Child To Champion

Name: George Newman

Current age: 18

Programme: Child to Champion

Sport: Rugby Union (Scrum-half)

Start year: 2020 (approx age 13)

Time on programme: 4 years

Training frequency: 2 sessions per week

Left regular sessions: Age 16 (progressed to Truro College / Exeter Chiefs pathway)

Current status: Professional rugby player

George Newman is a standout example of what long-term athletic development looks like when the right mindset meets the right preparation.

George joined Child to Champion in 2020 as a young, physically underdeveloped but highly motivated rugby player with clear ambitions of playing professional rugby. While his size and strength were still developing, his mentality immediately set him apart.

From day one, George showed what we often refer to as a “purple cow” mindset. He stood out because of his work ethic, discipline, and relentless desire to improve. He trained consistently, applied coaching, and worked hard both inside and outside of sessions.

At the start of his journey, George was:
– Smaller and lighter than the athlete he is today
– Still developing basic movement and strength foundations
– Playing rugby at school level while aspiring to progress to the professional game

There were no concerns around safety or readiness for training. His parents fully understood the importance of structured strength and conditioning for a young rugby player and trusted the long-term approach we took with his development.

The early phase of George’s development focused on building a robust physical base.

This included:
– Fundamental movement patterns (squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, carry, jump and land)
– Rotation, posture, coordination, and control
– Learning how to move well before increasing load

This stage built resilience, confidence, and technical competence, creating the platform for everything that followed.

Once George had established strong movement foundations, we progressively developed his strength over several years.

By the time he left regular sessions, George had achieved:
– Deadlift: over 2 times bodyweight
– Squat: between 1.5 and 2 times bodyweight
– Bench press: 1.5 times bodyweight or more

These strength gains were achieved while maintaining excellent movement quality, athleticism, and mobility. George added meaningful muscle mass to his frame while staying lean, explosive, and durable.

Strength was never developed in isolation.

As George progressed, his training evolved to include:
– Jumping and landing mechanics
– Progressive plyometric training
– Multi-directional movement and agility work
– Lateral and reactive change of direction

These skills underpin high-level rugby performance and were a key part of George’s physical development.

Speed became one of the defining elements of George’s progression.

After building a strong foundation of movement and strength, George took part in regular speed blocks and summer speed clinics.

His improvements were significant:
– 10 m acceleration improved from approximately 1.9 seconds to the low 1.7-second range
– Top speed developed to 9.5 metres per second or more

For a scrum-half, this level of speed and acceleration was a major performance advantage.

George’s speed, explosiveness, and agility were repeatedly highlighted and played a key role in:
– England Under-18 call-up (approx age 17)
– Progression to England Under-19 and Under-20 environments
– Selection into the Exeter Chiefs Academy
– Development through Truro College rugby
– Earning a professional contract with Exeter Chiefs

George was one of only two players from his Truro College cohort to secure a professional contract.

Across his time with us, George experienced very few injuries.

This consistency allowed him to:
– Train regularly
– Attend sessions consistently
– Progress year on year without interruption

As we often say, the best ability is availability. George’s durability was a direct reflection of the quality of his preparation.

When George progressed to Truro College at age 16, his training load increased significantly through rugby and structured gym sessions within the academy environment.

This marked a natural and appropriate end to his twice-weekly Child to Champion sessions, not a premature departure.

Even after leaving regular sessions, George continued to use our sprint coaching support and applied the principles he had learned throughout his development.

He is currently playing as a scrum-half for Exeter University Rugby, one of the strongest university rugby programmes in the UK, alongside his professional commitments.

George’s journey is not about shortcuts.

It is about:
– Long-term commitment to development
– Mastery of fundamentals before chasing outcomes
– Consistent exposure to high-quality coaching
– Pairing elite mindset with elite preparation

George is a coach’s dream.

He listens, applies feedback, and shows relentless discipline and focus. There is no messing around. He brings great energy to sessions and has a genuine pursuit of getting better.

When an athlete combines that mindset with a structured long-term development programme, the ceiling is extremely high.

For George, the journey is only just beginning.