MGAFK: American adventure

Stanislav Krainov MGAFK tells the story of a trip to the United States. It was rather intense, because due to daily games, exercises, excursions and shopping we returned to the hotel late at night just to sleep. I'm not going to talk about how the tour took place, as we climbed the Empire State Building and went to the ocean, as in this case, the post will quite voluminous. So I will tell only about basketball!
In the first three days of our trip was planned three workouts. Due to a severe acclimatization first few days we walked, as if in a dream. After some discussion, the coaching staff decided to cancel the last team to provide training and rest. The first training session was held at the training base of the Brooklyn Nets in New Jersey. Every NBA team has a base, so as to train in the main arena costs money. Therefore, the official arenas NBA teams only play and train in another place! For example, our training is conducted on an individual coach training players Ross Burns. He works with stars like Landry Fields, Ben Gordon, Jock Noah and Mike Dunleavy. On this basis, we also met with the players the Nets Brook Lopez and Tornike Shengelia, as well as an assistant coach Lawrence Frank.

A couple of days of training were designed to give us a little in shape before the games, as the off-season because we have no one trained. Hour of individual exercises, 5x5 hour of play and held a training process. As we learned later, in America, in this graph workouts work almost all the athletes.

But what about the combination, you ask ... Only with the college players are beginning to use some combination of basketball, and all the childhood they are taught to play one to one. In addition to the workouts were and weekends. On one of those days I, Alexander Pechersky and Mher Petrosyan went for Nike sneakers. Basketball store was on the top of a five-story building, and the required steam in a special elevator was delivered in a few minutes. In addition to a huge selection of shoes we have met yet ... Houston forward James Harden! By his coming administration Nike prepared thoroughly: playing DJ, met a lot of people.

 Now, regarding the games themselves. The first game took place in Brooklyn MGAFK on Dean Street. Now this outdoor playground is much more popular Rucker Park. A few hours before our game, Kevin Durant played here, so we had the chance to meet him as well. The site is fenced metal grid around which gather crowds. Here are all playing in the style of Run and Gun, we were not the exception. Words can not describe what the atmosphere reigned in the evening. Spectators were happy beautiful game and not rooting for their countrymen. In the end, we won with a difference of two points.

The next day we waited for the game in the hangar on the shore of the East River. The hangar was just huge, gathered under the roof just eight sites, built on the highest level. At that meeting we lost, we unfortunately lost five points, and the next day we were in for Springfield. I was offered to stay in New York to work out individually with Ross in the morning and in the evening to take part in the training game, which was supposed to come and NBA players. Of course I agreed, in addition, to this day, the company I was Misha Elders who received a bad cut in the second game. Training took place in New York Athletic Club, a very prestigious fitness club in Manhattan, opposite Central Park. In addition to the business of Wall Street, his client is Justin Timberlake and other celebrities. Become a member of this club is very difficult and extremely honorable, and for this you have to make patronage once seven current customers. Morning training session lasted only 45 minutes, but it was so intense that I felt like I was dying a second time! The focus was on rolls, run one to one and footwork on the ladder. In the evening, as I said, was to be playing exercise. It was attended by players from the NCAA, from the D-League and Mike Dunleavy of the NBA. The main difference from the Russian basketball is how strong each player individually. We played in the style Pick up, there were 15 people, the losing team goes to the bench, the training lasted 2:00. As a result, each of the three teams had about 50 percent of the victories and defeats. The next day I went to Ross Elders by car in Springfield. As the morning at the rest of the team had a tour of the Hall of Fame, we do not have time for it. Especially for the two of us, Dmitry Materansky organized another run. In the hall of fame gathered all the history of basketball, including the 23rd shoe size Shakila, school shirts LeBron and Pat Riley's championship ring. There is a lot of attractions, where you can measure the height of the jump, the number of goals shots per minute, or how high you'll be able to pick up the selection.

Three-story museum, located on the first basketball court, where they can throw everyone who bought a ticket. In place of the side rings are all the types of rings that have existed in history, even the wooden barrel on the three-meter altitude takes your throws. That evening there was a game, not just in the NBA Hall of Fame. It was the first game in history with the Russian team. She came to the view of Boston general manager Danny Age, his son played against us. There already felt tired, for me it was the fourth consecutive game. As a result, we lost 12 points.

Despite the defeat, the impressions of the trip itself, as a whole, there were only the most positive. In addition to a full bag of new things I brought to Moscow new basketball experience.