KEEP THINGS FEELING FUN
HOW OFTEN do fitness sessions at the amateur levels reflect game play? At some elite clubs, it’s seen as an important part of getting match-ready.
For example, did you know that at Clermont they try as often as possible to run through team shape with 15 v 15, though sometimes with much less rest? It won’t be full-on in terms of contact but if we see an average of 35 minutes of ball in play in a game, they will train to have that or more in the working week.
Players love to play. And even in speed sessions they could replicate a scenario. Think of a full-back having to quickly cross the field to snuff out a 50:22. In rugby you rarely do straight-line sprints.
Fun is good too. Huw Bevan, head of S&C for US Eagles, says: “I’ll quite often plan activities to promote (play) within
“I might also adapt my warm-up to improve mood”
sessions. This might be through various jumps, sprints or competitive individual or team conditioning activities.
“Particularly during long blocks, I will include short, fun activities within the warm-ups to stimulate and engage players before going into a more demanding, intense or serious activity.
“Depending on the group I might also challenge players by including activities aimed at developing physical literacy – rolls, balances, skipping, etc – that have a fun element but also underpin valuable physical abilities and movement patterns that we’re trying to develop.
“I might also adapt my warm-up to include an activity specifically intended to improve mood, if I detect they are a little flat or if the feedback suggests that. Here I have a battery of activities that I know the players enjoy and that are effective in terms of energising them whilst preparing them appropriately for the forthcoming session.”
How important is it for kids to enjoy their conditioning?
And are there any training aids to help achieve this?
Shuffle Up Games have added to their portfolio of products with a new rugby skills and fitness game. The game encourages young players to get moving, whilst teaching core principles of strength and conditioning that are often neglected at grass-roots level. Each card within the game relates to movements performed on a rugby pitch. The game includes 70-plus cards, each one demonstrating the correct technique of the movement, along with step-by-step guidelines.
Gemma Coles, CEO at Shuffle Up Games, says: “I wanted to challenge the idea that fitness is difficult and boring by injecting fun back into these exercises. Often young children switch off at the idea of doing traditional strength and conditioning work, so it was important to keep the fun alive with Shuffle Up Games.”