Guide to Ride - The Australian Institute of Sport
Motorcycling Australia's association with the Australian Institute of Sport helps budding riders develop physical fitness regimens off the track to assist their performance on the track.
In order to perform at an elite level, riders need to be incredibly fit on both a physical and psychological level. In order to assist our top riders in further developing their skills, Motorcycling Australia (MA) organises and facilitates camps at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The AIS itself is an impressive facility, housing more than 700 annual scholarship holders from 26 sports with facilities second to none.
MA runs five to six camps each year to cater for promising motorcyclists who have shown outstanding results in their chosen discipline, with different camps set up to cater for riders from different disciplines. For example, MA's "Elite Rider Camp" to be held in September, will have riders from Dirt Track, Speedway, and Road Race disciplines, while the Under 21 Motocross and Off-Road Development Camp to be held in December caters specifically for those disciplines.
While at the AIS, these riders will be challenged and tested, motivated and inspired; their physical fitness will be measured via aerobic endurance, muscular power and strength tests. They'll also have their body composition analysed, following skin fold and anthropometrical measurements (the proportions and shape of their body).
The group will live, train and eat alongside resident athletes and will also hear lectures delivered by some of the world's leading sport scientists on topics ranging from strength and conditioning, nutrition and sport psychology, through to skill acquisition, injury prevention and recovery.
MA also organises experienced resident coaches, such as Stephen Gall, to attend the AIS and impart their knowledge on the athletes.
The list of Australian riders who have attended the AIS camps over the years reads like the who's who of Australian motorcycling, with the following just a handful of the athletes that have taken part in the MA camps: Casey Stoner, Stefan Merriman, Luke George, Tye Simmonds, Troy Herfoss, AJ Roberts, Chris Hollis, Dan and Jamie Stauffer, Jay Wilson, Michael Kirkness, Bryan Staring, Jason O'Halloran, Dean Ferris, Alison Parker, Kirk Gibbs, Shannon Johnson, Josh Waters, and Jarrod Bewley to name a few.
If you are committed to your riding and are starting to put some results on the board, keep an eye out on www.ma.org.au for application opportunities to the AIS camps held throughout the year, as well as all the latest motorcycling news, or you can contact MA direct via email at [email protected] or phone (03) 9684 0500.
