Lockdown has given this Pune coach extra time to review his football plan for school teams

Savio D’Souza - A footballer and coach’s opinion on the lockdown.

Savio D’Souza is a football development manager in schools across seven cities in India, including Pune and is the head coach of Youth I-League U-15 side Football Club of Mumbaikars (FCM). He was the assistant coach of the Maharashtra sub-junior boys’ football team last year. D’Souza, 38, was also appointed as the head coach of FC Kolhapur City in the Indian Women’s League (IWL). He is also the head coach of the Arsenal Soccer School in Pune. He is a certified Oceania Football Confederation instructor and holds the Asian Football Confederation ‘C’ Licence. He also plays for PDFA second division club - Game of Life Football Academy (GOLFA)

Working out has become a very nice bonding activity during the lockdown because Savio’s five-year-old daughter joins him every day for the workout. (HT PHOTO)

Usual morning session and afternoon session:

I work as a football development manager for Vibgyor Group of Schools. I start my day early, so I wake up at 6:30am, post which I head to my office and spend time working in the office for 8 hours daily, 6 days a week, so my mornings and afternoons are busy with work.

Lockdown morning and afternoon session:

During the lockdown, we have an opportunity to work from home. I still plan my day on the to-do list for the morning and afternoon sessions. I submit the same list to my reporting head. Instead of meeting everyone in person, I work on reaching people and groups out by calling and video calling them via Skype or Zoom. I am keeping up with football by attending meetings on Zoom calls which are organised by the I-League, Indian Super League, AIFF officials, and Indian coaches. Also, I got connected to all the coaches who work with me to develop football in Vibgyor to plan the upcoming year and overcome challenges related to infrastructure, equipment, and more.

Topics being covered during the lockdown:

1. Goalkeeper coaches - Expert sessions on goalkeeper identification and training.

2. Laws of the game.

3. Statistics and qualities required to be a top-level player - weekly, monthly, and yearly plan.

4. Player pathway to top clubs in and outside of India.

Usual evening session:

In the evenings, I coach kids for an hour or two after which I head to the gym or mostly to the ground for a quick game to keep myself fit.

Lockdown evening session:

The evening is a good time to spend time with family now. However, I am not ignoring my fitness in the process. Working out has become a very nice bonding activity during the lockdown because my five-year-old daughter joins me every day for the workout.

No gyms

I normally stay with a light warm-up which includes on spot jogging followed by a few low range motion exercises for 10 minutes for the complete body to prepare for the next task. Then, I use the resistance exercises or the dynamic exercises which include jumping jacks, crunches, squats, push-ups, wall sits, burpees, lunges, plyo lunges, jump squats, triceps dips, calf raises, and plank hold.

Hobbies

I like watching movies, listening to music and cooking. I like watching movies in the sports genre which are based on true events. Coach Carter is one of my favourite movies. The film is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter (played by Samuel L. Jackson), who made headlines in 1999 for suspending his undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results. For me, it was a very inspiring movie.

Lockdown training tips for footballers

Eating the right kind of food. Since it’s summer, keep yourself hydrated and get good sleep. Kids between the age of 3 and 10 should hone individual skills, hence, this is a good opportunity for them to develop ball mastery at home which they can do with any kind of ball and needs only 2 x 2 yards for a maximum of 45 minutes.

Kids between the age of 11 and 18 should focus on learning tactical and formation in football to adapt any formation the coach wants them to play, coupled with physical fitness. Playing a game of 60 to 90 minutes should not be a hassle for teenagers.

Workout plan for footballers at home:

Upper Body Workout

Mobility Drills:

Modified Hindu Push-ups 15 Reps x 2 Sets

Cat Camel 15 Reps x 2 Sets

Jumping Jack 50 Reps x 2 Sets

Shoulder Rotation Clock/Anti 20 Reps x 1 Set

Scapula Push-ups 15 Reps x 2 Sets

All-rounder (Worlds greatest Stretch)

Burpees 15 Reps x 2 Sets

Jor 10 Reps x 1 SetsMain Workout

Main Workout:

Push-up (normal / knee) to hand raise one at a time

Water Bucket front raises

Bent over Bucket rows

Decline Push-up

Incline Push-up

Bucket overhead Rotation press

Core Workout

Mountain Climbers

Cross Mountain Climbers

Crunches (Partial and Bicycle)

Plank Dips and Hold (Left and Right)

Pelvic rotation

Lower Body Workout

Mobility Drills:

Cat Camel 15 Reps x 2 Sets

90/90 stretch

All-rounder (Worlds greatest Stretch)

Frog Pose

Main Workout:

Squat (Deep and Pause)

Lunges (Side and Reverse)

Glute Bridge

Calf Raises (Seated and Standing)

90 Degree Squat Hold

Suryanamskar

Static stretching post-exercise and meditation