There’s no rest for Barnsley’s players as they undergo a carefully planned week of training by Keith Hill and his team in the mountains near Marbella. The remote village location and excellent facilities will ensure this week is a tough but productive one.
I arrived in time for the early evening training session which was at 5.30pm in sweltering conditions. It’s definitely a punishing schedule and simply filming it saps your strength let alone undertaking the intense training they are. The hotel complex has everything the team needs before, during and after each training session.
The early morning session at 9.00 was to work on strength and conditioning which was the cooler of the two training periods today. That’s not to say it’s not a testing workout and the players need to be well rested ahead of the next training period. To that end the treatment room is set up to ensure any aches of pains are dealt with. Their weight is checked before and after each session to ensure that any weight loss due to loss of fluids is highlighted. With these temperatures making sure the players are properly hydrated is vital to their health and performance.
This evening after further strength and conditioning work the players played a series of quick fire matches and with evening temperatures of around 30ºC it is a real test of their strength and endurance. Despite some avoiding the water sprinklers for others they are a welcome relief from the heat.
After an intense workout the players go through a cool down routine and what better place than the swimming pool as John Lucas put them through a light session before heading off for dinner and an evening walk in the relatively cooler temperatures.
It’s double sessions every day this week before the team head back home on Sunday and straight into the first preseason friendly against Alfreton Town on Tuesday night.
Keep an eye out on Barnsley Player all this week as we brig plenty of interviews from Barnsley’s Spanish training camp and get an unique insight.
