Training on damp sand a cause for concern

By SHAMSHUL FITRI

The beach volleyball team are ready and raring to go but coach Lim Poh Hong is holding some reservations.

The former national player said that the team had to train on damp sand because of the raining season and this could affect their performance in Laos.

“They can jump higher and run faster because damp sand is harder and more compact than dry sand,” she said.

“I am worried that they will find difficulty adapting to the court conditions in Laos and all of our training may come to nothing.”

Poh Hong said that dry conditions were more taxing on the energy of the players and players may pick up injuries.

“What we can do is to train on a beach court because even if it rains, the sand is still loose – unlike our training court in Bukit Jalil. But it’s only a few days before we leave for Vientiane and I don’t think it’s practical,” she said.

The women’s pairs in the team are Beh Shun Thing-Luk Teck Hua and Chia Chou Hwa-Jessie Lee.

The men’s pairs comprise Mohd Fitri Salim-Mohd Faiz Putra Abd Razak and Khoo Cheng Long-Lee Kwang Tung.

The best achievement by Shun Thing-Teck Hua in the SEA Games was winning the bronze in the 2007 Korat Games.

The team will leave for Laos on Tuesday and will get two days of training there before competitions begin.