For most kids in NZ the pathway to becoming an All Black, Silver Fern, Black Cap, Tall Blacks or another national sport is fairly straightforward – play school, play club, get noticed by your provincial selector, play consistently and catch the eye of national selectors. And most could argue that the pathway may have become easier in recent years with certain school matches getting TV as well as an online presence.
It’s a pathway well planned out… for most kids.
What if you are from an area where just making a high school team is not even an option. These kids are from area schools spread from the Caitlins in the deep south to Taipa in the far North; isolated areas remote from a provincial city. The roll for their school is usually too small to form a team so they play club with older players. One could say these players represent a missed opportunity for both their own potential and NZ sport in general.
Mike Smith, past rugby player turned coach and manager, started the NZ Area school rugby tournament in 1993. In 1996 he met with CEO of NZ rugby Foundation and a relationship continued but in 2013 the NZ Barbarians Rugby Football Club came on board for financial support. The wonderful part of this program is some of the boys have gone on to represent NZ Sevens as well as several provincial players. It is a good program with a pathway for those living in remote areas.
We came across the NZ Barbarians Area School Rugby team in 2019 because our kids were eligible under home education. When they were first selected the campaign was at Massey University in Palmerston North, but now moves between the North and South Island. The management knew we were chiropractors as we requested to adjust our boys prior to their training and games. The management noticed the changes and requested we work with more of the team. Before long the coaches and managers were lining up to be adjusted as well!
Since 2019 we have continued to volunteer our time and our All Natural Liquid Magnesium product to successive teams each year. We have loved seeing the changes in the team, coaches and management each year. In 2020, we did a presentation on the first night of the camp and have continued doing it ever since. We educate the boys on their nerve system and the importance of taking care of it. Most of the boys didn’t know about the benefits of being adjusted including;
- Increased flexibility
- Better decision making
- Less injuries
- Faster recovery
- 16% increase in muscle output when adjusted prior to a game
We asked the boys at their first adjustment to focus on what has CHANGED and what is DIFFERENT post their adjustments – NOT what is BETTER or WORSE. We make notes and at lunch the next day we give feedback to the team and management so collectively they can acknowledge the metamorphosis they are all undergoing. It’s great to see the boys eye’s widen as they hear the changes everyone has had. The next day the boys and management are racing to be first on the table!
We aren’t adjusting because anything is wrong we are adjusting because everything is right – for optimal sports performance. We want each boy to step out and be the best version of himself. Making sure their nerve system – the master communicating system of the body – is clear of interference so they can perform with ease and at optimal function, is paramount to their success. Just like a Formula 1 car driver will have the team ever so finely tune the car for optimal performance BEFORE the race, we too finely tune the human body and these kids.
Here are some of our documented changes the boys, coaches and management noted over the four days of adjusting:
- Looser in body
- Calmer in thought
- Relaxed
- More confident with decision making
- Can use body more to it’s potential
- Better decision making
- More coordinated
- Less anxious
- Slept well
- More clarity
- Not noticing X as much
- Less stress on legs
- More movement
- More upright
- Less tightness
- Able to drive forward more
- Throwing was lighter
- Stronger when jumping in line out
- More accurate with passing
- Breathing improved
- Run faster
- Run smoother
- More focused
- Happier
- Stronger
- Body can do more
- Increased energy
- Recovered from game faster
- Able to handle contact easier
- More comfortable running
- Increased range of motion (hips, shoulders, neck, lower back)
- No shin splints
- More flexible
- Less tight
- Processing faster
- Lighter on feet
- Performing better
- Didn’t need to strap my ankles
- Can rotate more through torso
Prior to being associated with the team they had not won for a long period of time. In the four years we have been associated with the team they have not lost a game. So, if you have kids that are involved in sport – any sport – these are all great reasons to be adjusted regularly by a qualified chiropractor. It doesn’t matter if they are young and playing in U6’s or playing provincial or at national level. Anyone with a nerve system, regardless of the sport, will benefit from regular chiropractic care. You probably noticed too that the changes they experienced didn’t just cover them performing differently, the changes had to do with general health as well like happier, calmer, more relaxed, more clarity, less stress, improved breathing, etc. So why not find your local chiropractor today and help your kids function differently and perform at their best. You, and they, will notice the difference!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
GOOD TO SHARE: Since 1990 Drs Randall & Sarah Farrant have been global mentors to thousands of individuals, families, health professionals, celebrities and sporting personalities. They have facilitated and inspired people to live an alternate and vitalistic life. https://vital-wellbeing.com/
