Rugby Ontario Activate Workshops
January 27th, 2020
(WHITBY, ON) - Rugby Ontario and Rugby Canada will be running a series of Activate Workshops all across the Province. Activate is a structured, progressive exercise programthat is designed to be used as part of training sessions and pre-match warm-up routines. The program was developed using scientific evidence and expert opinion, whilst feedback from active coaches helped to ensure that the program is suitable to use across community-level rugby settings.
There are four versions of Activate:
Under-15 (Age 13–15 years)
Under-16 (Age 15–16 years)
Under-18 (Age 16–18 years)
Adult (Age 18+ years)
Each version contains several progressive phases to be used throughout the playing season.
All versions of the programme share a similar structure and contain the same types of training activities:
- balancing and hopping exercises to improve general movement control
- bodyweight and partner resistance exercises to develop lower and upper body strength and control
- plyometric exercises to develop lower and upper body power
- landing and side-stepping to develop control and technique when performing these activities during play
Research has shown that the programme can reduce the risk of injuries to muscles and ligaments (by 26-40%) and the risk of concussions (by 29-60%) in youth and adult community-level rugby players. Using the programme more frequently has also been shown to further lessen injury risk.
What are the benefits of using Activate?
Using Activate with players will help to develop and improve their:
- General movement control and skill – Many of the exercises in Activate can help to develop the stability and mobility that underpin the safe and effective performance of various movements when playing rugby
- Conditioning and athletic performance – The progressive nature of Activate can help to improve parts of players’ athletic performance; such as: strength, power, running speed, and ability change of direction efficiently
- Physical robustness – Using Activate can help to develop the ability of muscles, tendons, and ligaments to handle the forces they experience when playing rugby, leading to a lower risk of these structures being damaged when playing rugby and other sports.
Currently, there are five scheduled Activate Workshops. Click here to register for one today!
Burlington
Friday, January 24th
Location: Burlington Centaurs RFC/Sherwood Forest Gymnasium – 5270 Fairview St., Burlington, ON L7L 6B7
Whitby
Saturday, February 1st
Location: Whitby Dome – 695 Rossland Road West, Whitby, ON L1R 2P2
Time: 9am - 11am
Sarnia
Thursday, February 20th
Location: Lansdowne Grade School – 95 Lansdowne Ave, Sarnia, ON N7S 1G7
Time: 6:30pm - 9pm
London
Saturday, February 22nd
Location: London St. George’s RFC – 4308 Dundas St. East, London, ON N0M 2P0
Time: 12pm - 2:30pm
Kingston
Friday, February 28th
Location: St. Lawrence College – 100 Portsmouth Ave, Kingston, ON K7L 5A6
Time: TBD
ABOUT THE ONTARIO BLUES
The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male and female rugby players in Ontario. Rugby Ontario is represented at the provincial level by the Ontario Blues. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens and Under-18 Men's and Women's Sevens. Specifically, the program is designed to develop and showcase rugby players for Canadian representative national teams.
ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO
Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to establish a stronger identity for rugby in Ontario by promoting the sport’s core values and by fostering a culture of inclusiveness and excellence on and off the field of play.
To learn more, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/
Rugby Ontario Development Staff
Ryan Jones
Rugby Development Manager
647-560-4790 x 1010
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Dalton Finkbeiner
Communications and Marketing Coordinator - Rugby Ontario
647-560-4790 x 1006
dfinkbeiner@rugbyontario.com
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