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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
VETERAN Chicken Inn FC midfielder Clemence Matawu is using his sports science degree and coaching knowledge to formulate training drills to keep him active and fit during the coronavirus lockdown.

The 37-year-old, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Sport Science and Coaching at the National University of Science and Technology last year, said although he has been formulating exciting drills to avoid losing fitness, he has had to replace “group” trainings he was used to do with teammates to train with his two children aged eight and five.

He allayed fears of losing shape, saying he has always been a fitness enthusiast and is not having any challenges in keeping up with the training programme given to Chicken Inn players by the technical team.

“Obviously when you stay long without being match-active, you are bound to lose some of your fitness. I am someone who is a fitness freak and even before this pandemic I always had a programme for myself. So, in the meantime I am following a programme which we were given by the coaches and adding mine also. What is important is just being able to keep your weight in check,” said Matawu.

“Having a sports science background has indeed given me a good foundation to formulate training programmes and have also been trying out a lot of variations bringing some fun to my workouts,” he said.

The former national team midfielder, who also had a playing stint in Poland, challenged footballers to use the lockdown as a time for “self-introspection” and plan what to do after hanging their boots.

“Football life is very competitive and short. Not every player will make it big. Having said that, I urge them to keep on working hard on their strengths, weaknesses and looking at other opportunities within or outside the football circle. This isn’t the time to rest and we mustn’t lose focus if we want to realise our dreams.”

He emphasised the need to stay safe by social distancing and practising high standards of hygiene to avoid contracting and spreading Covid-19.

Highlanders vice-captain Nqobizitha Masuku said the lockdown extension was necessary for the wellbeing of people.

“I think many people might not agree with the extension because of the economic challenges that they are facing, but this is the right thing to do. Hopefully, if we follow recommended guidelines we will conquer coronavirus and get back to our everyday lives. Let’s stay at home and be safe; together we can fight Covid-19,” Masuku said.

“As a footballer, you have to be professional all the time, adhere to health and safety measures and at the same time work hard to keep fit. There’s no need to lazy around because of the lockdown. Whether you’re being monitored or not, you have to keep training and stay in shape.”
Bulawayo Chiefs’ new signing Charles Sibanda, who joined from FC Platinum, said he has been practising social distancing by staying at home and training in his yard.

Veteran midfielder Dominic Mukandi, whose signature was captured by Bulawayo City, returned to his hometown in Harare at the start of the lockdown and admitted to facing challenges of training alone.

“I’ll be honest, it’s hard to train alone, especially when you were at peak and ready for the season. There’s no one to blame because this is an act of nature and I just have to keep pushing. What I do is to do a 5km run every morning and do some aerobics to stay fit,” Mukandi said. – @ZililoR