Keeping players upright is key

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/06/2017 (2521 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the sun pounded down on another day at Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp Wednesday, the pinch of the hot summer heat continued to take its toll on every one of the nearly 90 players vying for a spot on this year’s roster. As players battled against one another, sweat dripping off every inch of their bodies, coaches barked out instructions with every new drill.

Hot weather and fierce competition have always been a part of training camps, mainstays of a month-long ritual that, over the years, has also seen a significant amount of change. Though the Bombers have been running pre-seasons camps for much of their 87 years of existence, how they approach them has evolved drastically.

What may have been viewed as acceptable even just 15 years ago might no longer fly today. Important components, including workout programs and medical treatments, have either been tweaked or dismissed all together. In a way, no camp is like the next, with the Bombers using a growing set of data — and advancements in science and technology — to constantly challenge the status quo.

“Coaches and medical staffs have certainly gotten smarter over the years,” Alain Couture, the Bombers’ longtime head athletic therapist, said in a recent interview with the Free Press in his office at Investors Group Field. “There’s a lot of psychology involved, too, just knowing their personalities. The whole thing is an assessment.”

Couture is entering his 15th season with the Bombers. When asked to reflect on his experience at training camp, he noted a number of changes over the years. Some of the modifications have come as a direct result of recommendations put forth by Couture and his staff, while others have been instituted through the CFL. All, however, have come with the players’ health and safety in mind, with the goal being to limit the number of injuries so rosters can stay as sturdy as possible by the time the regular season comes around.

There is no perfect science, of course, especially when you’re dealing with men as big and strong as those that make up the Bombers roster. Progress doesn’t always mean fewer bodies on the sideline, and the Bombers have already seen their fair share of guys pulling up lame. Such is life, Couture said, as injuries will always be a part of such a violent game.

“It’s going to happen, it’s football. It’s organized chaos but we try to do things smarter.”

For example, the Bombers have decided to use just six of the days where they’re allowed to run two separate practices — most commonly known in football lingo as “two-a-days” — which is nearly half of the 10 allotted to each team, outlined in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. It’s not as if this time is simply lost, it’s just used in other ways, with Couture scheduling players for five pool sessions throughout camp — workouts that are much less demanding on the body, but just as effective.

When the Bombers use their two-a-days has also changed. Where in years past they would run 10 straight to open training camp in an attempt to get players in shape quicker, the team now takes a much more reasonable — and lighter — approach. This year, after noticing players were getting injured earlier in camp over the last few years, the Bombers consciously chose to make the first two days of camp with just one practice per day.

“We looked at the data from what happens in the first five days when we do this,” Couture said. “I have years and years of it looking and saying ‘OK, this doesn’t really make any sense. Let’s let them adapt a little bit and then let’s go hard. Back then, guys would drop like flies and get cut immediately and it was just ridiculous.”

“Nowadays, when guys come into training camp they need to be in shape,” said running back Andrew Harris. “It’s not like the old days where guys would have to come and get in shape in camp.”

Indeed, much has changed over the years. Though head coach Mike O’Shea works closely with Couture to figure out the safest route to keeping his players upright, there’s at least a tiny part of him that longs for the old days. O’Shea played 16 seasons in the CFL, winning three Grey Cups, and will be honoured as part of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum Class of 2017 later this year.

“I don’t remember the guys around us, around me, ever pulling any muscles,” O’Shea said. “We were drinking beer and eating subs most of the time. I don’t know, maybe we need to back off on all the science.”

That seems like an impossible task at this point, with the momentum behind new and innovate ways to get and stay fit getting seemingly stronger by the day. A simple Internet search will uncover a stream of workout routines and diets claiming to be the next big thing in fitness. Athletes, especially those at the professional level, are constantly looking for an extra edge — any way to get bigger, faster and stronger.

Couture said he stays current on new fitness trends, but is cautious about those that claim a quick fix. “There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors out there, that’s for sure,” he said. In fact, the two things Couture works with most — hydrotherapy and massage — have been around for longer than he has. How he employs these treatments, however, has evolved.

“You used to go and sit in the cold tub for 10 minutes and that was it. That still works for some guys but now we’re incorporating a mix of hot and cold and different routines in the fitness tub,” Couture said. “Just being in water, the hydro static pressure helps decrease inflammation whether it’s hot, cold or pool temperature.”

The Bombers also have a strong focus on strength and conditioning, which is handled mostly by Brayden Miller.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Business Weekly

Monday mornings

The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week.

Sign up for Business Weekly

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Miller is a new addition to the team this season, joining the club after three years as an intern with the Winnipeg Jets, as well as time with the University of Manitoba. Just weeks into the job, Couture said Miller has already started to see a lot of buy-in from the players for the routines he puts players through in the gym after every practice.

“It’s finding that balance of you want to continue to get stronger but you want to recover, and so I think he brings a different background to the table,” said Couture.

As much as Couture tries to give players the best chance at staying healthy and ready for the rigours of football, much of that responsibility remains with them. Though players receive instructions to work on different things over the off-season, it’s up to them to fulfill those duties.

“Camp is still survival of the fittest, there’s no doubt about that,” said Couture. “But you make it so that the conditions are where guys can handle it and then some guys just get weeded out.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.

   Read full biography