Rugby, Rain, and Resilience: 6 Life Lessons from the Pitch
I’ve been reflecting lately on a damp morning from a few seasons back. It was that classic peak-Autumn weather - season of mists and mellow fruitfulness - and I was standing on a moor getting rained on while my son played rugby 😬🌧️🏉
He had just graduated to the under-nines team back then, saying goodbye to tag rugby and hello to full contact (and high blood pressure, for me 😂). The kids were being taught to launch themselves down, cheek to cheek (I’ll let you figure that one out 🤣), squeeze the knees and bring their friends thumping down to the grass.
Watching them navigate the mud had me thinking about how we handle our own hurdles. Here are 6 life lessons I learned from those kids while watching them in the rain (and when you’re a rugby parent, it’s always raining):
1. Master the art of being tackled
It’s not just about learning to tackle - you need to learn how to be tackled. We’re reaching for our dreams, making lots of plays. And while we do it, we’re going to get knocked on our arses - a LOT! Some of those knocks are going to take the wind out of us, for sure. Yet, we can get better at taking falls. Every time we fall is another chance to learn. Speaking of which…
2. You have to be on the field to score
Getting tackled is just another part of the game. Some kids were (quite naturally) afraid of being tackled, so they didn’t want to get on the field. But if you’re not on the field, you can’t enjoy the game. And if you’re not in the game, you’ll never score a try.
The same goes for our lives. We have a choice - try and keep ourselves safe by never joining the game, or get on the field and embrace the knocks.
3. Feel the hit, then find your feet
When you get tackled, don’t forget to get back up. Rugby players are very different to football players - there’s no dramatic rolling around, pretending they’ve been mortally wounded to earn a free kick. Rugby players are more likely to hide their injuries so they don’t get taken off.
It’s good to take a moment if you need it. It’s good to cry. It’s good to come off the field and have your injuries seen to, seeking help if you need it. When you’re ready, get your gumshield back in and rejoin the game.
4. Reset after every try
When you score a try, celebrate! When the other team scores a try, learn from it and shake it off. Either way, reset and go again. There’s no ‘winning’ the game of life. The game keeps going til the final whistle (unlike rugby, you don’t know when that’s going to be). Learn from your ‘failures’. Celebrate your accomplishments. Either way, keep heading for the try line.
5. Break down new challenges
When you’re trying something new, build up to it slowly. I remember in the first week of that season, the coach wasn’t there. Someone set the kids straight off on a match - chaos, and injury, ensued. The next week, some of those kids didn’t want to get on the field.
By the second week, the coach was back. He broke the art of tackling down into a series of drills: first, kneeling; then, walking; next, jogging and running; then a simple game of bulldog; and finally, a short match.
How many times in your life have you tried something new, and gotten put off because it all went ‘wrong’? It was too difficult? It felt unsafe? It’s so easy to be ‘all-or-nothing’ about changes we’re trying to make - of course, we want fast results, so let’s GO! But what’s something you’re being ‘all-or-nothing’ about right now? How could you break it down for a more sustainable change?
6. Remember you’re part of a team
You’re not playing this game on your own. For the love of everything good, look around you! You don’t have to take all the knocks. There are people on the wings trying to help you. Pass the ball, and do it often - they’re playing the game of life too, and they love running up the field just as much as you. You can score more (and more epic!) tries when you play as a team.
And it’s a whole lot more fun, besides.
A quote which got me in the feels this week…
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
— Epicurus (ancient Greek philosopher and generally clever bloke)
Which reminds me of the epic Super Bowl half-time show by Bad Bunny at the weekend - did you catch it? So many incredible messages embedded in 13 minutes of pure creativity and community.
"Mi nombre es Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, y si hoy estoy aquí en el Super Bowl 60, es porque nunca, nunca dejé de creer en mí. Tú también deberías de creer en ti. Vales más de lo que piensas. Confía en mí."
"My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I'm here today at Super Bowl 60, it's because I never, ever stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You're worth more than you think. Trust me."
If you’d like more reflections like this, I share them in my weekly e-letter - little love letters with stories, questions to sit with, and gentle reminders to step off the hamster wheel. You can join below 👇.
