Analyse the benefits and limitations of implementing either continuous aerobic training or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as the primary training method for a cricket team during pre-season. (8 marks)
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Continuous aerobic training benefits
- Develops the aerobic capacity needed to maintain concentration and physical performance throughout a day’s play, particularly for fast bowlers and fielders who perform repeated efforts.
- Establishes cardiovascular efficiency through adaptations including increased stroke volume and capillary density, enhancing oxygen delivery and facilitating quicker recovery between bowling spells or batting sessions.
Limitations
- Insufficient development of the explosive power required for critical cricket actions like fast bowling, throwing from the boundary, or explosive batting strokes.
- Lacks specificity for cricket’s intermittent nature, potentially leaving players underprepared for the varied intensity demands of competition across different formats (T20, ODI, Test).
HIIT benefits
- Closer simulation of cricket’s intermittent intensity profile, particularly for shorter formats where high-intensity efforts are interspersed with recovery periods.
- Simultaneously develops aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, improving players’ ability to perform repeated high-intensity efforts like consecutive boundaries when batting or maintaining bowling speed in later spells.
- Improves lactate threshold and recovery between high-intensity efforts, crucial for maintaining performance quality in the closing stages of matches.
Limitations
- Insufficient development of the extended aerobic foundation needed for longer format matches (Test cricket) if used exclusively.
- Higher intensity creates greater neuromuscular and joint stress, potentially increasing injury risk for fast bowlers whose actions already place significant stress on the body.
Optimal pre-season approach
- Periodising both methods – beginning with a greater emphasis on continuous aerobic training (70:30 ratio) to establish a foundation, then progressively shifting toward more cricket-specific HIIT sessions (30:70 ratio) as competition approaches.
Show Worked Solution
Sample Answer
Continuous aerobic training benefits
- Develops the aerobic capacity needed to maintain concentration and physical performance throughout a day’s play, particularly for fast bowlers and fielders who perform repeated efforts.
- Establishes cardiovascular efficiency through adaptations including increased stroke volume and capillary density, enhancing oxygen delivery and facilitating quicker recovery between bowling spells or batting sessions.
Limitations
- Insufficient development of the explosive power required for critical cricket actions like fast bowling, throwing from the boundary, or explosive batting strokes.
- Lacks specificity for cricket’s intermittent nature, potentially leaving players underprepared for the varied intensity demands of competition across different formats (T20, ODI, Test).
HIIT benefits
- Closer simulation of cricket’s intermittent intensity profile, particularly for shorter formats where high-intensity efforts are interspersed with recovery periods.
- Simultaneously develops aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, improving players’ ability to perform repeated high-intensity efforts like consecutive boundaries when batting or maintaining bowling speed in later spells.
- Improves lactate threshold and recovery between high-intensity efforts, crucial for maintaining performance quality in the closing stages of matches.
Limitations
- Insufficient development of the extended aerobic foundation needed for longer format matches (Test cricket) if used exclusively.
- Higher intensity creates greater neuromuscular and joint stress, potentially increasing injury risk for fast bowlers whose actions already place significant stress on the body.
Optimal pre-season approach
- Periodising both methods – beginning with a greater emphasis on continuous aerobic training (70:30 ratio) to establish a foundation, then progressively shifting toward more cricket-specific HIIT sessions (30:70 ratio) as competition approaches.