Klinsmann warms up with ‘light’ shuttle run…Son Heung-min out
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s men’s national soccer team began a fitness check at the National Training Center (NFC) in Paju on the afternoon of the 11th, the third day of their October A-match preparations.
In a training session open to the media for about 30 minutes starting at 4 p.m., the players took to the practice field one by one to stretch their muscles with 토토사이트 yoga mats and lower-body stretches before getting down to business.
About five minutes later, the team moved to the next practice field and began to stand one by one on fluorescent cones placed in a row.
The players brushed their legs a little, seemingly preparing for something, and then mechanical sounds began to blare over the loudspeakers.
It was a far cry from the previous training scene, which relied on the coaches’ encouraging chants.
As soon as the loudspeaker started, the athletes had 10 seconds to run to the opposite cone, about 20 meters away, and then start a shuttle run back to their starting position.
Three seconds before the end of the time limit, a “ding” sound was broadcast every second, and a “bang” sounded when the 10 seconds were up.
Despite running 25 40-meter round trips in 10 seconds, the players didn’t show any signs of fatigue.
“Coach Klinsmann wants to collect basic fitness data, such as the long jump in place, short sprints, and shuttle runs,” said an official from the KFA, “and this shuttle run was prepared to see how fast the players’ heart rate recovers.”
Each athlete’s heart rate was fed into the team’s computers in real time through the equipment they wore.
Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), who didn’t play in the A-match in September due to a thigh injury, was at the far end of the field and completed all of the shuttle runs with his brothers.
However, captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), whose thigh is not at 100 percent, did not participate in ground training on the day, instead focusing on personal training, including cycling and stretching indoors.
An association official said, “We have been in constant communication with Son Heung-min about his physical condition since before the call-up. He is not currently experiencing any pain, but we decided to do this to prevent injury.” “We will decide tomorrow whether he will play against Tunisia on March 13.”