At the start of 2017 I committed to spending this year trying new things. I think it’s important to continue to challenge yourself physically and mentally, and to have new goals to work towards. Yesterday I tried women’s rugby. I visited the Ellingham and Ringwood Rugby Club and took part in their Warrior Camp. Warrior Camps are free sessions England Rugby is hosting across England which allow women to try rugby without the commitment of joining a team and with other women who, like them, have never played before.
I’ve been champing at the bit to write about last night, but I wanted to hold off and I’ve now had a full 24 hours to reflect on the experience. I’m going to talk you through the whole experience and I’ll be including a video of different bits of the evening. However, I’ll preface this by saying that a day and a bit on I ache like mad. I lift in the gym very regularly, but rugby was a workout on a whole different level. I left dirty, achy and tired but also on a complete natural high!
I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare before the start of the training session, and I’ll happily admit I was nervous. I think it was pretty obvious, because one of the first messages I was asked was if I was nervous lol. I met the ladies’ team coach, who was lovely, then got myself signed in. I was given a bright pink vest which I chose not to wear, only because I am rather well endowed in the chest department and the vest had a somewhat restrictive and flattening effect (I may have blushed just a little trying it on). I wandered over and met the other ladies – some who, like me, were experiencing rugby for the first time, others who had played before and wanted to get back into it, and some members of the Ellingham and Ringwood RFC ladies team. We did introductions while passing the ball around the circle. It turns out that after years of no team sports I was pretty rusty at catching, and I had no idea how to pass a rugby ball!
We moved out onto the pitch, where a smaller area was marked off with coloured cones. We started out with rugby ball ‘netball’ – passing the ball in any direction but we couldn’t run with it. Once we got the hang of catching and passing, we began running with the ball, too. Once we were touched we had to pass the ball to a teammate. This was upgraded to two touches, and somewhere around here we learned about keeping a line of defence and the offside rule – you could only pass to someone behind you, not in front.
We had a break and it was time to learn about dropping safely to the ground. Meet the rugby Gruffalo! We played a game where we were Gruffalos, The Gruffalo’s Child and Sleeping Gruffalos. So, bumping into each other with our shoulders, dropping to the ground, rolling and getting straight up again and lying flat face down and then jumping up again. We also did some partner work learning to pin someone to the ground. I felt a bit mean – I was partnered with someone half my size, but as it turned out I was laughing so hard that she pinned me on the second go with almost no trouble at all. Our last game was basically touch rugby – hold a line of defence, pass backwards only, run with the ball but if you’re touched stop and pass. I thought by this point I would be dying, and I think a couple of the coached thought I was because of my tomato face, which I get even on a warm day with no exercise at all. I was still going strong though, enjoying every moment and I even scored two tries!
We then headed over to a course that had been set up. We split into teams and it was time to learn how to tackle. We had to run at a padded cylinder that looked a lot like a punching bag, drop our shoulder into it and take it down, then pick it up and run with it before running back to our team. It was at this point I got a bit over enthusiastic – I found the idea of running full pelt at something and taking it out just a little too appealing! I threw myself into it on the first go, didn’t drop the shoulder but literally flew through the air and landed hard right on top of the bag/cylinder (can anyone give me the correct term for this please?). One of the coaches asked if I was okay, but I was so pumped at that point that I was utterly perplexed as to why he was asking me this! I shouted “I’m great! Let’s go!” and I charged off carrying the bag, dropped it, and sprinted back to my team.
After I got back to my team I realised I had perhaps rattled my bones a bit, but I was super keen to do it again! This time when someone yelled repeatedly at me to drop my shoulder I tried my best to do it, and the result was much more comfortable.
And that was it. We were done. It felt like we’d only been going for about half an hour, but a full hour had passed and it was time for the team to continue a proper training session. I had been so nervous but I was sad it was ending, especially as I was on such a natural high! I’ve resolved to find myself a team in the near future.
England Rugby’s Warrior Camp was a fantastic experience, and one I’m so glad I found the courage to embrace. Warrior Camps are being run all over the country this year, so if you’d like to have a go at women’s rugby in a safe and fun environment without the pressure of everyone else knowing what they’re doing, then get yourself along to one near you. They’re free, they’re so much fun and you’ll learn what the game is all about. Click here to go to the England Rugby website and search for Warrior Camps near you.
So, my Warrior Face. You wanna see it, right? Are you ready?
I was #BraveEnoughToTry and I hope you are too!
Have you been to a Warrior Camp? Join me on Instagram and tag me in your #InnerWarrior photos!
via I’ve freed my Inner Warrior! | Kate Buckland – Personal Trainer | Pilates | Chandlers ford
I’ve freed my Inner Warrior! | Kate Buckland – Personal Trainer | Pilates | Chandlers ford At the start of 2017 I committed to spending this year trying new things. I think it's important to continue to challenge yourself physically and mentally, and to have new goals to work towards.
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