2023-09-16 03:46:49
When the Arizona Coyotes board their Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner plane that will transport them from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday night, their movement, sleep, meals and supplements will be governed by a planning which was carefully developed so that their performance and recovery were optimal, and that this transpacific flight had as few repercussions as possible.
The lights will be dimmed at the optimal time. Meals will be served in Australian Eastern time.
In the hope that this helps the players.
There are no guarantees, obviously. But with the prospect of a 15-hour flight and a 17-hour time difference, the Coyotes – along with their opponents, the Los Angeles Kings – are looking to make a trip to Australia a no-brainer. more grueling than a trip to New York.
“Anything we can do to give them an improvement, even if it’s just one percent, I think our players will be very open to it,” said Coyotes director of high performance Devan McConnell.
Because even if the preparatory games between the Coyotes and the Kings in Australia as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series – Melbourne, presented at the Rod Laver Arena on September 23 and 24, generate a lot of enthusiasm, this journey does not is not free from pitfalls.
When the Coyotes learned they were heading to Australia, McConnell sought advice from other athletic directors and performance coaches in the NHL and other sports. He wanted to understand how they managed these long journeys, more specifically those to Australia.
Even in the NHL, this type of travel is not unprecedented, although it has been somewhat rare. When the Bruins traveled to China for the 2018 NHL China Games, they left Boston on a 16-hour journey with a 12-hour time difference.
“What usually happens is that each person builds internal patterns for when they get up, when they eat, when they start to move, when they are exposed to light, when they display the most energy, explained Bruins performance coach Kevin Neeld. As the day progresses, we fall into a sleep deficit, and as night approaches, we begin to feel more tired. These patterns form a cycle of approximately 24 hours.
“So when you change time zones, your body is still used to the cycle established where it started. A general rule of thumb is that it takes regarding a day per hour difference for your body to acclimate to the time change. Longer trips, where multiple time zones are crossed, can make this acclimatization more difficult, since day and night are completely reversed. »
It’s like asking someone who normally works day shifts to suddenly work a night shift – and operate at full capacity.
This is why it is important to start acclimatizing early. But not too soon.
With most of their players reporting to Phoenix before the official start date of camp, the Coyotes began adjusting the biological clocks of their players and staff members. For example, informal workouts were moved from morning to followingnoon starting Thursday. They don’t take place on Melbourne time – not at all in fact, with the 17 hour time difference between Melbourne and Phoenix and Los Angeles – but all the subtle adjustments towards the ultimate goal can help .
“All the research, all the literature says you can change your body clock and your circadian rhythm, and the ideal window is two to three days,” McConnell said. Starting earlier is not necessary, but starting later would not do much good. »
The team is also banking on an application supported by artificial intelligence. Starting Saturday morning, the Coyotes will begin monitoring their FlyKitt application, which will serve as their guide for the next 36 hours.
It includes a sleep schedule plan, as well as a nutrition and supplement schedule designed to combat inflammation and mental fatigue that can be caused by long travels and jet lag.
And all this before the team even lands in Australia. But the Coyotes also have a plan from the moment they arrive in Melbourne.
The idea is to be active all day, stretch your legs and shake away soreness, get a little caffeine and lots of sunshine, then eat well and stay hydrated.
To achieve this, the Coyotes have planned two routes, depending on how long it will take their equipment to get through customs. They might hold a light training session in the followingnoon, or head to a local rugby stadium, which would give the players a chance to visit a bit, observe their training, and then train in turn.
“As soon as you can, you should get up according to the time zone you are in, even if you have only slept two hours and are completely exhausted, wake up at the time you need to do it in that time zone and exposing yourself to light immediately is going to help set your circadian rhythm to that time zone,” Neeld emphasized.
“If you wake up, go outside, go for a walk. If your hotel gym has multiple windows, use it. This will allow you to exercise and expose yourself to light, which can help you reprogram your internal clock to the time zone you are in. »
There’s more than just getting there to consider. There is also the return.
The Coyotes called on Dr. Michael Grandner, director of the University of Arizona’s Sleep and Health Research Program. Before the team leaves, Grandner will talk to the players and staff regarding best practices regarding sleep, especially regarding the return trip, which is known to be more difficult.
Both teams will have two mandatory days off upon their return, followed by optional training. The Coyotes will suggest personalized training plans to their players, but they might also simply go for a hike or play a round of golf to get some exercise.
“At the end of the day, everyone’s response is going to be a little different,” Neeld cautioned. In a team environment, if you can have the majority of people doing most things the right way, that will be a win for the organization. »
There’s no guarantee that Coyotes and Kings players won’t stay up all night, looking at their phones, downloading more content from Netflix, or staring into space hoping to fall asleep. It will be impossible to prevent all the minor aches and stiff necks that result from spending more than 15 hours in an airplane seat.
However, teams are doing everything they can to prevent jet lag, dehydration and swelling.
“We have a great group that is very open, and they are enthusiastic regarding going a little further than the traditional approach,” concluded McConnell. The players are very happy to take advantage of what we’ve tried to put in place, and we hope that everything works as planned and that we’re going to do well. »
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