The training session then focused on team building exercises. “Good communication is a must for a team,” Megh said and blindfolded all the players. Coach Krishna Thapa and Upendra Man Singh instructed blindfolded players to travel a certain distance, while simultaneously informing their team mates about hurdles along the way.
“Team spirit is a must to achieve something,” Megh again hinted at the next exercise. A player had to chase others and as he touched another, they had to make a chain. The chain chase continued till everybody became part of the chain. “It was difficult for a single person to chase others, but as the chain became bigger it was easy to catch others,” Megh said. Once the circle completed, the players cheered the training slogan “Together we can.”
The team was then asked to huddle together on a piece of carpet and overturn it without stepping out of it. They were given three minutes to discuss the task, one minute to take decision and another four minutes to execute it. While performing the task, the players were only allowed to use gestures to communicate. And the team performed its task remarkably.
ANFA´s advisor Shah, then, stepped forward to motivate players. “I can´t say how to play football. It will be foolish to do so. Therefore, as advisors, we managed this training for you,” said Shah, who is also the CEO of Nabil Bank. He praised players as national flag bearer. “No political leader can make the entire nation happy at a single point of time but you can if you achieve victory”, said Shah. He also asked players to believe in their potential. “You are the best footballers in our nation and you are the best”, Shah inspired the team.
After an hour of lunch break, training shifted its focus in problem solving through team effort. “This training is less focused on physical exercise than on the mental and psychological side,” said Megh. Then, the players were given trust building exercise. One player had to fall on his back from a height and others had to catch him mid air. Similar exercises followed before certificates were distributed randomly. Every player was asked to speak a few positive words about other players, which increased respect for each other.
At the end of the day, players were relaxed and smiling. “This is memorable training,” said goalkeeper Bikash Malla, adding, “Such trainings help develop strong ties between team members, which in turn boosts team spirit. I hope we can perform better now.”
Nepali football team is undergoing closed camp training for the upcoming SAFF Championship scheduled to be held in the capital city of Bangladesh from December 4 to 14. The team building training was conducted at Gokarna Resort by Borderlands Group and managed by All Nepal Football Association´s advisor Anil Shah.
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