You don’t want your players starting practice or preparing for a game without having warmed up correctly.

Science

A warm up in rugby is very important as it increases your body and muscle temperature. It also helps to activate muscle groups and stimulate the nervous system to increase joint mobility. This prepares players for the tough physical activity of rugby while lowering the risk of injury.

What should players do?

The following video is a good example that looks at some of the options for warming up players for a game of rugby.

Summary

• Light jogging to loosen things up
• Increase intensity – do some stretches
• Work some basic skills increasing intensity

A cool down routine is also very important to help muscle and joints to relax. It helps player’s avoid muscle cramp and is a good team exercise to work on togetherness after a game regardless of the result.