PORTO FELIZ, Brazil — Jamaica’s Under-20 team members were taken through their paces yesterday under the guidance of the Gama family, led by son Daniel and assisted by father Walter and his other sons, Tiago and Luciano, at the Traffic Football Academy.

The session started with a lecture on personal developement, led by Daniel, and ended with practical offensive drills led by the eldest Gama and defensive exercises under the guidance of Thiago and Luciano on the pitch.

The training was well received by the Boyz, who expressed a desire to have sessions like this every day.

The first part of the session that was led by Daniel, who is a Physical Education graduate with a Masters Degree in motor science and is presently completing his Phd in Human Development and Sports Technique.

He showed video clippings on football icons such as Diego Maradona, Ronaldo and Pele and instructed the players on the utilisation of space, speed and their bodies to full effect.

The Boyz were briefed on the mental aspect of their game, and how this can lead to stardom.

Daniel noted that to achieve their ultimate, players need to get their bodies powerful, strong and fast; that their minds should be skilled in tactics, and that ehy should be psychologically balanced.

He said players need to be smart and find out what is inside or behind a phenomenon; what they have in common and what makes them different from other players.

Daniel, who is a former player, said Jamaicans are fast, using Usain Bolt as an example, but explained that football requires more than just speed as good players know when to sprint, stop, turn or jump.

“So you better become a soccer movement expert,” he encouraged the gathering.

On the field, former Werder Bremen defender Thiago, who also played for many of Brazil’s big clubs, including Flamengo, Sao Paulo and Vitoria, asisted Luciana by going through a number of defensive drills, which the players admitted was enlightening.

At the other end, Professor Walter Gama had the attackers making offensive runs and passes during scoring execises, which was also enthusiastically received.

Daniel, who spoke to the Sunday Observer on behalf of the family, said his intention was to pass on some of the concepts of playing the game.

“At first, we started with movement in soccer and then we came to the pitch to deal with some concepts of how to defend and to attack as a group and how to think as a group,” he said.

He said the players were responsive as they gave their full attention and he believe they will continue to grow if they maintain that level of interest.

“In football it’s not always the best team that wins, but the team that plays together and the team that wants to do it and I can see that they are very focused on that,” he stated.

Also accompaning the party was Professor Gama’s wife Maria, grandson Gabriel and granddaughter Manuel, along with under-study Paulo Ricardo Rocha, who is of Japanese and Brazilian parants and is presently completing a Physical Education degree.

Meanwhile, the team took the evening off and will play their next practice game at Paulina Esporte Clube this morning at 10:00.