Zeljko Obradovic spoke to ‘Partizan TV’ about his team’s preparations for the challenges of the upcoming competitive season, in which the black and white team has high ambitions.
Partizan is gearing up for the new season. The first part of their preparations is taking place at Kopaonik. Zeljko Obradovic discussed the progress of his team’s preparations so far.
“These are not the kind of preparations they used to be. We are in the mountains, but we don’t go outside. We are taking care of the condition of certain players. Some of the guys are not in the best shape, so we are creating a plan and program to prevent injuries to the players. This is primarily done by Bata Zimonjic, but also by us coaches. Everything is going according to plan. Preparations are different because I wanted to give the players more rest during the summer.
We have an incredible start to the season as we have 42 games in the first four months. Players like it because they prefer playing over training. We need to utilize the time until then to get the team in sync. We have a few new players, and some have left. We are spending time working on the details that can help us play good basketball.”
Obradovic reminisced about the earlier training sessions at Kopaonik.
“The training method is different now. In the past, there was a lot of outdoor running. After the initial phase, which lasted for two weeks, we would transition to basketball. Back then, it was possible because there were fewer games than there are now. There had to be a change in the way and the extent of training.
It is crucial that the players are motivated and strive to do their best. Until the first assessments begin, where it will become evident that some things need improvement, that’s when problems arise. Of course, we already have experience, and we will react to what needs to be addressed.”
The Partizan coach concluded by discussing the team’s atmosphere.
“One of the advantages of being on the mountain is that the players are constantly together, getting to know each other well, and we get to know them. We create the necessary atmosphere. We take care of nutrition, rest, and sleep patterns.
We have never had problems with that because the players behave responsibly, knowing who they are playing for and how many people believe in them,” Obradovic said.