Fuller's Gym and Rugby Log
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Clean and jerks are good for building explosiveness. Here's another one: medicine ball training. You can do slams, where you pick the ball up off the ground, clean and jerk it above your head, and then slam it into the ground with all your speed and power. Repeat 12 times. Think of it as a good loose forward running up to the ball at the breakdown. You want to follow the ball after every slam and repeat the motion as fast as you can.<br />
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This is really good for core strength and explosivenes you your core, legs, lower back and shoulders. Another good movement is throws. Simply pick the ball up, clean it above your head, and throw it as far as you can. Run up to the ball and repeat the same movement 12 times. Very tiring.<br />
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There are tons of explosive movements you can do with a medicine ball. The key is getting one that is the right weight for you. I got the heaviest one I could find--25 pounds. They make them in all different weights. Core strength and explosiveness all over is the key benefit. That's why boxers and martial artists swear by medicine ball training. -
[quote name='davidav']<br />
Clean and jerks are good for building explosiveness. Here's another one: medicine ball training. You can do slams, where you pick the ball up off the ground, clean and jerk it above your head, and then slam it into the ground with all your speed and power. Repeat 12 times. Think of it as a good loose forward running up to the ball at the breakdown. You want to follow the ball after every slam and repeat the motion as fast as you can.<br />
<br />
This is really good for core strength and explosivenes you your core, legs, lower back and shoulders. Another good movement is throws. Simply pick the ball up, clean it above your head, and throw it as far as you can. Run up to the ball and repeat the same movement 12 times. Very tiring.<br />
<br />
There are tons of explosive movements you can do with a medicine ball. The key is getting one that is the right weight for you. I got the heaviest one I could find--25 pounds. They make them in all different weights. Core strength and explosiveness all over is the key benefit. That's why boxers and martial artists swear by medicine ball training.<br />
[/quote]<br />
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That is good advice mate, may well do that. Not in my gym though, its a middle class mum mecca and they don't like their yoga sessions downstairs being disrupted by dropped weights etc.....<br />
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Can only imagine the horror on their faces if i started slamming a 25 pound med ball into the deck.<br />
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Cheers though. -
First training session with contact last night.<br />
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Also first session that set out our approach to new ELVs etc..... we have spent the off season developing our fitness to the degree where we are all to a man, much, much fitter than in previous years. The coaches want us to play a game where "a ruck is regarded as a defeat" with us looking to pop out of contact and run the bigger teams around.<br />
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Last night's session was an eye opener in that we got through 1.5 hours of quality work, with guys not losing skill level due to lack of fitness etc....<br />
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Going well. -
[quote name='Fullermorg']<br />
First training session with contact last night.<br />
<br />
Also first session that set out our approach to new ELVs etc..... we have spent the off season developing our fitness to the degree where we are all to a man, much, much fitter than in previous years. [b]The coaches want us to play a game where "a ruck is regarded as a defeat" with us looking to pop out of contact and run the bigger teams around.[/b]<br />
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Last night's session was an eye opener in that we got through 1.5 hours of quality work, with guys not losing skill level due to lack of fitness etc....<br />
<br />
Going well.<br />
[/quote]<br />
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Have they not watched any Super 14? That's exactly what the Hurricanes tried to do and got soundly beaten, doing a good impersonation of headless chickens while they did it.<br />
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You have to commit numbers to the breakdown and set targets, and do all the normal rugby stuff you do, but you also have to kick the leather off of the ball, preferably to just outside the 22. You just have to modify your ruck play to cheat like buggery on the ground, don't roll away and hold on if you're in trouble. -
[quote name='Kirwan']<br />
[quote name='Fullermorg']<br />
First training session with contact last night.<br />
<br />
Also first session that set out our approach to new ELVs etc..... we have spent the off season developing our fitness to the degree where we are all to a man, much, much fitter than in previous years. [b]The coaches want us to play a game where "a ruck is regarded as a defeat" with us looking to pop out of contact and run the bigger teams around.[/b]<br />
<br />
Last night's session was an eye opener in that we got through 1.5 hours of quality work, with guys not losing skill level due to lack of fitness etc....<br />
<br />
Going well.<br />
[/quote]<br />
<br />
Have they not watched any Super 14? That's exactly what the Hurricanes tried to do and got soundly beaten, doing a good impersonation of headless chickens while they did it.<br />
<br />
You have to commit numbers to the breakdown and set targets, and do all the normal rugby stuff you do, but you also have to kick the leather off of the ball, preferably to just outside the 22. You just have to modify your ruck play to cheat like buggery on the ground, don't roll away and hold on if you're in trouble.<br />
[/quote]<br />
Thats exactly what I thought whn I read this, follow this line and Finchley RFC will struggle Fuller, rebel now or demotion will loom. -
I know what you guys are saying but i am just about to break into the first team and am going to do exactly what is told of me!<br />
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No rocking of boats from me!<br />
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In fairness their strategy is a bit more advanced than chuck "it about" they are really bearing down on how we take contact and the diamond pods who follow a man into contact, looking for "circular passes" that will be popped to a second trail runner etc....<br />
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What we haven't had yet is a detailed break down of how the laws are changing etc.... going to be some interesting backs sessions coming up both attacking wise where we have space for that extra pass, and defensively.<br />
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Will keep you mo fo's up to speed with how it pans out.<br />
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Oh, came in first on the 2 laps in 2 mins last night. Beginning of season i was middling to tail end so am well chuffed. -
[quote name='Bones']<br />
We're also training for fitness and quick breakdown play. The ground is your enemy!<br />
[/quote]<br />
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There are going to be some big teams who used to grind teams down struggling for the first month or so. I suspect that the December mud bath will equal things out. -
[quote name='Fullermorg']<br />
[quote name='Bones']<br />
We're also training for fitness and quick breakdown play. The ground is your enemy!<br />
[/quote]<br />
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There are going to be some big teams who used to grind teams down struggling for the first month or so. I suspect that the December mud bath will equal things out.<br />
[/quote]I don't think it's going to be too much of a change - especially if it's refereed how it has been so far this year. Big, strong teams are arble to slow down opposition ball a lot easier and take advantage that way. But once you get the ball moving away from traffic... -
In bits after training last night.<br />
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25 mins of fitness - 2 lap 2 mins, 10 shuttles, 5 sets of 5x down-ups, one lap in under 60 seconds etc....<br />
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Then 1 hour 15 mins of contact work. <br />
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Close in pad work and rucking out.<br />
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Close in tackle work and cleaing out.<br />
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Handling drills.<br />
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Backs Moves.<br />
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Final 15 mins of full contact work - 8 vs 8 in limted grid.<br />
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Wrecked today.<br />
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Gym this eve though. -
Fucked the back of my knee in a shitty game of touch rugby on Sunday.<br />
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We have a game this Saturday as a warm up.<br />
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So to summarise - i have trained since early June, had big increases to fitness and forced way into first team squad and.....<br />
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I am now out of contention for a few weeks.<br />
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fluffybunnies! -
Played first game of the pre-season on Saturday<br />
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The result first. We won 64 to nil against Fullerians RFC at their patch. Fullerians were in London 4 last year (the league that we won) and are not up to much but it was a good ease into a game.<br />
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We played 5 - 20 minute sessions with unlimietd changes but they had a squad of near to 35 players, while we had around 23. <br />
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By the end of the match we were racking scores up because of the fitness work we had done since June. The tap and go option allowed us to really up teh ante when they were flagging and make out fitness count.<br />
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From a backs perspective what were the changes:<br />
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5m at scrum time - helped in attack and has made us change a lot of our moves. Last year we were lookin to punch holes around the 10 and 12 channels (using 13 as a ball carrier) before going wider on other phases. This time there wasn't really as much need to switch in those channels etc.. as there was more time to get the ball away.<br />
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Defensively - i didn't see too much different, primarily though because of the standard of the opposition.<br />
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We play Ruislip this weekend coming in our second pre-season friendly (They are London 2 i believe) - will be a much sterner test of our ability to adjust to the new rules and the fitness levels. -
[quote name='BartMan']<br />
So you managed to play, or by saying 'we' your team played...??<br />
[/quote]<br />
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Yeah i played 50 mins. Went to physio and he did the magic sponge and rub a dub dub on the tendon and ham string at the back of the knee and it eased off.<br />
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Game this week is against London 2 team Ruislip (they came 4th last year) - will find out after training this eve whether i am involved with the first team squad for this game.<br />
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Will be an interesting test for us to see where we are and how we are likely to fare in our new league (London 3). -
Game cancelled.<br />
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Coaches didn't tell anyone and made us go through a 3 hour training session on a saturday afternoon.<br />
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fluffybunnies.<br />
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Saracens Amateurs this tuesday. -
We played Old Albanians 2nd team this weekend.<br />
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Old Albanians are a seriously nifty outfit - they are London 1 and pushing for promotion to National 3. Their second team is full of fringe players pushing for places and a smattering of colts.<br />
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Our first team is newly promoted to London 3 and this match had been massively built up by our coaches as a proper test of our fitness and skill work this summer.<br />
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Result -Â Old Albanians 17 - Finchley 15<br />
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Scores were 15 to 10 in our favour as the clock hit 80 mins, they were behind their line. They kicked on to the top of our openside wing, he fumbled it and they went length of pitch - i managed to catch their scorer as he went over the line but couldn't get the ball loose.<br />
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Never, ever been so gutted coming off a pitch in my life.<br />
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Good run out though, and was happy to make my first team debut as 13. Played full 80 mins and didn't feel out of place at all.<br />
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Lot of players back for the first league game of the season this saturday and remains to be seen if i can stay in first team match day squad - that is 18 players (we have a first team training squad of 30 players). Otherwise it is played for 2nd team and trying to make a case for elevation there. -
[quote name='Bones']<br />
Good luck Fuller, we've got Dover mate, just come up from London 3 - any idea what they're like?<br />
[/quote]<br />
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Never played Dover buddy, wrong neck of the woods for us, hell of a trip though (that is old school coach work i reckon).<br />
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On a personal note am well chuffed, as managed to secure myself a starting spot at 13 for the first team/first league game of the season. One of the superstars of our club (a former London 1, Ealing player) was injured and i got shifted in to take his position. So not the first choice 13 at the club, but i have finally started a first team league game for the club, would have been unthinkable in any of the previous seasons i have been at the club and testament to a lot of sweat and training over the past 3 montsh in particular.<br />
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On the negative side.... we lost! 18 - 13<br />
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We played Uiversity College School Old Boy (UCS) away, a team that had been in London 3 for a few years ahead of us and finished mid-table ish last year.<br />
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And i played against the biggest/quickest centre i have played against in my playing days thus far. He was a beast.<br />
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By the end of the match we were definitely on top and fitness meant we were pushing for the winning try at the end, just stopped short on two occasions.<br />
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Enjoyed the step up though and have a taste for it now.
