Remember....start keeping track of your points starting TODAY!  E-mail me next Monday with your total.  Don't BS me...be honest...you're not hurting me by giving me some sh*t answer.

 

It's up to you to get back to school ready to run...if you want to win we got a LOT of work to do, and it's not running back and forth getting your *sses in shape and ready to play.

 

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

 

Cardio training is the key!!!!!

 

Training for rugby is different than most other sports.  You do NOT need to be physically strong to play this game....you need to be physically resilient.  You need to have the cardio durability, but not that of a marathon runner.  Simply said, you need to be somewhere between a bodybuilder and a marathon runner.

 

Why?  Rugby is a game that tests your body in ways that no other sport does.  In all my years of playing football, I thought I was playing the toughest sport on the planet.  Then came rugby....running for 80 minutes, alternating between sprints and jogging, tackling, ball carrying, fending off tacklers, lifting, scrumming, etc, etc....rugby is a complete body workout.

 

In any workout you do, you need to focus on cardio burnout....

 

What do I mean?

 

When you play rugby you compete in an anaerobic state through most of the match....your body is essentially working in it's least efficient state to get you the energy it needs (yes, that's the "Anatomy & Physiology for Dummies" version).

 

In your workouts, drive yourself to fatigue...that doesn't mean I want you falling over and passing out....what it means is that if you take any break between sets...it should be minimal.

 

For example, if you're doing thirty push-ups in sets of ten....you should allow yourself no more than 10 seconds to "recover."

 

If you're doing a gym workout, you should NOT be doing it with a partner.....you should be giving yourself thirty seconds of "recovery time" max between sets.

 

That make sense?  Basically you're testing your body to complete your exercise when it's physically telling you not to.

 

 

THE FITNESS TEST

 

Some people are worried about the test I'm giving you when you get back....you should, and should not worry about it.

 

I have minimum expectations for your fitness.  The fitness test will cover speed, agility, endurance, and strength.

 

If you do the work, 15 to 20 points of work per week in CARDIO FITNESS (as defined above)....you as a team will have set a solid basis for a winning spring season....and the fitness test will NOT be something to worry about.

 

MOTIVATION

 

Every single one of you needs to figure a couple things out for yourself....and you need to do it now.

 

#1 - What is going to motivate you day after day this spring to train to win?  As I said, tomorrow is too late.

 

#2 - You all need to figure out what it is that will motivate you to play matches just a little pissed off.  I don't want you all running around being angry people, but when it comes to gametime, you need to find what it takes to light that fire. 

 

You play passive, you play without drive, you play without fire, you let yourself be stopped by some puss-ass tackle, you let some girl treat you like a speedbump.....you get hurt. 

 

You need to find what it takes to light your fire and play the game a little on the angry side.