Coping With Extreme Climate

by James Skitt - 02.02.12

As the GB Women’s hockey team prepare for their Champions Trophy quarter final against Korea this evening the players ability to cope with the heat in Argentina is thanks to years of preparation according to their English Institute of Sport (EIS) Strength and Conditioning Coach Dave Hamilton.

Danny Kerry’s side were forced to contend with playing two of their three pool fixtures on consecutive days in 40 degree heat last weekend, but Hamilton is confident the ‘recovery protocols’ the squad have put in place means they are able to cope with the extreme conditions.

"I'm confident that the heat is not going to become a factor for us because of the way we've prepared ourselves. Not just this year, but last year and the year before” he told BBC Sport.

Great Britain’s powers of recovery served them well as they remained unbeaten throughout their pool matches and whilst tonight’s encounter is likely to be played in the far more respectable mid 20's, the sides next fixture, whether it be a semi final or play off, is likely to see temperatures back in the high 30’s.

But Hamilton insists: “That [the heat] will not become one of the variables that determines the outcome of a game.”

"We try to keep everything as consistent as possible. We have recovery protocols that we've always used for all our tournaments and they don't change. Those are geared towards relaxing the girls.

"And behind that is long-term development, over three or four years, building on the work capacity of the squad. That can't be done with just one year's training, it has to be multiple years completed and that's where I believe our advantage potentially lies over other nations."

The EIS provide a range of support services to GB Hockey including Performance Nutrition, Performance Analysis, Performance Lifestyle, Sport Medicine, Performance Psychology and Strength and conditioning.

Strength and Conditioning coaches work alongside sports coaches to assist them in designing specific programmes that address the particular needs of the athlete, team and sport.

The full interview with Dave Hamilton is available on the BBC Sport website.

Photography © Getty Images