Okay, so today I decided to get my hands dirty with the hooker position in rugby. I’ve always watched the games, but never really understood the nitty-gritty of each position. Time to change that!
Getting Started
First things first, I watched a bunch of videos online. Just basic stuff, you know, to get a feel for what a hooker actually does. It looked… intense. Lots of pushing and shoving, that’s for sure.
The Scrum
The main thing I wanted to try was the scrum. I roped in a couple of buddies – thankfully, they play rugby too. They aren’t super experienced, but that’s better than nothing. I explained that i would record today experience on internet!
- We tried to form a scrum. It was… messy. We kept collapsing.
- My buddies took the prop positions, and I crouched down in the middle.
- I tried to hook the ball back with my foot when it came in. Key word: tried.
It’s way harder than it looks! Keeping your balance, pushing against the other guys, and trying to get the ball at the same time? My legs were burning after just a few minutes. I definitely have new respect.
Lineouts
We also practiced some lineouts, it more easy than scrums for *’s interesting.
One of my buddies threw the ball, and I tried to, well, help get our “jumper” up in the air. I’m not the strongest guy, so that was a challenge. We managed a few decent lifts, but mostly we just wobbled around.
What I Learned
It was a short session, only about an hour, but I learned that to play Hooker is very hard and requires a lot of practice, and I’ve got a long way to go. But hey, it’s a start!
