15s practice in summer

[Hunter]

Guys, I had a thought the other day. I think we have figured out that
the key to success in rugby (and generally all things) is persistent
continued work. Basically, working extra hard and taking a long time
off won't offer the same benefits as continuing to put in effort for a
longer period of time.
So, a problem in my mind is that we get better and better through the
season until the end at which point we generally stop playing for a
few months and lose a lot of momentum, fitness, skill, etc. There is
always summer sevens but i know especially for big forwards, being run
around by fast kids gets old after a few practices. So, what does
everyone think about starting a loose practice schedule during the off
season specifically for 15s players? It doesn't have to be as regular
as in season practice, maybe once a week or a couple times a month. I
think it would have lots of benefits including: Starting the season
with relatively the same skill level as we leave off instead of
spending the first half of the year learning things all over again,
starting the season relatively fit, keeping track of guys so we don't
loose half the team, having fun with your friends.
For those of us that were around for the past two seasons think about
how much easier it was in the playoffs this year when we won our first
games as opposed to the previous year when we didn't pick it up till
mid-season. Lets take the next step and see how good we can be. Any
thoughts?
-Hunter

[Jim McNally]

Great idea
Thank you,

Jim McNally
ChemFree Corporation
National Account Manager
Office- 770-564-5575
Mobile- 404-803-2271
www.chemfree.com


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-----Original Message-----
From: Hunter <hwin...@gmail.com>

Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:32:21
To: Altanta Old White RFC<AtlantaOld...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: 15s practice in summer

[Bo Marr]

I have mixed feelings about this. You bring up alot of good points,
but there is a reason players tend to take some time off...rugby takes
a tremendous toll not only physically, but also on our resources such
as finances and time. My body needs recovery time...and the big guys
are the ones that hit the most, and need the most time off for their
bodies. i think summer 7s is doing its job to keep players in shape,
and keep passing skills alive without all the hitting and rough
practices that our bodies feel during 15s. Those that want to keep in
game shape but not necessarily put another large toll on their bodies
can play on the social side.

So you bring up alot of good points, but i honestly think summer 7s is
the right solution...for the big guys that want to play rugby, we have
formed all prop sides in the past that have been effective.

This past year worked out just fine...we got started in september
instead of waiting until november. So by the time we started the
matrix season in november, we had shaken all the rust off.

~Bo

[Rob West]

From the standpoint of a player who is just beginning to play with you
guys, I would love the chance to start learning lineout calls and some
of the formations you guys use, prior to the season actually starting.
Like Hunter recommended, the frequency of practices wouldn't have to
be the same as in-season, and the duration of the contact part of
practice could be kept under control as well. I think the idea of
summer 15s as more of a skill maintenance/refresher is a great idea,
as it doesn't necessitate having the same physical taxation as a
normal season practice. Sports at the highest levels are a year round
thing, not a third of the time off. If the club started in September
already in fighting shape physically and mentally, imagine the
improvements that could be made by the time the competitive season
actually began.

I think the biggest point to stress in introducing summer 15s would,
again, be the lessened duration and intensity, as well as frequency. I
think it would be ideal as just a way for those who wanted to do it to
participate.

-Rob

[Michael Aaron]

Good points. I would say having a 15s session once or twice each month
would be good for the club.

We could have all the forwards and/or backs who want to work on 15s
skills (lineouts, scrums, rucking, mauling, tackling, etc) break off
for the first 30 minutes during a Tuesday practice provided there is a
coach/captain/experienced forward to run this. This could be tailored
to focus on lessons, skills and rugby knowledge.

This would be helpful in teaching new players our calls, and strategy
for rucking, defense, etc. AND would also provide skills training for
the younger College/HS players who will be joining OW in the future.

Who will organize and lead this practice at least once a month this
summer? Any qualified volunteers?

[Trey Dickson]

I think the issue is, who would coach?  Who would pay the coach?  What happens if the coach this summer is not the coach this Fall and has a totally different style of play and tactics?  Would we have to relearn everything, again?  15's practices this summer may work, but the officers and Board need to provide direction on who is coaching and what will be coached.  No reason to learn lineouts, scrummage moves, back plays if it will all be scrapped in late August when official 15's practice begin.  Running ideas like this through the officers may be an easier, more organized way of handling things like this. 

   Hunter does make good valid points about maintaining 15's fitness, not 'losing' players, and having fun with your buds during the summer without having to play grab ass at 7's practice all summer long.  Hopefully our new officers and the Board will give us some direction so we can start 15's sometime before mid-August if feasible(money and coach wise).  5 months and we get to kick the crap out of the gades....again

[Weatherman]

I think more than practicing skills during the summer, we forwards
need to hit the weight room.

On the division 2 side, we weren't stronger or bigger than the
forwards on New Orleans. And they weren't even the best team in the
south.

And as an observer on the D1 side, we are a damn good team, the best
on the East coast. However, if we ever want to compete against the
ringers on Pearl City and the big boys on the west coast, we need to
take our fitness and strength training much more seriously, myself
most definitely one of them.

Charlie of course does his thing at night, but is there interest in
getting a morning group going? For us guys who work, it may be a
better way to get together. Let me know.

Aaron (Weatherman)

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