Sprinting and hamstring strain injury: beliefs and practices of professional physical performance coaches in Australian football.

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to establish beliefs and practices of physical performance coaches regarding sprinting and Hamstring Strain Injury (HSI) in Australian Rules football. Designs Delphi-validated questionnaire Setting Online Participants Eighteen high-performance managers of the Australian Football League. Main Outcome Measures Descriptive statistics were collected to establish experience; central themes were established for the analyses of the beliefs and practices. Results Nine (50%) physical performance coaches responded to an invitation to complete the questionnaire. Participants held an undergraduate degree and had 9.2 ± 4.3 years of experience. Accelerations (n = 9), maximum speed sprints (n = 9) and running with hip flexion (n = 7) were the most common activities associated with HSI. Coaches believed sprinting, eccentric strength training and proper periodisation were effective strategies to reduce HSI risk. There’s a disparity between beliefs and practices when using GPS to monitor sprinting, however, all coaches reported regular exposure to sprint training across both pre and in-season. Overstriding (n=9) and pelvic instability (n=6) were identified as key flaws in running mechanics. Conclusions This information can be used to improve training strategies, whilst these findings indicate further investigations into sprint training and running mechanics for HSI risk reduction.