“No time wasted traveling or adjusting to jet lag… Less stress.” Focus on overseas training costs and athlete support. Luxury training at a high-end hotel

KT Wiz team training

Professional baseball team KT Wiz had a hard time playing in a foreign country last spring.

This is because the spring camp site, Tucson, Arizona, USA, suffered from extremely cold weather for days after days due to abnormal weather.

KT was unable to smoothly prepare for the 2023 season due to the worst training environment.

Was it a problem with the spring camp training environment?KT struggled, falling to last place at the beginning of the 2023 season, and rose from the middle of the season to advance to the Korean Series.

After the 2023 season ends, KT has thoroughly prepared for the 2024 spring camp.We searched for a new spring camp site, including the United States and Japan, and asked the players about their intentions.

The players recalled 2021, when they trained domestically in the aftermath of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19).

At that time, KT held spring camp training in Gijang, Busan and won the Korean Series that year.

KT decided that it could be effective in Korea and visited Gijang in Busan once again.

Among the 10 teams this year, KT is the only one conducting spring training in Korea.

KT players are very satisfied.Although the weather in Gijang, Busan is not as warm as overseas, it is said that the benefits outweigh the losses.

KT ace Ko Young-pyo said, “Training in the U.S. requires spending days just traveling and adjusting to the time difference, making it difficult to improve your condition. Training domestically involves less wasted time and less stress.”

Above all, the biggest advantage is being able to meet family.

KT players meet with their families in Busan every rest day to soothe their tired minds and bodies from training.

The living environment is also very good.The club is focusing the money spent on overseas training solely on supporting the players.

KT players stay in the country's finest hotel facilities and receive nutrients with the best diet at every meal.

A KT official said, “We are not training in Korea due to cost issues,” and added, “We are sparing no effort in providing all kinds of support to help our players achieve their best physical condition.”

Manager Lee Kang-cheol (left) watching Moon Yong-ik’s bullpen pitching.

Of course, this does not mean there are no regrets.Hyundai Motor Company's Dream Ball Park in Gijang-gun, Busan, where the KT team trains, does not have an indoor training ground, so on rainy days, only personal training can be done at the fitness center.

KT Park Byeong-ho said, “It is the best facility if it has an indoor training center.”

It is also unfortunate that there is no opponent for practice matches.

However, a KT official said, "We plan to conduct sufficient practice games at the second camp in Okinawa, Japan," and added, "For now, we are focusing on managing the players' condition in the first training in Korea."

KT will train at Gijang, Busan until the 22nd and then depart for Okinawa on the 23rd.

After playing a total of five practice games in Okinawa, Japan, they will return and complete the exhibition game schedule.

KT coach Lee Kang-cheol said, "So far, spring camp training is going better than expected. As all players have prepared well, we expect to achieve good results in the new season." 고스톱