There’s not many sports people that can teach a rugby league team how to be more physical, but the Warrington Wolves have found just the thing.
Mixed martial arts – the ultimate combat sport that combines stand-up skills like boxing with grappling and ground fighting – could mould the Wolves into an even more fearsome proposition ahead of Super League 20 in February.
They have enlisted the help of Martin Stapleton, a former Marine and professional MMA fighter, to teach skills that can be applied to rugby, such as returning to your feet from a grounded position with opponents holding you down.
Stapleton told Sky Sports News HQ: “There’s no point in me teaching them a load of MMA moves because they’re never going to use them in a game. What we’re doing is learning stuff that they can do in a game.”
Wolves coach Tony Smith said: “It’s about how to get up before your opponent, how to get off the ground quicker and how to be more efficient in your movements. That’s where we can learn so much from others sports.”
Technique
Warrington’s players have already acknowledged that real-life fight training demonstrates how correct technique will overcome sheer strength.
Forward Paul Wood said: “There’s lads who are three or four inches taller than me and the problem they have is getting their body in a low posture.”
“It just shows,” said fellow prop Ashton Sims, “technique always overrides size.”