Angling Trust Team England has a long-standing record of success in international competition in coarse, game and sea disciplines. However angling is not generally seen as a performance sport. The Angling Trust has collaborated with sports scientists from the University of Chester and developed a world-leading research project to investigate the key traits required to become a world-class match angler and provide evidence-based guidance for selecting and developing future talent.

During the 2013 Fish ‘O’ Mania weekend, Team England’s Alan Scotthorne MBE and Will Raison along with Craig Jones, Fish ‘O’ Mania finalist, were fitted with a heart-rate monitor to record heart-rate data for the duration of the match. In addition, each angler was videoed to enable performance analysis during the match. This builds on earlier work with AT’s Team England Men’s Shore team, who were the subject of testing during the 2012 Fips-mer World Shore Angling Championships. This work aimed to understand the physical and physiological load imposed on sea anglers during competition. The data has been gathered over a 12-month project and will be used to enhance coaching, talent development programmes, planning and preparation of elite teams in Home Internationals, European and World Championships in addition to gaining a scientific understanding of the demands of the sport. The research is due to be completed in September.

Ben Thompson, Talent Development and Competitions Manager said; “England are widely recognised as world leaders in match angling and we want to strive for improvements in all areas of performance. We hope this research will allow us to develop support systems for anglers from grassroots to elite level and ensure continued success for our National teams.”

Graham Cobden, Research Assistant at University of Chester said; “The data collected from Will Raison, Alan Scotthorne and Craig Jones, is one of the world’s first investigations into the physical demands of competitive elite coarse angling. By developing a greater understanding of these demands, physical, nutritional and psychological strategies can be implemented to optimise angling performance at both domestic and international competitions to increase the chances of success. Furthermore, the information can be used to enhance coaching and talent development programmes to make sure that the next generation of elite English anglers are adequately prepared for the demands of elite competitive angling to make sure that England's angling success continues.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News