In contact sports like rugby, few issues are as critical and as heavily scrutinised as the risk of a rugby head injury. Whether it is a diagnosed concussion or repeated subconcussive impacts, the brain is now firmly in focus for player welfare, long-term health, and performance. At ForceField, we believe that prevention is only half the battle. What happens after  a hit, how the brain and nervous system recover, and how the whole body is managed in the return-to-play phase ar

Why Nervous System Training Is Essential for Injury Prevention in Rugby Rugby is one of the most physically demanding sports on earth. Split-second decisions, high-impact collisions, and relentless endurance make it both exhilarating and high-risk. Research shows that rugby injuries are most likely to occur when the nervous system is fatigued, stressed, or poorly regulated. That is why modern performance science is turning its focus away from muscle alone and toward the nervo

Rugby is a game of collisions, speed, and physical unpredictability which is why the question how to prevent injuries in rugby is so central to coaches, players and support staff. Most injury-prevention programmes focus on strength, tackling technique or recovery protocols. But what often gets less attention is body awareness , the athlete’s internal sense of how they move, align and respond in dynamic situations. At ForceField, we believe that body awareness is a critical mi

In the high-impact sport of rugby, the term rugby head injury is more than just a statistic. Concussion, head-trauma and cumulative micro-impacts have become critical topics for players, coaches and sports-med professionals alike. According to research , even “non-concussive” impacts in rugby may lead to changes in brain structure and function over time. At ForceField, our mission is to reduce the risk of head injury in contact sports by leveraging science, prevention and bod

Every rugby player knows the importance of power but strength alone isn’t enough. In a sport defined by explosive collisions, quick changes of direction, and sustained physical contact, core stability is often what separates injury-prone players from resilient ones. A growing body of research now confirms what coaches and physiologists have long suspected: improving core strength and awareness significantly reduces rugby injuries. At ForceField, this insight is central to our

Rugby is a sport built on grit, power, and precision but it is also one of the most injury-prone games in the world. Every tackle, scrum, and sprint pushes the body to its limits, and the smallest lapse in form or focus can lead to rugby injuries  ranging from muscle strains to concussions. While players often focus on strength, conditioning, and recovery, one crucial element is still underestimated: breathing . Recent research in physiology and neuroscience shows that how at

The Role of the Central Nervous System in Rugby On the rugby pitch, we see the obvious — speed, strength, collisions, and tries. However, what we don’t see is the system running the show behind the scenes: the central nervous system (CNS). It’s the body’s invisible playmaker, controlling everything from explosive sprints to lightning-fast reactions, from recovery after a hit to the focus needed in high-pressure moments. What is the Central Nervous System? The CNS is made up o

The power of breath work on and off the pitch. Picture this: it’s the final minutes of a tight match. The score is level, players are exhausted, and the next play could decide everything. At that moment, what separates the player who crumbles from the one who steps up? It might not be strength, or even skill. It might be something as simple — and powerful — as how they breathe. Breath is the most overlooked performance tool in rugby. Most players don’t think twice about it; i

When most people think about rugby, they picture muscle. Big tackles, powerful scrums, explosive sprints — all fuelled by sheer strength. But muscles aren’t just about size or raw power. They’re part of a finely tuned system, more like a team working together than a collection of individuals. And just like a rugby team, when one part of that system is out of balance, the risk of mistakes — or in this case, injury — goes up. Every muscle in the body has a role to play. Some ar

We'd all love to find a way to help protect our kids on the pitch. Rugby is high-impact and unpredictable — which makes injury risk a constant worry for parents, coaches, and players. But research shows that the key to injury mitigation might lie in a surprising place: fascia. Fascia: More Than Muscle Wrapping Fascia isn’t just wrapping paper for muscles — it’s alive with over 250 million nerve endings . In fact, it has more sensory input than your eyes! This means fascia is