Fitness vs Energy

There is not substitute for fitness and the only way to get fit to to dedicate yourself to running sprinting and other cardiovascular activities. A good training regime will do wonders for every team. There is probably no such thing as an over trained rugby team. There are two things coaches and player often overlook: rest and replenishing energy.

Rest is important for the body to rebuild and adapt to a training routine. With proper rest intervals players bodies can do more than with constant work. Miami players should not kid themselves that two practices a week and a game is over training and that they need more rest. Elite rugby teams practice five days a week, some do two a days during the season during bye weeks. You will be amazing how you body can adapt to a rigorous training routine.

Food is also required to replenish the bodies energy and provide the fuel for vigorous workouts. Eating well is as important to an athlete as training and learning the game. There is enough information out there on how to eat right that each player should investigate sports nutrition on their own.

An often overlooked facet of rugby is replenishing energy during the game, even a super fit athlete will drag ass during a game if they run out of food. Experiment with energy gels, sport bars, oranges, bananas. Recent studies of endurance athletes have found frequent replenishing of energy boost performance. So add gel packs, sports bars and energy drinks to every water break.

Also don't be afraid of caffeine it is a proven performance booster, it can delay fatigue, increase brain activity, and heart rate. Contrary to popular belief it doesn't dehydrate as fast as people would believe. Just take caffeine in moderation, and remember coffee is a natural laxative. This isn't and endoresment for red bull, but it might help.

Your second half fades last season might be the result of a failure to replenish energy and not fitness, or substitution strategies.

Remember use your head to solve your performance problems.

Toby

Winning lineouts

There are three keys to winning any lineout: quick, stable lift; shoulder position; and hands with a wide range of motion. Notice I didn't say height. Any team can get a jumper to maximum height, but only teams that really work on shoulder position and wide ranging hands can consistently win lineouts.

See how the Cal jumper has his hands forming a basket in front of his face, with elbows slightly bent. This allows the jumper to quickly move his hands to where the ball is thrown. If its thrown low, or high or inside he has plenty of motion in his arms to reach the ball.

Also notice the stable base the Cal lifters are providing.



The other key to winning lineouts is shoulder position. It doesn't matter how high you jump, if you are jumping behind your opposition you are almost always at a disadvantage. The key is to have lifters and jumper work in unision to read the opposition and jump in front of the opposition. This is an art and required many repetitions to get right.



Remember good base, wide ranging hands and shoulder position.

Lift and Drive Technique

Downloaded directly from BBC.com I am reproducing here so I won't be a bandwidth stealer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/skills/4198376.stm


Note this should be used for both offensive and defensive lineouts.

Create a comfortable base to jump from.

Listen out to the call from the hooker or scrum-half - most teams will have practised set moves on the training field.

Most of the momentum for the jump will come from your knees.

So as the ball is released, coil your legs and prepare to jump, using your arms for extra power will also help get them in position above your head ready for the catch.

Keep your eye on the ball and jump.

Keeping your eye on the ball, catch the ball in your hands.

Both teams should have a one-metre gap between them before lift-off and players are not allowed to push, charge or hold an opponent.

But that doesn't mean there isn't often a lot of bumping and barging!

So make sure you have full control of the ball before you make your way down to ground.

Get ready to make the ball available for the scrum-half to collect.

Turn your back to the opposition as soon as your feet touch the ground.

This creates a wall, preventing the opposition from getting their hands on the ball.

Make the ball available for your scrum-half.