Chris Rattue: Dealing with the (air) pressure

There isn't much the All Whites haven't thought of or tried to think of.

During a Herald interview, team doctor Celeste Geertsema went on, in detail, about aircraft cabin pressurisation.

Airlines pressurise cabins to different levels she explained, to between 1000 and 2000 metres of altitude.

"Airlines are allowed up to 2300m but the average is 1800," she said.

So long flights produce the same effects as high altitude - initially the blood battles to carry more oxygen, leading to tiredness and dehydration.

This means the adage that a way to play at altitude is to arrive on the day doesn't apply if you have to travel far by plane.

The All Whites are acclimatising through altitude camps in Austria, and the flight to Johannesburg will keep them on a high roll.

The team's sports scientist, Glaswegian Kenny McMillan, knows a thing or two about this.

The Aston Villa employee planned the two camps, down to splitting them between two places to relieve boredom. He even studies hotels. The first camp has been at a small, welcoming town - Lambrecht, population 1500.

"We've got the run of the hotel - you never know what goes on in hotels. There could be wedding parties and stuff like that."

The second is a top-notch football camp used pre-season by teams such as Arsenal, near the city of Gratz.

McMillan praises the All Whites' medical staff, and particularly physio Roland Jeffery. Much of the work is about injury prevention.

"I've actually learnt a lot off Roland - I'm not just saying this but the whole medical team for the All Whites is incredible," says McMillan, whose New Zealand links go back to working for the soccer Knights.

"A lot of sports science originated from Australia and New Zealand. Training for sports medics and physios here is a high standard - some are regarded as the best in the world and I'd be surprised if many other teams had such quality. Celeste is among the most qualified sports medics in the world. Roland uses techniques that you don't even see in British football.

"Roland and Wade Irvine [the team's masseur] spend hours massaging these guys and it's nothing to do with relaxation - it is soft-tissue work and when you go away for a long time, and do so much travel, these things are absolutely critical.

"Most other teams don't have nearly the amount of travelling the All Whites do."

McMillan could do a degree in jet lag alone. He says some people are simply better able to deal with it than others.

In a nutshell, it takes about a day to get over each time zone travelled.

Here's a travel tip from the top: immediately adopt the timing and routines of your destination.

Top tip number two: sunshine is the best jet lag beater.