He is one of the best basketball coaches at a national level and for 9 years he has been taking care of the preparation of the girls of Sanga Milano with great passion and dedication, a women's team that since 1999 has represented the basketball excellence of the Lombard capital of which SPORTLAB Milano is a Technical Partner.
He is Raffaele “Ganga” Gennaro and we had the pleasure of interviewing him.
Where does your passion for sports in general come from and how did you get into the world of basketball?
My passion for sports was born when I was little, in my family there have always been two factions, the one on my mother's side who loves basketball and the one on my father's side who loves soccer.
In the end, basketball prevailed all-round since I arrived in Milan, where I started collaborating with Sanga right away, from the Minibasket sector to the youth sector, up to the first team.
And what about your professional path? How did you become an athletic trainer?
I consider myself very fortunate in my professional career, both for the opportunities that have been given to me and for the way I have welcomed them.
From the very beginning I thought that my path would be in the sports field, in fact I began my post-secondary studies at the University of Motor Sciences in Rome. After graduation I dedicated myself to some specific Masters, from Biomechanics to Sports Traumatology. In recent years I have added several international courses to my knowledge, including a diploma in massage therapy.
Finally, to become an athletic trainer, I completed the course of studies with the Italian basketball federation, becoming, two years ago, a National Physical Trainer.
What are the main challenges you face in training a professional women's basketball team?
I believe that in recent years the role of the physical trainer has changed significantly, in addition to the classic work on the field and in the weight room, our task is to interact with the staff to modulate the training load of our workouts.
The daily challenge is to put the girls in optimal conditions to be able to face training and the season in the best possible way. Being able to compete with athletes who have also played at an international level is an extra incentive for me to update myself and always do better.
What are your favorite SPORTLAB Milano products to treat female athletes?
Both as a physical trainer and as a massage therapist, I am a lover and devotee of the first phase of work, the warm-up.
I use WARMUP CREAM a lot after a pre-activity sports massage to keep my temperature high.
Instead, I combine the use of WARMUP MASSAGE OIL with modern cupping techniques.
We know that in addition to basketball you are a big fan of Hyrox, the new frontier of fitness that combines running with functional workouts. Tell us a little about what this new discipline consists of and how you manage your workouts.
Over the last year I have become very close to the world of hybrid training, thanks above all to my friends Franca and Sal and the fantastic world of the Hungry Hybrid Team ( www.hungryteam.it )
After seeing their competition in Milan last year I decided to dedicate myself entirely to this discipline.
From here I completely changed my vision of training, slowly starting to add running sessions and circuits to my classic weight training.
Hyrox combines running, rowing, pushing, pulling and more, allowing you to challenge yourself in every workout and every competition.
In the end I chose to compete above all for this, to improve slowly, day after day, especially in disciplines that until recently I hated, like running.
Do you use SPORTLAB Milano products in your workout routine? If so, which are your favorites?
In recent years SPORTLAB has always been a partner in my training.
Since I started preparing for Hyrox, my bag has always had the following items: WARMUP MASSAGE OIL , which I use before every training session; SLIDER, which is very useful in long running sessions and beyond.
Finally, the FEET RELAX and COOLDOWN CREAM are essential, ideal companions after every workout.