If anyone is ready for the derby, it’s him!
midfield star Salih Ozcan (24) is by far the most well-trained FC professional. Top lactate values. awesome musculature. Week after week he shows his league opponents that he is Cologne’s toughest fighter…
Özcan’s crazy fitness secret – a Brazilian martial art!
► Özcan goes to the Luta Livre in Frechen once a week. This means “free wrestling”. Elements from wrestling, judo, jiu jitsu and American wrestling are combined.
► A unit on the mat looks like this: Warm up first (football in a confined space). Then technical training. Finally man against man. 90 minutes of exhausting energy! And that in addition to FC training…
Photo: Andreas Pohl
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Özcan at the BILD appointment: “I wrestled for years while playing football, until about the age of 15. My brother then took me to the Luta Livre. Here I can totally exhaust myself.”
Afraid of injuring yourself with the leverage techniques? Finally, Luta Livre teaches how to selectively incapacitate opponents…
“No, zero. It feels like there are only friends here,” says Özcan with a smile, “we know the limits and know exactly how far we can go.”
Özcan also has to push his limits in the small derby at neighboring Leverkusen (Sun./3.30 p.m.). Cologne wants to get involved in the race for Europe.
BILD: Does martial arts also help you in the league?
Ozcan: “Definitely. Compensatory sport is always good. I notice it in the duels: the training gives me the necessary vehemence and my opponents know that I approach things with a certain degree of toughness.”
Leverkusen should also feel that on Sunday when Özcan wants to defeat Bayer!
