The game of rugby is complex, but simple if you understand the basics, which is what we need to master as a high school program.
To be effective in learning the basics it’s important to be fully prepared. The player must take responsibility to prepare for the season. The following are some ideas to get rugby ready.
1. Learn the game by watching the game. Try to view games online, on TV, on YouTube, or anywhere you can.
Go watch live matches, especially those that have quality teams playing. Don’t just watch the game, observe, take notes look for patterns of play.
What happens with the player in the position you would like to play? What does the timing look like when a breakdown occurs? What are the supporting players doing if not participating in the breakdown? When do they kick, and why? In other words, don’t watch like a spectator be a student of the game, watch and learn.
2. Train! Be the fittest player on the field, improve your strength in the weight room. Practice passing until your arms are tired.
If you are a kicker spend 30 minutes a day kicking. If you are a scrum-half pass 50 times left side, 50 times right side every day. If you are the person throwing in the ball on a line out, throw a ball against an X on a wall 50 times a day.
You get the idea. Practice, run and get fit, lift and get big.
3. Proper rest and nutrition. You are what you eat. No rest for the weary, be rested, get your body in tune.
4. Work on connecting the mind to the body, think rugby, think about your job on the field. Have a vision of you doing your job, running with the ball, going into contact properly, passing, and catching effectively. Be the hero in your dreams, make it come true on game day!
5. Get to practice, no excuses. Treat practice like a job. Arrange your schooling, hobbies, and other activities around practices. You CAN’T improve if you miss practice. You CAN’T be a team player if you don’t show up. Help your coaches take this complex game and simplify it for you at practice.
The season is here, time to get “Rugby Ready” and be accountable to yourself and your teammates.