As the UAAP Season 80 tournament of the De La Salle Taekwondo (DELTA) team came to a close, results were promising as the men’s team improved their overall ranking from last season to fourth place. Immanuel Donato, team captain of the men’s team, shared his thoughts with The LaSallian everyday throughout the competition.
Preparations for the season
The fourth year student, taking up Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Business Studies (BS-IBS), mentioned that as the season was nearing, physical preparations were starting to get tough with their morning training sessions, along with their extra evening trainings. “Sometimes we watch games together as a team to check the techniques, if may effective techniques then yun yung gagayahin namin.” he stated, helping them further improve.
Additionally, Donato had another task in hand, which was to lose weight to qualify for his division. Self-discipline is an important asset in any athlete’s life and dedication is needed to achieve this. He mentioned that by losing weight, one is depriving his body of food intake. Nevertheless, the results were noticeable because soon after weigh-in, he started his recovery process. “My recovery is more on food and rest. So after weigh-in, I took a lot of fluids like Gatorade and fruits just to replenish my body.”
Opening the first day
As the Taft-based squad commenced on the first day, Donato mentioned that its chemistry as a team, together with his technique, will, and leadership will drive him throughout the entirety of the tournament. Results for the Kyorugi (sparring) competition, however, were not in favor of DLSU early, as they lost their first two matchups against NU and UST.
Though the playing environment was similar to last season’s, the business student was overwhelmed with the pressure he was facing. “I felt kind of disappointed because I felt stiff. It was not really my game. When you’re pressured you don’t know what you’re doing so I kinda felt down.” Despite this, he kept his head held high and said that he’ll change his mindset for the next few days, not thinking about anything else and establishing better focus on his succeeding matches.
Recovery for the second day
True to his words, the team bounced back the following day and secured themselves two wins versus UE and FEU. According to Donato, the team did not let the tension get to them and they just played the game. “Some of us stepped up, we just followed the game plan of our coaches and most of all, we believed in ourselves more than we did on the first day.”
Part of the triumph are his key motivators that he always kept in mind. “First of all si God. Without Him, wala kami. It’s all because of Him na nandito kami ngayon, so kay God ko lahat inooffer ito.” Furthermore, his family inspires him with their everlasting support, especially his parents, from waking him up early every morning to preparing his daily diets without any cheat meals.
Lastly, being with his teammates and coaches everyday, allowed him to work harder towards his own aspirations. “We believe na yung coaches namin, nilagay sila diyan ni Lord for a purpose and that our role is to follow them.” He also mentioned that part of his duty of being a team captain is to guide his teammates towards one goal altogether.
Concluding last day
“Its balanced eh, we lost and we won.” Entering the final day of the competition, the Green Jins started off shaky, giving in to the pressure they were facing during their first day, with the team losing their early game against UP. However, they concluded the tournament by clinching a victory against their rivals from ADMU. The fourth year student mentioned that while playing their second match, it was more relaxed because they played without tension, and by keeping a clear mind all throughout, they just had fun with it and enjoyed their last game for the season.
Though they were physically ready, in terms of their skills, and had their goal in mind to bag the championships for the season, they regretfully fell short of a podium finish. For Donato, he admitted that he lacked confidence and will in his matches. He mentioned that a reason for their errors are small mental lapses that they need to overcome because taekwondo is also a mental game, needing a game plan and being ready for adjustments when they are faced with their opponents. “Nakulangan lang sa mental, kasi mental game din yung taekwondo, may adrenaline sa game. So kailangan mo mafight over yung fear mo.”
(Just lacked a few things mentally because taekwondo is a mental game too, it has adrenaline. You have to fight over your fear.)
Positive closure
Wrapping up the tournament, Donato shared his assessment for the season and mentioned some of the changes the team needed to grasp for the following season. In the entire duration of the competition, the DELTA team would crumble down towards the end of their games and he noticed that having consistency throughout each match is the key to their success. “We lost the games at the end na, patapos na kami natatalo. So sabi ni coach na kahit sa training, dapat hanggang dulo, nagpupush pa rin.”
(We lost the games at the end. So coach said, even in training, until the end, we have to keep pushing.)
Nevertheless, the team captain is very proud of his team regardless of the outcome of the tournament. He shared that each and every player gave their best efforts and for whatever they achieved for the season, he is overjoyed by their achievements and what they attained as a team. “What I love about this is yung relationship namin. Sobrang nagbond kami, sobrang buo namin. Kasi at the end of the day, what matters is yung relationship mo sa tao. So they are like my brothers already, parang family na. Walang negative thoughts or anything. I’m just so happy for them, and I love them so much.”
