7 Golden Tips To Become A Better Rugby Player

Rugby is a physically demanding sport. It’s not a sport for those who are fainthearted. You can see this when watching professional rugby players in action. Therefore, if you want to become a rugby player, you’ve got to develop your physical, mental, and psychological strength, as well as developing your technical skills. Every part of your being has to be engaged in what’s happening on the field from the moment you set foot on that pitch.

Tips To Become A Better Rugby Player

Practice makes perfect. Being willing to put into work what you learn will make you a better player. It won’t be easy, but nothing is impossible as long as you put your mind to it. If you’ve decided to go for something, give it all.

That said, here are some golden tips for you to become a better rugby player:

 1. Watch Professional Rugby

You can start by watching professional rugby footage. You can learn how teams pass the ball, how the referee judges foul, how a scrum is done, how to tackle properly, etc. These are some of the things you can learn just by watching how the game is played.

No one is born a professional sportsman. You’ve got to watch and learn first before you can become a great player. To get the most from any watching experience, you’ve got to focus on your position. 

Find out more about the Bledisloe Cup and other live game matches to learn from them. You can also watch how the professionals play your position and incorporate it into your game.

2. Practice Kicking

Every rugby player should possess good kicking skills. Practice the different kicks you may encounter in a game setup. You have to equip yourself with every skill especially your kicking skills and the best way to hone and improve this is by constant practice. 

Kicking skill is important if you’re playing at the stand-off position. If you’re good at kicking the ball, you give yourself a chance at converting the spot-kick awarded to you. 

3. Practice Catching

As a rugby player, you need to be good with your hands. Train yourself to catch the ball in compromising positions more often because there may be times when you won’t receive a straightforward pass. It’ll be very hard for you to become a great rugby player if you’ve got slippery hands. Your hands need to receive the ball and hold on to it firmly so that if you need to make an extra pass, it won’t slip out of your hands.

Your hands always need to stick to the ball because dropping the ball can cost you the match. When you’re running with the ball, hold it with a firm grip so that if there’s a scrum, the ball is yours.

4. Choose Your Position And Stick With It

Pick a position relative to your strengths and stick to it. Even if you’re a multi-faceted player, you need to stick to one position. Good rugby teams have certain positions for each player and they stick to their positions, no matter what.

Playing one position enables you to develop a deeper understanding or expertise of it. You want to be so good in a position that when you’re absent from the squad, the team feels somewhat incomplete. That’s how you know that you’ve become an important part of the team.

5. Be A Team Player

Get rid of the mindset of wanting to be the center of attention. The pursuit of stardom rarely gets you anywhere in this sport. Put your ego aside and have a team player’s mindset. The most successful players care more about the success of the team than themselves, which makes the entire team better. Therefore, you ought to put unproductive attitudes aside and make yourself an asset to the team.

6. Push Yourself

Whether you’re in training, scrimmage, or an actual game, endeavor to push yourself as hard as you can because pain is the prerequisite of growth. Your game won’t develop if you won’t push yourself to the limit. Be willing to break your previous records to develop a strong game. Every elite athlete will tell you that hard work is part of the success equation. The discipline of a rugby player is no different so keep pushing yourself to work hard.

7. Develop A Workout Regimen

You have to have a total body workout regimen in place if you want to be a better rugby player. Now, focus areas will differ based on positions, e.g., if you’re a wing player, you need to work on endurance and speed. If you’re a lock or prop, you need to build muscle or pure strength. Therefore, you need to look for a regimen that works best for you or that will push you towards your best shape. You’ve got to stay fit if you want to be a great rugby player.

Conclusion

Rugby is a sport that requires dedication and spirit from all people who want to be great at playing the sport. Of course, like any other sport, skill is necessary, but skills don’t help you if you’re not willing to discipline yourself and work hard to improve your game. You can use the above points as the starting point to becoming a next-level rugby player.