Richmond to train in Arizona, but no altitude Jon Ralph
From: Sunday Herald Sun
September 04, 2011 RICHMOND will head to Arizona for an elite training camp in November, but will leave the high-altitude benefits to rival Collingwood.
The Tigers have signed a formal partnership with Athletes Performance, which runs a world-class training facility in Phoenix.
The club's camp there is another example of Richmond's continuing investment in its football department.
But with the camp running at just over a week, the Tigers do not believe spending the time at high altitude would be beneficial.
The Tigers share the view of many Olympic athletes and fitness experts, who believe spending only short-term periods at altitude provides a lift more psychological than physical.
Collingwood runs two-week camps then maximises its time at altitude by training in its own high-altitude room at the Westpac Centre.
Richmond president Gary March said the camp would allow the list to immerse in cutting-edge training techniques.
"Our entire playing list is going over there in November for just over a week. They do a lot of work with NFL and NBA players and it's a high-performance group we have formed a partnership with," he said.
The Tigers are likely to add a number of development coaches over the off-season, and is keen to add more staff in the football department.
March says the club believes it has the right coach (Damien Hardwick), CEO (Brendon Gale) and head of football (Craig Cameron) and now needs to provide as much support as possible. It could lead to a change in structure of some areas of the football department.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-to-train-in-arizona-but-no-altitude/story-e6frf9jf-1226128924334
