Rugby informationSoak up rugby information - improve your rugby and rugby sidestep. Photo by Julia We learn in different ways. Some find it easy to look and learn, others find it easy to listen and learn, some learn well both ways. Also, it may be easier, to say, learn how to tackle from a photo in a book rather than learn from a tackle in a video. Or the other way around! Some rugby information from older sources may be less relevent (rules change) or may be rich in great information and you really benefit. Be criticalSome sources of rugby information are excellent - others it`s just fluff, poor. incomplete or incorrect. Compare rugby information from different sources. When you say to yourself "This is good" or "This is the best", you know you`re in the right place.Be choosey. Soak up the good stuff and you`ll be an excellent player. Use a variety of sourcesYou will find some basic rugby information in the basic rugby rules.There are plenty of other places! Coaching can be very useful and you can do a lot yourself to build your own store of rugby information. Use a variety of sources. You`ll experince a broad range of information presented in many different ways and may find some easier to absorb than others. It's also useful to at least sample information from other sports. Knowledge and skills overlap - you never know where you might pick up useful information! VideosI played both rugby and football (and lots more!).I once watched a video tape of "101 Best Goals" (Football) a few times. A superb tape showing different ways of putting the ball in the net. One after another after another, balls rocketing into the net. It turned out to be a real lesson! As a mid-field player it was something I was never very good at - but after watching the video I noticed I really improved! You just absorb it - so watch quality stuff - plenty of sidesteps! Watch, notice the micro-muscle movements as you learn and take it in. A good place to start would be "101 Best Tries" with Cliff Morgan - it`s a BBCtv Sports Presentation. It`s old footage, real fun and you`ll see lots of sidesteps. Its probably fairly cheap. You may even get a second hand copy. DVD sRugby on dvd is a valuable source of rugby knowledge. Although the medium is more recent than video tapes there is a wide variety of rugby styles to be seen if you select a good rugby dvd containing sidesteps.You might want to start with BBC DVD "1973 BARBARIANS v ALL BLACKS" "the greatest rugby match ever played" (it says so on the cover!). Get the version with the special feature of commentry with Phil Bennett, David Duckham and Gareth Edwards. You`ll see sidesteps galore and get some insight from some of the great players playing that day. David Campese - a name most rugby fans would associate with exciting rugby and the rugby sidestep. "Campese - Rugby's My Life" is a DVD well worth watching. You'll see many examples of elusive running. I bought it from his shop in Sydney but you can also get it from his website. BooksSome people find it easy to take in information from books. Books are a very good source of rugby information. Compare what you read with what you find on the internet. You`ll find huge amounts of valuable and interesting information is available in rugby books.There may be some good ones at your local library, if not they may get them in if you ask. Have a look at "How to Play Rugby My Way" - by Jonny Wilkinson. Interesting, lots of good general rugby information, tips and advice on how to gain and improve many rugby skills.(ISBN 978 0 7553 1338 9) The book "Rugby" in the Steps to Success Activity Series also looks useful (ISBN 0 88011 509 2). Plenty of help on the basics of handling, passing, catching and kicking, plus much more. Books by players and former players are good for finding out what rugby players think, how they prepare and just how much effort they are prepared to put in to be the best. BlogsAnother source of rugby information. Maybe a very personal view.They keep you up-to-date with information, thoughts and feelings of a person or group of people - usually with a fairly narrow focus. So look around and get information from a number of blogs. You`ll have to find one! As an example, in Google I typed in and found this many possibles rugby blogs 1,430,000 rugby blogs australia 691,000 rugby blogs sydney 200,000 There are plenty of possibilities. Go beyond the first couple of pages. You may find a real gem way back down the list. You`ll have fun looking. A blog worth visiting is letchworthgirls.blogspot.com/ View the 2006/7 highlights video. You`ll see confident players with good skills having a really good time. Watch the number 10 use excellent evasion skills to beat the fullback in the segment starting at 5:21. I followed a suggested link on letchworthgirls to Wikio which gives some good information on sports blogs. From there I selected a link and visited Women's Rugby Review. After an interesting visit there I followed a link to another site. That site was Total Flanker. Another interesting and enjoyable blog. You may get a bit of insight into rugby player positions by looking at the "Total Flanker Positional Guides". Read the one on Scrum Half. As a former scrum half I can assure you this man knows what he`s talking about! We`re a blog entry as well! - read it, subscribe to his feed, this man is talented! How about that for a guide - find something you like, enjoy it (Bookmark it so you can find it again) then follow suggested links. It`s likely to be other interesting, enjoyable and informative sites. Want to know what's happening in Women's Rugby in the USA - a great place to start is with Wendy Young at Your Scrumhalf Connection ForumsForums provide a means of passing on rugby information, interests and opinions as well as building your own knowledge.They are good places to find differing opinions on how the game should be played, coached, viewed and supported. Forums often have different boards for different rugby groupings (England, Wales, Tri Nations) and it's interesting to compare the knowledge and passion displayed on the different boards. One forum I like is rugbyrebels.com Some forums insist you join before you can view anything. I prefer the ones that allow you to view and simply prevent you from posting if you are not a member. WebsitesWebsites are a valuable resource.Learn how to search for rugby information. It's well worth spending a bit of time finding out how to search well. You'll be rewarded by getting the information you really want. You'll be presented with information closely related to your search item rather than only slightly related. Master the basic skills and you can combine with team-mates. At http://www.rugbytactics.com/moves.php you can have some fun and learn about rugby moves. You`ll find plenty of great rugby video clips at rugbydump.com Have a look at RugbyFanz. I've spent some time there recently. You'll find plenty of interesting informed opinions, useful information, interesting video clips and plenty more. DirectoriesDIrectories can be a great help, especially those focused on rugby.They are a means of finding resources to boost your rugby know how. The internet is a very big place and directories can help find places you may otherwise not find. The better directories usually check out sites they list to make sure they have relevent, interesting content. Worth checking out - rugbylinks.info rugbylinks.net Rugby MemorabiliaMemorabilia sites can be a valuable source of rugby information. They contain all sorts of rugby bits and pieces which help you feel part of it. They help you understand how rugby has developed and become the much-loved game it is today.I`ve bought books, video tapes, DVDs old programs and old magazines. I love the 1973 Barbarians v All Blacks, especially all the sidesteps. A very special link I have to that game is an original program from the game, complete with photos and details of all the players - Ten Pence. But that was on the day. I got mine recently and to pay a bit more! Where did I get it? - rugbyrelics.com, a site I enjoy visiting. I`ve bought a number of rugby items from here and always been completely happy. Return from Rugby information to Home
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