Coronavirus, and the uncertainty surrounding it, has had a profound effect on our daily lives and has put a complete, abrupt stop to normality. So, I will be taking an unprecedented look into how it will impact local youth teams and their coaches.
Coaches across the UK have faced an abrupt stop to their jobs, as have many employees – to get an idea on how COVID-19 has affected them, I spoke to FA Level 1 coach Azeem to get an insight into the steps he takes to ensure he stays fit in this period of uncertainty and he said:
“I'm spending my free time doing core workouts, daily jogs/runs, various exercises.”
Of course, daily exercise is something many people doing to make sure they stay in shape and to boost mental health as it is proven that exercising regularly has a direct positive effect on mental wellbeing. It is recommended by the NHS that children do at least 60 minutes of physical exercise per week.
When speaking to Azeem about how this lockdown would affect people physically and mentally, he responded by telling me:
“they are not getting the full benefits of being coached in person,”
“the idea of being coached in person would drive them further and whiklst watching clips may seem informative, coaching drives them further.”
Some physical effects he told me included:
“there are changes that are down to the individual,
“some of my players will be using this period to relax and build a bond with their families, whereas the rest will do the same but will also look for new ways to explore their weak points and on strengthening to be ready for when the season and weekly training sessions are back.”
Azeem, the coach, usually hosts training sessions weekly to help improve the conditioning and in-game ability of his players, this is of great help when approaching the season and to ensure players remain sharp and in peak physical condition throughout, he sees this as less of a job and more of an interest which he loves pursuing as much as possible. A large sum of his time is devoted to planning sessions, and being a coach myself, the job takes dedication and pure passion – having to plan sessions, be diligent enough to point out flaws or give improvements and nurture those you are training to maintain a consistent increase in performance takes a lot of heart.
Something which today’s coaches can and will offer in abundance.