Diary Day 2: 7.30am Start

Monday. Shortly after 10:30am, the 98 team bus rolled off the stadium grounds in Darmstadt and set off on the two-hour journey to the Black Forest. The Lilien team, coaching team and staff will stay here for five days – from Monday to Friday. It is the first of two training camps this summer. SV Darmstadt 98 will lay the foundations for a successful second division season early in the preparation.

The first day of the training camp already showed what the Lilies in Lautenbach were up to – namely, toil, toil and toil again. At 4.30pm sharp, the South Hesse players entered the SV Lautenbach sports field for the first time to hold their first of numerous, sweaty sessions. Get in easy first? Torsten Lieberknecht previously denied this in a short one-on-one conversation with a mischievous smile on his face. The head coach of SV 98 had his men working under the Baden-Württemberg afternoon sun for almost two hours. The program included several increases and speed runs, as well as athleticism, ball work as well as forms of play, finishing and intensive duels. “A great unit, boys. “That was a good start to the training camp,” said Lieberknecht afterwards, praising his team. It can carry on like this!

Tuesday. „This saying means that getting up early is worth it because it’s easy to work in the morning and early risers achieve more,“ the statement said. The SV Darmstadt 98 team found optimal conditions in the Hotel Sonnenhof in Lautenbach. The weather is also good: the sun is shining. That’s why it’s important not to waste any time. There was no time to rest or sleep in, on Tuesday morning we went to the agreed meeting point on the roof terrace at 7.30am- and again not to enjoy the idyllic view of the Black Forest. Strength and stabilisation exercises were on the Lilies‘ agenda, so they were sweating at an early hour.

After breakfast, the South Hessians continued with the next unit. This time the lilies gathered at the SV Lautenbach training ground. As was the case the day before, the program included numerous improvement and speed runs, and for the first time in this training camp there was also an intense and strenuous eleven-on-eleven game played across the entire pitch – including some sensible moves and nice hits. Afterwards: regeneration. In order to cool down a little, numerous Lily professionals sought their way to the neighboring Rench.

The afternoon was also entitled “Regeneration” after the strenuous sessions yesterday and today. Torsten Lieberknecht gave his men the choice to regenerate either passively or actively. This meant that the people of Darmstadt were able to move freely around the pitch, take various active measures together with the trainers or relax their tired muscles in the ice bath or sauna. So it was time to gather strength, after all, three units are waiting for the SV 98 team tomorrow, Wednesday.