Sadly, not everyone can be an All Black.

Rugby, the national game of New Zealand, is an explosive game that requires a strong mental and physical toughness to play at the highest level, i.e. representing your country. The national team of New Zealand, the All Blacks, is without doubt the most famous of all teams playing the game today. Because of it's proud history, the All Blacks are likened to the Brazilian Soccer team due to their innovative style of play to breach the most solid of defences, their own uncompromising defence and their mantra to play the game within the rules and sportsmanlike manner. Although they have only won the William Webb Ellis Cup, the World Championship, on only one occasion, they are nevertheless feared and respected by all rugby playing nations.
While we cannot all represent our respective countries, it is not impossible to become the best player we can be, as long as you can master the basic skills which include:

• Evasive running to elude opponents,
• Tackling the opposition,
• Catching the ball from a pass or kick,
• Kicking the ball to gain territory or to score points for your team,
• Passing the ball to supporting team-mates.

No matter where you play this great game, it is crucial that you can master the basic skills. To graduate to the next level, I urge all readers of this blog to obtain a fantastic book called, "How To Play Rugby - A Tough Game Made Easy". It contains detailed information on rugby positions and their roles, explanation of rucks, mauls, scrums and lineouts, as well as in-depth lessons on ball skills, fitness training and valuable techniques to outwit your opponents. To get immediate access to this valuable training aid at a very competitive price, click here.

Master the basic skills of rugby in eight weeks!

Rugby Union is a very demanding game, placing very rigorous demands on players physical and mental attributes. Most amateur players however perform very poorly in respect of rugby-specific fitness tests, due predominantly to poor training habits and lack of correct skills training by coaches. It's stop-start nature demands that players have high levels of speed and explosive power, as well as having the ability to recover quickly between sprints.
Strength is an obvious requirement to play the game, however it is not the only goal for a player. Exposive power is equally as important to develop speed and acceleration and to develop the fitness demands for tackling and jumping. Since the mid-1990's when the game went professional, it has become harder for smaller light-frame players to compete. To excel nowadays, players must master the basic skills AND improve speed, strength and power. Fitness, strength, power and mastery of the basic skills is what makes one player stand out from the rest of his team-mates. Unfortunately, the mindset of many amateur players is that they just turn up for practice and the coach will do all the rest. As a player, it is your responsibility to put in the time and effort needed to master the basic skills and be in best physical condition. As in life and other pursuits, absolute commitment is required if you want to be the best you can. Sometimes it just pays to know when and where to use your brain as opposed to relying solely on brawn - this could be what makes you stand out from the rest.
Rugby is such a simple game - score more tries than your opponents. To achieve this, your team must win possession of the ball by dominating lineouts, scrums, rucks and mauls, and every other facet of the game where the ball is contested. For YOU to dominate a game, you need to be competent in the skills of evasive running, kicking, passing, catching and tackling.

To take your game to the next level, I recommend that you consider reading a great book called, "How To Play Rugby - A Tough Game Made Easy". It is a comprehensive guide detailing information on rugby positions and their roles, explanation of rucks, mauls, scrums and lineouts, plus in-depth lessons on ball skills, fitness training and valuable techniques on how to outwit your opponents. This valuable training aid will explain:

• All about Rugby - history, differences between Rugby Union and Rugby League, the aim of the game and why fans consider that rugby is "the game played in heaven".
• Rugby Positions - what your role as a player is and the skills you need to be a star in your position. Explain the roles and responsibilities of the forward pack and backs so you will know what to do on the field.Understand why the tight-five are the cornerstone of the scrum and why an excellent back-row combination is vital. Learn how to create opportunities for your team-mates.
• The five most important laws - avoid being penalised for offending. Understand the offside law at scrums, lineouts, ruck and mauls as well as in general play. Avoid being yellow-carded or worse, red-carded for contravening the letter and spirit of the games laws.
• Master the basic skills - running with the ball, catching the ball, kicking the ball, passing the ball, tackling opponents, dominate rucks, mauls, scrums and lineouts to be sure your team wins the match, devise strategies to outwit your opponents, discover training techniques to get fit and stay fit, and improving your mental toughness.

To get immediate access to this fantastic resource at a very very competitive price, click here.