CSULB Rugby trains with Navy SEALs

     Head coach Kyle Quinn was faced with a huge challenge when he took over CSULB Ruby.  How to take the rag-tag team and make it truly great.  Quinn has implemented multiple new training regiments to make the team fit and competitive at the highest level.  This has included bi-weekly CrossFit training and a day long session with U.S. Navy SEALs.

     The team travelled to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, located in San Diego Bay.  As soon as the players arrived, the training started with a jog to a meeting room where they received a 30 minute prep talk and introduction. The short meeting was followed by four hours of intense and rigorous training, which included obstacle courses, tire flips, also, relay races and sit-ups while holding a 200-pound log.

     The Navy drill instructors were just as ruthless as they are made out to be.  Barking orders and lecturing players about a mental drill called "flipping the switch," which basically means telling your body it is not tired or sore and digging deep to find energy to finish your task.  Instead of resting between drills, players were required to sprint up a 20-foot hill, jump into the ocean then sprint back up the hill and crawl around in the sand.
      "It was mostly that switch that you have to turn on when you're tired; flip that switch and keep going," junior Sean Mazer said. "I was really sore. It was such a great experience to share with my teammates."
     Coach Quinn came up with the idea for the trip as a trial run.  He hopes to return to the SEAL base next season.  While the short-term results were soreness and fatigue, Quinn hopes the exercise will have the desired effect of teaching stamina and strength to finish a game strong.
  
Photos courtesy of Sean Mazer