Converting from a back to a forward.

[Bataz]

Hi All, just joined the forum today.

Only started playing Rugby in February this year seriously for the 1st time in about 7 years. As a school kid, despite my skinny frame i played hooker purely for the reason that i was the only one who could throw the ball straight in the line out. When I progressed to colts level i was changed to a winger and played there into my early 20's. Anyhow after a long time out of the game i joined up at my local club with 5 or 6 games left at the back end of last season and played on the wing. However i've really been wanting to play in the forwards and decided i want a crack at flanker, ive been watching as many vids as poss of decent flankers to give me some tips and even watched an RFU coaching dvd to get the basivs of forward play and i do still remember some stuff from my schoolboy hooking days lol. Also i've beefed up a bit in the off-season, was about 80kg a few month ago and am now 95kg so im hoping that will help with the conversion.

Any of you guys made such a big change before? Any tips?

 

[Aedaphon]

Bloody hell how'd you put on 15kgs in a couple of months?

But in terms of advice you're gonna need to up your work rate massively from wing to flanker. I'm a back row and I've subbed in a couple of times as a winger and you really do get used to spending most of the match waiting around between brief periods of quite intense work. Playing Flanker involves a high work rate, you should be either hitting just about every other ruck/ball carrying in attack or making the tackles in defence.

Just as general advice you'll want to train on your fitness, if you've put on that much weight it's probably a given you'll be a little slower until you get used to running about and carrying that extra weight will probably have a pretty big impact on your match fitness if you don't start training early.

Hope this helps.

 

[Peat]

Tangent, but I found wing involved nearly as much work as flanker if not more. Between covering back for kicks/counter-attacking, plus the onus on the blindside wing to make a run everytime, wings should be really sodding busy, and possibly do more running than any other back.

The fitness is crucial. When you're not doing it, you forget how ****ing hard it is to keep running and working when something heavy thuds into you every other minute. Flankers should be the fittest bodies in the team.

Get your rucking technique right. Forget jackaling at first, you'll probably do more good simply driving over the top of rucks. You do that by going low and hard. Practice that. If someone's jackaling your ball, grab hold of them and just fall over to the side. They'll come with you.

 

[TVH11]

As everyone has said fitness is most definitely one of the priorities moving from out wide to on the flank. its more the constant running and tackling rather than the speed in which you run a distance.

I think the key though is losing the shiny bright boots, changing the flashy hair cut to a scrum cap Flankers are like the mystery men of the pitch, and glide from ruck to ruck without getting spotted.... No need to attract attention to yourself Good luck with training

 

[Bataz]

Thanks or the advice guys. I'm working on my fitness to prepare for the new role and also pre-season is going to be intense aswel. I'm really looking forward to the change, should be interesting!

 

[Bataz]

Just another question regarding flanking just to confirm what i think i know. As a flanker in defence my job is to tackle, tackle and more tackling and try to be at every breakdown possibble competing for the ball, correct? In posession im a bit unsure, is it a varation of if im their 1st get stuck into the ruck/maul or if there are enough men in their and the ball is secured look for the ball to make ground with it etc? any tips welcome.

 

[lucky number 7]

In offence the most common thing for a flank to do is act as a trail runner for the backs looking for offloads.. try pick lines off your ten or 12 also

 

[Bataz]

In offence the most common thing for a flank to do is act as a trail runner for the backs looking for offloads.. try pick lines off your ten or 12 also

Ah yes, we've been playing touch in the off-season and the majority of the time i've been working on the lines i pick, think im getting decent at that, hopefully.

 

[04perryo]

How did u put 15kg in a few months thats amazing.

Yeah like most people have said fitness is vital. But in attack just stand behind the backs (try not to get in there way) and when the times right join the line to get the offload or try ur luck in a break. Also if u work on your speed that will be very useful, however considering u were a winger im assuming that u already have pace.

 

[Peat]

In attack depends slightly on whether you're 6 or 7, the abilities of the other flankers, the way the team plays and so on. Talk to your coach, captain and backs about that, not us.

In general though, you can't go wrong with being first to a ruck and hitting it to secure the ball. Otherwise, stand on the inside of 10/12 if you're a big hitter, or go wider to support the outside man if you're more gas less brute force. Traditionally I'd say the 6 would be the closer man and the 7 the wider but that frequently changes from place to place...

 

[Bataz]

Put the beef on just by training hard and eating loads. Was on Met-Rx Size Up for a couple of months and beefed right up on that. Weights 3 times a week every week since end of season.

Obviously I will be speaing to the coaches on Tuesday when our pre-season begins and I'll be learning a lot but just thought while im waiting for that i'd ask you guys. Thanks for the responses they've been helpful and i'm looking forward to getting stuck in!

 

[lucky number 7]

I am trying to make the move to the backs at the minute ...

 

[Bataz]

I should get a fair chance as we only had 3 regular flankers last season and we've lost 2 of them.

 

[04perryo]

U shud be guaranteed then a regular start then lol

 

[Bataz]

U shud be guaranteed then a regular start then lol

Hopefully, but saying that there may be new bods down at pre-season. lol

 

[Peat]

I envy you Bataz. About 1 in 3 players at my club is a back-row by trade.

 

[Bataz]

Well, 1st pre-season sesh out the way last night, not too bad just played touch and then did some shuttle runs and circuits.

 

[Barbarian Horde]

Bloody hell how'd you put on 15kgs in a couple of months?

But in terms of advice you're gonna need to up your work rate massively from wing to flanker. I'm a back row and I've subbed in a couple of times as a winger and you really do get used to spending most of the match waiting around between brief periods of quite intense work. Playing Flanker involves a high work rate, you should be either hitting just about every other ruck/ball carrying in attack or making the tackles in defence.

Just as general advice you'll want to train on your fitness, if you've put on that much weight it's probably a given you'll be a little slower until you get used to running about and carrying that extra weight will probably have a pretty big impact on your match fitness if you don't start training early.

Hope this helps.

I thought the same thing when I read his post. I'm not even sure it's necessary to be that big to play flanker at the club level. As you've already mentioned, work rate and fitness are paramount.

 

[Barbarian Horde]

I am trying to make the move to the backs at the minute ...

Now why would you go and do something like that? Injury? Whenever I hear about someone making that sort of move, it usually has to do with an injury.

 

[Bataz]

I thought the same thing when I read his post. I'm not even sure it's necessary to be that big to play flanker at the club level. As you've already mentioned, work rate and fitness are paramount.

I wanted to bulk up anyway and had a programme in mind mind for as soon as the season finished. Got straight on it, and eat loads. bulked right up. Now pre-season has started i'll lose some of the gains but not a lot and i'm doing weights still twice a week.