T&T players, training, payments & diet for national teams.

[Sam]

I know money is not everything, but everything now-a-days cost money.

Does anyone know if our national players, men/women - youth/senior gets paid for training, a refreshments and a possible healthy dinner.

I see our players for example, Joe Public in the Champion League and T&T current senior team and forgive me fellas, but they looking under malnutrition, they look like they suffering, even Jamaica players were looking healtier.

Joe Public players look like they just burnt out as after 50 minutes they were lost for energy. Derek King look like he does eat all de players food at half time.

Is one thing being skinny and healthy but some of them players look skinny and breakable.

I hope the players take it on themselves to look after their bodies and I also hope the TTFF have weight training and healthy diets as a mandatory for our players.

When you look at the foreign base you see a solid player. Julius James looks average in the MLS but when he suits up for T&T he looks like a giant.

Julius look like he playing with lil, lil chirren.

Got Milk.

[Coop's]

Sam,i think if there should be any problem at all with players weight,size,fitness it should start with the clubs/teams and Coaches they deal with on a daily basis and not the national teams,that's where they spend most of their time,by the time they reach the national team i think it's a bit too late,how much size could a player put on in a couple weeks plus if a Coach spends the limited time he has with players to concentrate on that aspect of the game what time does he have for the game itself.

I'm not saying the national team or TTFF should not give players some sort of stipend so they can get a meal or have something for them to eat after training etc but these players if nurtured properly from small should not have these kind of problems today,i think pointing fingers at the TTFF or a club Coach for a players physical development can be viewed depending on how you want to look at it.I can't remember waiting for a coach/trainer to get me fit,when i go to any team i already got that,just tell me what you need me to do from there and this is the problem today with players(T&T players)they waiting for Coach.

   

[College]

Players' fitness to a large degree, is his/her own responsibility. Having said that, a properly organized professional club should have proper weight training facilities coupled with best practices or education as far as diet is concerned.. and still is up to the player to make sure he putting in the extra work necessary and eating properly.

[Jah Gol]

Coops at the national youth level when teams spend a significant amount of time together a good diet and phyical training programme would be very useful. That should also be a part of every club's policy as well. I remember Mulraine leading a players strike asking for proper refreshments and meals for national duty. We end up losing 2-1 to Finland with a Police/Army/Fire/SSFL team. Mulraine said they had to use tap water to drink after training.

[Coop's]

Coops at the national youth level when teams spend a significant amount of time together a good diet and phyical training programme would be very useful. That should also be a part of every club's policy as well. I remember Mulraine leading a players strike asking for proper refreshments and meals for national duty. We end up losing 2-1 to Finland with a Police/Army/Fire/SSFL team. Mulraine said they had to use tap water to drink after training.

       I agree with you there,the Youth team we had some years ago with Latapy,Rocke,Marcelle etc that did very well i was the assit Coach Trainer for that team,that team got the works it was the first time we had a Youth team do weight training,got them up five in the morning and run hills etc etc the thing is we had does guys for an extended period of time,at that time also i being a PTI in the DF i gave it my all. 

[College]

I remember having a conversation with Colin Rocke, he was advising some of the younger players at Barataria Ball Players on the importance of weight training.

He indicated that when he first got on the national team, the coaches insisted he had to start lifting to put on the extra needed muscle which he then had to source on his own, there was no program or facilities where they could send him, he essentially had to depend on his own resources to do it. I am not sure if things have changed for the better.

[Coop's]

I remember having a conversation with Colin Rocke, he was advising some of the younger players at Barataria Ball Players on the importance of weight training.

He indicated that when he first got on the national team, the coaches insisted he had to start lifting to put on the extra needed muscle which he then had to source on his own, there was no program or facilities where they could send him, he essentially had to depend on his own resources to do it. I am not sure if things have changed for the better.

        I think back then weights was regarded as something for big men,you never saw or thought of lifting weights as a Youth,it was more discouraged than encouraged so the average Youth grew with that thought in their system.If you notice guys from the country districts seem to be more developed than those from the City etc because it's natural for them because of lifestyle to be always climbing hills,walking/running a lot,gardening,hunting etc etc (mind you i don't mean today).   

[maxg]

my Opinion, ah put sentences too 
   Most athletes from amateur to pro are well aware of the advantages of proper nutrition, and training. everyone know, dey perform differntly, if they hungry or didn't eat, if they prepared for an event(life lesson) or didn't. It is usually part of every school curriculum,yet most of us take it for granted (bozo course) and every athlete is usually aware of the benefits. However, where individuals differ is some can afford the high-end components,consumer products, professional trainers & gyms, etc...whereas some in lower income brackets or high responsibility situations (family, job etc) are unable to afford these, and then again many, just can't be bothered, as they believe, their talent(skill) would be all they need. However, what many ppl fail to comprehend, is there are cheaper and just as effective ways to get the necessary nutrional requirements and training necessary for elite athletic performance. It doesn't take a degree in chemistry or require any consultation and use of the best trainers at Gold's gym. It just takes some discipline, familiarity with the requirements of the individual sport and a little creativity.
   The best one can hope for is an ideal competitive body weight that the athlete feels comfortable with. No extra muscle will garauntee a better performance on the football field, though an optimum should be achieved as per that individual. It depend on growth (younger athletes), body type (genetics), proper diet(variable sources), ideal training methods(variable sources) amongst other factors. This can be determined by proper yet random  testing of athletes across the National population at various levels.
If the average height of a population is 5'8'', average weight of it sports men(or women) is 160 pounds, having them grow or bulk up, won't necessarily make them a better football team. See Crouch, KJ, 'teeths'..See Mexico, US, England...
   Point is, Guys just have to make do with what they have,or what is available and not depend on no commercial, or consumer items. This approach could also be adopted my the TTFF. 2 qualified talented individuals(National with ah blender(and stuff from the market) and some big stone could provide all the necessary training and nutrition our National athletes need, and put the necessary plans(away trips & home training) in place that individual athletes can follow.....Again it's the responsibilty of the athletes to stick with it..
A good site amongst many
http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/content/topic.jsp?contentId=30008

[spideybuff]

No there is no such programme in place for out national athletes, except perhaps the u-17 and u-20 teams that Leston Paul and co were part of.

They don't even have that in place for the West Indies team. Once training done, u on your own. Go eat your KFC and doubles and then run in the morning so u will stay "fit".

[Football supporter]

I see players who play overseas such as Gary Glasgow, Errol McFarlane and Brent Sancho go to training in the morning and then go to the gym in the evening.  This is professionalism. No one asks them to go. The local boys don't see the need to do this. Bulking up gives you more ability to withstand challenges and give you more power in tackles and a better spring. All English clubs right down to Blue Square level have weight training programmes.

Regarding nutrition, how many locals understand that eating a banana before training allows slow release of energy??

[dwn]

I will always remember when bmobile had a special on local tv where JW would interview PFL players (think it was called de bmobile bench or something so) and a joe public player was like - we eh really ha no kina diet nah

LOL

[dwn]

Found the video. Check 4 min, 45 sec for dieting advice from a TT pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_E2axddWE

[FF]

Found the video. Check 4 min, 45 sec for dieting advice from a TT pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_E2axddWE

wha de arse is this??    Is de men and dem face when he even broach de topic of diet....

like wha?? diet coke?

[Deeks]

my Opinion, ah put sentences too 
   Most athletes from amateur to pro are well aware of the advantages of proper nutrition, and training. everyone know, dey perform differntly, if they hungry or didn't eat, if they prepared for an event(life lesson) or didn't. It is usually part of every school curriculum,yet most of us take it for granted (bozo course) and every athlete is usually aware of the benefits. However, where individuals differ is some can afford the high-end components,consumer products, professional trainers & gyms, etc...whereas some in lower income brackets or high responsibility situations (family, job etc) are unable to afford these, and then again many, just can't be bothered, as they believe, their talent(skill) would be all they need. However, what many ppl fail to comprehend, is there are cheaper and just as effective ways to get the necessary nutrional requirements and training necessary for elite athletic performance. It doesn't take a degree in chemistry or require any consultation and use of the best trainers at Gold's gym. It just takes some discipline, familiarity with the requirements of the individual sport and a little creativity.
   The best one can hope for is an ideal competitive body weight that the athlete feels comfortable with. No extra muscle will garauntee a better performance on the football field, though an optimum should be achieved as per that individual. It depend on growth (younger athletes), body type (genetics), proper diet(variable sources), ideal training methods(variable sources) amongst other factors. This can be determined by proper yet random  testing of athletes across the National population at various levels.
If the average height of a population is 5'8'', average weight of it sports men(or women) is 160 pounds, having them grow or bulk up, won't necessarily make them a better football team. See Crouch, KJ, 'teeths'..See Mexico, US, England...
   Point is, Guys just have to make do with what they have,or what is available and not depend on no commercial, or consumer items. This approach could also be adopted my the TTFF. 2 qualified talented individuals(National with ah blender(and stuff from the market) and some big stone could provide all the necessary training and nutrition our National athletes need, and put the necessary plans(away trips & home training) in place that individual athletes can follow.....Again it's the responsibilty of the athletes to stick with it..
A good site amongst many
http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/content/topic.jsp?contentId=30008

Maxg, I agree with you. When I played in QRC, there was no weight program. But we were aware of it because we use to follow Euro ball. And in the magazines we use to get in the library would show them players doing weight training. They also mentioned diet plans etc. When I played for Essex we had nothing of that sort. But individual players used to weight train. Sammy Lewellyn use to weight train a lot. It help with his quickness.  I went to Ray Appollon gym in my second year with the team. I had too,  because of the Army. That Army front 6 used to run we arse ragged. I used to get pushed around and I got benched. So I went to the gym and strengthen up. I did put a lil weight but I was more defined and felt STRONG. It also did improve my STAMINA(the ability to recover at a faster rate). I would imagine that if Essex was a pro-team with their own facilities we would have been a better team. In this day and age, weight training is a MUST.  Cruyff and Zico were both scrawny kids with exceptional skills and dribbling abilities when the went to their respective clubs. It is a fact that they pump plenty iron to help them to withstand the heavy pounding that small men use to get in those days(they still do).

[SUPA]

Sam ah believe we tug it on d forum b 4, ah cah remember at dis time, but any way, if is u  small thing in my world, cuz I live for Allah and my family, not to fight with d flesh, unless there is a need to defend my title.

Nice, my point I am getting to is dat de Enterprise are grown people and we do give credit when it is deserved. So wid dat said, we do rate your work lately, apart from yuh RL threads, keep it up. This thread and especially dat one wid all dem T&T players yuh listed, dey are top ah d line. HIGHLY BLESSED.

[soccerman]

Found the video. Check 4 min, 45 sec for dieting advice from a TT pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_E2axddWE

Yuh ain lie dey at all nah, stay away from KFC

[dwolfman]

Since all of our national players are "professionals" it would be interesting to know what nutritional and physical training plans these guys are on. Not just during the season, but for pre and post season as well. If they are on any plans did they get them from their clubs or did they have to source it on their own? Are their clubs giving them a specific "nutrition and exercise" stipend/allowance or if they have to budget their salaries accordingly.

Typically a European pro would use the club's facilities to keep up with his physical training requirements and one would imagine that these facilities also include nutritionists, weigh ins, heart rate tracking, etc. What do local professionals do since many of the clubs don't have anything close to the same resources as a European club?

[Football supporter]

Since all of our national players are "professionals" it would be interesting to know what nutritional and physical training plans these guys are on. Not just during the season, but for pre and post season as well. If they are on any plans did they get them from their clubs or did they have to source it on their own? Are their clubs giving them a specific "nutrition and exercise" stipend/allowance or if they have to budget their salaries accordingly.

Typically a European pro would use the club's facilities to keep up with his physical training requirements and one would imagine that these facilities also include nutritionists, weigh ins, heart rate tracking, etc. What do local professionals do since many of the clubs don't have anything close to the same resources as a European club?

As far as I can tell, there is no advice provided. Players just seem to look after theirselves.
I know its back in the day, but Clayton Morris told me about an overseas international he played in (I think it may have been the Honduras match with all the disallowed goals?) Anyway, the team was placed in a cheap hotel with no running water and their evening meal before the game was tripe. The TTFF administrators were staying at the top hotel and you can bet they had hot water and didn't eat tripe!
Until TTFF are replaced by modern thinkers who understand things like nutrition, correct fitness programmes and injury prevention excercises, T&T football will not progress. Structured coaching schools and player development programmes are needed.

[Tenorsaw]

I'll say it again: these shortcomings are as a result of structural deficiencies at the club level.  The clubs are NOT taking a holistic approach to the game.

[just cool]

This is ah perfect example of how lax and anyhow TNT folks does take the life. imagine they have professional football clubs in trinidad and they don't have weights as part of their training or a gym belonging to each and every club , do they even have physios and weight and fitness trainers? and they want to beat santos and the crew? ssttuueepppsss.

i not even a pro athlete, but when i was ah yute in trini, i was always in the gym and continued that all the way into my manhood, and i iz ah regular joe.

that's why we always suck arse in every thing we do. just look around, mediocrity is the order of the day. what has the pro league, the mins of sports and the TTFF been doing all these yrs?? what ah total waste time these ppl are.

i can't imagine that it never dawned on any of these club owners that they need ah gym as part of their sporting facility. and we is ah footballin nation? what ah forkin joke!

[Football supporter]

It all goes back to the way clubs are owned. DF & Police should have facilities available, so maybe they are different. But single owner clubs are always going to providing the least possible to cut costs. Once clubs begin to raise capital by selling equity, they can then begin to invest in their players and supporters. But the league and govt should also play their part and market professional football properly. Once businessmen see the league as an attractive business opportunity, more infrastructure can be put in place. At the moment, the Pro League is not taken seriously by anybody, including supporters and government.

[Coop's]

It all goes back to the way clubs are owned. DF & Police should have facilities available, so maybe they are different. But single owner clubs are always going to providing the least possible to cut costs. Once clubs begin to raise capital by selling equity, they can then begin to invest in their players and supporters. But the league and govt should also play their part and market professional football properly. Once businessmen see the league as an attractive business opportunity, more infrastructure can be put in place. At the moment, the Pro League is not taken seriously by anybody, including supporters and government.

       I can say for sure at the HCS in POS it used to have mucho training equipment in there,from treadmill to weights,i can attest to that because we used to run Fitness training courses in there,even train national teams,i don't know for now because that was when i was back home in the services.I don't know about the other stadiums because i've not been around those but they are suppose to be equipped with training facilities it's the norm for stadiums.I can tell you at times when you go to that training room equipment used to be rusting,dusty,dryrut etc because nobody was using it, the thing is we blaming Gov't but it have so much waste in T&T people don't know what they have and even if they do they don't know how to take advantage of it.

[Football supporter]

It all goes back to the way clubs are owned. DF & Police should have facilities available, so maybe they are different. But single owner clubs are always going to providing the least possible to cut costs. Once clubs begin to raise capital by selling equity, they can then begin to invest in their players and supporters. But the league and govt should also play their part and market professional football properly. Once businessmen see the league as an attractive business opportunity, more infrastructure can be put in place. At the moment, the Pro League is not taken seriously by anybody, including supporters and government.

       I can say for sure at the HCS in POS it used to have mucho training equipment in there,from treadmill to weights,i can attest to that because we used to run Fitness training courses in there,even train national teams,i don't know for now because that was when i was back home in the services.I don't know about the other stadiums because i've not been around those but they are suppose to be equipped with training facilities it's the norm for stadiums.I can tell you at times when you go to that training room equipment used to be rusting,dusty,dryrut etc because nobody was using it, the thing is we blaming Gov't but it have so much waste in T&T people don't know what they have and even if they do they don't know how to take advantage of it.

I have seen a gym down at Manny Ramjohn. But you're right Coops. Ministers so keen to build new things but they don't want to maintain the things they have. It seems to me that clubs aren't requesting use of these facilities, so therefore, they are left to rust.

[Deeks]

It all goes back to the way clubs are owned. DF & Police should have facilities available, so maybe they are different. But single owner clubs are always going to providing the least possible to cut costs. Once clubs begin to raise capital by selling equity, they can then begin to invest in their players and supporters. But the league and govt should also play their part and market professional football properly. Once businessmen see the league as an attractive business opportunity, more infrastructure can be put in place. At the moment, the Pro League is not taken seriously by anybody, including supporters and government.

       I can say for sure at the HCS in POS it used to have mucho training equipment in there,from treadmill to weights,i can attest to that because we used to run Fitness training courses in there,even train national teams,i don't know for now because that was when i was back home in the services.I don't know about the other stadiums because i've not been around those but they are suppose to be equipped with training facilities it's the norm for stadiums.I can tell you at times when you go to that training room equipment used to be rusting,dusty,dryrut etc because nobody was using it, the thing is we blaming Gov't but it have so much waste in T&T people don't know what they have and even if they do they don't know how to take advantage of it.

I have seen a gym down at Manny Ramjohn. But you're right Coops. Ministers so keen to build new things but they don't want to maintain the things they have. It seems to me that clubs aren't requesting use of these facilities, so therefore, they are left to rust.

Gov't, gov't, gov't. We can't rely on the gov't all the time. If that is the case, when the economy turn sour the gov't contributions dry up.  Their is so much gov't can do.

[Tenorsaw]

Our local clubs need to put proper structures that would allow them to be self sufficient.  How about forming strategic alliances / partnerships with foreign clubs, where they could have first option to acquire our players, in exchange for technical expertise, equipment, etc.  It doesn't even have to be the biggest global clubs; the currency exchange will go a long way.  This hand-stretching waiting for gov't assistance will not work.  The Pro League is a private entity, and they need to find ways to allow its members to survive and eventually thrive.  They are void of long-term STRATEGIC initiatives that will get the League on sounder financial footing.

[maxg]

the Professional clubs need to hire professional people to develop professional individuals.

[Babalawo]

blame the TTProLeague.   more like the SomalianProLeague.  All man should be looking fit like Dwight Yorke if the want  to get a pro contract or taken seriously.  I laugh when i see man like kerry baptiste, etc get trial in foreign. no way them  getting sign looking like they dont hit the weights.  And they does get vex when Stern John bawl up and make fun of them in practise for looking and being skinny

[Sam]

This is what ah talking bout.


Watch Kevin Molino, one bad tackle on he and he done. Eat, papi, eat !!!!!!

[Preacher]

This is what ah talking bout.


Watch Kevin Molino, one bad tackle on he and he done. Eat, papi, eat !!!!!!

And the camera does add 10lbs.  That is real magganess.

[Controversial]

i remember i was in miami and saw henry with his girl walking and he was skinnier than 90% of the players on our team. so i dont know what some of these posters are talking about, its about fitness and training, diet is very important yes but men on here expect the players to be body builders, it just shows how little they know about the game of football.