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Saturday July 24th , 2010 TRAINING CAMP! Liberec Czech Republic sits in the north central part of the country one hour from Prague and only a few kilometers from Poland. I have seen several cities in Czech including Prague, Chomutov, Cheb, Kladno, Karlovy Vary, Prostejov and Pardubice, but Liberec has possibly the most comfortable feeling to me. Once a German city during times of the second world war, Liberec looks German and has a familiar feel. With a population of 100,000 people, Liberec is known for its famous white tigers at the city zoo. In the sports world of Czech Republic, Liberec is the home for an outstanding hockey team in the top Czech division. Last season, former NHL star Petr Nedved played for the White Tigers Liberec and in the fall of 2010, the Boston Bruins will travel overseas during training camp to play an european exhibition game in Liberec against the White Tigers team. But while the Czech Republic may be an ice hockey nation and Liberec may be home to one of the top teams in their league, Liberec was host for another sport's mid-summer training camp --- the Czech Republic senior men's national basketball team. Playing in the Qualification round this summer, the Czech National team will compete against rival country Slovakia, Cypress and Switzerland. The teams exhibition game schedule tips off Monday at Sofia Bulgaria in a tournament featuring Bulgaria, Austria and Cypress. Returning to Prague, the Czech team will prepare for a two-game road trip to Lithuania August 1st and 2nd before returning home to Decin, Czech Republic for two games against Estonia. Czech Republic Training Camp roster Michal Carnecky pg Opava David Marek pg Prostejov Lubos Barton F Barcelona David Jelinek G Badelona Lukas Kotas G USK Prague Pavel Pumprla F Nymburk Pavel Slezak F Nymburk Petr Benda C Nymburk Petr Bohacik F Pardubice Tomas Hampl F Bilbao Pavel Houska F Decin Ales Chan C Nymburk Pospisil Zbynek F Pardubice GM Czech Basketball Federation: Jiri Zidek manager: Jakub Dura (Liberec) Head Coach: Pavel Budinsky (Decin) Assistant Coaches: Jan Slowiak (Pardubice) Mike Taylor (ratiopharm Ulm) Conditioning coach: Vladimir Hojka Physiotherapist: Petr Toncar CZECH REPUBLIC SCHEDULE July 20th - July 23rd Training camp in Liberec Czech Republic, Arena Tipsport July 24th to Prague July 25th Travel to Bulgaria July 26th - 27th Tournament in Sofia Bulgaria (Czech Rep., Bulgaria, Austria, Cypress) July 28th return to Czech Republic July 29th - 30th Prague July 31st Travel to Lithuania August 1st - 2nd games in Lithuania August 3rd return to Czech Republic August 5th - 7th practice in Decin, Czech Republic August 8th - 9th games vs Estonia in Decin August 10th - 11th Decin August 12th Travel to Slovakia August 13th practice in Slovakia August 14th Czech Republic @ Slovakia August 15th return to Czech Republic August 16th practice August 17th Czech Republic vs Cypress in Decin August 18th - 19th practice in Decin August 20th Travel to Switzerland August 21st Czech Republic @ Switzerland
Hotel Babylon in Liberec Czech Republic Hotel Babylon, the base for the Czech National team throughout training camp, is a four star hotel in close proximity to Arena Tipsport and the city center. Featuring a terrific swimming area, the hotel was a perfect facility for team needs. The intense national team program filled complete days with basketball practices, team activities, meetings and meals. Honestly, as nice as Hotel Babylon was, very little time was spent in hotel rooms aside from sleeping in the evenings ---- and after an intense exhausting basketball day, there was no energy left for anything else.
Arena Tipsport Liberec, Czech Republic
Life at the Czech National team training camp in Liberec was all about setting the tone for the new team with a work ethic and positive energy. The day started early to a 6:30am cell phone alarm. Meeting Pavel by the chairs in front of the elevator on the second floor, we greeted each other with casual small talk at 7:30am. Making our way downstairs to 7:40am team breakfast, basketball consumes conversation. Honestly, the training camp schedule dominates the entire day leaving little time for anything but basketball. I know how reality TV must feel. But instead of an adventure in the jungle, my island is basketball. Ironically, the players were working to survive the intense training camp schedule. The early-morning hotel spread was a typical euro-breakfast but I went with things I know and kept it simple --- some scrambled eggs, a sausage or bacon and some bread. The only meal of the day we shared with other hotel guests, the first day of training camp players sat at tables talking together and laughing long after finishing their food. As training camp went on, players quietly ate their breakfast and quickly retreated to their rooms efficiently using their time maximizing every valuable second of rest. After a morning coffee, I met with Pavel to discuss details of practice and the team. By 9:30am we were prepared and leave Hotel Babylon setting out on the five minute walk to the Arena. I love to get to an arena early before practice. Pavel and I walked to the scorers table of the empty arena and would sit down to continue our basketball discussions. Within minutes the first players would begin to appear on the floor. The professional Lubos Barton begins his warm-up and core exercises. The hardworking Pavel Houska gets extra shots up. One by one, players would make their entrance over the next twenty minutes as time ticked toward ten a.m. At exactly 10 o'clock, we would meet at center court where Pavel would take the team through the morning schedule. The brief introduction concluded with everyone 'hands in' together saying team motto 'Rvi se jako Lev!' Team conditioning coach Vladimir Hojka took the team for the first thirty minutes guiding them through agility drills and an active warm-up. At 10:30am, players received a short break before the basketball part of the morning workout tipped off. From after the break until 12noon, the 12 man roster of the Czech National team got down to business with basketball practice and drillwork. Finishing the basketball segment of the morning with a competitive shooting drill, the team took a second short break before beginning their next conditioning work with Vladimir Hojka. One day, the team worked on medicine ball exercises to strengthen the core and on another day, the team battled through toughness drills in a volleyball sand pit. On another day, the team would work with medicine balls. Finally, an obstacle course of cones and hurdles was arranged for players to perform a new set of agility drillwork.
Czech National team posing for pictures inside Hotel Babylon at training camp in Liberec Czech Republic.
Returning to the hotel after practice, the team moved immediately to lunch at the hotel Babylon. On the terrace above the restaruant, Hotel Babylon had a 'snake pit' with two giant green and white pythons sleeping or slithering around. The joke within the coaching staff and team was that too many turnovers would lead a player to the 'snake pit'. All jokes aside, we worked hard to create a positive atmosphere amongst the new team and my contributions included a team handshake --- bumping fists together and blowing them up while saying 'BANG!'
Head coach Pavel Budinsky After lunch, Pavel and I would meet in the hotel lobby for a coffee and coaches meeting. Practice planning, offensive and defensive tactics and general team information filled the agenda. Once in a while, a player would stop to join our discussions with the most interesting being stories from forward Lubos Barton who had won the Euroleague with FC Regal Barcelona this past season making him the second Czech player of all time to win a Euroleague title. When the mid-afternoon talks were finished, it was already time to walk back to the Arena for the second session of the day. Afternoon practices followed the same basic plan as the morning sessions. After a brief huddle, the players were under the watchful eye of conditioning coach Ladja Hojka and physio Petr Toncar. Mixing up their conditioning work to maximize the team, the Czech Republic staff did an outstanding job of preparing the players physically for top performance. While players worked on the floor, Pavel and I would sit courtside and make final adjustments for practice. 30 minutes after the official start of the workout, players took a quick break. When the whistle blew, the team was back to basketball with 5 on 0 transition drills. After a fast review, the afternoon was usually the time to put in something new. Pavel broke out the rebounder to work on conversions and kept things competitive in all the drills. Most important, due to the short time period, there was a big emphasis on keeping things simple, focusing on playing aggressive and relying on 'instinct'. Shooting drills signaled that practice was winding down and the players enjoyed the variety of shooting games. Pavel's favorite shooting drill was named after the top Lithuanian team Kaunas and the Czech guys loved it. Closing practice, several players often stayed to work on their game or get some extra attention from the excellent conditioning staff. Pavel and I would find time for shooting games like around-the-world and three point shootouts. Players could clearly see how much fun we were having together and I believe that helped set the positive tone with the team. For the record, the lucky lefty Pavel Budinsky did take back to back three point shoot-outs but I dominated in Around the world. Walking back to the hotel, it was immediately time for dinner. Like every meal in the Czech Republic, it started off with soup. Chicken noodle soup, onion soup, tomato soup, russian soup Borscht or Hungarian goulash soup --- I did not realize so many different types of soup existed. When I asked the team, their explination was that soup is a MANLY food and when combined with meat and potatoes, that is a MANLY Czech meal. Most of the meals served to the team were full course meals with salads, soups and a large helping of the main dish. Aside from my interest in the soups of the Czech Republic, I was also shocked to see people put ketchup on their spaghetti. While, meat, potatoes and soup were described as a 'Manly Czech meal', I accepted no reasonable explination for ketchup on pasta. After dinner was team time. One day we took a hike up the mountains just outside Liberec making it all the way to a hotel high atop the peak which overlooked the city. The team-building event went over extremely well while giving the players active rest. On another night the players had massages and regeneration in the first class team lockerroom of the ice hockey team White Tigers Liberec. A traditional European suana combined with a whirlpool and cold pool gave players and coaches opportunity to relax and talk in a different setting. Finally, another team-building event took the team to a Czech pub in the mountains for a big traditional Czech meal of kilbasea, chicken or ham. I enjoyed a giant ham roast called 'Koleno' which was translated to me as 'pigs knee'. Through all of the hardwork on the floor, the new team also benefited from these fun team-building times during the intense week-long training camp in Liberec. Pavel and I also enjoyed our time together as well. Spending basically all day together talking basketball and working with the team, we both brought positive energy to hours of basketball discussions. New ideas, plans for the team, experiences from the season, hopes for the future, the intense basketball talks were the continuation of our time together ten years ago. For us, we followed the path to make our basketball dreams come true. Aside from basketball, Pavel also wanted to show me culture of the Czech Republic. One night at the dinner table, after a long intense two-a-day schedule, Pavel told me he wanted to take me to his home area and a place called 'Czech Paradise'. Moving on a spur of the moment, knowing our schedule for the rest of the week made it a now-or-never decision, we hopped in Pavels car and drove off into the Czech summer evening for a visit to Hruba Skala.
The castle at Hruba Skala Czech Paradise is basically a valley between two small mountains. The beauty of the area comes in the 12 unique giant stones that rib the region like a spine amongst the forrest. Two beautiful castles stand majestically on the horizon. Pavel and I stopped at one castle for a drink and he told me stories of growing up in Jicin, a small town nearby. The personal time was something that made this training camp really special. While the experience on the basketball floor is amazing, moments with friends and the relationships built during time together is really what it's all about. Castle at Hruba Skala Czech' out Taylorhoops.com for an inside look at the Czech Republic National team throughout the intense month of international basketball.
click here for Wikipiedia Czech Republic national team Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm and international baketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com! GO ULM! MIKE T click to return to CZECH Republic 2010!
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