Lions prepare for Men's Volleyball World Championship in Qatar

The Lions are hoping to make the most of each of the 20 players summoned for preparatory courses at the 18th Men's Volleyball World Championships (from August 30 to September 21 in Poland), third of its kind since the month of May.

Peter Nonnenbroich, the German coach of the Lions began last Friday, a specific preparation in Doha, Qatar with friendly matches against the Qatar selection team. With 44 days to the final tournament, there is apparently no time for the Lions to lose.

The training program is Corsican, a specialty of the German which allows for three hours of training in the morning, then a match in the evening. And this program will continue every night until next Saturday.

The first trial match was played last Saturday against the military selection (national team B of Qatar), and they won 3 sets to 2 by Jean-Patrice Ndaki Mboulet, the captain of the squad, and his teammates. Six games were therefore planned in Doha; four have been scheduled against the first team of the Emirate and the last one against the first team of Qatar.

According to Peter Nonnenbroich "Working conditions are good, we are working on tactics at different game sequences. We maintain also the acquired physical level in the earlier phases", he explained to CT.

These six meetings are complemented by two sparring-partners from Slovenia. Facing the local junior team, Peter Nonnenbroich was looking for speed-oriented complex game sequences, a sequence, which led to a joint work session with the Slovenian senior team.

This internship in Qatar is the logical continuation of preparations started 24 June in Slovenia. For 16 days, the rhythm of work has always been sustained for six hours of daily training. Endurance which began in Tunisia, continued in Maribor, with a larger workforce, the coach added.

Four players (Cyrille Ongolo Mayam, Marie Hermann Engala, Patrick Feughouo and Didier Sali Hile) who were absent in Tunis have finally joined the rest of the players.

"We will work on resistance with efforts of high intensity in addition to technico-tactical aspects," added the coach. Moreover, several physical tests gave the opportunity for each of the 20 pre-sectioned to be evaluated. And so far, no bad news, "no accident or injury report", the German said.

They will return July 21, to Maribor for continuation of the training process. In Poland, the Lions share pool A based in Wroclaw, in the South-West of the country. Cameroon falls in the same pool with, the host country (5th World), Argentina (7th World), Serbia (9th World), Australia (13th World) and Venezuela (31st world).

The first meeting of Cameroon is scheduled August 31 against Australia.