Need a new Sport to challenge you ladies?
- ciaralitchfield
- Feb 24, 2014
- 2 min read
American football is a blur of stop starting and something about Touchdowns to most of us Brits however the game has never been so popular among European countries. As a result it’s made its way to London.
As of August this year Wembley Stadium will be home to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the International Series, as announced by the NFL. A crowd of 83,519 people watched the previous NFL game at Wembley in which the Minnesota Vikings claimed a tense 34-27 win over Pittsburgh Steelers. If you missed this game tune in for the upcoming matches:
Miami Dolphins at Oakland Raiders (September 28)
Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons (October 26)
Dallas Cowboys at Jacksonville Jaguars (November 9)
Like many male dominated sports women may find it hard to engage while watching, especially with its complex plays and new positions to take in. But I always say the best way to learn is to do!
Starting a new sport has a whole host of benefits such as meeting new people and getting your fitness levels up. It also gives you a better sense of achievement than completing the same fitness routines to which your body is now comfortable. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine that you’re comfortable but remember if it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you!
James Cherry, who plays Wide Receiver for Great Britain, tells us what benefits American Football can bring to your fitness regime. ‘Due to the stop start nature of the game, you have to be going at 100% during each play, the type of cardio is different from going for a jog as you’re working on being explosive for long periods of time. We also encourage a lot of core work for balance and quickness, as well as encouraging to build strong legs through squats as the legs are key to becoming great players’.
So ladies, don’t be scared of something new! It’s not for the faint hearted but for those of you used to playing contact sport the transition should be easy. Check out the BAFA (British American Football Association) to find your local team and join up today.
