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”.

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

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.”

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

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

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.”

The coronavirus crisis has made it hard to hold any sporting activity or to be able to maintain a football team in full fitness and activities at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team are being held by “remote control” as each individual worries about their own and their families’ health.

The coaching staff of the under-19 team, Maccabi “Shahar,” have created a weekly work programme for the players and they all keep in touch with each other and monitor progress using the Zoom app, head coach Eliezer Ben Aharon said.

“At the moment we are mainly working on strength and stability and our fitness coach, Tal Volik, is in charge of putting the players through their paces. In the current circumstances it’s very important for the players to be able to maintain their fitness as much as possible,” Ben Aharon said. He added that the players are also engaged in video analysis of their performances in matches this season, and the goalkeepers also have their own training routine. Other ideas are being worked on to keep the players in form and will be added later, he said.

The team hold three online coaching sessions during the week with the staff, while the rest of the time is devoted to individual work when it is up to the players to look after themselves. “We are not policing the players and don’t need them to show us what they are doing, but they know very well that if they don’t work to keep up their fitness, they will fall badly behind when we get back to our regular schedule. I expect the players to all work according to the programme that has been devised, and to work on aspects that require more attention and to build up their physical strength. “Each player who needs help or who has a query can ask an available fitness coach who is available to respond.” Ben Aharon said that dietary issues were also being controlled by the club and that each player knows what they need to eat, and when.

On a personal level, Ben Aharon said that he is using the time to take stock of the season so far and to better himself when play resumes. “I want to improve what I do in every way, and this is a good opportunity to raise my level as a coach. “I must also add that it is very gratifying to see the team do all it can to maintain fitness levels and it is a good sign that the culture that our coaches have created at the Academy is gaining the response from the players almost without exception. It’s also good to see that the players’ families are involved,” Ben Aharon said.

He called on all coaches and players to adopt the same approach and continue to train and keep fit as much as possible so that when the time comes to return to action, it will be much easier for everybody.

“Maccabi Tel Aviv is a family that stays united as it aims to remain the best youth academy even in these trying times,” he said.

The current state of affairs has us all confined to our homes and this was a chance for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team midfielder Nadav Nidam to give us a glimpse of his daily life. It’s on the Academy’s Instagram account and you can watch it here.