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- American “gridiron” football roots are from rugby.
- Rugby season begins as football season wraps up. Rugby’s winter season runs from November through April; and summer 7s rugby (Olympic rugby) runs from June-July. Youth Rugby is a great way to stay fit during the off-season.
- Rugby is played continuously for 80 minutes with few stoppages. Continuous play requires athletes to be cardio fit.
- The concept of continued play asks the American football player to continue to react, scan, and process information rapidly.
- All rugby players are expected to carry, pass, kick, break tackles and make tackles. Even the big kids carry the ball.
- Rugby teaches to safely shoulder leverage tackle in open field and close quarters.
- Contact without pads encourages safe technique as well as builds courage in young players.
- Gives young athletes the opportunity to play a sport abroad, rugby is truly an international sport.
- American “grid-iron” football is slowly transitioning towards the safer shoulder leverage tackle, (the “rugby tackle”) as seen in the Seattle Seahawks video below introducing the rugby tackle to the american public.
Source: siliconvalleyrugby.org