Hello and welcome to a short series of emails aimed at helping older age grade players to enjoy their rugby and continue their rugby journey. You may also be receiving this email as a parent of a teenage player and we hope the tips below will be helpful.

1. Use Activate
All players are encouraged to follow Activate – the primary RFU Injury Prevention Exercise Programme.

Exercises focus on three areas:

General movement control
Pre-activation
Functional Conditioning.

Research has shown that developing a player’s ability in these areas improves general fundamental movement skills and has the potential to reduce the risk of injury including concussion.

Under 15-16 Programme
U17-18 Programme

2. Headcase
Launched in 2013, the RFU’s ‘Don’t be a headcase’ concussion awareness & education programme covers all levels of the game from grassroots to elite, and was developed in consultation with leading experts in the field. At the core of the campaign are two simple messages:

Four Rs (Recognise, Remove, Recover, Return)
If in doubt, sit them out

Player welfare will always come first. No risk should ever be taken. We would encourage all players to do the Headcase so they can look after their friends and recognise what to look out for. Any suspicion of concussion and a player is removed. Remember: “If in doubt sit them out”.

Recognised as one of the UK’s leading concussion awareness and education resources, the RFU’s HEADCASE programme aims to increase understanding and provide information on concussion and other related topics, including how to prevent and manage suspected concussions.

Click here for training.

3. Nutrition for Rugby
The most important aspect of nutrition is to get the basics right which means giving your body the essential nutrients, it needs to stay strong and ensure good health.

So, if you are a player or parent wondering what your child should be eating or what food to avoid then have a look through our Age Grade Nutrition Guide.

4. Developing your contact skills
Having good technique for the contact elements of the game is a great way to reduce the risk of getting injured.

Please see the YouTube playlist for some simple activities to improve your tackle technique.

5. Manage playing time
Think of the Rugby Playing Week in terms of training sessions allowing for rest days before and after intense activity (particularly contact sessions) or matches.

Research from Leeds Beckett University using academy rugby union players, suggests that following contact or non-contact training, players are not fully recovered at 72 hours. Ensuring sufficient rest allows you to recover and reduces the risk of injury.

As a guideline, the recommended maximum duration of a training session in a day is: U12 - U18=120 min

We would recommend on average, three training sessions to one match. This creates a training culture with the primary focus on player development.

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