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"Base camp in Johannesburg wrong
choice"
Tuesday 11 May 2010
The Dutch national football team
have picked the wrong location for their base camp,
says physiologist Raymond Verheijen.
Verheijen has researched the physical
effects of a stay at high altitude. The Amsterdammer
came to the conclusion that football teams are best
off at an altitude of 1100 meters. Holland are at 1700
meters in Johannesburg.
According to experts Verheijen
visited during his research, players lose athletic explosiveness
when they stay at 1700 meters for weeks on end. "The
body adapts to the altitude. But that costs a lot of
energy."
"Because there is less energy
in the air, players will take more time to recover,"
Verheijen also said. "You'll feel the consequences
as the tournament progresses. You don't have this disadvantage
at 1100 meters. Football is still the main thing, but
such details can be decisive."
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