form - he should have crossed the line doing a smooth as hell moonwalk...

 

[partypie]

Ah, my bad. Still pretty poor but I was looking at last year's.

He's bulked up considerably and has slashed 20 seconds off last year's time at the beginning of his third pre-season, while still being shy of his 20th birthday.

Exactly how much more do you want from the kid?

 

[Kappa]

He's bulked up considerably and has slashed 20 seconds off last year's time at the beginning of his third pre-season, while still being shy of his 20th birthday.

Exactly how much more do you want from the kid?

Age really doesn't matter when young kids regularly win the time trials. Running a 7 16 as a light midfielder is complete garbage, even Sier who struggles at afl level with fitness beat that by a monstrous 30 seconds. His time this year doesn't scream afl ready at all either.

 

[NonPhixion]

AFL players are some of the most well-rounded athletes on the planet.
Of course they aren’t going to be elite runners but that doesn’t mean they are not elite athletes. They need a combination of attributes - endurance, speed, agility, Strength & reflexes. There are not many other sports that require this standard. NFL players would come close , but aside from the fact that they are given a license to juice themselves up they wouldn’t have the endurance of the average AFL player.

 

[sr36]

AFL players are some of the most well-rounded athletes on the planet.
Of course they aren’t going to be elite runners but that doesn’t mean they are not elite athletes. They need a combination of attributes - endurance, speed, agility, Strength & reflexes. There are not many other sports that require this standard. NFL players would come close , but aside from the fact that they are given a license to juice themselves up they wouldn’t have the endurance of the average AFL player.

If AFL players in general are elite athletes, what are the most athletic of them - mega-elite athletes?

I personally think boxers are right up there in terms of all round athletes.

 

[NonPhixion]

If AFL players in general are elite athletes, what are the most athletic of them - mega-elite athletes?

I personally think boxers are right up there in terms of all round athletes.

I think we have different definitions
But yes I agree boxers would for sure

 

[sr36]

I think we have different definitions
But yes I agree boxers would for sure

Agreed. I think I'm the mean teacher who doesn't give anyone an A.

 

[sr36]

Age really doesn't matter when young kids regularly win the time trials. Running a 7 16 as a light midfielder is complete garbage, even Sier who struggles at afl level with fitness beat that by a monstrous 30 seconds. His time this year doesn't scream afl ready at all either.

I think you're reading too much into the 2km time trials. Grundy's times have always screamed that we should delist him.

 

[Kappa]

I think you're reading too much into the 2km time trials. Grundy's times have always screamed that we should delist him.

Grundy is also a 100kg+ ruckmen, whose only weakness is his endurance. Tyler Brown's s**t times may not mean much, but when he struggles to find the ball over 20 times at VFL level maybe it's an indication he has a serious endurance problem.

 

[sr36]

Grundy is also a 100kg+ ruckmen, whose only weakness is his endurance. Tyler Brown's s**t times may not mean much, but when he struggles to find the ball over 20 times at VFL level maybe it's an indication he has a serious endurance problem.

Grundy plays first ruck for 90% of a game. His endurance in terms of football games - repeat efforts and recovery - is outstanding. I've got no idea about Tyler - just pointing out that football endurance and running 2kms at a constant pace aren't the same thing. You'd expect the 2 to be linked, but they aren't always.

 

[Aishole]

Grundy is also a 100kg+ ruckmen, whose only weakness is his endurance. Tyler Brown's s**t times may not mean much, but when he struggles to find the ball over 20 times at VFL level maybe it's an indication he has a serious endurance problem.

Perhaps he is coming from further back in the endurance department then other young players/draftees (e.g Rantall)? Which is to be expected for some players. Some are natural endurance athletes, some are not.

In the case of Tyler, where he is obviously not a natural, what more can you ask for than continual year by year improvement on it?

 

[Kappa]

Perhaps he is coming from further back in the endurance department then other young players/draftees (e.g Rantall)? Which is to be expected for some players. Some are natural endurance athletes, some are not.

In the case of Tyler, where he is obviously not a natural, what more can you ask for than continual year by year improvement on it?

Unfortunately going from very bad to bad doesn't keep you on an AFL list, big year for Tyler... he will likely fall to the bottom of the pecking order if Sier and Rantall have big years.

 

[Aishole]

Unfortunately going from very bad to bad doesn't keep you on an AFL list, big year for Tyler... he will likely fall to the bottom of the pecking order if Sier and Rantall have big years.

But going from very bad, to bad, to middle of the pack, to above average etc... that will keep him on the list.

it is a big year for him. But, i guarantee you one thing... if Tyler performs on the field, his 2km time trial will mean nothing.

2km time trials are not the be all and end all. Hell, I remember Pendles time trial numbers being average.

 

[Scodog10]

I’d be interested to see how your club runner mate held up running around getting smashed in an AFL standard intensity footy game. He might be able to run around a track quicker than them but it doesn’t necessarily make him a better athlete.

Not sure about the context, I mean a club runner wouldn’t exactly be exposed to elite athletes on the regular, but Sr’s mate is right. Most of the guys in the AFL are great athletes, but don’t live an elite athletes lifestyle. Compare them to say Olympians and it’s laughable how far off it the majority are. IMO, it’s culture.

I think the main thing is people that know what they’re talking about are referring to them as elite footballers, but people who don’t (posters on an anonymous forum for instance) refer to them as elite athletes.

Unfortunately going from very bad to bad doesn't keep you on an AFL list, big year for Tyler... he will likely fall to the bottom of the pecking order if Sier and Rantall have big years.

The result itself is poor, but at the very least you could further acknowledge the improvement. Continuous improvement is a tremendous asset in all walks of life and is more about mindset than ability. At that level of the game mindset is more important than ability.

 

[Chrispiesssss]

This is completely irrelevant, but all this time trial talk got me wondering, how did Swanny fair in a 2km time trial?

Anyone have any information? I doubt he ran it in the first place. Hahaha

 

[LarryKinn]

How'd Swanny go in the time trials ?

 

[neilk]

This is completely irrelevant, but all this time trial talk got me wondering, how did Swanny fair in a 2km time trial?

Anyone have any information? I doubt he ran it in the first place. Hahaha

There was a post back in 2013 that mentioned he busted a gut the previous year to do a 6:45.

 

[Daicos Torpedo]

Anthony Rocca was seemingly always out of breath but i would have him at centre half forward in a blink if he was starting again