Ghanaian licensed fitness and conditioning coach Francis Laryea porpularly known as ‘Totti’ has advised footballers to put up good practices, including having enough rest, eating well, and regular bathing to avoid minor injuries that could threaten their career.
According to him, most of these minor injuries are career-threatening, which could possibly put an end to their football journey at the amateur level.
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He stressed that not all injuries can be attributed to a player’s fitness level but often because they fail to inculcate personal hygiene habits.
In an exclusive interview with Linus Nartey TV on YouTube, the Train Like A Pro chief executive officer cautioned footballers to prioritize their well-being to avoid being injury-prone while building their careers.
“Not all can be credited to fitness level; some don’t sleep early with continuous stress, having to stay late in the night only to be surfing the net. I sleep around 9-9:30pm so I can wake up early and prepare my training plan. I know my routine for the day, so I don’t like stress because I want to have enough energy to train. But I can’t sleep around 2-3am and wake up around 6am. While maybe I will have to train a player inside a pool at 10am, I am only stressing myself,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of proper nutrition and regular massages, adding that many players fail to report minor injuries early which often worsens their condition and forces them to play through pain.
“Sleeping is medicine because after every workout, one needs to have enough sleep. Also, players should have regular baths. A lot of these players don’t like to bathe and are forced to always skip their bathing time”he stated.
“They train regularly but fail to bath regularly, but it does not apply to only athletes; every person should make it a habit to always bath”he added.
Francis Laryea is a CAF/GFA licensed D coach who owns and operates the Play Like A Pro Football Club, a Division 3 club based in Tema.
He also runs the “Train Like A Pro Jersey Rentals and Player Management” initiative.
A former promising footballer, Laryea was forced to end his playing career due to injuries, a setback that led him to focus on rebuilding a career and reputation as one of Ghana’s most recognized fitness and conditioning coaches..
