What can I do to become a better player?

RugbyLad99

Hi,
I have only started rugby this year and I can only get to one practice a week rather than two. I joined u18 team. What can I do at home to make up for the missed training every week? Also I still feel anxious before each training session and I ha evonly been to three so far because of cancellations because of weather and me being sick. How can I get rid of the anxiety?

Thanks.

RugbyLad99

RugbyLad99 wrote: »

Hi,
I have only started rugby this year and I can only get to one practice a week rather than two. I joined u18 team. What can I do at home to make up for the missed training every week? Also I still feel anxious before each training session and I ha evonly been to three so far because of cancellations because of weather and me being sick. How can I get rid of the anxiety?

Thanks.

Good stuff, congrats on getting into the game and hope you enjoy it!

To deal with your last point first. Anxiety is fine, it's what your body does to get you ready, get adrenaline pumping and get your senses at optimal. It's a natural intentional reaction. If it's going too far to the point of making you feel very uneasy then think about getting some advice on relaxation but for the most part I think after a while it should manage itself (every single person starting a new sport feels anxious for a while).

As for what you can do between sessions. Talk to other players on the team about what training they do (or ask those on here). What position are you hoping to play and what sort of fitness do you currently have?

RugbyLad99

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Good stuff, congrats on getting into the game and hope you enjoy it!

To deal with your last point first. Anxiety is fine, it's what your body does to get you ready, get adrenaline pumping and get your senses at optimal. It's a natural intentional reaction. If it's going too far to the point of making you feel very uneasy then think about getting some advice on relaxation but for the most part I think after a while it should manage itself (every single person starting a new sport feels anxious for a while).

As for what you can do between sessions. Talk to other players on the team about what training they do (or ask those on here). What position are you hoping to play and what sort of fitness do you currently have?

I love it even though I only started playing and didn't play a match yet! I tried contact and knew the sport is for me. I am only 5ft 2 and I am 16 boy but I am quickly growing as my growth spurt is occurring. I want to be a forward and I talked the coach and he said he'll put me training with the forwards and he'll see how I get on. He said I am doing very well! I am not that fit but I am planning to get working on that.

Oh another question, how do I get to know other team members? I didn't talk to any of them at training yet because I am a bit shy because they already know each other.

Thanks again.

sydthebeat

Don't ever be afraid to ask questions. Rugby is a highly convoluted sport in terms of laws and techniques. Even your coaches won't know everything, so don't at all be afraid to ask questions or advise, especially in the area around the tackle and ruck, your personal safety is paramount. Rugby is a team sport so getting to know your team mates and communication is key... You will HAVE to communicate with three during a game so don't at all feel shy. If you think you have to shout at them that you need help on your side, tell them.

RugbyLad99

sydthebeat wrote: »

Don't ever be afraid to ask questions. Rugby is a highly convoluted sport in terms of laws and techniques. Even your coaches won't know everything, so don't at all be afraid to ask questions or advise, especially in the area around the tackle and ruck, your personal safety is paramount. Rugby is a team sport so getting to know your team mates and communication is key... You will HAVE to communicate with three during a game so don't at all feel shy. If you think you have to shout at them that you need help on your side, tell them.

Like ask the coach, teammates and questions on here? Oh and what do you mean by "you will have to communicate with three during a game" and "if you think you have to shout at them that you need help on your side, tell them". I am tired, so I am not thinking straight so need a small bit of explanation on them.

Thanks.

The Lost Sheep

RugbyLad99 wrote: »

Hi,
I have only started rugby this year and I can only get to one practice a week rather than two. I joined u18 team. What can I do at home to make up for the missed training every week? Also I still feel anxious before each training session and I ha evonly been to three so far because of cancellations because of weather and me being sick. How can I get rid of the anxiety?

Thanks.

Dont worry about the anxiety. Talk to other players, your coaches. Relax and enjoy it. Turning up to every training.match possible will help get rid of the anxiety. As you get more comfortable with the sport it will help your anxiety

RugbyLad99 wrote: »

I love it even though I only started playing and didn't play a match yet! I tried contact and knew the sport is for me. I am only 5ft 2 and I am 16 boy but I am quickly growing as my growth spurt is occurring. I want to be a forward and I talked the coach and he said he'll put me training with the forwards and he'll see how I get on. He said I am doing very well! I am not that fit but I am planning to get working on that.

Oh another question, how do I get to know other team members? I didn't talk to any of them at training yet because I am a bit shy because they already know each other.

Thanks again.

Key is to get fit and mainly get used to passing, tackling. Just focus on small things. Get to know peoples names through the sessions. When passing the ball you should look to call persons name. Thats a way of learning the names.

English Lurker

RugbyLad99 wrote: »

Like ask the coach, teammates and questions on here? Oh and what do you mean by "you will have to communicate with three during a game" and "if you think you have to shout at them that you need help on your side, tell them". I am tired, so I am not thinking straight so need a small bit of explanation on them.

Thanks.

Imagine a ruck in the centre of the field.

You are on the right of that ruck. You look at the opposition and see they have six attackers on your side of the ruck. You look at your defensive line and see there's only four defenders. That gives them a two man overlap.

This means your side of the ruck needs help. Defenders need to come from the left side of the ruck to the right so that the numbers are better balanced.

Which means you have to tell the defenders on the left side that there's a problem on the right and they need to come help. Which usually involves shouting at them, because they're a distance away and the pitch is a noisy place.


In general
- Working on ball skills and tackling by yourself can be hard. Working on your fitness by yourself is a lot easier.
- Anxiety isn't unnatural in the circumstances of approaching a very physical game. I can understand wanting to reduce it, but as long as it doesn't affect how you train and play, there's worse things.
- Rugby is a very social sport and the likelihood is you'll get to know your team mates well in time without any particular effort.
- I'd have thought the likelihood is that as you get comfortable with your ability to play and your new team mates, the anxiety will fade. I don't know if anxiety is naturally part of your make-up but I can totally understand how the situation would make a person anxious.

But the situation should change. Not a guarantee, but it usually does.

RugbyLad99

English Lurker wrote: »

Imagine a ruck in the centre of the field.

You are on the right of that ruck. You look at the opposition and see they have six attackers on your side of the ruck. You look at your defensive line and see there's only four defenders. That gives them a two man overlap.

This means your side of the ruck needs help. Defenders need to come from the left side of the ruck to the right so that the numbers are better balanced.

Which means you have to tell the defenders on the left side that there's a problem on the right and they need to come help. Which usually involves shouting at them, because they're a distance away and the pitch is a noisy place.


In general
- Working on ball skills and tackling by yourself can be hard. Working on your fitness by yourself is a lot easier.
- Anxiety isn't unnatural in the circumstances of approaching a very physical game. I can understand wanting to reduce it, but as long as it doesn't affect how you train and play, there's worse things.
- Rugby is a very social sport and the likelihood is you'll get to know your team mates well in time without any particular effort.
- I'd have thought the likelihood is that as you get comfortable with your ability to play and your new team mates, the anxiety will fade. I don't know if anxiety is naturally part of your make-up but I can totally understand how the situation would make a person anxious.

But the situation should change. Not a guarantee, but it usually does.

Thank you for that reply. I totally understand now. If I am to be honest I let pass some of the training because of my anxiety but now I will get past the anxiety and try to get to as much training sessions as possible by trying to get to training every Thursday and if possible go Tuesday (usually have no ride on tuesdays)

Thanks

hardCopy

Getting to know your teammates names is a good starting point, you'll want to be able to call their name when looking for a pass. At the start of a passing drill just tell the guys either side of you your name. They'll probably tell you theirs and you can get your line organised from there.

Use the anxiety to drive you forward. That same adrenaline can make you look forward to your first tackle of the game or dread it, it's all about how you get yourself psyched up. Remind yourself that you're there because you love hitting stuff!

stephen_n

There's lots of good videos on YouTube like this one. Getting a good understanding of the techniques, especially the tackle and how to take contact will help.

http://youtu.be/xIwEqlaX2a8


If you have a ball at home you can practice your passing using a mark on the wall. Vary your distance and which side your passing off always aiming to put the ball into that target area. Remembering that if you're passing left your right elbow should be raised above the level of your hands and vice versa if you're passing right.

RugbyLad99

hardCopy wrote: »

Getting to know your teammates names is a good starting point, you'll want to be able to call their name when looking for a pass. At the start of a passing drill just tell the guys either side of you your name. They'll probably tell you theirs and you can get your line organised from there.

Use the anxiety to drive you forward. That same adrenaline can make you look forward to your first tackle of the game or dread it, it's all about how you get yourself psyched up. Remind yourself that you're there because you love hitting stuff!

Thanks for the reply hardcopy! Great advice on using the anxiety to drive me forward. I always do feel good after training because I actually went even though I was anxious so I will use that to make me look forward to it! And ya I love hitting stuff!

RugbyLad99

stephen_n wrote: »

There's lots of good videos on YouTube like this one. Getting a good understanding of the techniques, especially the tackle and how to take contact will help.


If you have a ball at home you can practice your passing using a mark on the wall. Vary your distance and which side your passing off always aiming to put the ball into that target area. Remembering that if you're passing left your right elbow should be raised above the level of your hands and vice versa if you're passing right.

Thanks for the video it really helps. I have a ball and I will start practicing.

stephen_n

On the anxiety bit. I'm 43 and have played rugby for 35 years. I still get anxious for a few hours before every game. It's part of the game, just channel it into what you're doing, it's a positive not a negative.

rsh118

Have a ball in your hands at all waking hours of he day, bouncing it, chucking it, generally getting a really good feel for it. You can put it on your lap at the dinner table if eating one-handed is too tricky.

Also, try watching back an old inter-pro and stay glued to the person who plays your position. Where do they go? What do they do? Why are they doing it?

RugbyLad99

Also what can I do to play my first match as soon as possible? What can I do to get more involved in training nine if my coach doesn't want me doing much contact yet so he just tells me to watch? Should I talk to him?

Losty Dublin

RugbyLad99 wrote: »

Also what can I do to play my first match as soon as possible? What can I do to get more involved in training nine if my coach doesn't want me doing much contact yet so he just tells me to watch? Should I talk to him?

With the best of respect here but you really need to sit on your hands and take it easy for a bit. You've come into a competitive and complex sport with zero background and at a time of year that is late into the season. You are also entered into an age grade where players in your squad have anything from 3 to 13 years of a head start on you. You've also admitted here that you only train once a week and have come in off of a period of illness.

What would you, a green and wet behind the ears novice, be able to talk to him? An experienced player and trained coach? What are you bringing to the team? What position are you going to play? What's there about you that can make him see sense? Have you even learnt any of the basics of the game? Like tackling and being tackled; rucking and mauling; running, passing, basic defence and respect for the game? Has he even registered with you to play youths rugby and obtained you your ID card? Honest to God but there are players in mini rugby who have undergone more training than you seen to have gotten. The game is about enjoying yourself but some things need to be done right from the get go.

Please, give it a little bit of time and have some patience as you've years of play inside of you. You'll be the better for it, trust me

The Lost Sheep

RugbyLad99 wrote: »

Also what can I do to play my first match as soon as possible? What can I do to get more involved in training nine if my coach doesn't want me doing much contact yet so he just tells me to watch? Should I talk to him?

Talk to the coach and again get used to having a rugby ball in your hands as much as possible. Watch games etc

Losty Dublin wrote: »

With the best of respect here but you really need to sit on your hands and take it easy for a bit. You've come into a competitive and complex sport with zero background and at a time of year that is late into the season. You are also entered into an age grade where players in your squad have anything from 3 to 13 years of a head start on you. You've also admitted here that you only train once a week and have come in off of a period of illness.

What would you, a green and wet behind the ears novice, be able to talk to him? An experienced player and trained coach? What are you bringing to the team? What position are you going to play? What's there about you that can make him see sense? Have you even learnt any of the basics of the game? Like tackling and being tackled; rucking and mauling; running, passing, basic defence and respect for the game? Has he even registered with you to play youths rugby and obtained you your ID card? Honest to God but there are players in mini rugby who have undergone more training than you seen to have gotten. The game is about enjoying yourself but some things need to be done right from the get go.

Please, give it a little bit of time and have some patience as you've years of play inside of you. You'll be the better for it, trust me

I think that's a bit harsh. The OP is still only playing age grade rugby and all the OP wants is to play. They should be able to at least see where theyre at and the best way to do that is on the pitch. Talking about ID cards etc isn't necessary. Most kids don't hold them themselves as their coach does and most don't even know about them.

RugbyLad99

A small bit too harsh lost Dublin. Thanks for the help lost sheep

KenjiOdo

Learning how to protect the ball & yourself when tackled is key! You don't want to be a soft target and give ball away..

Losty Dublin

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

I think that's a bit harsh. The OP is still only playing age grade rugby and all the OP wants is to play. They should be able to at least see where theyre at and the best way to do that is on the pitch. Talking about ID cards etc isn't necessary. Most kids don't hold them themselves as their coach does and most don't even know about them.

Harsh perhaps but lets be fair here. He has only recently started playing the game and can hardly expect to be able to play matches already, least of all when honours are up for grabs.

On ID cards I'm just making the point that he shouldn't be able to play until he has one issued, that's all.

The Lost Sheep

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Harsh perhaps but lets be fair here. He has only recently started playing the game and can hardly expect to be able to play matches already, least of all when honours are up for grabs.

On ID cards I'm just making the point that he shouldn't be able to play until he has one issued, that's all.

He has only started playing but how do you know about someones ability until they play a game? You don't so give them game time.
I know all about ID cards but please be realistic. Nobody waits until a card is issued before they play and nobody should. All cards are generally not available immediately and nobody will be stopped from playing or sanctioned if new to sport and their card hasn't been issued yet

JPNelsforearm

Hit the gym, up your calories.