BOSS X MACCABI

Youth Academy head sends Passover greetings

Guy Zukerman, the manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Academy, shares his Passover message to the staff, the players, and their parents

With the club under lockdown as we head into the holiday, Guy Zukerman, the manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Academy, shares his Passover message to the staff, the players, and their parents:

Dear players, parents, coaches and Academy staff,

It’s hard to comprehend the situation that has been forced on us during this past month. The inability to train and play football, the game we love, is very difficult but it is very important at this time to maintain everybody’s health, and stay home and follow instructions.

It is heartwarming to watch as players of all ages work on their fitness in their home environment. I hope the situation will improve quickly and that we will be able to get back into training and playing, and most important, to be able to see you all during the week and on Saturdays.

I take this opportunity to wish you all a healthy and joyous holiday and hope that we may swiftly get back to our regular lives and to playing football.

With the club under lockdown as we head into the ...

Ori Halevi: “I miss football and the training routine”

As the MTA Youth Academy copes with the constraints of the coronavirus situation, the U17 striker, Ori Halevi, shares his thoughts about the situation

U17 team striker, Ori halvei, shares his thoughts and feelings with us on the Academy’s official Instagram account. Watch the clip:

U17 team striker, Ori halvei, shares his thoughts and feelings with us ...

Homework: Technical moves for the Youth Academy

The Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Academy has produced a video with training skills for the players to be able to practice while the remain at home during the coronavirus lockdown. Watch it here

A message to the Academy from Patrick Van Leeuwen

Maccabi Tel Aviv  Performance Director Patrick Van Leeuwen sends his best wishes during these unprecedented times to all the players, the coaching staff and to parents

These are unprecedented times for the whole world as it deals with the coronavirus outbreak and the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Academy is no different, as it ensures that players are able to keep fit and healthy in accordance with a plan prepared by the coaching staff. Performance Director Patrick Van Leeuwen has sent the following special message:

“Hi to all players, parents and coaches,
We haven’t had the chance to enjoy any games during the past few weeks and to see you around the grounds at Kiryat Shalom or at away matches. Let’s hope that the situation will improve and that we will be able to meet each other again very soon.

I see more and more players are active and are continuing to exercise in fields, on their balcony or in their gardens, and I note that many parents are turning into personal trainers or video specialists.

I just want to encourage you all to keep it up and enjoy the moments you can spend both on football and with your family. For now, please all stay safe and stay at home. I hope to see everybody fit and healthy when we start to play football again”.

These are unprecedented times for the whole world as it ...

Ben Hemo: “It’s Hard without football”

As the MTA Youth Academy copes with the constraints of the coronavirus situation, the U19 defender, Itay Ben Hemo, shares his thoughts about the situation

Youth team midfielder Rotem Yatzkar shares his thoughts and feelings with us on the Academy’s official Instagram account. Watch the clip:

Youth team midfielder Rotem Yatzkar shares his thoughts and feelings ...

Ben Mor keeping players fit and healthy

Like the rest of the country, MTA's Youth Academy is working under restrictions because of coronavirus. We spoke to Ben Mor, the head of the Academy's medical department, who told us how work carries on

These are unusual times at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Academy where work continues under the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus outbreak, and most contact is via smartphone apps and computer. For physio Ben Mor, who heads the medical department and is used to getting up close and personal with the players, this is a situation that is as foreign to him as anybody.

Mor specialises in rehabilitating athletes after injury and he manages the medical team at the Youth Academy. He administers first aid to players on the pitch and later oversees their recovery from injury, including players recuperating after operations. He is also in charge of instilling a healthy lifestyle among the players to try to lower the risk of future injuries.

Mor also works at a private clinic that specialises in assisting athletes recovering from injury and he lectures on physiotherapy at Wingate Institute.

“These days are characterized by uncertainty and the day-to-day life we appreciate so much has been completely disrupted. Physiotherapy, which demands close physical contact between the player and the carer, is impossible. Of course, the most important thing is to halt the coronavirus outbreak and to maintain the health of the players and all of us, so we have no choice and hope we can get back to business as usual as soon as possible,” Mor said.

The medical department that includes two physiotherapists, two medics and Mor at the helm, have had to make do with monitoring the players’ conditioning and recovery from injury from afar. They keep abreast of the players’ emotional state and their health through video contact and instruct them on what stretching, balance, movement and strength building exercises they need to work on.

The players capture video of themselves doing the exercises and the medical team can then advise what adjustments they need to make.

“It is certainly not ideal, but we do see an improvement among those who were injured before the pandemic, so we are certain we are having an effect,” Mor said.

“For the younger players, this is a confusing time but it will pass. We need to utilise the time to work on weak points, such as ankle sprains to which some players are more prone than others and this is an opportunity to build strength and stability so we can do something positive.

Physiotherapy’s best contribution to health is to prevent injury, so our regular routine may have been upset but we can use the time to make us stronger and healthier.”

These are unusual times at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Academy ...

Yatzkar: Trying our best under the circumstances

As the MTA Youth Academy copes with the constraints of the coronavirus situation, the U19 midfielder, Rotem Yatzkar, shares his thoughts and talks of the positive things he is taking from the situation

Youth team midfielder Rotem Yatzkar shares his thoughts and feelings with us on the Academy’s official Instagram account. Watch the clip:

Youth team midfielder Rotem Yatzkar shares his thoughts and feelings with us ...

U17 coach gets used to a new routine

With on-field action suspended for the foreseeable future, MTA's Youth Academy continues to hold training through electronic communications. Ori David, the coach of U17, has told us about the unusual situation

The current situation is a most unusual one for any football coach, as the players and their mentors are stuck in their respective homes, and group training in the open is banned. This has forced the Academy to resort to a new mode of work for coaches, who are using the big screen to relay instructions to the players, and they are also able to monitor progress at home.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s U17 coach, Ori David, has told us how things are working out for him and his assistants as they continue working during the coronavirus lockdown. “The Youth Academy is at the heart of my work most hours of the day, so when suddenly everything stopped, my usual routine was hit. I miss the staff, the atmosphere and the smell of the grass, and suddenly this has made me appreciate everything even more,” David said.

The coaches, fitness trainers and other staff continue to work with the players through communication apps and Ori said he is in daily contact with everybody and he tries to ensure that they and their families are all holding up well. “I think that at times like these, it’s important to emphasise that we are all in this together and that we will emerge from the crisis as one.”

The entire coaching team is working together and each is contributing through their field of expertise, while taking into account the evolving situation and Health Ministry instructions. “We are trying to keep the players in the best possible physical shape,” David said.

As the leading Israeli soccer academy with excellent resources, the players’ conditioning is monitored with the help of the “Soccerlab” programme. “I receive the data at the end of each day and I can determine whether the exercise that we have given the players to work on is yielding results. Each player is connected to an online app and this allows us to far better monitor their progress,” he said. “It’s an excellent opportunity to follow each player’s level of self-discipline and motivation.”

David said that while at home, he continues to develop new coaching strategies, and as the one responsible for the Soccerlab programme, he has been in touch with the Academy’s performance director, Patrick Van Leeuwen, who has prepared other tasks so that the season can be completed satisfactorily. “Our aim is to begin next season in the best possible manner,” he said.

While being confined to his home, it’s also a good chance to bond with the family and to take a break from the daily rat race. “It is a chance to discover new things about my kids and my wife, and this strange situation is also an opportunity for some positive things. I wish everybody health and a speedy return to a regular routine,” he concluded.

The current situation is a most unusual one for any ...

Hanchis: I miss the excitement before the game

The U19's striker Ronen Hanchis shared his feelings during these unsettling days of stagnation because of the coronavirus restrictions and talked of how he's continuing to keep in shape

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-19 team striker Ronen Hanchis is stuck at home with the rest of the country and has used the Youth Academy’s official Instagram account to share his feelings with us all. Watch here

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-19 team striker Ronen Hanchis is stuck at home ...

Maccabi youth keeping fit with Tal Volik

We caught up with Tal Volik, the under-19 team’s fitness coach, who told us how he is keeping the players on their toes, even at a distance

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.”

Like almost all other footballers around the world, Maccabi Tel ...