DIET: FOOD AND DRINK:
As the old saying goes You are what you eat. You wouldn't put the incorrect fuel into your car, so why put it into your body? Your performance will be directly affected by what you eat / drink - in the short term and in the long term. Therefore, your overall diet should be well balanced with large portions of fruit, green vegetables and salad. Make sure you avoid junk food which you know to be detrimental to you - I don't need to list these foods, you know them already and probably eat them regularly because they just taste too good! Right? Garbage! - they taste good at time of consumption, but how do you feel afterwards once your taste buds have returned to state - I'm guessing it's not great! Improving at anything requires discipline and often sacrifice. Give up the junk food and the benefits which follow will be far in excess of the 'quick fix' pleasure these foods provide.
Your water intake must also be high - you should never actually feel thirsty as this is an early sign of dehydration. Replace consumption of fizzy drinks, juices, tea and coffee with water. Drink a minimum of 2 litres and maximum of 5 litres (dependant on body size and intensity of exercise(s) performed) each day. Carry water with you at all-times, don't leave dehydration any invitations into your body!
TRY!: Drink 2-5 litres of water every day , whilst avoiding fizzy drinks, tea and coffee. Eat portion(s) of green vegetables / salad or fruit with every meal. Snack every 2-4 hours on fruit / salad / vegetables or nuts. Eliminate junk food from your diet completely.
TIP: Discipline and dedication are again the key. You don't become an extraordinary rugby player by doing ordinary things!
FITNESS AND EXERCISE:
Watch the top modern day rugby players and you will notice that they produce a lot of movement during the 80 minutes. To do this requires high levels of cardiovascular fitness. To gain such fitness requires dedication and discipline. Another sport where participants have very high levels of fitness, probably more so than rugby players, is boxing. Therefore, my suggestion to improve your fitness would be 'train like a boxer!'. Not in sparring and getting punched in the head, but by rising early (ideally between 5-6am) and putting in a training session. This should ideally include a distance run followed by cardiovascular activities such as skipping, jumping jacks, star jumps etc. Add to that press-ups, crunchies and sit-ups and your fitness will begin to improve significantly. Ideally I would suggest your session should be no less than 1 hour, at least 4-5 times a week. Training so early will kick-start your metabolism for the day plus psychologically it will give you a sense achievement which should motivate your day ahead. Add to this strength and weight training as you see fit.
TRY!: Rise at 5.30 6.0am, 5 times a week and complete a 3-4Km run followed by 5 sets x 20 reps of push-ups, 5 x 20 crunchies, 5 x 40 star jumps, 5 x 20 burpees, then hold the PLANK POSITION for as long as possible.
TIP: This will seem difficult at first, but once you are into a routine it becomes easy. Have training clothes next to your bed and focus your mind so that you get out of bed immediately when your alarm goes off. Don't think about what your about to do, JUST DO IT!
LEARN FROM THE VERY BEST:
Why re-invent the wheel? If you want to become a top rugby player, benchmark a top rugby player. They may have natural skill, but to get to the level they have achieved is not by chance. If you want to get to the level of a certain player(s) copy what they do on a regular basis (the beauty of benchmarking is you can take the positives and eliminate any negative routines the player may have!). With rugby players living their life in the media spotlight and all sorts of data being openly available on the internet, it's never been easier to benchmark.
TRY!: Decide upon a World class rugby player(s) you admire both on and off the pitch. Collect information regarding their diet, training methods and fitness ideas. Study their movement and all-round play in a number of games. Record games which they have played extremely well and analyse their qualities. Possibly contact them directly for advice and hints - if done elegantly, with your reasons for contacting them clearly stated, they should be more than happy to oblige.
TEMPERAMENT AND FOCUS:
Temperament and focus before, during and after a match is a key ingredient to making a rugby player better. Before a match you should focus on what the overall aim is. That focus must remain strong and constant throughout. This should not make you fearful or nervous, but ultimately guide you towards achievement. If you make an error or wastes an opportunity, this should not affect your focus as your goal is still the same. It is unlikely that your overall aim was to score at that particular moment or not to make that error at that exact time. Therefore, concentrate on what you can achieve in the remaining time, there will be plenty of time to review performance after the match has finished.
Finally, once the match has ended focus on winning or losing with dignity. This will not just make you a better player, but a better person.
TRY!: Before a match spend 15-30 minutes focusing on what you actually want to achieve. Be clear of your outcome. So often people fail because they don't know exactly what they are wanting to achieve.
DO THE SIMPLY THINGS WELL AND OFTEN:
Not every rugby player can do the things Johnny Wilkinson or Jason Robinson can do. But, all footballers can learn to do the simply skills often and well. I'm not wanting to banish 'flare' and extravagant skill, rather dilute it. Learning to play short passes accurately and directly 100% of the time is an enormous advantage to any player. Great players are often experts at doing the easy things well. This is something all players can adopt.
TRY!: Practice short passes, correct positioning, catching the ball, tackling etc often and for a long period of time. Many players believe because they have mastered a technique they don't have to practice it any more - when in fact mastery and improvement comes from repeatedly practising an already learned skill. This sort of dedication and commitment ensures that in the crucial moments of a game when performing a skill or technique is vital you will be prepared.
Combine all the above with inner belief and you will most definitely become a better rugby player.
