Wheelchair Rugby
WESTCOUNTRY HAWKS WHEELCHAIR RUGBY
What is wheelchair rugby?
Wheelchair rugby is a full contact disability team sport and is one of the few sports where both men and women compete on the same team. It is played on a Basketball court, with a round ball – yes, a round ball, similar to that used in Volleyball. The sport has also been known as 'Murderball', due to its high-intensity and aggressive nature. Chair to chair contact is encouraged, while physical body contact is not permitted.Teams have 40 seconds to score on each possession. After a goal or stoppage of play, the player has 8 seconds to inbound the ball. A player must dribble the ball once every 8 seconds.
"Wheelchair rugby is often referred to as murderball!"
The Benefits of Wheelchair Rugby
Disabled people are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive compared to those without a disability. Wheelchair rugby is a great way to stay active, healthy, independent and sociable. It is great for physical fitness and mental health, it’s been proven to increase self-esteem and confidence while lowering the risk of anxiety and depression.
Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby – the original form of the sport was invented in Canada in 1976, it’s now played across the globe. Individuals must have an impairment which affects the arms and legs. This could be for instance: spinal cord trauma, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, amputations, polio, and other neurological conditions with full or partial paralysis of the legs and partial paralysis of the arms.
Wheelchair Rugby 5s (or WR5s) - is a variant of the game that is open to anyone with a measurable permanent physical disability or impairment – in other words, essentially anything that prevents the athlete from playing running rugby. The rules are almost the same – the biggest change is the introduction of an extra 5th player on court.
PLAY FOR THE WESTCOUNTRY HAWKS WHEELCHAIR RUGBY TEAM!
The only club to offer the Paralympic version of the sport. It also caters to WR5s players. Founded in 2011, the club offers sessions in Plymouth and Exeter. The club are keen to inspire people across the South West of England to get out and try something new, whatever their physical ability.