Ian C. Kenny

University of Limerick | UL · Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences

The aim of this study was to determine how shaft length affects golf driving performance. A range of drivers with lengths between 1.168 m and 1.270 m, representing lengths close to the 1.219 m limit imposed by R&A Rules Limited (200817. R&A Rules Limited. 2008. Rules of golf, St. Andrews: R&A Rules Limited, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. An...

The concept of the transfer of kinetic energy (KE) sequentially through the human body from proximal to distal segments is an influential concept in biomechanics literature. The present study develops this area of research through investigation of segmental sequencing of the transfer of KE by means of computer simulation. Using a musculoskeletal co...

Economy, velocity/power at maximal oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]) and endurance-specific muscle power tests (i.e. maximal anaerobic running velocity; vMART), are now thought to be the best performance predictors in elite endurance athletes. In addition to cardiovascular function, these key performance indicators are believed to be partly dicta...

Running economy (RE) and velocity at maximal oxygen uptake (vVO2 max) are considered to be the best physiological performance indicators in elite distance runners. In addition to cardiovascular function, RE and vVO2 max are partly dictated by neuromuscular factors. One technique to improve neuromuscular function in athletes is through strength trai...

Background: Rugby union is a physically demanding, full-contact team sport that has gained worldwide popularity. The incidence of injury in rugby union has been widely reported in the literature. While comprehensive injury surveillance and prevention programmes have been implemented within the professional game, there is a need for similar strateg...

ABSTRACT Objectives: To analyse match and training injury incidence rates and burden from pre-(2019) and post- COVID-19 (2021) seasons; To analyse injury related variables as mechanisms, type, body locations, severity and the differences of the most common injuries according to playing positions. Design: An observational study was performed accordi...

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to identify prospectively measured ankle sprain risk factors in field-based team contact sports. Methods: Eight databases including SPORTDiscus, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE (EBSCO), Education Source, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase and Pubmed were searched using specific Boolean terms. A modified-CASP...

Background Concern has been raised over the injury risk to school Rugby union (Rugby) players and the potential long-term health consequences. Despite the increase in studies for this cohort, the influence of playing position on injury incidence and presentation is unclear. Purpose To describe the incidence, nature and severity of match injuries f...

Background Rugby participation rates are rising, particularly in the female game where a 60% increase in player numbers was observed from 2013 to 2017. Despite the recent growth, the female amateur game is lacking comprehensive long-term injury surveillance. Objective To compare injuries in male and female amateur Rugby Union. Design Prospective...

Presented at the Virtual 2021 Congress of the European College of Sport Science.

Background The shoulder has been reported as a frequent location of injury in adult professional and amateur rugby, with match injury incidence rates ranging from 1.8 to 3 per 1000 player-hours (h). An increased understanding of the incidence and mechanism of shoulder injuries in school rugby players is vital to establish effective injury preventiv...

Introduction: Amateur Rugby Union has an inherent risk of injury that is associated with detrimental effects on player welfare and team performance. The monitoring of players’ preparedness for, and response to, training has become an integral tool for coaches in injury risk management as it may aid in the prescription and design of training. A trai...

Training load (TL) is a modifiable risk factor that may provide practitioners with opportunities to mitigate injury risk and increase sports performance. A regular problem encountered by practitioners, however, is the issue of missing TL data. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of missing TL data in team sports and to offer a pract...

Irish Rugby Football Union, Dublin, Ireland iii. Patrick Dolan iv. Background: Participation in women's rugby union continues to grow but comprehensive injury epidemiology surveillance distinct from the men's game is required. AIM: This longitudinal study aimed to identify injury incidence and related factors among top-tier adult amateur community...

Background: Rugby union is a physically demanding sport that carries an inherent risk of injury. Despite being a popular and widely played team sport, little is known about injuries occurring across the male and female amateur game. Purpose: To establish and compare injury incidence, nature, and severity in male and female Irish amateur rugby un...

BLUF: Both strength and conditioning coaches and players alike value an online training monitoring system but the greatest barriers to its effectiveness are lack of player compliance, data inconsistency, gathering match data, and external confounders outside of the sport. INTRODUCTION: A training monitoring system (TMS) should be both attainable a...

ForewordComprehensive injury surveillance systems in amateur Rugby Union are needed to enhance player welfare and this innovative project to date has involved the research, design and implementation of an online injury recording platform. Collection has now been completed of a third season’s data and this 2019/20 season report documents our collabo...

ForewordComprehensive injury surveillance systems in underage Rugby Union are needed to enhance player welfare and this innovative project to date has involved the research, design and implementation of an online injury recording platform. Collection has now been completed of the season’s data and this second schools’ 2019/20 season report document...

A training monitoring system (TMS) should be both attainable and scientifically grounded; however, the optimal method of monitoring training is not yet fully understood. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an online TMS for amateur rugby union. The experimental approach to the problem consisted of five phases: (1) establishing the...

In professional rugby, sports-related concussion (SRC) remains the most frequent time loss injury. Therefore, accurately diagnosing SRC and monitoring player recovery, through a multi-modal assessment process, is critical to SRC management. In this protocol study, we aim to assess SRC over multiple time points post-injury to determine the value of...

INTRODUCTION: Amateur Rugby Union has an inherent risk of injury that is associated with detrimental effects on player welfare and team performance. Training load (TL) is a modifiable risk factor that, when monitored, may provide strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches with opportunities to reduce the risk of injury. The purpose of this study was t...

The hurdle jump is a commonly prescribed plyometric exercise for sprint athletes. The purpose of this study was to assess the lower body kinematic differences between maximal velocity sprinting and hurdle jumps performed over a range hurdle heights. Six competitive male sprinters performed maximum effort sprints over 50 m and hurdle jumps over 0.60...

Griffin, A, Kenny, IC, Comyns, TM, and Lyons, M. Training load monitoring in amateur Rugby Union: A survey of current practices. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Amateur Rugby Union has an inherent risk of injury that is associated with detrimental effects on player welfare and team performance. Training load (TL) is a modifiable risk facto...

Background There has been a recent increase in research examining training load as a method of mitigating injury risk due to its known detrimental effects on player welfare and team performance. The acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) takes into account the current training load (acute) and the training load that an athlete has been prepared for (c...

Objectives To ascertain the extent of injury surveillance and prevention practices currently in operation and the availability of medical personnel across Rugby playing schools in the Republic of Ireland. Design Cross-sectional survey design. Setting Rugby playing schools across Ireland. Participants The Rugby games master, head Rugby coach or t...

There has been a recent increase in research examining training load as a method of preventing injury occurrence due to its known detrimental effects on player welfare. The acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) takes into account the current training load (acute) and the training load that an athlete has been prepared for (chronic). There are two mod...

Purpose This study aimed to determine the accuracy of a 4 split time modelling method to generate velocity-time and velocity-distance variables in elite male 100-m sprinters and subsequently to assess the roles of key sprint parameters with respect to 100-m sprint performance. Additionally, this study aimed to assess the differences between faster...

The Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) project involves research stemming from ongoing sports performance, injury prevention and psychological preparation work by University of Limerick academics across a range of sports, as well as our specific expertise in Rugby Union. It has effectively brought together academics with expert practitioner exp...

The Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) project involves research stemming from ongoing sports performance, injury prevention and psychological preparation work by University of Limerick academics across a range of sports, as well as our specific expertise in Rugby Union. It has effectively brought together academics with expert practitioner exp...

Objectives: To investigate factors associated with injury in amateur male and female rugby union players. Design: A prospective cohort study. Setting: Amateur rugby clubs in Ireland. Participants: Male (n = 113) and female (n = 24) amateur rugby union players from 5 of the top 58 amateur clubs in Ireland. Main outcome measures: Pre-season...

There is an inherent risk of injury in Rugby, due to the physical demands and exposure to collisions. While injuries in the professional Rugby game are widely reported, little is known about the amateur game. Investigating relationships between physical and wellness screening measures may identify injury causal factors and aid the development of ta...

PURPOSE: Despite recent growth in game popularity worldwide, Women’s Rugby Union is currently lacking rigorous, comprehensive injury surveillance programs (World Rugby). This long-term study aimed to monitor injury trends, that may emerge, which will aid future implementation of evidence-based injury prevention strategies to minimize injury risk an...

Background: Rugby union is a physically demanding, full-contact team sport that has grown in popularity. In order to reduce injury risk a full understanding of the incidence and nature of injuries is required. Injury surveillance systems are lacking in the amateur rugby game worldwide. The use of consistent injury definitions and methods of data c...

Rugby Union is one of the most played and watched team sports worldwide. Despite high injury incidence rates widely reported in the literature, no long-term injury surveillance system monitoring of the incidence of injury in both male and female amateur Rugby currently exists. Unlike the professional code, amateur cohorts often have limited resourc...

The proposed study aims to address issues highlighted by a previous research pilot project concerning the capability of the drop jump to elicit fast stretch shortening cycle (SSC) characteristics. In accordance with Schmidtbleicher’s threshold (1), a sample of 30 physically active and healthy participants performed three DJs from heights of 0.15, 0...

Background There has been a recent increase in research examining training load as a method of preventing injury occurrence due to its known detrimental effects on player welfare. The acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) takes into account the current training load (acute) and the training load that an athlete has been prepared for (chronic). There...

Background: Rugby Union is one of the world’s most popular team sports and school Rugby in particular, has increased in popularity and professionalism in recent times. Due to the physical nature of the sport, evaluating injury risk in school players is paramount to player welfare and safety. Although comprehensive injury surveillance practices have...

This study describes the results of a survey of resistance training practices of sprint coaches. This study investigated why sprint coaches prescribe resistance training to their athletes, what exercises they select, and what factors are involved with their selection. Forty-one of 73 (56%) sprint coaches with mean ± SD coaching experience of 8.4 ±...

Rugby-related injuries are widely reported in professional teams, however little is currently known about the amateur game, and even less so in women’s Rugby. Despite its growing popularity in Ireland, no long-term prospective injury surveillance system currently exists in Irish amateur Rugby. Aim To establish the incidence, nature and severity of...

Objectives: To describe the development, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive injury surveillance system. Design: The four phases; i) A survey of 58 medical professionals working in amateur rugby. ii) The design of a web-based injury surveillance system (IRISweb). iii) Recruitment of 21 of the top 58 amateur clubs to use IRISweb....

It has long been established that pupillary responses provide a valid and reliable window on the “intensity” of mental activity or cognitive effort (Hess & Polt, 1964; Kahneman & Beatty, 1966). As these responses are routinely and noninvasively measured during eye-tracking, they constitute a promising tool for the study of the cognitive mechanisms...

The Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) project involves research stemming from ongoing sports performance, injury prevention and psychological preparation work by University of Limerick academics across a range of sports, as well as our specific expertise in Rugby Union. It has effectively brought together academics with expert practitioner exp...

Purpose: The primary aim was to assess the relationships between reactive strength measures and associated kinematic and kinetic performance variables achieved during drop jumps. A secondary aim was to highlight issues with the use of reactive strength measures as performance indicators. Methods: Twenty eight national and international level spr...

Healy, R, Smyth, C, Kenny, IC, and Harrison, AJ. Influence of reactive and maximum strength indicators on sprint performance. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The primary aim of this study was to assess the relationship between reactive and maximal strength measures with 40 m sprint performance and mechanical properties. Fourteen male and 1...

Objectives: To ascertain current injury surveillance and player education practices in Irish amateur rugby union. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Amateur rugby clubs in Ireland. Participants: Medical professionals and rugby coaches of the top 58 amateur rugby clubs in Ireland. Main outcome measures: The survey investigated the cur...

Background Rugby Union is one of the most played and watched collision sports worldwide, with high injury incidences widely reported in the literature. Participation rates in Rugby Union are rising with increasing popularity, particularly in Ireland with 224 amateur clubs and approximately 190,400 players currently registered. Internationally, the...

The Stretch-Shortening Cycle (SSC) is a natural muscle function where a muscle is eccentrically contracted, effectively stretched, immediately prior to a concentric shortening contraction. Schmidtbleicher (1992) categorised SSC into fast SSC, ground contact time (CT) <0.25s, and slow SSC, CT >0.25s. Fast SSC is key to explosive sporting performance...

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the concurrent validity of two devices used in velocity based monitoring of resistance training. The Tendo Fitrodyne is a linear position transducer (LPT) which attaches to the barbell to measure velocity of movement. PUSH is a wearable inertia sensor (WIS) that is worn on the athlete’s forearm and...

Background: Despite its popularity, there is little scientific evidence of the effectiveness of FST but positive movement associations between fascia and stretching have been reported. Aim/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of fascial stretch therapy on movement performance indicators: joint range of motion, strength, power an...

The long term Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) project delivers an effective and efficient Rugby Union specific injury surveillance system. This monitoring system assesses the incidence and type of injury in terms of nature and severity, ultimately developing the first long-term surveillance and prevention programme within the Irish amateur g...

Golf is a popular leisure and competitive activity for individuals with disabilities (Bragaru et al, 2011, Sports Medicine, 41, 721-740). The current golf handicap system does not fully take into account challenges of playing golf with any form of physical disability. The aim of this study was to examine golf driving performance measures, comparing...

In golf, play on the green has a large impact on final score and a great amount of time is spent on coaching and practice greens to improve putting performance. The study purpose was to measure putting outcome performance when different length putters were used with an anchoring mechanism. Seventy-two skilled golfers each executed a total of 60 put...

Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is applied to running stride time series for the detection of long range correlations. However, there is no concurrent real-time data collection and DFA feedback mechanism. We aimed to verify a running analysis system for production of real-time DFA α values. Data were collected utilising an accelerometer, attac...

This study assessed the validity of a novel protocol in the measurement of 5 and 10 m sprint time from standing and block starts. Sprint time was assessed using high speed video timing and a novel method which incorporated dual beam photocells synchronized with an optical measuring system. Team sport athletes and sprinters completed 10 m sprints fr...

Warm-up protocols have the potential to cause an acute enhancement of dynamic sprinting performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three repetition specific gluteal activation warm-up protocols on acceleration performance in male Rugby Union players. Forty male academy Rugby Union players were randomly assigned to one of...

The aim of this study was to assess the concurrent validity of the Optojump TM system (Microgate, Bolzano, Italy) versus a force platform in the estimation of temporal and reactive strength measures. In two separate investigations, twenty physically active males performed double-leg and single-leg drop jumps from a box height of 0.3 m and a 10 s ve...

Maximum- and reactive-strength qualities both have important roles in athletic movements and sporting performance. Very little research has investigated the relationship between maximum-strength and reactive-strength. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between maximum-strength (isometric mid-thigh pull peak force; IMTP PF) an...

Cycling economy (CE), power at maximal oxygen uptake (WV̇O2max) and anaerobic function (i.e. sprinting ability) are considered to be the best physiological performance indicators in elite road cyclists. In addition to cardiovascular function, these physiological indicators are partly dictated by neuromuscular factors. One technique to improve neuro...

Inertial sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes can provide a multitude of information on running gait. Running parameters such as stride time and ground contact time can all be identified within tibial accelerometry data. Within this, stride time is a popular parameter of interest, possibly due to its role in running economy. However, there...