Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) Grounds along Kangudo Road is a beehive of activities on this particular Saturday afternoon.The halls are busy with different events and trainings but the dusty football ground is calm awaiting a Division One clash as Dandora Youth host Kibera Soccer.At the centre’s gym hall is Kariobangi Sharks physical trainer Oscar Aden. In the background reggae tunes from the late Lucky Dube play back to back, ‘Can’t Blame You’ blasts.He sits and watches as some of his players go through their paces. He barks instructions from time to time, and guides.The 36-year-old, born in Kayole in 1987, is the man tasked with transforming the young boys who join Kariobangi Sharks into complete athletes, with an emphasis on their physical being to ensure they are in stature to compete at the topflight.##NAJAVA_MECA_7277163##Once an aspiring footballer, Aden carved a different career path for himself out of passion. Even at a time when it looked like he was destined to grace football pitches as a player, he made the decision to go the fitness way in 2014 and he has never looked back.At some point, it seemed as if it was not destined to blend with football as he got into fitness modeling. You know those people with ‘misuli tinginya’ walking down the runway? That was Aden.Around 2010, he was playing at Indomitable FC, a team that was founded by the current Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya. Then, he did not know that he would get to work in the same technical bench with Muluya, running a conveyor belt transforming players with zero top-tier experience to proper Premier League players.“I developed an interest in fitness in 2014. Then the next year I attended a boot camp with the American Council on Exercise (ACE) where I earned my certification as a physical trainer and coach. That is when I delved deep into it and as time went by, I realized that perhaps it was what I was destined to do. I was getting better at it with every passing day being something that I loved doing,” he says. He is soft-spoken but strict on his training routines. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oscar Aden (@aden_oscar) The ACE certification came in handy for Aden as he got an opportunity to work at a hotel in Doha, Qatar as a physical trainer the same year. A transition that completely shut out a football career for him as a player.Upon returning to Kenya, he opened a gym hall of his own to continue with his fitness journey as a trainer. It did not take long before Kariobangi Sharks came calling in 2020, a call he answered and has enjoyed every minute of it for the past three years, combining his professional experience as a physical trainer and his formative football knowledge.“I joined Kariobangi Sharks in 2020 at the height of Covid and since then I have gotten the chase to work with a variety of players. Some of them have experience playing in the league while others are new and have to adapt to the changes in training routines, more so the strength training. They are young boys who have a good understanding of football which makes it easy. However, there is more work to do because I have to get them fit for the Premier League which is a very demanding league. A physical trainer is in charge of ensuring that the players are fit enough and working closely with the physiotherapist to ensure that those who are injured or are in the recovery path get the required attention,” he offers.Tactical Analysis: How wide-playing Kibera Soccer upstaged a compact Dandora YouthAccording to Aden, gym work is as important as ball work to ensure the players are strong enough. Different players have different needs at the gym, and as a result, he has different programs for the different categories.“Football has changed a lot nowadays. Players should embrace gym work as much as they embrace ball work. At Sharks, we have different training schedules for different players. Those that are coming back from injury will of course have a different session from the rest as we ease them back into the team slowly. As a team, we have our gym schedule weekly for everybody. Apart from that, we have specialized programs for specific players who we want to see bulk a bit. There are others who want to add to what they already have and become beasts, and I guide all of them,” he offered.The lowest moment in his job is seeing players under his care getting bullied physically by their opponents and they are struggling in fitness.”I am very unhappy when we are not at our optimum in terms of fitness when the opponents bully us physically. But I always urge the players to re-look into their gym schedules and look for that extra strength, even beyond the normal routine for the whole team. On the flip side, I am at my happiest when things are going as they should and I see improvement in them,” he added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oscar Aden (@aden_oscar) Aden works closely with the club’s physiotherapist, John Kemboi, an experienced man in his trade who has been instrumental in guiding him in the football scene.Further, he believes his good understanding with Sharks head coach has made his working environment better as he knows what is expected of him and how to deliver it.“I learn a lot working with the team’s physiotherapist. He is a person who has been in this industry for a long time and understands the dynamics of it all. I have learnt a lot working with him. Also, working with Coach Muluya feels good because I have a good understanding of him and that makes the job easy now that I know what he wants delivered, and how,” He went on.When he is not engaged with Kariobangi Sharks, Aden doubles up as a personal trainer and is available as per his client’s schedule.Joseph Okumu’s Passing Masterclass: Kenyan defender leads Gent in passes attempted against West HamHe believes that a good personal trainer makes the difference, and not the equipment that are a play contrary to what many people believe.“There are people who have gyms at their homes and they sometimes contract you to train them and their families. Other clients come to the gym and pay for a personal trainer, or call you for fieldwork training. One needs the heart to keep going because it is not an easy job. One might have all the necessary equipment but they do not train as they should, that is where a trainer comes in. When things get tough in training, some clients want to give up but you have to push them do finish the session. But all in all, it is a fulfilling venture,” he finishes.Johnathan McKinstry: The gutsy Northern Irishman daring to return Gor Mahia to its glory days
