Former Club Valencia and Maldives under 16 player Ismail Zaan Amir now plays for Spain's Pucol B side. Zaan writes a column for BoalhaMV about his childhood experiences, taking a break from his interesting story, he tells us his experience about his first senior appearance for Pucol B team. We wish Zaan All the best. And thank you for sharing your story Zaan. 

Match day Preparation - Pucol

Different club, different players, different environment, different atmosphere. Everything looked different and it was simply amazing. My first experience in a club where everything looked professional.

During the week I was training with the U 19 team when suddenly I got a call up for the Pucol B team which is the senior second team. I trained on the Thursday with them and got called up for the game on Saturday with them. It took one training session to prove to the coach that I am a player that is capable of playing at any level.

So Friday starts with the match day preparation. Match day preparation for some players will mean getting ready on the day of the match. No! Throughout the week its preparation time but specially the day before. There are five main things in a match day preparation. It consists of sleep, visualization, meals, routine and music.

So Thursday night for example, if you play on a Saturday it is a must to get 8 hours of sleep plus a good 2-3 hours nap in the afternoon on Friday. To do your best on the pitch, recovery is the most important source. When you have fully recovered by sleeping to the fixed hours, you can feel the difference in your performance. So the day before as well, try to get as much sleep as you can.

Second thing is the visualization. The night before, I always visualize the game. Being prepared mentally is another key aspect to boost your performance. Ask the kit man the day before what kit you’re wearing and visualizing yourself in that kit helps to train your mind to situations that might happen the following day. Question yourself, depending on the position. Feel the game the night before. For example, I am a player capable of playing in a lot of positions. However, in the last training session, you’ll know where you are going to perform in the next game. I trained as a right back in that last training session therefore, I visualized myself as a right back the night before.

Then comes the meals. The dinner you take the night before and the morning breakfast of the day you have the match is essential. The day before, the dinner is always chicken, pasta and a good green salad with a glass of orange juice. The morning breakfast is oatmeal with honey and a cup of coffee. Eating right is key because you can’t stock up a few hours before a match, it needs to be done the night before as much as you can. It is said that ‘A lion doesn’t hunt on a full stomach’, and the same when playing football. Make sure you haven’t overeaten as there is nothing worse than feeling lethargic and chasing shadows.

Routine means before a match, you always need to feel fully fit. Some players go on the bike for 15 minutes, some do stretching and relax. Routine is keeping yourself positive and concentrated. I do stretching’s the night before like foam rolling and 10 minutes of yoga to keep yourself calm. More than these, the prayers come at the top. Don’t forget to pray 5 times a day and specially in the match day, the dua’s (supplications) are a bit longer than usual. You need to get these from the Almighty because without that you won’t be able to succeed.

Last but not least, music! It helps you focus on the day. It helps you charge your muscles by hyping them up.

These are the main things I wanted to highlight in a match day and this is how my normal routine of a match day throughout the season will look like.

Photo: Pucol