02 Feb 2016
Stellenbosch, 2 February 2016. The Aspire Academy athletics team has been training abroad since January 20. During this time, the endurance group has travelled to Vilamoura in Portugal, whilst the discus throw, jumps, sprints and development groups are in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Here John Nuttall, Athletics Head Coach of Aspire Academy, explains the benefits of these camps for Aspire’s student-athletes and the important role they play in ensuring a successful season.
What is the benefit of the current camps for the student-athletes?
The training camps in South Africa and Portugal provide athletes, coaches and support staff with the opportunity to spend a concentrated period of time together in a stimulating environment, helping to build strong foundations and increase the chances of a successful season. Furthermore, such trips allow staff to educate the athletes in all aspects of athletic development – from assuming responsibility for their actions, time management, nutrition, hydration, team-work and recovery whilst also training hard. It also allows the coaches and support staff the opportunity to develop a team culture in a new and often challenging environment, strengthening working relationships and helping to enhance the performance of the athletes.
What were the most important criteria when it came to choosing the places for the camps?
Athletics is a sport that encompasses four different event groups and it is important that the training camp caters for the needs of each discipline. For example, endurance runners need cooler weather and stimulating, extensive running terrain whereas sprinters prefer hot weather and a running track close to a good gymnasium. For these reasons, it is not always possible to organise for all our athletes to be at the same venue together. These camps also provide opportunities that enable the athletes to compete in several events, helping to support their motivation and development. This is particularly true for the younger athletes.
What makes Stellenbosch the ideal location for the Academy’s sprints, discus throw and jumps groups to train?
Travelling there is just one direct flight to Cape Town with a short shuttle journey either side and there is only one hour time difference ensuring no issues with jet-lag. The weather is consistently warm. The hotel is close to the track and caters for all our athletes’ requirements. There are a number of good competitive opportunities during the trip, at Parow Athletics Track and at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. Stellenbosch University, where the boys train, has world-class facilities. South Africa also offers many cultural opportunities for the student-athletes.
What are the advantages for the endurance team in Portugal?
For endurance, Vilamoura on the Algarve offers extensive running routes throughout the orange groves. There is a dedicated cross country circuit which has hosted several international events and the weather is perfect for running – between 16 and 22C in January. The team stays at Browns Sports Center which hosts sports teams from all over the world and provides an excellent service with good soft running trails, a gym and recovery facilities.
How are the boys benefiting from travelling to South Africa and Portugal besides the training sessions?
The camps give the athletes the opportunity to operate in an international context and fill their time constructively each day as they have more time to recover. Support teams provide feedback and organise a number of valuable workshops to educate the athletes on all aspects of their development such as nutrition, psychology, biomechanics or physiology. The student-athletes also have the opportunity to learn from each other. The more experienced athletes take on leadership responsibilities, often supporting the younger ones who might be on their first trip abroad and therefore in need of some extra guidance and support.
How important are camps like these for the relationship between athletes and coaches?
The relationship between the athlete and coach is very important in athletics since trust, belief and knowledge of one another can make all the difference and be crucial to success in the final moments of a race. By spending quality time together on these camps, the coach can provide the specialist knowledge for training sessions and ongoing feedback, but also act as a mentor in all aspects of the athlete’s behavior. Detailed interactions during such camps can help strengthen the relationship, reinforcing ‘one voice’ in the athlete’s head with the coach as the ‘go-to’ person in the event of any problems. This strong bond of trust helps ensure consistent training and build confidence in competitions both domestically and internationally.