Position advice for a big lad?

[Alfonso]

Alrite lads,
So i've taken up rugby again after a few years out and I've been moved too second row from prop, which one would be better for me?
I'm 17 and weigh around 17 stone and i'm around 6 ft.
Havent had much game time yet and i've had very little training due too British weather..

Also, I am carrying a little bit of weight and my stamina is shocking, Should I be aiming to plow through every ruck or will that kill me?
And finally.. Stupid question - What is the main role of a prop/seccond row?

Cheers

 

[Aedaphon]

First- Welcome to the forum!

Now onto the question:

For a start you're going to have to work on your fitness... Prop is the position where the least fitness is expected BUT even as a prop you'll be expected to get around the park; losing a bit of weight and building up your aerobic fitness is a must.

You are almost certainly too heavy to lift at the lineout so I would say you're going to be in the front row. Your priorities are

a) Scrumming- Props are the key to the scrum so learning (and practicing) proper scrummaging technique is a must
b) Lifting- You should be able to front and back lift at the age of 17, there's nothing more frustrating than a forward who's useless in the lineout
c) Rucking/Ball carrying- As a prop you won't be expected to work as hard as the second or back row but as you'll be one of the biggest lads on the pitch you will be expected to make every hit count. Every team wants to rely on their props to make at least a couple of yards every time they carry or clear out a ruck with their weight.

Oh and in case you want info on 2nd rows, the main differences are:

a) Expected to jump in the lineout- Locks are the key jumpers but should still be able to lift
b) Ball carrying and rucking- should really be getting involved a lot more than the props

Best of luck to you- keep us all updated on how it's going

 

[Alfonso]

Wow, thanks for that!
Regarding fitness.. I'm visiting the gym four times a week plus training so i hope to shift any exes weight I'm carrying
I'll defiantly keep you posted, theirs loads of things I'm still unsure about. :lol:

 

[Aedaphon]

Wow, thanks for that!
Regarding fitness.. I'm visiting the gym four times a week plus training so i hope to shift any exes weight I'm carrying
I'll defiantly keep you posted, theirs loads of things I'm still unsure about. :lol:

Out of curiosity what are you doing at the gym?

If you're just doing cardio it might not be a bad idea to just find a park and go running once or twice a week. It'll simulate anything on the pitch far better than a treadmill/bike machine.

 

[Alfonso]

Regarding cardio at the gym, I'm basicly doing 45 minutes of keeping my heart rate up but your rite about the treadmill. I find it quite hard running on the treadmill, can run for longer outside.. Also thinking of running with my mouth guard in as it really disturbs my breathing, need to get used to it.. Cheers for the tip.

 

[Aedaphon]

No problem, I would recommend interval training for building up fitness. It's absolutely horrid but it's definitely the most effective method I've ever used (I'm a second/back row player)

Pfft, the other forum members seem to be preoccupied at the moment <_<

 

[Alfonso]

Just looked at some interval training routines on the web,looks interesting
Deffo give it a try

 

[TedParker]

Try involving some sprint mechanics into your workouts as well. Though doing runs and treadmills will help you lose that weight you don't want to lose your explosive speed. So try and integrate some shuttle sprints into your workout and try and maintain a certain time over a certain distance. This will promote fast-twitch fibres as long runs will create slow-twitch fibres. You can keep on the runs until you've reached a suitable base fitness but once your there you want to up the intensity to these sorts of things

 

[Saintjay]

Hi, give this site a look. It has tons of sports info including interval training, hills etc, etc. It has good info on rugby fitness tests and other sports. http://www.brianmac.co.uk/rugby.htm

 

[TedParker]

[video=youtube_share;gbKqxFLxfK0]http://youtu.be/gbKqxFLxfK0[/video]

 

[TedParker]

http://youtu.be/gbKqxFLxfK0, could also check this one swell. If you have Facebook like " Ellesmere Performance Gym" and you can loads of info and advice from the guy who owns the gym there.

 

[Alfonso]

Cheers for all the info lads. Will look into shuttle sprints. Gona test a few routines tommorow.

Regarding that performance gym, we have one just like that with all the equipment you can imagine, along with casual hench boddy builder knocking around

This forum is quality