Some food for rugby thought... (Part 1)

I just picked up a copy of the book referenced below, which has probably arrived about 15 years too late in my rugby playing career. Reading about rugby theory tends to be a little dry at the best of time, but what I've read so far of this book provides some practical advice for players and coaches alike.

Rather than run the risk of breaking all kind of copyright laws by repeating the entire contents here, I suggest that you click on the link below and for the price of a round of beers, you can get a copy for yourself. However, let me summarize some of the more eye-opening ideas from the Introduction and first couple of chapters, which may have some impact on your own training schedule.

Recent conclusions from rugby players, coaches and sports scientists are summarized as follows:

1. Endurance. Traditional rugby training has placed too much emphasis on endurance training, when rugby is more of a power sport that relies on anaerobic energy in activities such as tackling, scrummaging, accelerating etc. etc. Strength, speed and power exercises should have equal if not greater emphasis than pure endurance work.

2. Core Stability. This is defined as the ability of the trunk to support the efforts and forces of the armsa and legs and associated muscles/joints. Core stability is essential in rugby to become more stable in contact, better able to withstand tackling and less prone to back injury.

3. Strength Training. Traditional weight training places excess emphasis on "mirror dominant" muscles, i.e. the ones that make you look good with your shirt off. This leads to rugby players with the following characteristics:
- Overdeveloped chest muscles, but rounded and unstable shoulders, leading to more shoulder injuries
- Overdeveloped upper abs and hip flexors, producing poor posture, lower back pain and greater risk of hamstring and groin injuries
- Overdeveloped upper body strength, relative to lower body strength, leading to poor quality movement/execution in tackles, changing direction, driving, absorbing contact etc. etc.
As a result, Functional Training, relative to the specific demands of the position, are emphasised over pure strength.

4. Injury Prevention. Injury rates are growing in modern rugby, and the ball is staying in play longer. Adressing the deficiencies listed above are essential to keep athletes healthy and playing.