One would expect winger Udanta Singh, who won the Indian Super League title with Bengaluru FC and put up a string of strong performances for the Indian national team at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, to relax and recuperate after his league commitments but the pacy youngster feels there is no "off-season" in football.
“I took a couple of days off, and I got right back into the grind. When you’re not playing competitive football it is always fun to have a game with your friends and family. It gives you an aspect of the game wherein you can enjoy with your loved ones,” said Udanta, who boasts a goal conversion rate of 21 per cent.
“It really depends what you want to do in the off-season. You can relax, or you can put the work in and get ready for the next season. I prefer the latter,” he added.
The 22-year-old maintains that he engages in some sort of training even during his off days: “I try to train daily, and do some sort of strength and conditioning or stretching daily. So as to not only exceed my athletic capabilities but be in better physical form once the seasons starts.”
“Strength and conditioning plays a major role in the off-season and you can exceed your athletic capabilities with a proper programme when you are not engaged with football,” he added.
With the Indian team set to play the King’s Cup in Thailand next month, Udanta believes that the team would benefit from its AFC Asian Cup campaign.
“In the AFC Asian Cup we showed what we are capable of. We were unlucky not to progress through to the next round. But our win over Thailand was a statement of our abilities as a young team. We can only go upwards from here and the Kings Cup will be another good platform to grow,” he said.
India will play Curacao in the opening match of the Kings’ Cup on June 5.
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