For the first time in the history of Guyana’s football preparation, heart monitors were utilized on each player during the Golden Jaguars “Train and Play” being held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
The device, which is standard equipment in developed nations, was used during an internal match played at the team’s training base of Estadio Municipal Jose Maria De Brito Barros. The match finished 1-1.
According to a release from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), head-coach Michael Johnson said, “They were little gadgets that went into the back of a special vest, which basically mirror all the footsteps of the players so we can start to work on the distance being covered by the player in the game. It also tells us the high intensity runs, how many sprints each player does so now we can start to see what they are actually doing.”
He added, “It doesn’t rule out decisions but it influences how we choose to do the next day’s training and also how we motivate players to be a lot fitter and stronger. So, it gives us a great tool to analyze a player’s performance; it gives us a great tool to see what the team is doing collectively over 90 minutes of game.”
Johnson noted, “Things went really well on Tuesday; the first day on Monday was tough and intensive so was the morning when we had a game that allowed the staff to see what the players are all about and it was a really good game.”
Meanwhile, the players and management staff during the afternoon conducted a recovery session on the beach. Jonson disclosed, “Some chose to go into the water whilst others played a bit of head tennis which was fun and engaging, so we got a lot out of it.”
Later in the evening the players were again involved in a classroom session which dealt with the psychological aspect of the game.
Two additional players, Canada-based defender Jelani Smith and Trinidad and Tobago-based Sheldon Holder, joined the camp.