Want to get fit, TAG RUGBY

Teasy

Hi All, I'm not sure if this is the right forum but here goes. I'm desperately trying to get fit and lose weight. I adore rugby and played a lot as a teenager, I've also dabbled in tag rugby in the past. The thing is I have no idea how to go about joining a team that would be at a suitable/beginners level for me? I went on all of the official websites but they're of little/no help. They seem to work off the premise that you've already got a team. Based in Dublin by the way.

errlloyd

Just click sign up as an individual and join a team.

Each season itra sets aside a couple of teams for individuals to sign up to. The actual level of people on the team is going to represent a relatively broad spectrum of skill, and just the fact you regularly watch rugby and have played rugby will keep you off the bottom of that spectrum. Any teams open to elite players only will say it.

If you're fit, fast, can pass and tag chances are you'll be top 4 and starting. The important thing is that you're comfortable playing with a couple complete strangers, I've signed up for the spring on one team as an individual (with one mate of mine signing up too) and signed up a whole other team for college mates.

Trust me, you won't regret this.

JustinDee

For IRFU's Tag, Volkswagen Tag, just turn up at the venue on the night and the Venue Manager will find you a team, no worries.
List of venues etc can be found on www.irfutag.ie.
Spring League starts shortly and Summer leagues right after that.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Astro.ie Tag leagues also have the option of signing up on our own and if teams need a player, they will contact you

Honey-ec

Tag is fantastic but for it to work for fitness/weightloss you'll need to find a team that actually trains as well as playing the games. You'd be amazed how many teams just show up on the day for the games but don't actually train together regularly.

MrDerp

Honey-ec wrote: »

Tag is fantastic but for it to work for fitness/weightloss you'll need to find a team that actually trains as well as playing the games.

I'll second this. A weekly tag match won't make you fit, and you actually will need some degree of fitness to enjoy it. Are you doing any training at all? Tag involves a hell of a lot of sprinting from stand still which is hard on the lungs and legs, and I've even had my legs go from under me breaking into a sprint if I haven't been doing any running for a few months prior to starting a tag season. This first happened to me at 24, when I hadn't been running for 4/5 months, and I was a healthy weight for my height and walked everywhere as I didn't drive in those days.

What I'd recommend is to get there early during your first few matches and warm up really well. Start with a jog up and down the side of the pitch, then a trot, then start doing little short sprints. This will avoid a shock to your legs when you get your first pass

It'll be a while before you feel like you're sprinting at capacity. Sprinting in bursts is very hard on weak legs, and a lot of winter tag is played on hard astroturf.

I'd strongly recommend getting a game of 5 a side soccer alongside the tag if you want to get fit. Team sports are nicer way to get fit and lose weight, but you need to be doing them 3 nights a week, same as you'd train on your own. If you're coming from doing nothing 2 nights per week will get you going, but you'll plateau pretty quickly.

JustinDee

Here is some fitness/warming-up advice by IRFU Fitness Education Manager, Des Ryan:
http://www.irishrugby.ie/tagrugby/usefulinfo/fitness_and_warming_up.php

molloyjh

JustinDee wrote: »

Here is some fitness/warming-up advice by IRFU Fitness Education Manager, Des Ryan:
http://www.irishrugby.ie/tagrugby/usefulinfo/fitness_and_warming_up.php

I didn't do any of that the first time out and I think suffered for it. I ended up just not being fit enough. There was a bunch of us who had never played before and were more focused on getting our heads around the game than our fitness. So when we actually played competitively we just weren't up to it - it didn't help that there were only 2 guys so both of us had to play full games.

Second time around - and with a totally different team - we had a guy who was seriously into his fitness and we were doing proper warm-ups and downs at each training session etc. Def noticed the difference that time.

Tag is great craic, and fantastic exercise. You barely stop when you're on the pitch. But you really do need to gear up for it to get the most out of it. I'd say you'll find a gang on the first night that you could train with then after that. It's quite open like that.

TheVoodoo

Met two teams by just being there. I'd arrived early for my own game, and they needed a spare guy so i said I'd help out. 7 years later I was still playing with them and their splinter team ( Granted i'm no longer in Ireland ) but it's very easy to pick up / get picked up by a team!

Just don't be afraid to wander around and ask / let the supervisor or manager know you're available.

Short of that, like everyone has said; there's a free agents section on the websites. So check out the ITRA and ASTRO sites for info.

TomsOnTheRoof

And here was me waiting for the annual tag out in the club during the summer. The itra tag seems pretty cheap so might give that a shot. That other one is fierce expensive. Can't wait now. Deadly.

JustinDee

TomsOnTheRoof wrote: »

And here was me waiting for the annual tag out in the club during the summer. The itra tag seems pretty cheap so might give that a shot. That other one is fierce expensive. Can't wait now. Deadly.

Incorrect.
Not one IRFU tag (Volkswagen Tag) registration fee is above €495 per team for summer.

TomsOnTheRoof

I was on about the Astro one, I would prefer to do the IRFU tag as I assume that it's top notch but the lack of availability to sign as an individual is what's stopping me as most of my friends aren't interested or don't have the time to play so starting a team isn't an option.

chris85

Looking forward to some tag come the Summer. Maybe sooner if cup run ends prematurely.

Teasy

Thanks for all of the tips and advice. I'm thinking from your comments that I should probably get fit before I start, initially was hoping to use it as a means of getting fit but I better brush up instead of making a holy show of myself :P Then maybe start worrying about a team, it's the only sport I enjoy so it might actually be a fitness regime that I'll stick to