The Thai women's national soccer team is aiming to participate in the 2023 World Cup. Naomi Eguchi is in charge of conditioning the players as a fitness coach. Since taking up her post last year, GLAB has signed a support contract with the Thai national team, and they have been using Realine.
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The Asian Games, a milestone in the previous year, was held in India in January and February, but a coronavirus cluster outbreak occurred within the team, and the results were poor, so the team unfortunately missed out on a spot in the World Cup.
The Women's World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand in August next year. Thailand still has a chance to qualify through the intercontinental playoffs in February next year, so the contracts of the three Japanese players have been renewed to cover the entire duration of the World Cup.
I had barely had a break for eight months and the tournament in India had left me feeling pretty exhausted, so I went back to Canada for a month to refresh myself, and then returned to Thailand in early April.
The national team training camp began in mid-April. This will be another long-term training camp, with competitions continuing this year, including the SEA Games next month, the Southeast Asian Football Championship in July, and the ASIAN Games in September.
Coronavirus restrictions are still in place in Thailand, so I wear a mask except when eating and practicing. April is the hottest month in Thailand, so it's very tough. (In Canada, masks are no longer required indoors since last month.)
Realine usage status
The Thai players really like the Realign Device, and many of them are actively using it during their free time during the day or before practice. We also use it in the team's conditioning sessions, so everyone is actively using it at those times.
When new players join the team, they take good care of them, teaching each other how to use the equipment. Since there is a language barrier, I go around and explain the details mainly through demonstrations and body contact. As expected of an athlete, I am grateful that they are good at copying movements.
Since we started using the Realign device in team practice for about three months from November last year when we received it until our trip to India, the players' movements have become less shaky and there have been fewer accidents during contact play. I have the impression that their core muscles are no longer shaking and that they are able to use their glutes better.
I plan to continue to focus on coaching new players and players with medical histories.