How is this for a referee?

[WombleRef]

Hi Everyone,

I have recently given up playing for my Club in order to focus on refereeing with the Society. As a 17 year old, 20 stone prop - Fitness isn't exactly my Forte.

I actually do Fitness work however - is the following enough for level 11/12 games which are what I am being given to do?

Monday, Some Wednesdays and Fridays - Walk for 4.5 miles to and from school (the route: http://goo.gl/maps/rmsm4) and then Jog about 5 miles.
Tuesdays and Thursdays - Walk to school
Saturday - Work or Referee
Sunday - Referee U16s/Colts

My running route is: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/408724645 - which I currently do a jog for 8 minutes and then a walk for 2 minutes which averages out at about 5.15 miles an hour.

I can't go to a Gym as I can't afford it.

Is this about right for now? What else can I do?

Thanks in advance

 

[Taff]

Welcome to the forum.

Another Womble? I can't help you on the fitness, but I'm curious how you got your username. :biggrin:

 

[WombleRef]

Welcome to the forum.

Another Womble? I can't help you on the fitness, but I'm curious how you got your username. :biggrin:

Thank you

It is because I support the football team... which seems alot more testing than refereeing at the moment!

 

[crossref]

hi wombleref --
I think your running needs to inclde some interval training - sprint, jog, sprint, stop, jog sprint etc.. As that's what refereeing is like.

and for a steady run this http://www.parkrun.org.uk/
is a great thing to do, if there is one near you -- which indeed I see there is, in Chantry Park.

 

[DrSTU]

Dude, if you're 20 stone and want to get the weight off then take it nice and slowly. You didn't get fat overnight and you won't get fit overnight.

How long have you been doing your current plan and how much have you lost? What's your diet like?

No need to go insane on fancy shit in the beginning.

 

[colesy]

Welcome to the forum wombleref. Unless an injury has forced you out, can I suggest you consider reffing on Saturdays and continuing to play Colts rugby on Sundays (I assume that's correct given your age). Extending your playing experience for a season or two will help improve your reffing no end.

 

[WombleRef]

Dude, if you're 20 stone and want to get the weight off then take it nice and slowly. You didn't get fat overnight and you won't get fit overnight.

How long have you been doing your current plan and how much have you lost? What's your diet like?

No need to go insane on fancy shit in the beginning.

I've been on my plan since the start of August. I haven't been able to weigh myself since the start of September for various reasons (may have broken the scales..)

I had lost about 3kg in that period of time.

My diet is going ok - although I suffer from occasionally getting 'down' and falling off the diet occasionally.

It is basically light breakfast of Cereal and Coffee/Tea, and Lunch - a bagel and some orange juice, and for Dinner - whatever my mother cooks . Every few days I will have a smoothie - although not every day as it is effort to clean the smoothie maker. On the weekends it depends on what I am doing. On a Saturday if I am working I sometimes end up skipping lunch (it is the nature of my job), if I am refereeing then I have 3 light meals along the lines of my weekdays although I have a heavier meal after the refereeing.

I will see if I can get weighed in the coming days and get back to you.

Welcome to the forum wombleref. Unless an injury has forced you out, can I suggest you consider reffing on Saturdays and continuing to play Colts rugby on Sundays (I assume that's correct given your age). Extending your playing experience for a season or two will help improve your reffing no end.

I appreciate where that is coming from Colesy. The reason is political as honestly the coach my side had was poor. I would get dropped for no reason (despite having a good game), and then subbed for no reason as well. I couldn't justify going to training on a Wednesday and a Sunday if I wasn't going to enjoy it (which I had stopped doing) as I went by train from Ipswich to Stowmarket which not only cost me alot of money each week but meant I couldn't study as much as I need to this year.

 

[Ciaran Trainor]

Whilst I admire your decision, Good, even Average props are like golddust and as soon as you are 18 you can have a decent run out in lower teams who will appreciate you if not at your existing club then another. By all means persue reffing but don't give up on playing yet mate, your too young.

 

[WombleRef]

Whilst I admire your decision, Good, even Average props are like golddust and as soon as you are 18 you can have a decent run out in lower teams who will appreciate you if not at your existing club then another. By all means persue reffing but don't give up on playing yet mate, your too young.

I certainly haven't given up. I still play for my school team which is of a reasonable standard for the area I live, and once I turn 18 I will probably play for a senior team when I'm not refereeing.

 

[Dixie]

Wombleref, I agree with many colleagues - we're delighted to welcome you to reffing, but don't give up on playing just yet. That said, the decision is entirely yours, and you ask about L.11/12 games.

From what you say, I'd expect these games to challenge your current level of fitness - and in that regard you'll be the same as the players. You'll all be blowing after 15 minutes. The difference is that as a ref, there's nowhere to hide. The one fit guy on either team has been put on the wing, and if they ever get the ball you need to be near them when the breakdown happens - whereas if you were propping, you could loiter on the other side of the pitch waiting for the ball to come that way. So you'll find this tough - which is as it should be. If you ever get to the point where reffing is a physical doddle, you're probably not working hard enough.

The act of reffing will improve your fitness - but you need to be clear that you're not reffing to get fit, but rather you are working to get fit in order to be the best ref you can be. To that end, I agree that you need to add short sprints into your jog (google Fartlek training), and ideally get to the point where you can jog 5k without stopping. An unfit ref can get through a L.11/12 game, but won't progress from there until the fitness becomes less of an issue. The more tired you are, the less you are able to concentrate and the more mistakes you will make. So do focus hard on that element, but as Dr Stu says - take it slowly. Blast into an intensive fitness program and you'll likely injure yourself and be out of action for some time - time which, had you taken a more moderate approach, would have seen you making unspectacular but steady gains.

Good luck with your plans. Whether you choose to ref or play, shedding some weight and getting your heart rate up will do you a world of good. With that increase in fitness will come an improvement in so many aspects of life - not just your game, but also your career and fun time. Whatever motivates you to make that change is a good thing. Let us know how it goes.

 

[didds]

just work on it. Get that 8+2 to a 8.25+1.75... to 8.5 to 1.5... to ... you get the idea. omce you can run non stop (bugger the speed) for 30 minutes you've cracked it.

didds (ex prop. went from 2 mins on 1 off, to half-ironman and then my hip died!)

 

[didds]

Dude, if you're 20 stone and want to get the weight off then take it nice and slowly. You didn't get fat overnight and you won't get fit overnight.

How long have you been doing your current plan and how much have you lost? What's your diet like?

No need to go insane on fancy shit in the beginning.

what he said.

didds

 

[Phil E]

Womble, I agree with everything said. Keep playing, you have the rest of your life to ref.
When I run I go for 30 minutes plus, and every time I get to a hill I sprint up it.
Kills me, but I feel good after it.
Mind you I am 52!!!!

Edit: to add to what Didds said (below), I run up the stairs at work two at a time......and there are a lot of stairs where I work!

 

[didds]

well, i'll add to what i wrote above and i will contradict a few others. you can take your pick then

i'd say avoid ant interval type work AT ALL (eg sprints) UNTIL you can run non stop for 30 minutes. or 5k. one or t'other - a good amount of time anyway. i fear if you start going off and doing intervals while you are still lacking real basic aerobic capability then uou may well injure yourself.

if you have access to a static bike, or a bike with turbo trainer, then MAYBE some higher effort work on that - as it is non load bearing - could be beneficial for the weight loss but don't sweat it. keep on your feet as much as possible, walk and cyclle to school, walk up stairs dont take lifts etc... if nothing else spend 15 minutes a day walking up and down stairs.

but get basic fitness before you start pushing it more. yes yoyu need sprints eventually tio ref for sure. but you are not there yet.

pwhy dont you wish to play incidentally? the game needs props bud. there are plenty of 45 year olds that can ref. there are notr enough 20 year old props.

didds

 

[Womble]

Womble, I agree with everything said. Keep playing, you have the rest of your life to ref.
When I run I go for 30 minutes plus, and every time I get to a hill I sprint up it.
Kills me, but I feel good after it.
Mind you I am 52!!!!

Edit: to add to what Didds said (below), I run up the stairs at work two at a time......and there are a lot of stairs where I work!

I am 2 years younger than you and you say keep on playing! Allways thought you northerners had lost the plot!

 

[WombleRef]

well, i'll add to what i wrote above and i will contradict a few others. you can take your pick then

i'd say avoid ant interval type work AT ALL (eg sprints) UNTIL you can run non stop for 30 minutes. or 5k. one or t'other - a good amount of time anyway. i fear if you start going off and doing intervals while you are still lacking real basic aerobic capability then uou may well injure yourself.

if you have access to a static bike, or a bike with turbo trainer, then MAYBE some higher effort work on that - as it is non load bearing - could be beneficial for the weight loss but don't sweat it. keep on your feet as much as possible, walk and cyclle to school, walk up stairs dont take lifts etc... if nothing else spend 15 minutes a day walking up and down stairs.

but get basic fitness before you start pushing it more. yes yoyu need sprints eventually tio ref for sure. but you are not there yet.

pwhy dont you wish to play incidentally? the game needs props bud. there are plenty of 45 year olds that can ref. there are notr enough 20 year old props.

didds

I just want to say thank you all for the advice!

I played rugby because I enjoy it. Our old coach who I had for 4-5 years went off to take a new age group up and our new coach (who happens to be the 1XV captain) treats us like we are in the 1st Team, but then he doesn't socialise or make us feel a part of the team afterwards.
I lost the enjoyment factor mid-way through last season, and kept fighting for it all. I decided I would wait until after a certain game and if I still wasn't enjoying it I would pack it in. I really worked on my fitness this summer - and I felt fitter than I have well ever (I still do). But I just didn't enjoy it.

In contrast - with refereeing I just enjoy it. I've enjoyed it since I did the Refereeing Tag Rugby course about 4 years ago. I enjoyed it more when I moved onto the Young Officials programme - about 3 years ago, and then I really caught the bug when I did the ELRA.

In terms of the 1 game I had so far - I only really found it difficult to keep up once I got to about the 65th minute, as my legs just 'went'. Of course - I've only played 50-60 minutes at youth level so I was a little out of my normal comfort zone.

I think my movement is fine - take a look at this and see what you think: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/southwoldrfc/videos/away-to-stowmarket--20th-october-2013-45974.html

(and yes I know I missed the accidental offside)

 

[Phil E]

I am 2 years younger than you and you say keep on playing! Allways thought you northerners had lost the plot!

Go on Womble, stick your gum shield in..........you know you want to :wink:

 

[didds]

I played rugby because I enjoy it. Our old coach who I had for 4-5 years went off to take a new age group up and our new coach (who happens to be the 1XV captain) treats us like we are in the 1st Team, but then he doesn't socialise or make us feel a part of the team afterwards.

Well bugger him! Its YOUR team - not his! You and your TEAM mates make YOUR team work. He is just a facilitator (and so am I to teh squad I coach!). If he doesn't want to socialise with you - that's fine. Socialise with your selves. That's his problem - not yours.

didds

 

[FlipFlop]

I'd say - it's all about enjoyment.

If you enjoy playing - play. Doesn't matter where. Change club if necessary. This playing will help any reffing you do later.

You talk about fitness - this will help your playing, or your reffing. Either way look at couch to 5k http://www.c25k.com/ which is a great way to start running, and then look at speeding it up. This is good for your life, let alone reffing!

If you really want to ref - bear in mind that given your state - you aren't going far. But you can change that.

Firstly - you need to be fit enough to do a level above where you ref. Why not look at clubs in your area. Perhaps they do fitness sessions in the off season - join them for those sessions (they love ref assistance). As you progress, change club you train with to 1 or 2 levels higher than you ref at.

Set SMART goals (Specific, Measureable, Achieveable, Realistic, Time based) with your fitness and reffing/playing, and set out how you will reach them. You will be surprised how much help there is out there to help you - either society, or club - to reach fitness goals, and reffing/playing.

Above all though - ENJOY!

 

[menace]

I think my movement is fine - take a look at this and see what you think: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/southwoldrfc/videos/away-to-stowmarket--20th-october-2013-45974.html

(and yes I know I missed the accidental offside)

Good on you for keep involved with rugby until you decide your playing aspirations.

All good advice so far from others about how to improve your fitness.

To be honest, in that video your movement can be, and needs to be, better. You've already a heard it once in this thread, and you'll hear it a lot more. Your aim is to be the third man at the tackle. This allows you to spot the 1st infringement. In the clip you showed, as the break was made and the camera panned away from you, it doesn't appear that you were looking to change up a gear. As a result you were too late to the breakdown. I would like to see you work up to improving your fitness and mobility to finding a 'sprint' gear.

You were quite lucky that the particular breakdown was 'open', disrupted and slow. But your lateness looks to show that you missed the white #7 entering the tackle zone from the wrong side and taking out the pink support player about to grab the ball. You arrived at about the same time, so you may have seen it but I don't see you use advantage signal? Although pink retained possesion, this IMO had a material affect on what pink could have done, and had you been at the breakdown sooner you would probably have spotted this.

(The accidental offside didn't seem to impede the tacklers that much, the defenders seemed to have slid off him and onto the ball carrier pretty quick and didn't prevent them from stopping the ball carrier. If anything it impeded the ball carrier more. I don't think it was that material to be too worried about it. Could have gone either way.)