AS the Guyana national team continue  preparations for their upcoming matches in the 2010 Airtel Champions League, Sports Specific Conditioning Coach Kezqweyah Yisrael who is also the co-founder of Genesis Fitness Express told Chronicle Sport that the squad is not at the fitness level they should be. “To be totally honest, most of the guys are not where they should be as professionals in this sport. However, what is commendable at this point in time is their drive to improve and the camaraderie that they are displaying amongst themselves.”
Yisrael, who has been contracted by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to work along with the coaching team of Ravindranauth Seeram and Orin Bailey, noted that he was pleased with the spirit and commitment shown by the players, in an invited comment last Wednesday at the Guyana National Stadium.
“They are putting their all into their drills everyday when you put them into a competitive atmosphere. They are all trying to make something happen, based on the competitiveness seen from them in the training sessions. They all want to win and get to the highest level and this is part of their psychological conditioning.”
The avid sports fan who also plays basketball, indicated that it is important for the cricketers to believe that they “are winners” so as to prevent them from going to South Africa and being easily intimidated by their opposition.
“They are all striving to give of their best at every session I have had with them so far and that’s what you actually need in order to make winners out of them. As a professional athlete, they should have year round programmes, but due to work, they may be hampered with self-preparation.
But that aside, they are all showing a total commitment to the exercises, from the captain right down to the last player. They are all displaying the attitude to work and work hard, with their eyes fixed on the prize and that is great for them and their preparations,” said Yisrael.
He pointed out also that the infrastructure and sports organisations that the players may meet in other countries can also intimidate and therefore it is instilled in the players that “winning must become a habit and not to give up easily”.
Based on his expertise Yisrael, who has a diploma in Fitness and Nutrition, told Stabroek Sport yesterday during a session with the team at the stadium that since the team will be travelling to South Africa, which lies at an altitude of about 1 350m (4 500”) above sea level, the board should include training in the hills or on the highway.
“The higher you go the air is thinner indeed and what you have to do is simulate the similar conditions and what will be a lot better, and this was not on the fitness programme that was provided by the board, to have the players train above sea level.
They can do some training on the highway as well as hill conditioning which will certainly help. One of the things that will also help in the thin air is if you have more red blood cells to convert your energy, which is paramount in fitness conditioning.
So there are certain things that we have not been able to cover but eventually we will be able to make a certain level where we can be very competitive in the short space of time that they have before the tournament,” Yisrael explained.
Asked to comment on the progress of the camp to date, Seeram said that the main focus at the moment is ensuring that the players are fit, while he expects the team to do well in the tournament they are entering as underdogs.
“We are not going there to just turn up, we are going there to make the country proud by competing to win. I know we have the calibre of players who can do so, even though we are without our premier batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul.”
The former national middle order batsman who took over the reins of coach from Albert Smith midway through the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) four-day tournament last year, further expressed his delight with the emergence of Jonathan Foo.
“What he (Foo) has done for us has not only filled a gap left void by Chanderpaul’s absence, but played a pivotal role in our Caribbean T20 victory and I must say that I was impressed.
The bowling of Devendra Bishoo, who was later named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), also needs to be mentioned along with that of veteran Lennox Cush.
All in all, the team displayed a never-say-die attitude match in match out and we will be going to South Africa with such a frame of mind,” stated Seeram.
Seeram further stated that the team will have a few practice matches and game simulation exercises next week, along with two practice matches against Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) which is billed for the August 27 & 28, before they depart for South Africa on the September 5.