News Need For Speed - Columnist Nawal Gurung Writes For Nepalese Coaches & Players
Nawal Gurung

Hello and Happy New Year to all the Nepalese football fans.

Before I start, I would like to introduce myself and tell you how this article could benefit you.

My name is Nawal Gurung and I have worked at multiple levels in football.

I first started out as the head coach of Himalayan Sherpa back in 2009 and continued to work for Nepal’s Under 23’s team as their lead Sports Therapist during the Asian U22 championship qualifiers.

Since then, I have worked for Fulham Football Club in England for the last nine years where I have experienced being in the Premier league and the Championship.

Currently, I am pursuing a Masters in Kinesiology and Exercise Science at Jacksonville, FL in the USA.


I was very excited to see our league has started as it is a huge step for Nepali football.

I wanted to contribute to the development of Nepali football to help build momentum from all angles. The focus of this article is to encourage the development of our football players by advising them in what the modern day player needs.

The first point I would like to make is that today, football is all about intensity.

High intensity football is effective and attractive. In order for Nepal to compete with other neighboring nations, we have to consider playing and training at a higher tempo. 


1.Train in shorter durations

During my time in Nepal, I recall many teams training for over 2 hours a day because they believe that the top European teams are training 4 to 5 hours a day.

This is a myth.

Most top European teams train in shorter durations with higher intensities.

The truth is when the intensity is high, the duration has to be low. It’s physiologically very demanding to maintain a  high intensity training sessions for a long period of time My recommendation is to do a 40-60 minutes high tempo training session. Remember, when it comes to football, if you play slow, you become slow.

2 High and low days

Let's say, a team played a game for 90 minutes. You wouldn't expect these players to have a high intensity training session the next day. The same rule applies after any high intensity training session. The following day should be made up of low inintensity training. On a low intensity day, the training session could be based around a more technical or tactical session. A lot of teams also incorporate set piece training. On this day, they train corners and free kicks. Keep in mind, when a team doesn't balance the intensity of their training sessions, they run the risk of accumulating high amount of injuries during the season.

3 Rest periods

Even in a short 60 minute session, it's very important to factor in rest periods that last up to 3 to 4 minutes per session. If the players gather a lot of fatigue, the training session will lose its intensity. Rest periods are not a way to make training easier for the players, but actually a method to get a higher work rate from them. A rested player will always give you more than an overworked or fatigued player.

4 Momentum and flow

Athletes play better and work harder when there is good momentum. To create a slow in the training session, I ensure there are plenty of footballs. As soon as a ball goes off, another ball should come into the pitch. This prevents "Stop Starts" as flow is key to high intensity performance. It's important for coaches to let the training flow while limiting intervention to a maximum of 2-3 times per session.

5 Culture

High quality intensity is a work of art. Anyone can make another person tired. The art here is to create an environment and culture where the players are competing to the best of theur ability. Players have to take responsibility for the high standards expected to get then to another level. I have seen really good players who couldn't go to a high division because they weren't able to maintain the high level of intensity. It takes collective effort to drive good quality sessions. It's not just one person's responsibility.

I am happy that our country has football league, going on. My only hope is that we make it better each year. The point of this article is to inform you on tips for athletic training.

If you would like to hear more tips on training, please like, comment and share as it motivates me to write more.



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