Excellent training for other sports

If you already enjoy football, you will love rugby because rugby has more to offer: more tackling, more playing time for every player, more strategy, more adrenaline, more passing, more running, more dodging, more wrestling for the ball, more teamwork, more thinking, more camaraderie with opposing players, everyone plays the ball, and anyone can be a hero.  Rugby also has less:  less bench time for players, less specialization, less waiting around, less equipment, less expense, less substitution, and less animosity toward opposing players.

If you play soccer, rugby will come naturally to you and help your soccer game.  The rugby ball can be played on the ground in any direction at any time with feet, just like a soccer ball, which gives soccer players a little advantage in rugby.  In World Cup matches, quite often most of the points are scored by kicks, not runs.  Rugby will improve your soccer game by keeping you fit and agile, and helping you “look for open space,” a concept identical in soccer and rugby and essential to a good offensive or defensive game.

If you wrestle or train in martial arts, rugby will improve your balance and ability to “read” your opponent’s body for direction, speed, position and evasive tactics (“jukes”).  Wrestling, judo and other grappling martial arts, and rugby are especially mutually beneficial because the enormous amount of tackling involved in rugby works the upper body and develops good body position for intercepting (or evading) your opponent.

Of course, there are many other sports that rugby can relate to, as it is one of the oldest modern-sports in the world. Endurance gained from the sport’s continuous play, power developed from tackling and other contact set pieces and the agility and speed used to gain ground are all elements of athletic performance that are necessary in many other sports like basketball, lacrosse, water polo and track & field, just to name a few!

“Dyslexia was a huge struggle, the classroom and academic work was difficult, so my happy place, the place where I learned to grow in confidence was out at the club playing mini-rugby, going out and playing in school”,
Chris Robshaw, Former England Captain


Excellent training for life

Rugby is excellent training in many ways.  The physical benefits are obvious: developing endurance and agility from open field sprints back-to-back as well as the explosive power needed for tackling and wrestling for the ball.

The mental benefits are less obvious, but far more valuable and long-term:  developing self-confidence from accomplishing something very difficult, learning teamwork, developing quick thinking skills, handling pain, taking responsibility, and learning to act with control (discipline) while under pressure.

Finally, rugby builds good character:  rugby players learn to compliment opposing players and teammates for a job well done, rugby players learn that hard work is the best way to accomplish a difficult task, rugby players learn that self-sacrifice is sometimes required for the team’s benefit, and rugby players learn to keep going and never quit.

15 Reasons kids should play rugby

Getting kids off the sofa and onto the rugby pitch brings a wide variety of physical, mental and social skills which will bode well for them as they reach adulthood and beyond.

 

Improve physical health

Forgive us for starting with the obvious, but rugby brings physical health benefits to anyone who takes to the field – and children are no different.

Develop social skills

Developing social skills is another huge part of parenting, and one that again needs to be developed at a young age if the benefits are to be reaped in the future.

They need to lose

Because it is character building, because it’s good practice for life, because he will get over it and he needs to know that.

They need to win

Because it’s bonding, because it feels good, because he needs to know that there are rewards for effort.

Equal opportunities

Unlike just about any other team sport, rugby is about all players having the same opportunity to run with the ball, pass the ball, and play defense.

Build self-esteem and confidence

Regularly engaging in sports can help subtly boost your child’s self-esteem. This happens as the child sets small goals on the field, such as perfecting a skill, and achieves them.

Learn valuable life lessons

All sports have lessons that can be taken from the field and applied to real life. But rugby has lessons that can’t be found in any other game – we’re not talking about the standard generics of “teamwork” and “playing hard.” We’re talking about the preparation for life that can only be found on the rugby pitch.

Positive role models

It’s quite likely your kids will discover positive role models in coaches and older players

Make lifelong friends

Breed academic success

It’s hard to believe that what your child does on the court can impact what they do in the classroom, but it does. Children who were involved with at least one sport were more likely to get better grades suggests a study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Safety. No, really - safety!

Rugby players don’t wear pads. And it’s a collision sport. But safety is a huge part of the sport and culture of rugby.

They'll experience the incredible feeling of being part of a team

They will respect others, regardless of their decisions

Before respect for authority completely vanishes in the world, the last place it will be found is on the rugby field. When the referee makes a decision we disagree with, kids still call him “sir” and don’t talk back.

It helps reduce stress

Exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins—chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers—and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress.

It could even go somewhere...

Orca Youth Rugby goals