What are the Similarities in the Study of Ball Carrying and the Study of the Relationship of Strategies in Rugby? Katie Vetsch Northern State University A study was conducted that evaluated the effect of ball carrying on the sprinting speed of international rugby union players. The study used already completed research that concluded amateur rugby players are slower when they are carrying a rugby ball compared to when they are sprinting without one (Barr). It is important for a rugby player to be able to carry the ball in one hand while they are running because it allows them to fend themselves from tackle breaks (Barr). This study was conducted to understand how elite rugby player’s sprinting speed would be affected …show more content…
Among these 26 participants, 14 played forward positions and 12 played back positions (Barr). The participant’s ages ranged from 23 to 29.4, their body mass from 89.7 kg to 113.5 kg, and their height from 1.74 m to 1.94 m (Barr). Testing of the players included them performing 6 x 40 m sprints total (Barr). There were three different ball conditions which were each repeated twice by the players; sprinting with a ball in two hands, sprinting with a ball in one hand, and sprinting without a ball (Barr). Each participant in the research received equal rest time and had the order of their trials randomized to balance the possible effects of fatigue (Barr). The speed of a sprinting rugby player is affected by them carrying a ball because athletes typically move their arms to counterbalance the rotation of their hips (Barr). It is important for rugby players to master the skill of carrying a ball and maximizing their speed (Barr). The study suggests carrying a rugby ball with two hands does not affect elite rugby players as much as sub-elite players (Barr). The study also suggests that coaches should focus on teaching players to sprint with a rugby ball in two hands …show more content…
Rugby union is a team sport with two teams competing against each other with 15 players each for 80 minutes (Sewry). It is very important that each player has technical and tactical proficiency all through-out the game. The risk of injury and successful performance can be directly related to the tactical and technical characteristics of defense and attack that have been described for rugby union (Sewry). The subjects that were analyzed for this study were fifteen matches from the 2010 rugby tournament (Sewry). 763 instances were used in this study, all of which were chosen randomly but were sampled as to make sure there was an equal distribution of instances within teams and competition weeks (Sewry). The statistical analyses was used to determine what strategies would increase the chances of a successful outcome (Sewry). A multinomial logistic regression analysis was computed using STATA 11.1 to determine the strategy characteristics (Sewry). This logistic regression was well suited for the analysis taking place (Sewry). The analysis drew conclusions from several different variables to determine the