Content area
Full Text
summary
Because bull riding is one of the most dangerous of extreme sports, it is very important to make efforts to improve the safety and the performance of its participants. A strength and general physical fitness program will better prepare riders for the demands of bull riding. The purpose of this paper is to describe the physiological demands of bull riding and to introduce a periodized strength and general fitness model.
Keywords: bull riding; periodization; conditioning; strength training; rodeo
Introduction
The sport of bull riding has been described as the "most dangerous 8 seconds in sport," so it is of no surprise that it has the highest rate of injury of all the major events in professional rodeo (5). Although each bull ride is highly unpredictable, the bull rider must combine mental focus, technical ability, and strength to have a successful ride of 8 seconds. A high score is not the only concern for the bull rider. Safety and the ability to dismount and move quickly from harm's way are key components within the context of bull riding. It seems logical to suggest that a stronger and well-conditioned bull rider would be better prepared and potentially more successful (and less likely to sustain injury) than a bull rider who does no training at all. Meyers et al. (6) and Tuza (15) agree that a preseason training program could prevent injury and greatly improve in-season training and performance. Therefore, it is the aim of this paper to present a yearly training model for a professional bull rider in order to improve performance and potentially reduce the incidence of injuries sustained during bull riding events.
Biomechanics
The objective of a bull rider is to stay centered on the bull's back (behind its shoulders). This is where the bull rider will position his bull rope behind the shoulders of the bull and center his grip for his riding arm to hold. He tries to stay forward (hips flexed) in this position for the duration of the bull ride. A bull rider watches the shoulders of the bull (looking slightly down) to try to anticipate and then react to the motion of the bull. A rider is only allowed to use 1 hand to hold the bull rope...