850m below the surface, beach volleyball heroes Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann were searching for inspiration – and found it in hell!
German beach volleyball pro Reckermann (30) together with Colonia giant Brink (27) became world champions in 2009 in their first year as a team.
In the build-up to the 2010 championship, the pair wanted to pushed the boundaries, to avoid any form of complacency. If you know all the beach volleyball courts on the tour, then you need to search for new, inspiring locations. Welcome to 'Hell Training'!
'In preparation for this season, we wanted to have completely new surroundings' – Reckermann
The small village Merkers in Thuringia, Germany is an historic location. Until 1993, hundreds of miners drudged in the dark recesses of the salt mine. Generations of workers went down to dig and blast. In February 2010, Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann trod the same path for another very important mission.
"In preparation for this season, we wanted to set completely new psychological surroundings," says Reckermann. Their search led them to 'Hell Training' – pre-season conditioning in the dark caverns of the mine.
One year after their surprising world championship win, the eyes of the sports world are focusing on the two Germans, who managed to bring the title, dominated by athletes from Brazil and America, to Europe for the first time in its history.
In the next three years, Brink and Reckermann will be gunning for honours at three big events: the 2010 European Championship in Berlin, the 2011 World Championship and then, the ultimate, the Olympic Games in London in 2012. “We will give everything to be at our peak," says Reckermann.
The path to the lighting of the Olympic torch will be hard. It starts on April 19 when the Beach Volleyball World Tour takes place in Brasilia.
For more on the Beach Volleyball World Tour visit www.fivb.ch
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