(original article at elVocero.com, shown here in Spanish. Loosely translated and edited by Steve Hopkins with assistance from Google Translate.)
With the 2019 Pan American Cup coming to Puerto Rico in a few weeks, Brian Afanador is feeling some additional pressure. His training regimen now includes two innovations that are aimed at efficiency: working fully with French coach Patrick Chila and the inclusion of aquatic work to increase strength and reaction.
“His condition will be excellent in every way. So far, the team has been able to provide good results over the past year and we are moving forward with them”, said his father and coach Eladio Afanador.
Afanador was scheduled to participate in the Seamaster World Tour in Hungary, but he preferred to stay in France to train with Chila, a former Olympic player who is also his coach in the French league.
The Utuado, Puerto Rico native trains in two daily sessions of tactical technical training, in addition to one session with the physical trainer Bryan Fernandez. The first training session includes specific exercises that last approximately three hours. He also goes to visits with a psychologist to hone how he focuses on the game.
According to his father, in training Brian hits an average of 132 balls per minute. “(The training) has been different in many ways, including those and others like food and so on,” he added. “In order to complete the daily workouts we enter a pool at the end of each session. (It is done) to be able to train the next day because otherwise the muscles get very sore,” explained Eladio.
Brian left for France on January 3rd. His teammate on the national team, Daniel González, continues to train in Madrid with his club, San Sebastián de los Reyes. Both will complete the list of the best 16 male table tennis plaayers in the event that will be played from February 1 to 3 at the Mario “Quijote” Morales coliseum in Guaynabo. The start of preparation for both Puerto Rican paddlers begins on February 18. It is expected that all members of the national team will return to the island by the end of January.
