February 2022

Mini Flow: The Best Yoga Poses for Kids

Posted on February 25, 2022 at 1:25 pm.

Yoga for kids can be a fun and rewarding exercise for both parent and child.

It can be done almost anywhere, at any time and has so many mental and physical health benefits.

That’s why Intersport Elverys have teamed up with the O’Neill family from Mayo to bring you a fun mini flow of yoga poses you can do at home with your kids.

Barry, of Bonco Wellness yoga studio, and his two kids, Sienna and Ralph, are going to bring you through their favourite poses.

So why not flow along?

Check out the class on YouTube right HERE or below.

Before you begin, you might enjoy our Ultimate Guide to Yoga at Home Blog?

Yoga for Kids: Barry O’Neill

“There are so many yoga poses for kids, but today we’re going to show you around 8 you can do and we guarantee there will be plenty of fun along the way.

“Kids love doing yoga; they love the movement, and the challenge of doing some of the harder movements. You will find a lot of the kids poses are named after animals or insects, to make them more relatable to children too which helps.

“Make sure to check out our full class on YouTube, where you can follow along.”

Yoga Poses for Kids

1 Cat Cow

“To start, we go on to all four – hands and knees – with your hands directly underneath the shoulders toget a nice strong posture – it’s called a neutral position.

“We start with the cat pose, so tuck your chin into your chest and arch your back up to the ceiling, hold for 3 seconds, and then look up nice and slowly towards the celling, allowing your belly fall down to the mat.

“Repeat that pose 5 or 6 times to warm up the spine and get started into your practice.”

2 Downward facing dog

“From the Cat Cow position go back in table top, curl the toes under, ensure nice strong hands and push your bum towards the ceiling, straightening your legs and allowing your head to fall between your arms.

“From here, just to stretch the back of your legs, you bend your right knee and straighten your left leg (and vice versa). Try and drop your knee down towards the ground nice slowly, get a nice good stretch of the back of your leg.

“You’re just pedalling your legs nice and gentle and making sure you’re breathing deep.”

3 Cobra Pose

“Okay, so we’re going from the last posture, which was our Downward Facing Dog, into our Cobra Pose.

“So bend the knees slightly and start dropping yourself towards the mat. You need to open your body here and transition into your Cobra pose, looking straight ahead and then pointing that head up towards the ceiling, depending on the movement and the ability of your spine.

“Your lower back is supporting the spine here, so hold that for about 15 seconds or three breaths, then come back and you can sit right back onto your heels.

“This is to counteract the back bend by rounding out the lumbar spine. Sit into that position again for three to five breaths and allow your body to relax.”

4 Bow Pose

“From here, we want to drop our body down on the mat again to start.

“Get yourself nice and relaxed. From here you grab your feet, fingers to the outside, making sure you’re taking your time. Take a deep breath in and on the exhale kick back and you lift up as high as you can.

“Hold this for roughly 10 seconds and then drop your feet back down. You can try three sets, each time just allowing your body to relax again for a few seconds.”

5 Warrior Pose

“Next, we’re going to go from the ground positions go back up into standing.

“You can bring your legs to about palm width apart, turn your foot at 90 degrees, keep your right foot around 45 degrees and then bend your knee over your foot. Keeping hands shoulder height, look out over your hand and hold.

“It’s a nice strong posture to strengthen legs.

“Breathe and hold for about ten seconds. Then repeat on the other side.”

6 Single Leg Standing Bow Pose

“So now I’m going to introduce a couple of more challenging or harder yoga poses for kids.

“This is a single leg balancing pose called standing bow. Step forward on your mat, grab whatever foot you want on the inside with the hand on the same side.

“Raise the opposite hand and then kick back and reach forward. It’s all about focus, were not looking to stay here all day, just about 5 seconds and pay attention to how your body is in that position.

“Control the movement back down and then do the opposite side. You will find your weaker side may be more difficult.

“It’s all about practice and focus. If you fall out of the posture, don’t worry one bit, just go back and try again. It’s great to help children’s focus as they have to stand on one leg.”

7 Combination of Postures

“Now were going to try a fun mini-combination, kicking our legs back behind our heads and then into a forward fold.

“Position yourself wherever you are comfy, don’t rush into it, stay controlled, and lift your legs over your head and touch the ground behind you with your toes.

“Make sure to control the legs back down. Then raise the arms right up, inhale and fold forward on the exhale as much as you can. Hold for a few seconds and then repeat.”

8 Butterfly Position

“Finally, bring the soles of your feet together, pull your heels into your body, and with a straight back, like a butterfly flapping its wings, flap your legs up and down and loosen up those hip joints.

“Do this for 30-60 seconds and release for a nice way to finish off today’s sequence.

“Don’t forget to sit back on your heels, put your hands in a prayer position, bow your head and ‘namaste’!”

Conclusion

“I really hope you enjoyed this practice. Make sure to check out the new BAHE yoga range at Intersport Elverys for all your yoga gear, or follow the link below.”

The Ultimate Rugby Recovery Session

Posted on February 15, 2022 at 4:52 pm.

Written by Ger Flanagan

80 minutes of rugby at any level is severe on the body, so getting that all-important rugby recovery session in the following day is crucial for performance.

Rugby players are encouraged to perform a rugby recovery session the day after a game to help recovery, which will aid soreness, tightness and mobility issues.

The sessions will only take 20 minutes and are designed to be light, mostly non-strenuous work. We’ve got a great line of recovery equipment right HERE.

Check out a video snippet of the session below.

Intersport Elverys takes recovery serious, that’s why we’ve got Connacht Rugby’s Head of Athletic Performance, David Howarth, to take us through a typical recovery rugby session.

Or as Howarth puts it, in his Aussie accent: ‘a regen session’.

Howarth brings a wealth of experience to his role, having previously worked with Oklahoma City Thunder NBA as their strength and conditioning coach.

So you’re in safe hands.

Before you start, why not check out our Top Tips from the Connacht Rugby Team.

Types of Rugby Recovery Session

“There’s three different levels of regeneration or recovery that we would suggest for the Connacht Rugby guys to do after big sessions, or between sessions, so that they can get ready to perform again.

“Essentially you can do active regeneration, passive regeneration or some sort of mental regeneration.

“Active regeneration or recovery might be down in the ocean getting in cold water, or a sauna of some other exposure to heat, or maybe it might just be getting a longer sleep.

“A mental regeneration could be reading, talking with friends or working through some plans or something like that. While active regen’ or recovery is where we actually take action to try and change tissue quality, or the way we feel and move.

“So below is a quick example of some active regen’ we suggest for the guys to do on their down days.”

Dos and Don’ts for a Rugby Recovery Session

“Before any rugby recovery session starts, there’s a number of dos and don’ts you should follow.

“One thing we want to prioritise going into any of these sessions is making sure we get enough sleep and we’ve eaten the right foods. This can be like putting lipstick on a monkey if you don’t do these two things.

“First, make sure you get a really good night’s sleep and get good food into you going into that day off. Once you’re on it, make sure you’re taking your time going through the recovery session and don’t rush it.

“But equally don’t turn it into a full workout because that is coming the day after for you.

“Check out our three-part easy-to-do active recovery session below.”

Active Rugby Recovery Session To Try

Rugby Recovery Session Part 1: Trigger Therapy

“To do this, you are going to need a roller and a trigger ball, even a massage gun will help.

“Start by lying down on your roller, hugging yourself around your chest, looking for elbow on elbow, and working on your lower back, rolling between your hips and about the middle of the thoracic spine.

“Keep it nice and smooth, nice and slow, and keep that chin tucked up.

“Then you’re going to find a nice tight spot, drop your hips down to the ground and gradually lift those elbows back towards your head, working in and out of it. What you’re trying to do is pin down the tissue that is really tight.

“This is really good for loosing out the shoulders and you can work your way through the various tight spots you might have.

“From there you can move on to the front of the thigh. Roll over and drop your quads onto the roller, go one or two legs, whatever you feel comfortable doing.

“And we’re working the same theories here of rolling through the tissue, finding any bad spots and when you do, pin the knot.

“This can be really beneficial when you don’t have access to massage therapy.

“We want you to continue working through the legs, like the outside of the thigh – the IT Band – and then the calves. This is not particularly pleasant, nor do you want it to be, so it should feel a six or seven out of ten in terms of pain.

“The results should be pleasant but the actual doing of it is quite unpleasant.”

Rugby Recovery Session Phase 2: Basic Stretching

“The second phase of this is just basic stretching.

“One we like to do is the pigeon push up. Start in a push up position, pull your knee up to your chest and point your foot out the side. From there you just want to drop your chest over the top of your knee. Don’t overdo this either.

“We’re lengthening out that muscle towards the back around the glutes and up toward the hip, a part of the body that gets tied up in rugby players due to change of direction and getting blasted off the ball.

“It’s pretty hard to hold yourself in this if you’ve not got a good range of motion and the ability to hold here ends up in a little bit of a performance advantage.”

“Another stretch we like is a lying leg twist. The lads will lie on their back, roll their leg over and try and keep their shoulders on the ground. If you’re struggling with that, just lean over on your side, life your hand high up in the air and twist that back as far as you can.

“Stay nice and relaxed while holding these positions and stay in them for one to two minutes.”

Rugby Recover Session Phase 3: Movement Fly

“The next phase is a bit more challenging and about cleaning up the movement, making sure that hips and shoulders and backs are working together and able to transition between key positions.

“We’ll ask the guys to stand on their feet, starting nice and low, pushing up overhead and reaching away to open up them shoulders, challenging that balance. Sinking down to a forward fold to loosen out the hamstrings before walking your hands forward to a push up position.

“You can work by pushing back in a dogs pose or push through to a Hindu pose. From here step forward with one leg, pushing into the ground with one arm and the opposite points towards the sky and opens up. Repeat on the other side.
“For a bit of a challenge to the core, bring the hands back into what we call a bear crawl position and move to an ex-switch, which brings up one foot and the opposite hand to the shoulder. Stay low and balanced before rolling back into a squat and standing up.”

Conclusion

As Official Sports Retail Partner of Connacht Rugby, we’re delighted to have David’s expertise on show. Full video below.

We’ve got other recovery based content too, like this Yoga Poses for GAA Players and Footballers.

Why not shop our Rugby Range Right HERE or our Recovery Range below.

WIN Ireland vs Italy Tickets Plus Kit

Posted on February 15, 2022 at 9:45 am.

Written by Intersport Elverys

The 2022 Guinness Six Nations is in full swing and despite a narrow defeat to France in Paris, Ireland are still right in the mix for the Championship.

Intersport Elverys are giving you the chance to WIN tickets for you and your family to Ireland’s game against Italy on Sunday the 27th of February at the AVIVA Stadium, as well as kit. The prize includes 4 match tickets to Ireland vs Italy plus €250 worth of Irish Rugby kit.

To enter, simply fill in the form below. See Terms & Conditions HERE.

You can pick up all the latest Irish Rugby gear at Intersport Elverys, in-store or online HERE.

Famous Irish Rugby Players: Top 6

Posted on February 10, 2022 at 3:51 pm.

Written by Ger Flanagan

Throughout our history, there has been some very famous Irish rugby players.

Irish rugby has long punched well above its weight in terms of the talent it has produced and now we’re taken on the difficult task of picking our most famous and best players.

If you’re new to rugby, our Ultimate Guide to Rugby Positions Blog might help.

As Official Retail Sports Partners of the IRFU, we know it’s not going to be a easy and we’d also like to apologise to anyone we’ve left out or who you think should be included.

It’s a game of opinions after all!

So here we go, and in no particular order.

Famous Irish Rugby Players: 1

Brian O’Driscoll (1999-2014)

Position: Centre

Caps: 141 (Ireland 131 and British and Irish Lions 8)

Tries: 47 (Ireland 46 and British and Irish Lions 1)

We’re starting off with the easiest inclusion in our list.

Dricco’ is widely regarded as the best rugby player Ireland has ever produced and some will also argue as the greatest to play the sport.

The centre was a prolific try-scorer with a record of 46 for Ireland, while he also boasts the record appearances of 133 Tests, 83 as captain.

The Leinster club man had pace, strength, leadership, agility, leadership and flair – the complete player who somehow, was never awarded the World Player of the Year despite 3 nominations.

O’Driscoll also boasted eight Lions Test caps, 4 Triple Crowns, 2 Six Nations, one Grand Slam, 3 European Cups and is still the all-time Six Nations try scorer.

Famous Irish Rugby Players: 2

Paul O’Connell (2002-2015)

Position: Second Row

Caps: 115 (Ireland 108 and British and Irish Lions 7)

Tries: 8 (all with Ireland)

A fans favourite and the leader of the pack through an illustrious career.

The second row was a colossus, revered across the world for his leadership, heart and talent.

The Munster man finished with 108 Ireland caps, hampered somewhat by injuries. He also lined out for the Lions on three tours, captaining the in 2009.

Post Brian O’Driscoll, O’Connell captained Ireland 28 times, leading his country to the 2014 and 2015 Six Nations. In total, he finished with 3 Six Nations, one Grand Slam, 4 Triple Crowns and 2 European Cups.

Famous Irish Rugby Players: 3

Keith Wood (1994-2003)

Position: Hooker

Caps: 63 (Ireland 58 and British and Irish Lions 5)

Tries: 15

A forward by name, but Keith Wood was totally and utterly unique in what he could do.

World Rugby Player of the Year in 2001, the Munster man was highly mobile and possessed pace, agility, a kicking game, excellent hands along with a insatiable desire for work.

Playing 58 times for Ireland, 36 as captain, Wood represented the British and Irish Lions on the 1997 and 2001 tours and helped Munster reach their first ever European Cup Final in 2000.

Hampered by injuries, he held the record for test tries by a hooker (15) until very recently.

Famous Irish Rugby Players: 4

Willie John McBride (1962-1975)

Position: Lock

Caps: 80 (Ireland 63 and British and Irish Lions 17

Tries: 2

In terms of a British and Irish Lions tour legend, Willie John McBride is undisputed in the record books.

Picking up 63 caps for Ireland and captaining them to the 1974 Five Nations, McBride helped the Lions to their only tour victory over New Zealand in 1971. In 1974, he captained the Lions on what is considered their most successful tour ever in South Africa, where they won 21 matches on the bounce and were dubbed the ‘Invincibles’.

They were amongst five of his tours with the Lions!

He registered 11 caps as Ireland captain and had famous wins over South Africa and Australia in their own backyard.

Famous Irish Rugby Players: 5

Ronan O’Gara (2000-2013)

Position: Fly-half
Tests: 128

Points: 1083

O’Gara is second only to O’Driscoll as the most-capped Ireland player in history with an incredible 128 caps and an even more incredible 1083 points scored.

The fly-half was one of the most consistent and professional kickers in the world game and a central figure for Ireland and Munster for over ten years.

O’Gara toured with the Lions in 2001, 2005 and 2009, but perhaps his most famous day out was winning the winning drop goal in Cardiff to help seal Ireland’s first Grand Slam in 61 years.

If you’re interested in kicking, we’ve a fantastic How-To Blog & Video featuring Connacht and Ireland’s Jack Carty HERE.

Famous Irish Rugby Players: 6

Johnny Sexton (2009-Present)

Position: Fly-half

Caps: Over 100 and counting

Points: Over 900

The evergreen Sexton is the only player in this list still plying his trade and no list of great players could be completed without him.

The once understudy to O’Gara, since Sexton broke onto the since in the late noughties he hasn’t looked back. In 2010 he surpassed O’Gara in the starting team and developed into a ferocious leader.

One of the world’s best over the past decade, Sexton was awarded the World Rugby Player of the Year in 2018 after being instrumental in helping Ireland reach number one in the world and be named World Rugby Team of the Year.

Conclusion: Honourable Mentions

We couldn’t finish this list without mentioning a number of players who could easily have been picked.

We’re talking the legendary Jackie Kyle (1946-1958), Rory Best (2005-2019), Mike Gibson (1964-1979) and Ciaran Fitzgerald (1979-1986).

We can’t wait to hear your suggestions either, so let us know.

Intersport Elverys is proud to be Official Retail Partners with the IRFU and also Connacht Rugby.

Irish Yoga for GAA Players and Athletes

Posted on February 9, 2022 at 1:50 pm.

Written by Ger Flanagan

Irish Yoga continues to grow and grow, in part due to the huge benefits it can bring but also due to the many expert yoga instructors we have.
Intersport Elverys is fortunate to have our own expert Irish yoga instructor, Roberta Harrington, who has already given some great tips and classes on our platforms.

Check them out here blog on Basic Yoga Poses HERE and her Ultimate Guide to Yoga at Home HERE.

In this blog, Roberta takes you through some myths, tips & tricks, plus all the advantages for yoga for footballers, GAA players and athletes.

Irish Yoga Myths

“People always think they are to inflexible for yoga and I always laugh at this because if you’re poor at a particular skill in GAA, then the first thing you do is practice it.

“So if you’re practicing your shooting at first, it can be slow to improve. Equally so with your mobility. But once you practice and give it some time, you will see massive improvement and your body will actually crave it.”

Is Yoga Beneficial to Weight Loss?

“Pending on your fitness and body type, it differs from individual to individual.

“But certainly the more rigorous styles of yoga, such as Vinyasa or power yoga, is a very dynamic type of yoga where you will work on strength-based postures and challenge yourself mentally and physically.

“They may not be suitable for beginners, but certainly for weight loss, to get a good sweat on, or just to tone up and strengthen your core, power yoga is the answer.

“And it burns a lot of calories while also working on that range of motion and flexibility.”

Benefits of Irish Yoga to GAA Players and Footballers

“Yoga can be absolutely incredible when it comes to working towards injury prevention – it’s very proactive in that sense.

“With GAA and other sports, you see a lot of reoccurring injuries, like hamstring tears, ACL injuries and shoulder issues, and with yoga, we learn to adapt in any given situation by increasing or lengthening the muscles within the body.

“So with GAA, you’re doing a lot of the same motions over and over again but when your body is taken out of that position, the potential for injury increases. Yoga is amazing for exposing your body to those positions and getting it used to it.

“You see huge build up in quads and hamstrings with GAA players and other footballers, but sometimes there can be imbalances in glutes or knees and yoga is amazing for these.”

Yoga for Mental Health

“Yoga is also fantastic for concentration, mental focus and clarity, which works wonders on the GAA pitch.

“For game days, simple breathing techniques that you learn in class can really help to ground you and become that little bit more present for the match.”

Is yoga becoming more popular in Ireland with GAA players?

“I see a huge amount of teams now using yoga in pre-season and I am working with a lot too, which is fantastic to see.

“Once it was woman dominated in our classes, now you see a lot of GAA players, rugby players, soccer players, who find it a great way to complement their training on the pitch or in the gym.

“They often had the idea that yoga is really spiritual and done by lads with dreadlocks, and are pleasantly surprised to see that that is not the case. Yoga is a great humbler for them too, because they might think they are really strong or flexible, but one class of yoga shows they are not!

“So my advice is to start basic, don’t feel like you can go straight into an advanced class, find your feet and start to progress from there.”