Like almost all other footballers around the world, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth (under-19) team is facing an unusual period, and all contact is taking place via video link. The team’s fitness coach, Tal Volik, told us about the day-to-day activities he has devised, and the importance of keeping the players focused.

Volik is an all-round sportsman, having played amateur football in Germany, trained with the national rugby squad, basketball in amateur tournaments, handball and beach volleyball. He is currently completing his degree in physical education at Wingate Institute with an emphasis on working with elite athletes.

Volik joined Maccabi’s Youth Academy three years ago and began working with the under-19s this year.

“This has been an important career landmark for me. I am working at the best youth academy in the country that has young players who have the greatest potential, and with quality coaching colleagues. Most of my work with the team concerns fitness, as I try to raise their athletic abilities to the highest possible level so that they will be able to perform at their best and reduce the risk of injury,” Volik said.

Until this last period, naturally, all the training was done on the pitch, both as a team and individually, but with the coronavirus pandemic now preventing that option, the training staff is relaying its instructions through video link.

“This is not an easy situation and it challenges both the players and the coaches, but we try not to think about the shortcomings and just get on with the positives and the opportunities that are presented. We are doing our best we can in the current circumstances.

“Personal contact with the players is very important to me and this is one of the problems at the moment, but at least we are able to be in touch via the Zoom app and the players also get in touch with me individually, so I’m available for them 24/7,” he said.

The work schedule has changed because of the lockdown and Volik keeps in regular touch with team coach Eliezer Ben Aharon. The two have formulated the best possible training regimen for the players and have composed a detailed weekly schedule that comprises physical fitness, dietary instructions as laid out by the club’s dietician, and most recently, the addition of workouts over video with Zoom that allows all those involved to see each other on a single screen. Apart from the social bonding in the virtual get-together, the video link gives the coaches the ability to control the intensity of the players’ workout more accurately.

Volik said that he emphasised to the players the importance of self discipline and the need to maintain a constant level of appropriate workouts, so that when play resumes, they will be at their best possible level of fitness.

They must also complete a questionnaire on the club’s app about the stress levels they have attained during training and their health. This affords for more efficient monitoring of each player’s conditioning.

“During this period, suddenly, there is a lot of free time and it’s very easy to lose concentration and waste time on unimportant matters so it’s crucial for each player to set up a personal daily schedule and stick to it. Working on weak points such as stretching, balance, concentration and learning from video analysis are some of the things to do in the free time available. It’s crucial also to utilise the free time and enjoy it as much as possible, perhaps by doing something new, or reconnecting with things we have neglected because in normal circumstances we simply don’t have the time.”