getting started

Question
What is the best way to get into rugby?
Thanks
Edward  

Answer
Edward,

Thank you for your email. I am assuming here that you have not played much adult rugby. Getting into rugby is somewhat unstructured:

1) Find a club
2) Start playing rugby!

1) Finding a club: if you live in one of the strongholds of rugby you should have a choice of clubs near to where you live. Because rugby can easily take over your life there is a great deal of sense in getting involved with one near to where you live or work! That said, every club has its own flavour and style, and it is not unusual for potential players to move around until they find a club that they are comfortable with. Many clubs are based on geography - e.g. Newtown Rugby Club, but others are based on schools (Newton Old Boys Rugby) or large employers (Newtown Police Rugby Club). There are clubs covering particular religions, nationalities, the armed forces, colleges, ethnic groups, there are even rugby clubs for gay men. In almost all cases these clubs have open membership so anyone can join even if you don't belong to the "target" group - colleges and armed services perhaps being exceptions. So don't be afraid to scout out the territory and find the club best suited to you. If one club doesn't give you the right vibe then move on to another. In the US you are likely to have fewer choices but most larger population centres have more than one club, frequently connected with a large college or university. If you live in Britain and need help with finding a club let me have your postcode and I can give you some telephone numbers. Due to declining birthrates 20 - 40 years ago most rugby clubs are very keen to increase their membership.

2) Starting to play: Having found your club, ring the secretary and get the telephone number of the captain of the lowest team in the club. Talk it through with this captain, go along to training nights and get used to handling the ball. Buy your own and get used to playing with it from hand to hand, so you get a feel for its weight and potential movement. Watch rugby videos, and turn up for a few matches. If you don't want to look a complete fool before your first training session then if you go jogging 3 times a week for fortnight beforehand then your fitness won't such a big issue. The chances are that within a few weeks that team will be short on players and you will be asked to play some or all of the game.

The very best way to learn rugby is not from training but from playing the game. There are some courses which introduce you to rugby in a more structured way but I've never met anyone who has been on one of them! I've met loads of players who were press-ganged into playing by a total stranger in a pub one Friday night! Most regular or experienced players who are not in the main team of a club do not attend training but they should really. If you go along, there may be some bits that you should diplomatically stay out of (your presence may hinder some intricate movement) but you will learn from watching, and help with holding equipment etc. You should be able to participate in the rest of training and after a few weeks start to hold your own. Rugby is for everyone - there is no such thing as a perfect size, height or weight of a rugby player.

The only thing to be careful about is buying boots. Don't buy the first pair you come across, spend a bit of time on it since the right set of boots will make life a lot easier for you for several years.

Let me know if you have any more concerns or questions. Good luck!

Yours in rugby
Chris.