so... I started playing rugby

up them Schteps

...Unless it's been pissing rain all week :rolleyes:

LeopoldButters

no rain today so runners will be fine tonight....

Tefral

Day 2 of training.

Arrived on at 7.30 on the dot. Lads were jogging already so I just merged in. Started doing leg stretches, hamstring stretches and sprinting. I found it a lot easier this week as I have taken up walking to work full time in the mornings and from work in the evenings, also have been doing a bit of jogging during the week after work.

We also did a small bit of skills training as part of a circuit, this included passing and tackling. I have to say tackling seems the most natural thing in the world to me. Trying to drive your opponent back would be a lot more difficult in a match I would imagine though, unless he’s a right Fat Bastid where I might be cushioned.

It became apparent to me though that the tackling is more about technique than actual size. There were smaller fells there driving back lads that were much larger. A guy I used to work with found his way down for the first time. It was interesting watching him integrate so easily, I could see the same friendliness that was directed towards me on my first night was the same for him. On that note, I also met a few new guys that had arrived on for their first night too, I shook their hand and introduced myself.

Some funny things were happening throughout the training. We were doing retro sprints (running backwards) and we were shouting at a guy to mind a marker pole behind him, too late… he flattened it to the ground… he carried on as normal though.

One thing I love is people are not afraid to take the piss out of themselves here, they are serious about what they are doing, but there’s no hang ups about the place and defo a great team spirit…

Wasn’t feeling too bad going to work this morning, a little stiff again, but not as bad. Slept like a baby too last night

Cant wait for next week..

Amabokke

Cronin_j, can I adopt you? You sound like a good son who would make any father proud.

2nd Row Donkey

SO.......

Who wants to talk about uncomfortable silences .. *cough*

accensi0n

cronin_j wrote: »

Some funny things were happening throughout the training. We were doing retro sprints (running backwards) and we were shouting at a guy to mind a marker pole behind him, too late… he flattened it to the ground… he carried on as normal though.

Guilty.

Didn't want to break my stride.

Tefral

accensi0n wrote: »

Guilty.

Didn't want to break my stride.

Well done mate, didnt slow you down anyway...

thomond2006

Keep up the blogs cronin j, they're a good read.

Hope you get on well with the rugby and sign for Munster.

andyman

Cronin, my advice re: tackling the "big" guy.

Go for the legs. You see a man of mammoth size that you're so tempted to just try to manhandle him down and you're just going to bounce off. I would know, I always do it despite the fact that I'm telling you to do otherwise.

And Mike, I've been meaning to reply to your PM, but I'm only on here for bits and bobs. Should have a bit of time tomorrow to do so

castie

I went and brought my housmate along.

Was good fun but after not playing for 2-3 years Its hard going getting back into it. Must send an email around work to see if any of the new guys that just started on 12 month contracts want to get a club for the year.

remus808

Stillorgan heads, do you think it'd be tough to get into the swing of things if I wasn't able to join training till late August/early September. Going to maybe go back to my old club down here for some training in the meantime, but won't be back in Dublin till the end of the summer

mikedragon32

karmabass wrote: »

Stillorgan heads, do you think it'd be tough to get into the swing of things if I wasn't able to join training till late August/early September. Going to maybe go back to my old club down here for some training in the meantime, but won't be back in Dublin till the end of the summer

Games for J2 start in August (Spencer Pennant) and we've friendlies lined up for J2 and J4/5 in late August too, but if you're training elsewhere, you should be able to get into the swing of it quickly enough.

smurphy29

This is inspiring stuff I must say. Making me very tempted to take up the game I follow intensely but have never really played... size was always against me (I was 4' 11" going into 1st year in school so never got going!!). I'm pretty sporty, decent runner, play footie and really enjoy tag so would be ok on the fitness side... but I've always shied away as I come in at 5'10 and a fairly rakish 10 - 10.5 stone so I've always been a bit afraid of being mashed up. At 29 I'd be a latecomer, so this would be the last chance saloon I guess. Living in Rathmines/Ranelagh area so no shortage of clubs in the locality... any friendly advice?

LeopoldButters

smurphy29 wrote: »

This is inspiring stuff I must say. Making me very tempted to take up the game I follow intensely but have never really played... size was always against me (I was 4' 11" going into 1st year in school so never got going!!). I'm pretty sporty, decent runner, play footie and really enjoy tag so would be ok on the fitness side... but I've always shied away as I come in at 5'10 and a fairly rakish 10 - 10.5 stone so I've always been a bit afraid of being mashed up. At 29 I'd be a latecomer, so this would be the last chance saloon I guess. Living in Rathmines/Ranelagh area so no shortage of clubs in the locality... any friendly advice?

The best thing you can do is just head up to training and get involved, you certainly will not be the only 29 year old that will take up the game this year. Head up to Stillorgan on Thursday and give it a shot as Bird Avenue is not too far from you...

stephen_n

smurphy29 wrote: »

This is inspiring stuff I must say. Making me very tempted to take up the game I follow intensely but have never really played... size was always against me (I was 4' 11" going into 1st year in school so never got going!!). I'm pretty sporty, decent runner, play footie and really enjoy tag so would be ok on the fitness side... but I've always shied away as I come in at 5'10 and a fairly rakish 10 - 10.5 stone so I've always been a bit afraid of being mashed up. At 29 I'd be a latecomer, so this would be the last chance saloon I guess. Living in Rathmines/Ranelagh area so no shortage of clubs in the locality... any friendly advice?

You don't have to be huge for junior rugby, I'm only 5 10" and 13 stone and can take on any player no matter what size as it's just a matter of technique which you will learn in training. One of our wingers only started last year would be smaller than you and although it took him a while to get used to the rough and tumble of the game by the end of last season he was tackling 6 4' second rows without a bother! Best advise is just give it a go and see how you get on in training!

GiftofGab

Lads Im going to have a go with Stillorgan on Thursday. Small guy, who's lacking fitness. It's going to take me months to get back into it. What can I expect on Thursay?? Much physicality involved at this stage of the year?? 7.30pm yeah?? Its the J4 team training on thursday??

omb0wyn5ehpij9

GiftofGab wrote: »

Lads Im going to have a go with Stillorgan on Thursday. Small guy, who's lacking fitness. It's going to take me months to get back into it. What can I expect on Thursay?? Much physicality involved at this stage of the year?? 7.30pm yeah?? Its the J4 team training on thursday??

The 3 teams train together at the moment. It is mainly fitness work at the moment. Be ready and on the pitch for just before half 7, there is normally a game of tip rugby going on before training.

I will be there, but only watching as i'm still injured, but there are 3 lads from our school who started training with the club 2 weeks ago. They were all in my year, but you will know them through your brother!

Tefral

GiftofGab wrote: »

Lads Im going to have a go with Stillorgan on Thursday. Small guy, who's lacking fitness. It's going to take me months to get back into it. What can I expect on Thursay?? Much physicality involved at this stage of the year?? 7.30pm yeah?? Its the J4 team training on thursday??

If you read the first two of my "blogs" you will see its all physical fitness training. I think it would be good for you to come down, hit down a little earlier than 7.30 though for the game of tip, it helps get the blood moving.

Looking forward to Thursday again now.. lazy so far this week, havent done any extra work...

Tefral

Training day 3:

Some new faces down tonight, we’ve adopted a sort of every time you get paired up with someone you don’t recognise introduce yourself method. Its working quite well, however there are over 50 players and I’m crap for names. I have a feeling it will take me the whole season to get used to everyone.

Met mike dragon last night, we were in teams of three doing core strength work and he was among the three I was in. I have to say, we were doing sprinting earlier on (before I knew it was him) and I set off but mike set off nearly straight after, for a big lad he’s quick, closed in nearly straight away, I turned around by the pole at the bottom and I saw this guy coming at me like a train (nearly sh*t myself) thought “id better get outta here quick”

I had a lazy week this week as I got a new car so I have been driving that until the novelty wears off. So no walking to work this week or jogging after work, well suffice to say I paid for it in training last night. Fu*k me I was wrecked coming home. Plenty of circuits, stop start sprinting, and some skills training, passing etc. The core strength work killed me, I always tried convince myself I had a six pack hiding under the little belly I have been developing as of late…. Well last night I realised I haven’t ha ha, so I was a little down getting into bed last night ha ha.

Bought some more shorts etc in elverys yesterday (Thursday) and I got those compression under shorts by rugbytech. (kind of stretchy lyrca yokes to the un initiated.). I made a huge mistake when I first put them on, rookie mistake I’m sure, I kept my boxers on!!

After I sat down before I went to training, I realised something was wrong when I thought a fire had broken out in my jocks! A quick change later and I was feeling happier So note to anyone else whose first time it will be wearing them, defo don’t be wearing your jocks underneath.

When I got into bed last night, I slept like a brick, tops of my legs are like jelly this week, can defo feel my lung capacity is increasing…

Till next week.

aya14

J if your legs are stiff keep moving when possible remaining stationery means when you move again the stiffness is still there. A bath is also not a bad idea.
Like your new car, the next few weeks is the acid test the novelty quickly wears off training. So between now and your season beginning is the difficult bit.
What position have you in mind of playing, I always thought you would be a no.6 when we were younger.


Ken

Tefral

aya14 wrote: »

J if your legs are stiff keep moving when possible remaining stationery means when you move again the stiffness is still there. A bath is also not a bad idea.
Like your new car, the next few weeks is the acid test the novelty quickly wears off training. So between now and your season beginning is the difficult bit.
What position have you in mind of playing, I always thought you would be a no.6 when we were younger.


Ken

Ken, i had a freezing shower last night while the chicken was cooking after training. I think it helped all right as im not as sore as i should be. Ya i have been chatting to a few lads in work etc who play and they recon no.6 would suit me too. Ill prob go for that position. I dunno what way the selection etc will work yet so ill i can do is play it by ear.

razorblunt

Crap, knew I shouldn't have read this thread, I had to pack it in a few years back due to a recurring injury. This time every year I get itchy feet and my Dad and gf talk me out of going back, I'm moving city next month, so I better leave the old gear behind!!

Excellent thread by the way!

djcervi

Fair dues to you OP. I really want to play rugby, but a lot of things are holding me back. I went to a rugby school and never really gave it a go. To start I didn't go in with the right attitude.At that time rugby was something I was forced to do and also I didn't understand the game at that age. I went training but never bothered to play a match and, so I gave it up in 1st year (xmas time) to improve my swimming and never went on a pitch after that (which I regret). What's holding me back though is my bad coordination (which I'm really conscious over), lack of background in team sports, bad fitness level and perhaps injury but nobody likes that at all. :pac:
Since I'm going into uni and I'm still quite young (I'm 18) I still want to try out a team sport properly. Also from chatting to rugby playing mates from school there's such great camaderie between them and they enjoy what they do (I never found this to such an extent from other sporting people). Also I want to do something that will definitely increase my fitness level. Am I mad or what? If I'm mad enough to start again I want to try another club either in college or elsewhere.

Tefral

djcervi wrote: »

Fair dues to you OP. I really want to play rugby, but a lot of things are holding me back. I went to a rugby school and never really gave it a go. To start I didn't go in with the right attitude.At that time rugby was something I was forced to do and also I didn't understand the game at that age. I went training but never bothered to play a match and, so I gave it up in 1st year (xmas time) to improve my swimming and never went on a pitch after that (which I regret). What's holding me back though is my bad coordination (which I'm really conscious over), lack of background in team sports, bad fitness level and perhaps injury but nobody likes that at all. :pac:
Since I'm going into uni and I'm still quite young (I'm 18) I still want to try out a team sport properly. Also from chatting to rugby playing mates from school there's such great camaderie between them and they enjoy what they do (I never found this to such an extent from other sporting people). Also I want to do something that will definitely increase my fitness level. Am I mad or what? If I'm mad enough to start again I want to try another club either in college or elsewhere.

I went to Ardscoil Ris, which in limerick is a fairly big rugby school, I was asked by the coach there a few times did i want to join..(i grew quite tall in 1st and 2nd year, so much so there was only one or two lads taller than me) and that spurred his interest i think. A few of my mates asked me to play also and i resisted.

I started doing Taekwon-do instead and excelled at that until i dislocated my knee, i went back but not to the same extent and then dislocated my other knee messing about a couple of years later. I went from an intensely physical sport to nothing and then naturally enough, i became unfit, missed the laugh etc etc.

I started training with some of the lads in work doing tag in the evenings in the last 4-5 months but my interest in playing proper rugby has spurred me on to this thread and my training... I have absolutely no background in team sports, save when i was younger playing hurling, which quite frankly i was ****e at. Same with soccer, i remember once when i was younger playing in one of the lads backgardens and i kicked the ball and missed an open goal.

Thankfully i have learned actually how to kick a ball however its fair hit and miss that i can do a drop kick, however when i do actually connect with the ball i can drive the thing fair fecking far. The reason for telling you this is its true: "practice makes perfect" and no matter what there are gonna be guys much better than you, however there are guys much better than them too. I have learned that and believe me if you fit in to the right team, the other lads will be behind you 100% as long as they see your giving 100%. The hardest thing is walking up the field and getting stuck in, however its all in your head. My advice is ask around, find a friendly team who will have patience and train you up like i have found and knuckle down, you wont regret it.

GiftofGab

djcervi wrote: »

Fair dues to you OP. I really want to play rugby, but a lot of things are holding me back. I went to a rugby school and never really gave it a go. To start I didn't go in with the right attitude.At that time rugby was something I was forced to do and also I didn't understand the game at that age. I went training but never bothered to play a match and, so I gave it up in 1st year (xmas time) to improve my swimming and never went on a pitch after that (which I regret). What's holding me back though is my bad coordination (which I'm really conscious over), lack of background in team sports, bad fitness level and perhaps injury but nobody likes that at all. :pac:
Since I'm going into uni and I'm still quite young (I'm 18) I still want to try out a team sport properly. Also from chatting to rugby playing mates from school there's such great camaderie between them and they enjoy what they do (I never found this to such an extent from other sporting people). Also I want to do something that will definitely increase my fitness level. Am I mad or what? If I'm mad enough to start again I want to try another club either in college or elsewhere.

John Hayes started playing rugby at 18.

18 is still really young. You'll pick it up no problem. You'll prob even be better than alot of people who have been playing it since 13.

funky penguin

djcervi wrote: »

I went training but never bothered to play a match and, so I gave it up in 1st year (xmas time) to improve my swimming and never went on a pitch after that (which I regret). What's holding me back though is my bad coordination (which I'm really conscious over),

I'd say you're underestimating yourself there, swimming needs a huge amount of co-ordination!

Tefral

GiftofGab wrote: »

John Hayes started playing rugby at 18.

18 is still really young. You'll pick it up no problem. You'll prob even be better than alot of people who have been playing it since 13.

I would concur with this statement, as guys playing it from a young age would have awful bad habits, rugby has matured a good bit in the last ten years!!

djcervi

Thanks for your encouragement. It's great to find somebody with a similar story to me. I've been told that I have the build for rugby, however the jocks aka rugby's my life w***kers have also scared me away from it in the past (A lot of them are not really sound at all). It was practically a religion in my school. However within the past while I began to go to my school matches, watch rugby on sky sports and even bought Rugby for dummies :pac:. I discovered it. It's kinda weird imo that a non sport oriented guy (I hate soccer:pac: anything but it) wants to go for a sport like Rugby, but It's in my head as you said.
I keep thinking that uni is probably my best chance of trying out the game. I'll take your advice on board and will check out the uni clubs and other ones. I've started doing some running, learning to properly push up so that might help.
Funky Penguin yeah in a sense swimming helped (I'm not really a great swimmer, but I can swim) but my hand eye coordination is still really bad. I find it hard to throw a ball in a certain direction (short distance would be better). I mostly muck it up, the fear is I might get slagged by a team for it. this thought might be going back to school, I guess. I don't know whether it would be different.

scubasteve

Here's a good link for any body just starting and not to sure about positions and roles of each player.

http://rugbypositions.blogspot.com/?gclid=CMKtmr_Z35sCFZgU4wodvl7s-A

Or this one

http://rugby.union.rpi.edu/index_positions.html

Tim Robbins

GiftofGab wrote: »

John Hayes started playing rugby at 18.

18 is still really young. You'll pick it up no problem. You'll prob even be better than alot of people who have been playing it since 13.

Ditto Kevin Maggs and several others...