On Fitness & Injuries...
In recent years, the issue of player fitness and injury management has been a hot-button topic in the West Indies. Reports of fitness delinquency have surfaced alongside a high spate of injuries in the senior side.
In a candid discussion on Friday, the two men responsible for fitness and injury management in the West Indies team chatted with CaribbeanCricket.com and others about the challenges they face. The Q&A with trainer Ronald Rogers and physio Andrew Simpson follows...
Q: What's the extent of Ravi Rampaul's shin splints injury? Is it considered serious enough that he may be forced out of this tour? What kind of treatment is he getting?
Andrew Simpson: Ravi was seen today by a podiatrist and she confirmed that he has excessive pronation so she prescribed some orthotics for him, plus a correct pair of jogging shoes. In addition, he was referred to a foot specialist who discovered that he had inflammation in the tendon in the fascia under the feet.
The doctor ordered an ultrasound and this confirmed the diagnosis and he was given injections to both tendons which resolved the pain in the soles of his feet. On Monday, he will go to the hospital and have a bone scan on both shins to see the extent of any injury to his shins.
(* Editor's note: Excessive pronation is one of the most common causes of foot and leg discomfort. It is caused when the arch of the feet flattens, collapses and stretches soft tissues. This causes the joint surfaces to function at unnatural angles to each other and stable joints become very loose and flexible. At first, excess pronation may cause fatigue. As the problem gets worse, strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the foot and lower leg can cause permanent problems and deformities).
Q: Excessive pronation suggests it could be a permanent issue he will deal with throughout his. Is this a worry in the camp?
Simpson: No, it is not a worry because with orthotic correction, it reduces the likelihood of injury to his feet, his legs, his knees, ankles and hips.
* (Editor's note: Orthotics is the science and technology of braces, especially when supporting weak or injured joints and muscles).
Q: Is Rampaul on the shelf as it relates to training? Are you worried that he may not make it through the end of this tour?
Simpson: At this point he is on rest, if the scan done on Monday is negative he will resume training on Wednesday.
Q: During the tour of South Africa, Ricky Skerritt said that the team, on average, turned up for the pre-tour camp and did not meet the "minimum fitness requirements". Is the trend improving as it relates to player-fitness?
Ronald Rogers: Prior to the English tour of the Caribbean, the team was re-tested and the results were a lot more positive. Due to the time constraint between the Bangladesh series and coming to England, no further testing was done. However, the team in general has been working much harder and from mere observation their fitness has improved and is continuing to improve.
Q: Even with the improvements, is it at the desired 'minimum' levels that you have set? Also, how much of this do you see as your personal responsibility? You have been the team's trainer for several years... Do you think you should share the blame for the team's lack of fitness?
Rogers: As I said before, there has been no formal testing so there is no way of ascertaining whether the minimum standards have been reached/achieved. The next testing will shed further light on this. However, testing is merely a means of ascertaining where people are but functional fitness is of greater importance.
As the one responsible for strength and conditioning, I am indeed accountable for the team's fitness state. ,However there are many factors that will impact on my ability to professionally execute my duties. It is impossible and unwise to attempt to improve fitness by any great quantity during competition. Therefore, it is necessary that players come at an adequate level of fitness so we can work on slight improvements and maintenance throughout the competitive phase.
But this isn't happening. Like you said, based on the info received from Skerritt prior to South Africa, they were not all at the desired minimum level.
Q: So, Ronald, if the players aren't turning up at the necessary levels -- and that is what is required -- then there is a breakdown along the chain. How do we fix that? Should the trainer get more control of the players in the off-season? What is the answer?
Rogers: Under ideal conditions, there should be a strength and conditioning professional in each territory to supervise prescribed programmes when players are away from the team. Looking at an even bigger picture, the infrastructure should be in place that allows for testing and achieving of a desired fitness state by all regional players from Under 15 through the First Class level. These are the players who eventually become Test players.
In addition, players need to be educated as to how conditioning impacts their performance and prolongs careers by injury prevention.
Q: What kind of regiment do you prescribe for the team to follow, for both tests and One day matches?
Rogers: There are different programmes for different days, depending on the type of routine that is taking place -- playing days or strength and conditioning days, day after game, etc.
Today, for example, the team was broken up into groups of three, each coming to the gym at 30-minute intervals. The first 15 minutes was spent doing interval training (five minutes easy jogging on the treadmill or cycling if there was an injury and for fast bowlers just to keep them off their legs a bit). The next ten minutes they were required to go at maximum intensity for one minute and rest for one minute (Easy cycling or walking on the treadmill).
This was followed by some functional training such as overhead split squats, pull ups, single leg deadlifts, front squats, stability ball hip extension, elevated push ups, etc. This was followed by some agility work with the ladder drills and a flexibility session = stretching of each body part for 30 seconds. Players who are carrying niggles (knee, back, etc.) did rehabilitative work with Andrew.
Q: You spoke earlier about what would be "ideal conditions" for fitness management, going back to the U-15s. Do you have any confidence this will ever become a reality? The issue of player (lack of) fitness is nothing new... Is the WICB on the same page with what is clearly needed? Have you made these recommendations to the board?
Rogers: Recommendations have been made. I suppose there are a number of factors which would impact on the ability to implement the suggestions. One of them would definitely be financial constraints. Infrastructure such as training facilities would have to be provided in each territory. It may be faster realised should the business community contribute to the building of these facilities which will benefit not only cricket but sports in general in the Caribbean.
Even governments can contribute as well. The fact remains that our competitors all have these facilities at their disposal, the burden of which is not borne by their cricket boards only.
Q: Andrew, we have a situation on this tour where Fidel Edwards is coming off an injury without having played any competitive cricket (not including the MCC game). Is he fully healed from the hamstring injury? Is he ready for the rigours of this tour? Also, can you update the Bravo and Dwayne Smith injury report?
Simpson: Fidel has fully recovered from the hamstring injury. Once he does his conditioning work he should be able to handle the rigours of this tour. Dwayne Smith just had a laceration (cut) which is healing so he is available to play. Bravo had some minor bruising from his fall and he will also be available to play tomorrow.
Q: In the last three years, we've seen a high rate of player turnover in the WI team (almost 70 players). This includes youth players who have never been exposed to high-intensity training in their lives. How much of a challenge does this present to you, especially as it relates to young fast bowlers who have to do high-impact work (e.g Rampaul, Edwards, Taylor, etc.)
Rogers: It is extremely challenging from the viewpoint it's like damned if you do, damned if you don't. By this I mean that the lack of structure quite often allows for young players to come to the team having never been exposed to high level conditioning, strength work, etc. These same players have never been exposed to the intensity of Test and ODI cricket plus travelling very long distances with very little rest in-between.
It is therefore necessary to attempt to strike a delicate balance between teaching strength training techniques and playing. If you go too far with the strength training, there is the potential for inadequate recovery and therefore breakdown. However, if nothing is done with the increased workload, there is also the potential for breakdown.
As a result, it is extremely challenging to attempt to improve the fitness level of these young players while they are playing. Bear in mind, we also have to consider the body's physiological adaptation to exercise and how this would impact on players' technique, etc.
Q: Is there, then, need for the selectors to be involved in the discussions regarding injury/fitness risks with these kids? Is this something you'd recommend? Jerome Taylor presents the perfect example of this. He's been injured for a long time, and recovery seems a ways away. All because he was not ready to handle the demands of the job...
Rogers: I don't know that I can fully agree that he [Taylor] was not ready to handle the demands of the job. Taylor came to the team towards the end of the Sri Lanka series; we had a three month break and he was given a strength programme with which to work during that period. As a matter of fact, Sir Vivian Richards, Taylor and myself had a very long chat with regards to the importance of strengthening when he came to the team. Unfortunately, Taylor did not follow the routine, came back less fit than before and therefore suffered the inevitable consequences.
So, I'd say there is a bit of consultation between the parties involved. I believe that all parties involved should seek to have a greater awareness of the need for a holistic approach to selection.
Q: The increased amount of cricket being played is also a concern. Does this have a direct bearing on the high rate of injury in the West Indies team?
Simpson: There is an increase in cricket but the solution to handling the increased load is to have our players involved in conditioning over a number of years. This needs to be done from the Under 15 level. Once this is done, they will be able to handle the load once they get to the senior level.
As Ronald said, a lot of the players who are coming through are not exposed to systematic conditioning so they come through to the senior level with inadequacies. I don't think the issue is increased cricket but more with how we prepare our players for the increased workload. That being said, there is not enough time for rest and recuperation in between tours.
Rogers: Given the amount of cricket that is being played, maybe we need to look at a roster system where players are cycled. Perhaps where players are contracted, cycled and monitored during their down period to ensure that they are ready for when their time of work comes.
Simpson: Each island in the West Indies needs to have a facility which should house an international standard playing square, international standard indoor nets, practice nets, strength and conditioning facilities with modern equipment. With these facilities, you then need to make sure that all coaches and trainers have all the necessary information to guide the youngsters so that they will be adequately prepared for international cricket when they come through.
Q: Ronald, Have you ever made this 'roster cycling' recommendation? Has it ever been discussed with the WICB? Is it even practical when the full (best) team is struggling to win games?
Rogers: Yes, the idea has been put forward before but we are in a less than ideal world and there are going to be constraints, the main one being financial. However, if this becomes possible, we will see better preparation and an improved product all round. The players will have a higher level of fitness, be able to last longer, play better and the quality of the game will be lifted.
Q: To what extent are the players fitness regimes monitored in between tours?
Rogers: There is no official method of monitoring the players. Of course, they are monitored on tour but there is no official method of monitoring them when they are at home.
Q: Would you recommend monitoring then? In sports like rugby and football, the international players fitness regimes are worked on with the players clubs and the international fitness team, can this be instituted in West Indies cricket? And, are the players not held partly responsible for their own fitness?
Rogers: In the final analysis, as a professional you are responsible for your fitness. However, an ideal situation would be to have players monitored within their territories all the way down to club level. Just as I must take responsibility for the lack of fitness, players must also take responsibility for their own fitness, especially when away from a structured environment.
Q: How much communication happens between the team and the WICB's development unit as it relates to biomechanical reports on players? For example, with Taylor and Rampaul, there were public warnings from Dr Seepersaud that they were injury risks, because of their bowling action.... Is there a breakdown in communications somewhere along the line that exacerbates the problems?
Simpson: Since taking up this post, I have not seen a scrap of paper or any report highlighting the fact that Rampaul or any other person had biomechanical problems with respect to their bowling actions which could predispose them to injury.
I am fully aware of the connection between biomechanics and injury prevention and to make this an integral part of the injury management programme is going to require myself, the trainer and the coach being provided with at least two high speed camcorders and the appropriate biomechanical software to deal with any issues arriving out of technique (bowling, batting, running, etc.)
Rogers: I did not receive any communication from Dr. Seepersaud. I'm not saying it wasn't passed, but I didn't receive it.
Q: Have you requisitioned for high speed cameras and software? What has been the response?
Simpson: It is a step-by-step process and there are other equipment that are more crucial at this time and we are still in the process of receiving these.
Q: Your answers on not receiving biomechanical reports confirms a major breakdown in communications...How do we fix that?
I suppose with the new and still evolving communications unit headed by Mr. Leonard Robertson that the communication flow within the WICB will be much smoother. Efforts such as this one, where we can have a media conference online gives me hope that this will be much improved in the future.