Training must be thought of principally in terms of prevention of injury.

Fact – Lack of fitness is one of the prime causes of injury. 

The amount of time spent on training depends on the level at which you referee, and the state of your physical condition. If you begin pre-season training ten pounds overweight or in a ‘flabby’ condition you will require a longer and more intensive programme than a colleague who is already in a reasonably good state of fitness.

Warning – The most dangerous period is the first few weeks of the season.

Reasons for this include:

• Inadequate pre-season training
• Muscles are not as flexible as they should be
• Overweight
• Refereeing before you are fit enough

A referee is hardly ever injured by a player and any condition caused by direct contact would be sheer bad luck. You are most likely to suffer muscular injuries involving muscle pulls or ruptures. The muscles most likely to be affected are the muscles of the thigh and lower leg as well as the Achilles tendon.

Fact - Poor abdominal and back strength is a major cause of back injury.

You need to work regularly (at least 3-4 times per week) on developing your abdominal and lower back strength and conditioning, and should include exercises for this purpose whenever you train, or on the floor at home on a non training day.

There are lots of different exercises designed to strengthen the trunk muscles. Here are a few of the more common exercises.

Advice – Try to perform at least 12 repetitions of each exercise. As you become stronger perform up to 25 repetitions and repeat up to 3 times.

Breath freely throughout each repetition.

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(ii) SIT-UPS WITH A TWIST Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head and sit up to touch your right elbow to your left knee and vice versa.

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Regular stretching and strengthening of your muscles will help prevent those niggling injuries that so often detract from your performance, psychologically and physically.

TRAINING GUIDELINES                 Take me to the top of this page

Follow these simple Training Guidelines to improve your fitness and remain free from injury.

1. Don’t work too hard too soon. Improvements in fitness take time. If you rush your progression you may injure yourself. The primary objective is that you stay injury free, so don’t over-train.

2. Try to vary your training so you alternate hard and easy days.

3. All sessions should start and finish with a warm up/down followed by stretching.

4. Always train within your training zone (i.e. 70% - 90% of maximum heart rate).

5. Do not train if your are ill.

6. If your are injured, try and substitute training for activities such as cycling or swimming to help you maintain your fitness.

7. Invest in decent clothing and footwear. It is important to wear good shoes especially when training on hard surfaces.

8. Don’t jog in fog.

9. If you go jogging in the dark always wear light coloured clothing so you can be seen easily. Better still, wear a reflective jacket.

10. Don’t eat, drink caffeine or use tobacco products within 2 hours of a game or a training session.

11. Regularly consume water before, during and after training and matches.