The Maccabi Tel Aviv Sports Science Department and the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports are continuing their successful Training Principles in Modern Football course. The course which includes 60 academic hours over 12 meetings takes place at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility. Lecturers include Dr. Antonio Dello Iacono, Course Coordinator, the Youth Department’s Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen, Raymond Atteveld and other coaches from the department.
Juan Torrijo, the Club’s Head Fitness Coach conducted one of the sessions that dealt with physical fitness training for a professional or amateur club in conjunction with the team’s coach. Over the course of the lecture, various different types of training and fitness sessions were presented that are used throughout the year. Torrijo began by discussing preseason training, which is most difficult and can vary due to the club’s needs and schedule. The participants were also exposed to, amongst other things, the training structure related to endurance along with how to deal properly with the most competitive period of the season while other activities are going on each and every day. Since the schedule can change week to week, fitness programs can also vary on a day to day basis.
The last part of the presentation focused on the end of the season and when players go on break. Torrijo described the important aspects of this time period along with how to keep in shape when on vacation. During the lecture, examples from specific situations he encountered while in Israel and abroad were analyzed and discussed. Torrijo also spoke about what it is like to work in different countries, clubs and coaches as each circumstance requires flexibility and varying demands.
When asked about what the participants took way from the lecture, Torrijo answered: “I believe that they leant that you can’t always go by the book since the situations may require flexibility and could change due to the needs of the Club. The goal is to have a structured fitness program that can be changed accordingly. It’s very important to be ready for different scenarios and situations in advance so that it will be easier to make the necessary adjustments and also to prevent future issues by planning correctly. Those are the main things that they took away from the presentation.”
Torrijo added that he hopes that the course continues and that there will be more lectures in the future. In addition, it’s also important to continuously share information with the Youth Department coaches. “That’s the key to success, to work with the players and help them improve so that they can be prepared when they move up to the first team.”
