Janet McLachlan: A week in the life of World Championship training
27.05.2014The Canadian wheelchair basketball player gives fans a quick glance at her schedule in the lead-up to this summer’s big event.
Janet McLachlan takes a shot at the hoop during the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where Canada finished sixth.
© • Lieven Coudenys
Over the next three weeks, each of us have returned home to train on our own and with our club teams before coming back together on 15 June for the World Championships in Toronto, Canada.
The Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team is wrapping up our three-week centralisation in Winnipeg, Canada, while other teams are having training camps in Turkey and Spain ahead of next month’s IWBF Women’s Wheelchair Basketball World Championships.
We have spent a bit of time here over the last few years, including three months leading up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and thus have become quite familiar with the University of Manitoba campus and the surrounding area.
It has been a great few weeks or training, lifting, practicing and cross training one to three times a day as well as a series of six games against the German women’s team, which flew in for a week.
The training schedule the week the Germans were here looked something like this:
Monday – 8:00-10:00 on court training session; 14:00 back on court, game warm-up and prep for 15:00 game vs. Germans; 19:00 team meeting and evening treatments with physio and massage therapists.
Tuesday – 8:00-9:30 strength and conditioning; 10:00-12:00 on-court training session; 14:00 back on court, game warm-up and prep for 15:00 game, evening treatments with physio and massage therapists.
Wednesday – 9:30-11:30 training session, followed by afternoon team meeting, evening boxing class (cross training), and treatments.
Thursday – 8:00-9:30 strength and conditioning; 2:00 back on court, game warm-up and prep for 15:00 game vs Germans (split squad); 18:00 game warm-up for 19:00 game vs. Germans, followed by evening treatments.
Friday – 9:00 game warm-up and prep for 10:00 game against Germans; 14:00 video; 14:30-16:30 on-court training, followed by evening treatments.
Saturday – 8:00-9:30 strength and conditioning; 9:30 on-court training; 14:00 on-court warm-up and prep for 15:00 Game vs Germans, followed by evening treatments.
As the week progressed strength training and practice intensity was modified depending on playing time. Meals were all provided and squeezed in between practice times and games.
Over the next three weeks, each of us have returned home to train on our own and with our club teams before coming back together on 15 June for the World Championships in Toronto, Canada.
