Umar (Courtesy of INAPGOC)Now a captain of the Indonesian sitting volleyball team for the Asian Para Games, Nasrullah, 35, did not plan to be an athlete when he first entered the Prof
Umar (Courtesy of INAPGOC)
Now a captain of the Indonesian sitting volleyball team for the Asian Para Games, Nasrullah, 35, did not plan to be an athlete when he first entered the Prof. Soeharso Social Rehabilitation Center for People with Physical Disabilities (BBRSBD) in Surakarta, Central Java, back in 1997.
The rehabilitation center is operated by the Social Affairs Ministry and it provides training to people with disabilities, so that they can have special skills for life.
At that time, Nasrullah, a native of Madura, East Java, who has lower-limb disability, decided to sharpen his computer skills.
However, Nasrullah’s life soon changed when his trainers encouraged him and other trainees to pursue their hobbies, including sports. It was in rehab that Nasrullah learned about sitting volleyball and fell in love with the sport.
He then focused on training at the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) training center, also in Surakarta.
Nasrullah decided to become a professional volleyball para athlete and joined the national team. In 2011, the team competed in the 2011 ASEAN Para Games in Surakarta and won bronze.
Besides physical skills, playing sitting volleyball needs mental strength, he said.
“The most important thing I learned at the BBRSBD was to change my mindset, volleyball changed my life in terms of welfare, but what really changed me was the mindset,” Nasrullah told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The men’s sitting volleyball team failed to advance in the Asian Para Games after succumbing to South Korea on Wednesday.
Evaluating the performance of his team, Nasrullah said the athletes needed to strengthen their mental spirit in the future games.
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