Why I was so awful when I played Rugby

I wanted to tell you my own story about playing Rugby.

When I was young I wanted to play for Wales. If not Wales then at least score a bucket full of tries and be the best player at my club. I had a lot of training enthusiasm and fair bit of talent. However, my attempt at playing at a high level was beyond awful.

At university I lost focus with rugby after suffering a shoulder injury first day in the university trials and never really played during my time there. This would have been fine if I had spent three years getting into amazing shape but it was boozing with a bit of social rugby here or there. I had a training plan that I followed but I never changed it. I was told this was a good plan for rugby so I did it.

A couple of years after university I joined London Welsh. I was doing ok, one of the fastest in the squad and was settling in well for a first year player. I then moved to Australia in the middle of my first season with them and instead focused on athletics.

On returning to the UK I played for Esher, as usual I was one of the quickest players in the squad and settled into the 2nd team well. I then gave up half way through the season due to work. As a personal trainer it was risky to play as an injury could mean I would not earn any money. I flirted with other clubs for a few months here or there in the following years but it was the same old story of inconsistency.

Though I do not think I was ever going to play for Wales I realise now it was never about that. I wanted to play to the best of my ability and see how high that took me. If it was division 4 then so be it, if it was playing for Wales then all the better.

Most players share the same goals that I had, to play at the best of their ability and see where that takes them. However, most players make the same mistakes as me. They follow the same ineffective plan (if they have a plan at all), they try to do it all alone, they do not throw themselves into it fully because they get distracted (friends, other players, work) and thus they get the same results as I got.

My lack of success is one of the motivators behind my book, website and programmes. I hope you can learn from my mistakes and achieve your full potential. I can help you in a number of ways, check them out here>>>.