On Tuesday the 1. FC Union Berlin men’s first team completed their first training sessions in Bramberg am Wildkogel, Austria. As always, athletics coach Martin Krüger was there, playing a special role.
Warm-up, prevention and fitness
The first order of the day, in order to prevent injuries and any other aches and pains, Martin Krüger gathered the squad into two groups, one after the other for prevention, a controlled and supervised warming-up exercise. The players are already very familiar with this kind of preparation, it is part of their routine before every training session or match. It was followed by passing exercises with the ball – also to getting to know the feel of the grass in Bramberg.
But just because the players are active on the pitch and with the ball at their feet, it doesn’t mean that Krüger automatically gets a break. He discusses specific exercises with individual players and then also takes them into direct training with the ball. The goal? improved movement and with it, better ball control.
Afternoon sweats
The athletics coach then lead a strenuous afternoon session in front of numerous fans and spectators whose arrival at the the summer training camp, presented by sonnenschutz.de, has become a traditional pilgrimage. In addition to game-specific forms of play, sprinting exercises were also on the agenda; both very important to prepare the players once again for a long and energy-sapping season.
They call them HIT, or High Intensity Training; alternated sprints and intensive runs in the players’ maximum performance range, interspersed only with short breaks. Under Krüger’s watchful eye, the players worked out in small groups, putting down the physical foundations for Urs Fischer’s coaching team to lay their tactical instructions on to. While one half toiled, the other half of the team worked on their passing combinations and finishing.
Quote of the day: “We start at 10 am. If you’re not ready on time, you’ll have to get up earlier!” – Martin Krüger before the first training session
The outlook
Tomorrow, Wednesday, 26.07.20023, the team has two more training sessions on the daily schedule (10:30 / 16:30 pm). As usual, there will be a short highlights film on AFTV in the evening for all those who cannot be there.