Introducing Kris Hinck

Just under a year ago when I decided to start up this blog, I sent out some emails to AFL clubs to get some interviews with their strength and conditioning staff.

I was pleasantly surprised when I received a reply with one who was more than happy to answer some questions.

I had this interview on a USB that snapped and I thought it was lost but I found it on an old one that I found during our house move a month ago.

Kris Hinck, creator of the DVD Game Based Conditioning - AFL Perspective and the Physical Preparation Coach in Elite Sport for the Geelong Cats (and ex-Adelaide Crows) in the AFL, gave me an insight into the training of AFL players and how us amateur and local football players can apply the same techniques to suit our level of competition.

So as a little thank you for reading my blog over the last 12 months, here it is.

What do you think are the major differences that need to be addressed between training professional or amateur/local footballers and how should we go about addressing these differences?

‘Bang for Buck’ would be the major difference. We have training access to our players 8-10 hours 6-7 days per week so we can achieve many things with that available to us. At club level 2-3 sessions of 2hours per week necessitates you spend time only on the aspects that have large return for effort. An example would be, do you have time at club level to do fitness training and skills training? Are these things better to be combined by good drill design so that some recovery and strength work can be completed also?

Aside from the time issue the players physical profile has to be at a much higher level and a broader range of qualities than at club level. If you are ‘fit’ and have good ‘skills’ you will do well at club level if you can get the ball. At AFL level it is a necessity that you have excellent skills and can get the ball. Your fitness attributes have to be developed in a number of areas. Repetitive effort, aerobic power, strength, power, acceleration/speed all have to be at developed to a high level depending on the individual player and positional demands.

What are the top 3 attributes that you want your players to develop and would this be the same for an amateur/local footballer?

Short term – Relative Strength, Aerobic Capacity, Whole body Strength (incl. Core)

Mod-Long term – Maximal Strength, Aerobic Power (incl Repetitive Effort), Whole body Power

I believe if a club level footballer can be consistent over time with the short-term goals I mentioned they will perform well physically

How do you manage the various fitness requirements for AFL football within such a condensed time frame given the importance of recovery, especially during the season?

Recovery is priority #1 during the season, however if that is the only focus then you will lose majority of the hard work that has been put in over the summer. It’s important to have a well planned but flexible annual training plan prior to games starting. This will allow opportunities for periods of hard training.

What periodisation model do you use or does it change depending what part of the season it is?

I can’t give a succinct answer to that one. In theory it’s easy, in practice not so easy. In general terms pre-season is ‘linear’ and in-season is ‘undulating’. It varies however depending on the training age of the player, the physical qualities of the player and also the physical qualities you are developing.

What's the easiest way to bulk up without adding fat and what's the best way for one to transform his body in 1 off season?

Really simple. Eat quality foods, avoid sugar, work hard and support training with simple supplements. Strength training volume is very important and it should be well planned and progressive. Ad-hoc training and poor diet will not deliver sustained results.

What do you think are some of the bigger training myths out there?

1. Supplements are necessary - FALSE. Excellent results can be achieved without them if diet is in check

2. ‘Core’ strength for footballers comes from Pilates - FALSE. A well designed and consistently performed whole body strength program will far outweigh any number of ‘deadbug’ repetitions

3. Footballers only need to do short repeat effort (RE) running – FALSE. RE running will deliver quick return but will always be limited by an underdeveloped aerobic system.

What nutritional practices do you have your players follow?

Our players have regular individual consultations with our dietician. They support training sessions with specific supplementation such as protein and carbohydrates.

Good nutritional practices are similar to good strength training practices. Often the basics work best and each individual will respond differently which usually is a result of trial and error. Also variety is important.

What are some of the newer training methods you've tried with success with your players?

I’m not sure about ‘newer’ but I have had excellent results in 1RM strength tests using periods of sub-maximal lifting (90-98% 1RM). It takes some control by the players not to ‘max-out’ each set but results in greater total session loads being lifted.

What performance tests do you keep a record of and update during the season?

1RM strength tests over 5 lifts (Bench Press, Bench Pull, Shoulder Press, Squat, Power Clean) including ratio targets.

A series of body-weight and loaded jump tests

3km Time Trial

Grid Running Test (Repeat Effort) 15s On/15s OFF

We have others but these are our base tests.

What do you do to increase the speed of your players?

Increasing leg strength & power and improve decision making.

Thanks a lot for this mate, I greatly appreciate it.

Please post any comments.