Rugby For Youngsters: Why Parents Shouldn’t Worry

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The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has advocated rugby as an athletic activity for children. Over the past years, however, there has been a call to ban the contact version of the sport. With the concerns presented by parents and medical professionals, the RFU banned contact rugby until age 18 to fully introduce all other important aspects of the sport to younger players.

In many schools, children have the option to play flag rugby or non-contact tough rugby. As children progress in the sport, tackling and contact are introduced but not encouraged during games. With these rules governing the sport, parents shouldn’t worry about their child getting into rugby.

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Just like other team sports, rugby promotes teamwork. It also develops a child’s confidence and leadership skills. As an intense sport, the different aspects of the game improve the body’s endurance and the mind’s logic. Many teachers have reported that students who have taken up the sport showed better performance in class. The game has also taught its young players to become respectful and giving.

Rugby parents are encouraged to show their support for their young athletes by being involved as a coach or a referee. Parents’ immersion in the sport with their children is a good way to ensure their safety and development.

Brendan Triplett is a rugby enthusiast. He is a fan of PRO Rugby and a regular viewer of the Collegiate Rugby Championship. Find out more about Brendan and his interests on Twitter.

Core Workout For Rugby Players

Core strength is vital for a rugby player’s in-field performance. While a lot of game points are from the high kicks players display, their core holds their bodies still. It allows the player’s body to have fuller force. It is the foundation of the body, which helps strengthen the limbs. Here are some workout routines that will help improve rugby players’ performance.

Turkish getup

Lie on the floor, face up next to a kettlebell or dumbbell. Press the kettlebell or dumbbell vertically above the shoulder. Keep the elbow locked and the wrist straight. Sit up and bring the foot up on the same side. Push off the foot and turn into a kneeling position on the other leg. Straighten the torso, and then stand up straight. Repeat as needed.

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Abdominal brace

Lie facing downwards while supporting the body using the forearms and toes. Ensure that the ankles, hips, and shoulders are aligned. Brace the abdominal area and hold for 60 seconds.

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Bench dips

Place hands on a bench’s edge and support the body weight with the feet. Maintain vertical torso position and lower the body until the upper arms are equidistant to the floor. Extend the elbows and return to the starting position after. Complete the exercise with three sets of eight repetitions.

Brendan Triplett is a former infantry sergeant, rugby enthusiast, and author. Learn more about the tough game of rugby by vising this blog.

Fun Facts About Rugby

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When the masses watch rugby, a lot of them see the brutality of the sport. Groups of massive, bulky men with unbelievable athleticism and toughness try to outmaneuver and outsmart each other to try to get their ball to the opposing team's territory. But there’s a lot more to rugby than that. Here are some fun facts people may not know about this amazing sport.

• The first rugby balls were made from the bladders of pigs and were difficult to catch and hold on to.
• Rugby was only played in the modern Olympic Games four times – 1900, 1908, 1920, and 1924. The United States won in 1920 and 1924, making the country the winningest in the sport in Olympic history. 
•  Legend has it that a team is singing a national anthem before a game was first done in a rugby match. The Welsh sang their national anthem in Cardiff in 1905.
• The record for the most points ever scored in a rugby match was accomplished by the New Zealand All Blacks, when they trounced Japan 145-17 in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The largest margin of victory though happened in 2003, when the Aussies defeated the Namibian team, 142-0.
• Rugby and basketball have a tight connection. James Naismith, the person credited with the invention of basketball cited football, lacrosse, baseball, hockey, and rugby as influences when he came up with basketball.

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Brendan Triplett served in the U.S. Army as an infantry sergeant from 2001 to 2009. He was also awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Drexel University. His sport of choice is, of course, rugby. Learn more about this fascinating sport by visiting this blog.

Seizing The Game: The Origins Of Rugby

Rugby is a well-loved sport around the world, but not a lot of people know about its unique origins. This great British treasure has a long and rich history and has been evolving ever since.

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Many say that the game has been famous for over 2,000 years. According to folklore, the Romans used to call the game “harpastum,” which is a Greek word for “seize.” In Medieval England, young men leave work early to compete in their village or town’s football games.

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However, a popular belief is that in 1823, a rugby school student named William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during a soccer match. The person who made the story viral was local author and antiquarian Matthew Bloxam. Although a lot of people dismiss his account, historians from the rugby school think that this is accurate.

Before the Ellis “incident,” a local shoemaker named William Gilbert has been supplying balls to rugby school. The first balls were bigger and rounder than today’s standard. Gilbert established his company and worked with Lindon. They replaced the bladder inner tubes with rubber and did more modifications with the ball. Many years later, Gilbert is known around the world for producing quality rugby sporting materials.

A significant moment in the game’s evolution was the writing and printing of the rules. The rules of football were recorded for the first time at Rugby School. It was initiated by Isaac Gregory Smith, Walter Waddington Shirley, Frederick Leigh Hutchins, and William Delafield Arnold. Charles Harcourt Chambers illustrated the rules with images of rugby football.

Learn more about rugby by following this Brendan Triplett Twitter account.