Digging deep into your reserves

Japanese university rugby plays a little bit different to other rugby. Similar to what you’d see in a football (we’re talking soccer) match, a section for injury time is added at the end.

In ‘normal’ rugby matches, or at least from what I’ve seen, this never happens. The game ends when the final play of the game ends. Which does also mean it’s possible for games to go on much longer than the allotted eighty minutes, but usually it’s not more than three or four.

For the average rugby player then, and I guess I’m including Japanese university students in this, you have to be able to play the full eighty, and then some. You have to be able to push as hard as you ever have, and then turn around and do it again.

You can practice this. It’s a simple matter of adding a small practice right at the end of a big practice.

For example, when we trained for waterpolo doing laps of the pool, we would do a shorter version of the main set of exercises right after completing the main set.

That way we were able to build up our tank, and practice digging deep into our reserves shall the occasion call for it