Richard Clarke

Birmingham City University | BCU

The aims of the present study were to: 1) determine whether limb dominance and inter-limb asymmetry were the same across both change of direction (COD) and deceleration (DEC) deficits and, 2) determine the association between the COD and DEC-deficits and other physical performance tests in elite male rugby union players. Twenty five players perform...

Clarke, R, Read, PJ, De Ste Croix, MBA, and Hughes, JD. The deceleration deficit: a novel field-based method to quantify deceleration during change of direction performance. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-The study investigated the relationship between linear and change of direction (COD) speed performance components and the individual di...

Change of direction (COD) testing has commonly reported a single total time to quantify performance despite that tests are made up of a number of different phases. No investigation into these phases has been completed, therefore the aim of this study was to examine the reliability between sessions and directions of the different phases of a 505 tes...

Background: It has been suggested that altering the knee flexion angle during a commonly used supine isometric strength test developed with professional soccer players changes preferential hamstring muscle recruitment. The aim of this study was to examine the electromyography (EMG) knee joint-angle relationship during this test, as these data are c...

A presentation I delivered when visiting one of Arsenal FC's Academy sites

The aim of this article is to provide coaches and developing coaches with a resource for understanding the key biomechanical principles involved in effective plyometric exercise. At present, technical models have been published for different plyometric exercises in various resources, but this can create confusion and the impression that each exerci...

This study investigated the efficacy of deadlifts and box squats, with a combination of traditional and accommodating resistance, as a potentiating (PAP) stimulus of standing broad jumps (SBJ) in a multiple set contrast protocol. Twelve professional rugby league players (21.4 ± 2.5yrs; 181.3 ± 8.3cm, 91.9 ± 8.8kg; 1RM back squat/BM 1.59 ± 0.21; 1RM...

Objective: The high prevalence of injury in netball can be associated with intrinsic or extrinsic factors. Female athletes have an increased risk of injury as they enter into maturity due to increased joint laxity and a reduction in neuromuscular control, resulting in altered landing biomechanics and greater knee joint injury risk. This study sough...

An investigation into the efficacy of deadlifts and box squats loaded with a combination of traditional and accommodating resistance at potentiating horizontal jump performance

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF TRAVEL ON PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IS AN INCREASING AREA OF INTEREST FOR THE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PRACTITIONER. PREVIOUS RESEARCH SURROUNDING THE EFFECT OF TRAVEL ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF AN ATHLETE HAS FOCUSED ON SLEEP. OF CONCERN TO COACHES AND ATHLETES ARE STRATEGIES TO HELP ATTENUATE ANY DETRIMENTAL IMPACT OF TRAVEL ON...

Post-activation potentiation (PAP) following a bout of high-intensity exercise of short duration is known to produce both a fatigued and a potentiated state. There has been much research in the effectiveness of various PAP protocols, yet the type of dynamic muscle action utilized has seldom been investigated. Therefore, the present study aimed to a...

THE USE OF GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS (GPS) IN ANALYZING FIELD SPORT PERFORMANCE IS A RECENT DEVELOPMENT, PARTICULARLY IN SOCCER, RUGBY, AND FIELD HOCKEY. RESEARCH WITH GPS IN FEMALE FIELD SPORTS HAS CENTERED ON MATCH PERFORMANCE, FATIGUE, AND TRAINING INTENSITY. OF PARTICULAR CONCERN FOR GPS ANALYSIS IS THE NEED FOR STANDARDIZED METHODS TO DETERMI...