Touch – the importance of a dynamic warm up
Touch season kicks off around Aotearoa this week. For many people it's the best time of year. Before you get stuck in and try to score the match winning try, experts are urging players to get their bodies ready so they can last the season.
Northland teenager Cullen Gray says completing the ACC TouchFit360 warm-up gave him huge confidence on his return from a serious injury.
The promising talent, who in 2019 was named in the NZ U-16 mixed touch squad for their tour of Australia, saw his dream end in abrupt fashion. Cullen broke his left leg in a tackle during a preseason rugby game.
He fractured his fibula and tibia and required reparative surgery where the surgeon inserted a plate and screws into his leg.
“The injury was really painful and it set me back for a long time,” says Cullen who went through school at Auckland Grammar. “I was pretty worried that I might not be able to play again.”
Cullen was out of action for eight months. He took his rehabilitation one day at a time and says completing a dynamic warm-up was huge in his comeback.
“It was hard mentally coming back from injury,” he says. “I was told that my leg was all OK to go, but in the lead-up to my first game I had quite a lot of doubt.
“It was a big step getting back out there but the TouchFit360 warm-up was a big help. Knowing that I had warmed up properly and that I was ready to play put me in a much better frame of mind.”
The stats on touch injuries
In the past five years we have accepted 49,248 touch related injury claims. In another COVID-19 affected season there were 7,709 injury claims in 2021.
Most of those injuries were soft tissue injury claims (81 percent) with the most affected parts of the body being ankle and knee injuries. The age groups which suffered the most touch injuries over the past five years have been the 10 - 14 years and 15 - 19 years age categories.
Males made up the majority of touch injuries over the past five years with 71 percent of claims.
ACC invests into Touch NZ to support the TouchFit360 injury prevention programme and help keep players on the field. The TouchFit360 programme aims to reduce incidence and severity of injury.
“We know that loads of New Zealanders love this time of year when the touch rugby season begins,” says ACC Injury Prevention Programme Lead James Whitaker.
“The game has a unique ability to bring people together. It has a direct impact in the areas of both social and community development.
“We are pleased to partner with Touch NZ as we look to prevent injuries across the country and help Kiwis to continue doing what they love.”
James says that an injury has an impact on not only the person but the people around them. “If you get injured, it can cause a huge range of flow on effects for other people in your life,” he says.
“An injury – even a minor one – can have a big impact on your whānau, your friends, your workmates. So we are encouraging players to ‘Have a Hmmm’ and make sure they are ready before they hit the touch field.”
Being part of a community
The focus of TouchFit360 is not just on the field.
The programme recognises that sport is a powerful enabler of hauora (physical, mental, social and spiritual health) and wellbeing and that touch plays an important role in the community.
In Northland, Cullen has played touch since he was eight years old. He played for Galaxy Touch Whangarei at club level and provincial touch for Te Taitokerau Touch
“Being down at our local club was always massive for me,” he says. “My family are part of the club and I have grown up in that environment. I loved playing with and against people who were part of my wider family.
“That was always a really important social time.”
The importance of a dynamic warm up
Cullen will never forget his serious leg injury. He has simple advice for any young touch players – look after your body.
“Staying injury free is a big part of enjoying the game and performing well,” he says. “If you warm up and cool down properly then you’ve got a much better chance of playing the whole season and enjoying it as well.
TouchFit360 works on conditioning for in-game movements such as contact, jumping, landing, and changing direction. It prepares touch players’ bodies for training and matches and enhances performance. It decreases the risk of injury.
“For any young kids coming up that is important so you can keep improving and grow that passion for the game. I know my best seasons have always been when I have stayed injury free and fit.”
A study published by the British Medical Journal in 2008 found that teams performing this warm up at least twice a week had 37 percent fewer training injuries and 29 percent fewer game injuries. Severe injuries reduced by almost 50 percent.
James says the dynamic nature of the TouchFit360 warm-up prepares people to play.
“If you follow the dynamic warm-up and take time to rest and recover, you’ll be fitter, faster, and stronger,” says James.
He says too often we see people coming into the summer sports cold after a winter off and go too hard too soon.
Or conversely, they have been playing winter sports and don’t complete the same preparation for sports like touch as they would for sports like rugby.
“This warm-up will reduce your risk of being side-lined with injury,” says James. “I encourage all touch players to check out the resources on the Touch NZ website so they can enjoy the whole season.”
TouchFit360 warm up:
