Rugby for Kids : How and Why to introduce children to Rugby
Sport for Kids: Rugby, a game that teaches more than just tackling, running and jumping
SO, firstly, and most importantly, Rugby, whether Union or League is a contact sport. Therefore you should never try and teach your child how to tackle, ruck, maul etc unless under the supervision of a professional coach or as part of an official club or junior section training course.
That said, Rugby is not all about tackles and hits! So there is plenty you can do with your child to introduce them to this wonderful game. In our continuing series on Sport for Kids, we tackle the great game of Rugby!
Why Rugby?
Rugby has been long known as a team sport that develops huge camaraderie, engenders a sense of self-worth and encourages life skills such as leadership, generosity, respect and loyalty.
Rugby Clubs are well known to be family-friendly, hospitable environments where the actions of the group is held in higher regards than the actions of the individual.
In the long term, the idea of controlled aggression, and respect for the physical aspect of the game is something that can benefit all. It can be a rough game but when played in the spirit of the sport, this element of Rugby can help teach a discipline and mutual understanding of fairness and what is right and wrong.
Alongside these traits, the health and fitness benefits of playing Rugby are outstanding. Some fairly obvious yet major physical benefits of playing Rugby.
Women, Men, Girls or Boys - Rugby is a game for everyone
The Benefits of Rugby for Health and Fitness
HIIT Style Cardio
Rugby is relentless in its play, with very few breaks and little time to stand around. Positioning is all-important, so cardiovascular fitness is very important in order to maintain team structure. However, speed and explosive bursts are perhaps the most important factor when it comes to breaking lines and setting up further phases of play. Likewise in defence, constant movement and appreciation of position are crucial, so you can’t be on your heels, you must be always moving!
Strength
As a game that prioritises physical strength, it is clear to all that in order to improve your Rugby, a strong and powerful physique is advantageous. This is not to say you have to be huge to play Rugby, far from it, however adding extra muscle or quality weight will certainly help in most positions. Therefore as your child develops in age, and is ready to begin resistance training, it may help their Rugby game, especially under the guidance of a Rugby coach who knows what attributes are best to work on for your son or daughter’s playing position.
Hand-Eye Co-ordination
Like most team sports, Rugby involves a ball, except UNLIKE most team sports, the ball is oblong rather than round. So catching a Rugby ball is a unique sporting skill that involves hands, chest and body positioning.
Throwing a Rugby ball is also slightly different to most sports in that the ball must travel backwards when passing. This specific action involves the core muscles, wrists, obliques and shoulders, as well as the finesse part of completing the pass with the hands.
As with all sports, it is never too young to learn how to catch and throw!
Being Outdoors
Although this one is less tangible, there is a bit of common sense required here. In the Winter we are often stuck at home and children especially can become bored or easily attach to one or more screen based activities. Aside from walking and doing day to day jobs, the winter can be hard for kids with excess energy as playing outdoors is not always an option.
Rugby provides an intense and rewarding physical experience and is a winter game, so in all probability, your child will be playing outside in less than perfect conditions. This can encourage resilience but also simply they are getting fresh air and taking in oxygen whilst running around outside. What’s not to love?
Where to start with your child and Rugby?
Rugby Clubs and Coaching Organisations
So, as we touch on at the start the best place is probably your local Rugby Club, or maybe there is a Rugby Tots class at your local leisure centre. A simple Google Search of ‘Rugby for children near me’ we help you out in terms of what is available.
The younger they start, the more likely they are to pick up the nuances of the ball, and learn the game and its principles from scratch. The principles of fairness, discipline etc all stem from what is learnt at a young age.
What you can do at home
Here at The Sporting Blog, we are huge advocates of teaching all children the basics of all sports, which in our eyes are;
Running
Catching
Throwing
Kicking
There are numerous games you can play with your children, no matter what age, that can help them develop one or all of the skills listed above.
Running
This should be encouraged in order to help develop balance, leg strength, speed and general cardiovascular proficiency. You need nothing but some space for this and can start with little sprints, or fun jogs for rewards. As your child develops you can introduce a competitive element in order to keep them engaged such as timing runs between points, using a track etc.
Catching and throwing
When they are very young, get a sponge ball and throw it to your child. Teach them how to catch and throw it back and they will reap the benefits in the future. The earlier a child learns to catch and throw, the more likely they are to quickly pick up a sport. Not only does this improve hand-eye co-ordination, but it also teaches spatial awareness, depth perception and restraint.
Once your kid has figured out how far they can throw, they will start to teach themselves distance, subtlety and direction. It cannot be overstated how learning to catch and throw is the true foundation of learning all sports.
Rugby Skills / Training at home for kids. Some fun rugby skills to try at home. Improve your handling, fun fitness drills
Kicking
Most children are born with an inherent need to kick! They kick their mothers when in the uterus, they kick their parents when they are babies having their nappies changed and they kick the first thing they see when they are toddlers!
They also generally like kicking balls. Hence why Football is the most popular game on the planet. Kicking a Rugby ball is slightly different. It does not roll in a uniform line, and they will get frustrated with its strange shape. So the idea is to teach kicking from the hands when they are at a stage that they can co-ordinate themselves as such.
A mini Rugby ball does not cost much and is a useful addition to their sporting armoury. Have them hold the ball, release it and kick it in any direction. It does not matter where or how far it goes. Simply the motion of release and kick will be something that once mastered, will stand them in good stead.
At a later date, they can learn kicking a Rugby ball from the floor towards a target as if they were taking a penalty or kick at goal. Again, this is simple to practice and will aid leg strength as well as co-ordiantion.
Get started with Rugby and get active
We hope this article as given you an insight into the benefits of kids learning Rugby, and hopefully providing some inspiration to get them away from the screens for a while, outdoors and doing some exercise!
