Get better at playing rugby?

Question

I would like to know the following:

Best method of getting bigger as in size like doing weights and also getting more tone in my muscles. What exercises do i have to do to achieve this.

I would also like to know the best way to get faster at sprinting, what are the best exercises. Same with agility, how do i improve?

One more thing, i want core strength exercises to strenghtn my upperbody and abz.

And any tips on how to motivate myself to keep it up...?

Answer 1

unless you tell us the specific position that you play, we really cannot give you position specific advice.

as such, the following is true for all rugby players.

you need to be able to run for 80 minutes. you need to be able to run fast and recover very quickly. you need to be able to kick and pass. you need to be able to tackle.

run 80 minutes; hit the treadmill. run around the park. run around the track.

run fast and recover; kill two birds at once by doing intervals. sprint X distance, jog X distance, sprint Y distance, jog Y distance, etc combine this with...

run fast; theres quite a few here.

sprints. do ten 10 meter sprints, then ten 20m sprints then ten 40 m spints etc give yourself a minute (while walking back to your starting line) to recover.

stairs. vary your foot speed. vary your stepping. do some hops. use quick feet. exercise the legs individually and as a pair.

plyometrics. just google this. too many different ones.

running in the pool. self explanatory.

running at the beach. mark off a 10- 20 meter area and do some sprints and agility stiff.

agility; plyometrics, reaction balls.

strength training; weight training. and cross training. rock climbing, waterpolo and swimming develop upper body strength and also work your cardio vascular system. i wouldnt go for size, but strength. when doing resistance exercises, use proper form and lift a lighter weight, instead of trying to hit your max. you also want to vary the speed at which you lift so you can hit the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. i go fast up and slow down. 1 or 2 second lift, minimum 4 seconds down. going down slowly uses gravity for the down stroke. and controlling the down is going to hit the muscle harder than going up slowly and going down fast.

ball handling and kicking and passing require just having a ball, tossing it around and kicking it around.

its all common sense really.

Answer 2

um...do they have rugby for dummies??

i bought the tennis one and it helped me with some strategies =D

Answer 3

Your training should be specific to your position. Do you mostly want to get strong? or fast? or agile? or a general combination.

To develop strength you should do weights (low reps 6-10) and heavy weights. You should 'fail' by the 11th rep, if not then make it heavier. Do 3 sets of 6-10 reps. You will also need to eat heaps! Your body will use the extra energy.

To improve speed you should do some plyometrics. This is sometimes called bounding. Google it to get some more specific info but it is basically jumping and running with high bouncy steps. It has been proven to improve power and therefore speed.Another easy exercise is to place two markers about 2m apart and as quickly as possible fit 20  steps into 2m.

You can do agility exercises. Like the illinois 505 test (google it) or simple set up a course of markers and run through them quickly, changing directions.

As far as core strength goes, sit ups are great, as well as twisting sit ups to work your obliques.

Try: 10 slow situps with thighs perpindicular to floor and lower leg horizontal (ie feet in the air)

then 10 more with a twist so that youtwist your body to the side as you sit up and then 10 more on the toher side. Rest 2 mins then do this again. Do 3 sets in total

Motivation?? Always hard. The best motivator is Goal Setting and Journalling. Start a journal and record how much weight you can lift with different exercises. Also record your speed on a 20m sprint and the Illinois 505 agility test. You can test yourself 1 month later and be encouraged by your improvements. 6 months later and you may be amazed at the improvement. And that really is motivating to do more!

Answer 4

Look at the plyometric circuit to developing explosive power, aim to do this circuit no more than once a week, and certainly not on days before a game, as this type of circuit takes a few days to recover from.

Shuttle sprints; most sprints / runs last for between 10 and 50 seconds in a game, so look at this time for your training. Working with minimal rest between sessions, ideally 15 seconds, however every 5 minutes, take a good minute break whilst walking / jogging. Your sprints should take the following form, standing start, lying flat on your stomach start, running start, sprint forward with run back and then repeat all with a ball.

Working at speed whilst passing the ball will help develop the high level of skill that is required for hand eye co-ordination.

U do all that and you will get really good

thanks for reading

Answer 5

Do speed and agility training.

Answer 6

for you size, try having lots of red meats from the butcher, nice and healthy, and it will build your muscle tone. Also have lots of vitamins like in bananas and things like that.

for your speed, try just doing laps around your local field, at first do 3, then when you want, start doing 5, then more. Or go at your own rate. this will help your stamina not your speed, but once your stamina comes you will notice you have become faster

For your abs, just do sit ups and press ups. you don't need weights or anything.

Answer 7

Rugby is not just about being bigger, stronger etc. You have to be able to utilise your physical pluses and minuses to your position that you play. For example if you are a nimble footed fly half bulking up will only disadvantage you.

Talk to your coach, he would be the best to advise you.