WHILE several AFL clubs will head overseas to train at high altitude over the pre-season, Adelaide looks set to stay at home.
The Brisbane Lions and St Kilda have already signalled plans to send players to high-altitude training camps after Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Carlton and Collingwood did so last year.
But Crows coach Brenton Sanderson claimed the money required to send his side overseas could be better directed.
Answering fans' questions on Adelaide's website, Sanderson said the Crows would train as they play – at sea level.
"The data suggests that potentially it has a one per cent or two per cent boost to performance over the five to six weeks you come back,"
"In my opinion I think the money can be spent on different resources, on better resources – it costs a fortune to send a whole club overseas to train at altitude.
"The last two years the top four sides haven't trained at altitude, we play at sea level, we play in the heat, that's where we should train."
Whereas in Sanderson's first two pre-seasons as senior coach his players trained with a strong focus on strengthening with boxing and wrestling sessions, the coach flagged a different approach this time around.
With interchange rotations to be capped at 120 per game next year, he said players would have to become fitter before round one to combat having to spend longer periods on the ground.
"[We'll have] a lot more emphasis on muscular endurance, so a lot more fitness work," he said.
"Our boys are structurally strong enough and now it's a bit about the interchange cap coming in too - about being a bit fitter and being able to run games out."
