While it was a whirlwind trip to the United States, Sydney Swans midfielder Dan Hannebery said he and teammate Luke Parker learned a lot from the experience.
The Swans pair were invited to train and test at the elite facilities at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Florida for five days.
They were joined on the trip by Geelong stars Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins and also members of the AIS-AFL Academy, including QBE Swans Academy player Callum Mills.
While it was only a short trip, Hannebery said he learned a lot.
“I thought it was a great experience, I think it was great that Gatorade were able to take all of us over there with the facilities, testing, advice and the training over there was first-class,” Hannebery said.
Parker and Hannebery on the training track in the United States.
“It was a great couple of days and we got a lot out of it.
“I loved every minute of it and if we had the opportunity again we’d all grab it.”
It wasn’t much of a holiday for the Swans pair as they continued their pre-season program, trained with the AIS-AFL Academy and were put through a number of physical and mental tests.
Some of the world's best athletes including Eli Manning and Dwight Howard have spent time at the institute and have undertaken the same tests as the Swans midfielders.
Hannebery said the testing helped him identify areas that can better his performance.
The Swans midfielder undertakes some tests at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
“You can take out different things, ways to improve, they gave us some sessions we can do to improve certain tests whether it be VO2 or power tests on the bike,” he said.
“They also gave us some nutritional and hydration advice going forward, how we can improve that, so certainly a lot of things over there we found beneficial.”
While it was an unbelievable experience at the Gatorade institute for the Swans pair, Hannebery said he also learned a lot from training alongside the Cats’ skipper and key forward.
Hannebery enjoyed spending time with Geelong's Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins.
“You see the way they go about things, they train really hard, the way they communicated with the AIS-AFL kids was really impressive and you see why they are the leaders of their footy club,” he said.
“They both not only train well but they communicate and were leading right from the start so it was great to see the way they go about it.
“You always try and take little things away and help improve your own game and certainly me and Parks being younger players, seeing the way someone like Joel and Tom go about things, certainly can help improve your game and you take little things away for sure.”
US trip a success
It was a swift few days in the USA for Dan Hannebery but he got a lot out of his trip to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Florida.