Section outline
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Being physically fit and conditioned is one thing, but being ready to deal with the demands and stresses of contact and collisions in rugby is another demand that we must be prepared for.
The above video is a link to a library of bodyweight exercises that are designed to prepare your shoulders and joints for the stresses of impacts and contact in our sport.
This has been put together by experts in the USA who work in Rugby, American Football and MMA/Combat Sport.
There is no clear outline as to how often to do these exercises or for how many reps etc. My advice is as follows:
Contact Conditioning should be completed at the start of every session in small doses - 1-3 exercises completed 5-10 times in a circuit. Microdosing little and often is better than 1 big session once a week.
Contact Conditioning should include the athlete exploring the range of exercises from the library and progressing through the more difficult variations as you become more comfortable. Do not just spend 6 weeks doing the same 2-3 options - explore and develop your movement skills.
An athlete is welcome to include a specialised contact conditioning session into their weekly programme as it's own session. This will be intense on the shoulders and core. This session may include the athlete working through a wide variety of the exercises in a circuit fashion.