Conditioning coaches key to return to play

File photo of the Stormers

By Athenkosi Tsotsi

With the return to non contact training for professional rugby imminent, it will be up to the strength and conditioning coaches to get the players in top shape, thus making them the most important personnel during this phase of return to play.

Strength and Conditioning coaches are the backbones of the head coaches backroom staff, their work can go unnoticed but they play a vital role in the teams performance dynamics. 

"A conditioning coach primarily works with athletes and is responsible for improving athletic performance. Their daily duties are to implement systematic training programs for both teams and individual athletes and working closely with coaches," Stormers Strength and Conditioning coach Riefaat Jappie elaborating on what a conditioning coach does.

With the game evolving to new heights, the role of a conditioning coach in modern rugby has become key, they help sustain and enhance the performance levels of players with their meticulous planning.

"The role of a conditioning coach is very important for preparing and monitoring players to perform and train optimally every week and to withstand the high demands of the game that involves high collisions, sprints and accelerations and at the same time reducing athletic injuries."

 The pausing of rugby due to the lockdown had implications on the players fitness, routines had put in place for players, for coach Jappie, he had to be clever in his planning as he had to accommodate players based on the resources they have in their respective environments.

"Due to restrictions in the first part of the lockdown players could not run and running is a very important factor in all team sports.  The space availability, running surfaces and equipment was different for each player and I had to adjust accordingly. As the lockdown got extended players also started losing strength and muscle mass due to not having the appropriate equipment.

I had to put routines in place that suits every player’s daily routines.  Therefore, it was more what must be done in the week or on a day and so that the player can fit it in his daily routine. I had to be flexible with the planning and had to design training options for all types of space availability and equipment players had at their disposal," said Jappie. 

For the Lions Strength and Conditioning  Rupert Oberholster, he has been fairly pleased with fitness levels his players have attained during the lockdown. 

"To be honest, as a group, we are probably fitter than what we were after our December break. We have a lot of individuals that are running personal bests on specific fitness tests. Unfortunately, a few players’ circumstances made it difficult to run, but we are working hard in getting them fit and ready to go.  

We really put a lot of effort into the players over the past 70+ days to ensure that they are all training hard and improving on all aspects of their conditioning. Level 4 of lockdown made it easier to prescribe running programs to everyone, and I used a GPS app to monitor the players every day," said Oberholster.

The likes of Vincent Tshituka, Jaco Kriel and Rhyno Herbst have recovered from their respective injuries thanks to the lockdown, and it will be up to the conditioning coach to ease them back to intense first team training.

"Injured players follow a strict return to play protocol that would include straight-line running, agility drills, rugby specific drills and extra fitness on the wattbike or rowers. As soon as they have cleared all medical tests and built up their running loads, they will join the team’s training. We then track their loads on our GPS system, for the first few weeks."

SA Rugby announced plans for an in house Super Rugby version tournament which will include the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Cheetah, Kings and the Lions. Before the tournament commences there will be a 4-6 week window period which will be used to allow players to get to competition levels fitness, the conditioning coaches will play a major role in ensuring this is possible.

"Our main focus will be to get the players bodies ready to play a game as soon as possible. The Covid-19  regulations that are in place make it really difficult to get their bodies ready for contact, without being able to make actual contact with other players. But we have some exciting ideas and we are confident that we will have them 100% ready for contact before the first game.

Competition level fitness is basically the fitness level a player should reach before being able to play in a specific competition. To this end, Super rugby’s physical demands regarding running fitness, contact fitness, positional fitness are massive and the player’s bodies must be able to take the hits and loads every weekend for +-22 weeks," explained Oberholster.

The importance of a conditioning coach can not be understated, during this period of return to play, their value will be more evident.

"Pocketing Neymar was never my intention"- Mobara

By Athenkosi Tsotsi

Mobara and Neymar, photo from Reuters.

The 2016 Rio Olympics, for South Africa, was characterized by brilliant individual performance's from the likes of record-breaking Wayde van Niekerk, Caster Semenya and Luvo Manyonga; another standout performer from those games was Abbubaker Mobara during the opening game of the Olympics against Brazil.

In that hot afternoon in Brasilia, the then 22 year old right back was the coolest person on the field. Mobara provided a classical defensive display, textbook defending, he played like a player who had reached their pinnacle with no sign of letting up. Many Brazilians must have thought that their legendary fullback Carlos Alberto had been reincarnated, that performance was one that Cafu could be proud off.

The occasion was momentous, the opening game to the football Olympic games. The magnitude of the game was situated at the top with some of the biggest games in the world of football, well for the Brazilian public as it meant a lot to them, they probably were not paying much attention to the other events at the Olympics. They had their eye's fixed on the Olympic Gold medal that they missed all these years. The moment and pressure of being on the world stage did not cripple Mobara for one second, the man was carried by his nonchalant persona.

"It was a normal feeling, but at the same time it was overwhelming because I was not sure what to feel. I was not sure if I was feeling anxious, nervous or proud. But knowing that I was about to go head to head with one of the BEST international teams in the world, that just so happened to have one of the Best players in the world," said Mobara.

The Mane Garrincha Stadium, hosted the opening game between Brazil and South Africa, the stadium was packed to full capacity, 69, 389 people were in the crowd and plenty more outside the stadium, in the streets. The whole process of heading to the stadium and arriving to large sum of football fanatics is one Mobara has savoured.

"On arrival at the stadium the team sang as much as they could & as loud as they could to have a good atmosphere amongst us & to set aside the fear knowing that we about to go against the host (Brazil) as our first game.”

“I knew there was no turning back, there was no other feeling but a huge adrenaline going through my body. I felt the nervousness kick in because I knew it was going to happen there & then from that point there was no turning back, I knew what needed to be done so I made sure that I tried to keep focus & not let the nervousness affect me. But then I walked out onto the field & I saw the crowd & at that point I knew there no room for errors. This crowd could have easily flushed out my confidence but seeing how hyped up my teammates were made me feel some sought of relief."

No amount of practice could prepare one to face one of the most talented attacking unit the Olympics has seen. The front three bolstered with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Barbosa and Neymar. Owen Da Gama prepared his team and defensive unit well, and Mobara can testify to that.

"Our preparation prior to the Olympics was done so well, that all Coach Owen needed to do was remind us what we needed to do as a team, is to win. He reminded us what our duties and responsibilities were as a team and as individuals; but also told us enjoy our game.”

“At the beginning of the preparations we already knew who we were going to face and who was in our group. I think Coach Owen Da Gama always reminded me who I was going up against and always challenged me aggressively because he knew the capabilities I had and I acknowledged what he was trying to bring across. I also  had a good amount of individual teammates that had that same skill sets as Neymar and with that made it a bit easier going forward into the Olympics."

Goosebumps were all over us, who were watching the game in South Africa. We were beaming with excitement and expectation as we were going to face Brazil for the second time in the Olympics and we genuinely believed we could beat them again, it was like we were facing our Olympic rivals. 

Well the emotions were different for the guys who were dawning the national team jersey on the field. "I was nervous throughout the game. From the moment we walked  into the tunnel seeing Neymar , seeing the whole Brazil team seeing how big, proud & confident they were made me feel more intimidated," explained Mobara.

"Lining up to start the game, walking out onto the field I knew that my faith was in one place. I asked God to guide me throughout the game and to help me make the proper decisions going forward. When I heard the whistle go off, it was game on and all thoughts aside and the one objective on my mind was to make myself and my country proud. I remembered at that point Coach David Kannemeyer telling me that my first pass is the most important pass, but this time round instead of a pass, it was the tackle. I had missed a tackle that blew my confidence and gave me an idea of what type of game I was about to have."

Throughout the match Mobara's side were under attack, that was were Brazil's attacking powers were, he would have many encounters with Neymar, eventually man marking and making some hard hitting tackles to stamp his authority on the match, keeping the then Barcelona man at bay and putting him in his pocket. 

"Pocketing Neymar was never my intention but I knew as a defender what I needed to do. I had to be patient , I had to watch his movement and at the same time I needed to watch the ball. At some point during the game I remember the referee telling me 'be patient and you’ll win the battle' so that’s exactly what I did. I did not acknowledge the fact that I had the upper hand because we were not in the lead but he still kept coming and I kept pushing. "

                              Team photo of the SA Under/23 national team

Mobara and his teammates grinded a hard fought draw, where their legs were wired as Brazil kept coming. Brazil after the match got off the field to a raw of boos while it was delight for South Africa. Faith and trust were the combination that pulled things together for Mobara.

"I still believe that at this point my faith was in one place and I definitely did not do it on my own, my teammates kept guiding me, kept pushing me and kept encouraging me. Seeing my captain and my teammates pushing, made me even more confident to keep my game at 100.”

“I did not even believe that happened. I did not know what to feel but I was proud. We were happy about the result but we also knew that we had more important games coming up that’s what kept us level headed.”

Playing at the Olympics is an opportunity afforded to only a few footballers. Mobara took his chance and shined at the one of the biggest stages of the sporting world, that's a moment he will cherish forever and many South Africans will remember him for many years to come because of that performance in Brasilia, the game he pocketed Neymar.

"It was one of my best and one of my biggest games I’ve ever experienced. Being part of the Olympics, I was more humbled by the experience than the exposure," concluded Mobara.

Running Pio....

By Athenkosi Tsotsi

Pio Mpolokeng

Many young South Africans in the pre democracy era worked in the mines, and to keep busy they they played sports; the mines have unearthed many sporting gems and one of those golden treasurers is Klerskdorp born Pio  Mpolokeng.

 From running in the mines, to becoming one of the best athletes in country then evolving to an esteemed world runner. From humble beginnings, Ntate Pio went on to have a prosperous running career.

"I started my athletics career in 1984, then in 1990 I joined a mine in Stelfontein at the Harterbeesfontein Gold mine which was under the Anglo Vaal company, it is about 10km away from my home town.

I was a 800m and 1500m specialist, I won the Anglo Vaal Championship for four consecutive years between 1990 - 1993; won both the 800m and 1500m. Then in early in 1994 I moved to Carletonville and that's where I joined the Westerdriefontein Gold mine. When I got there I was still dominant in my events but there was tough competition from the likes of the the Mogotsi twins, Meshack and Shadrack; there were many top athletes," shared Mpolokeng. 

When at Westerdriefontein Mpolokeng was under the guidance of one of the greatest running coaches to come out of the shores of South Africa. "In Westerdriefontein I got a new coach in Mr. Stoffie Stoffburg, I joined his strong training group which included Hendrick Moganyetsi, Johan Botha, Arnando Malherbe and Jean Vester; I was travelling from Carletonville to the University of Johannesburg for training, everyday. But then unfortunately in 1997 Oom Stoffie passed away." 

Following the passing of his mentor, Mpolokeng took an important career decision, moving to marathons, that decision would be prove to be worthy as it took  him to greater heights.

"I decided to change distance and moved to the road. My first race 15km race in June 1997, it was in Germiston Stadium and I won my first race. Then in 1999 I moved to the full marathon, my first marathon was in Cape Town at the Peninsula Marathon, I won with my pb (Personal Best) of 2:18:22."

After doing well locally, the next step for Mpolokeng was to move onto the international scene, and when he arrived there, he did not disappoint, when he got there his star continued to rise. 

"It was in November 2000 when I started to run international marathon's, the first one was in the United State of America at the Los Angeles Marathon where I finished fourth. I won the Dublin City Marathon in 2001, it was the first international marathon, then the following year I won the Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea." 

During his highs in the early 2000's Mpolokeng was putting measures in place for life after running, he was focusing on his coaching career, concentrating on development. A key component in his coaching career has been Nick Bester, the two have have discovered more than 200 athletes.

Mpolokeng has a good track record as a coach, his developed some of the countries elite runners including the likes of Tshepo Tsibe, Nyedimane Chabedi, Kgosi Tshosane, David Mania and Joel Mmone. National recognition came for Mpolokeng when he was named cross country coach.

"In 2017 I was selected as a national coach for the Cross Country World Championships in Madagascar, the country was represented six athletes; three male athletes and three female  athletes and three of them were from my development"

Mpolokeng scouts and develops athletes are the region of North West, his athletes stay in a safe camp and attend school at Are- Fadimeheng High School in Klerksdorp. Like many in the sporting world, the development  has felt the impact of the coronavirus, their development athletes have been sent home as the running season has been suspended. 

"We sat down with our development athletes and explained to them what the Covid - 19 is and the lockdown regulations are, it was not easy but they understood. Our athletes stay at home and follow the lockdown regulations, all our development athletes are not training; only senior athletes are doing easy training once a day," elaborated Mpolokeng.

The uncertainty the has been brought by the pandemic can not be underestimated but Mpolokeng has pleaded for togetherness from the sporting world during this time.

"For now there is no one that knows what is going to happen, because the covid 19 is a global thing. All sport codes are closed for now, there's nothing we can do. In general we have to work together and fight against covid 19 to protect our sports and athletes," 

The rush to get back to the running field must be high for Mpolokeng and his athletes , there's plenty to come from the running great.

When 'Terror' Fanteni caused terror in Israel

By Athenkosi Tsotsi

File Photo

Nickname's are an integral part of South African football. Nicknames often give players the feel of acceptance, they can also make or break a player. One of the most famous nicknames in South Africa is "Terror", one person who carried this nickname is Thembinkosi Fanteni. 

Thembinkosi Fanteni was given the nickname 'Terror' by his youth coach due to how he “Terrorises' defences.” Fanteni started terrorising defences in the Absa Premiership when he was at Ajax Cape Town and soon he moved to European shore in Israel when he caused terror in the Ligat ha'Al playing for Maccabi Haifa.

Thembinkosi Fanteni joined Maccabi Haifa mid season  in January of 2008, it only took five games for the Paarl born native to cause terror in Israel. He announced himself to Maccabi Haifa the only way he knows how, by striking the back of the net; he scored a brace against Maccabi Netanya. He continued his fine form in the next game by scoring against Kiryat Shmona. The man was living up to his nickname.

Fanteni's finest moment upon his arrival came in one of the biggest derby in Israel, Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv are renowned rivals in the world of football. Maccabi Haifa hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv, this was a big game and Terror came alive. 

The game began in unpopular fashion for Fanteni's Maccabi Haifa as they fell behind early on in the to a Adam Masudi goal. However, Maccabi Tel Aviv's lead would not last long as Fanteni levelled matters minutes later. On the stroke of halftime 'Terror' scored his second goal of the game, giving Maccabi Haifa a 2-1 lead at the interval. In the second half, at the hour mark, Adam Masudi equalised to get Maccabi Haifa back in the game. In an instant though, three minutes later Fanteni got his third goal of the game to restore his teams one goal lead. Terror was had quite an eventful afternoon, as by the 77th minute he went into the referee’s book. With 10 minutes left in the game, Maccabi Tel Aviv took the game to 3-3 courtesy of a goal from Dor Malul and that's how the game would end.

A hatrick against Maccabi Tel Aviv was what Fanteni couldn't have imagined. That was an experience and moment to treasure, as the lively feisty display surely made Terror a cult hero to the Maccabi Haifa fans, instantly. He ended his first season with six goals in 14 games, a decent start to life in Israel, that start left room for high expectations for Fanteni from the club and its fans. 

"They expect me to score a lot of goals, there was lots of talk before I came to Maccabi Haifa, they are expecting so much from me," said Fanteni in an interview. 

Moving to a new country is always difficult, one of the toughest things in football as players have to adjust to a new challenges such as squad integration, language barriers, lifestyle misfit, and missing of family. Fanteni had his fair share of going through that tribulation but as time went on he settled it with the rest of the Maccabi Haifa squad. 

"I'm not isolated anymore as I when I first came to Maccabi Haifa; all the players are like my brothers now, I know them very well, we are close to each other, I can talk to anyone now". When asked if he can lead Maccabi Haifa to the championship and the promise land of the UEFA Champions League, Terror Fanteni replied "I prefer not to talk, we'll have to wait and see." 

In  the 2008/09 season Fanteni, like an MVP, lead Maccabi Haifa to the promise land. In their run to being league champions he contributed with 11 goals being the clubs top scorer. The season for Terror was epitomised by a series of braces. The first one was against Maccabi Petah Tikva, the second against his favourite opponents Maccabi Tel Aviv, the last one came against Kiryat Shmona in 2-1 win. During the course of the season, Fanteni was booked seven times, he was truly causing terror in Israel. 

Thembinkosi Fanteni went to Israel and conquered. He terrorised defences, brought joy to the fans by scoring goals and with celebrations. If the man would visit Maccabi Haifa he would be given a hero's welcome, because he left his mark on the field in Israel.

Coronavirus affecting youth sports...

By Athenkosi Tsotsi

  File photo

The coronavirus outbreak has left youth sports hanging in  limbo. The pandemic has affected youth sports and its athletes on a financial, psychological and social spectrum. 

Parents have lost money to pay for sporting activities, be it for school or local clubs, money has gone down the drain and it will be hard to recover it, considering the fact that during these tough financial times, every cent is needed. Many people have taken pay cuts and some have been retrenched; amongst these people are parents whose children participate in youth sports. It is going to be difficult for many to support their children's sporting aspirations, financially. This domino effect will ultimately lead to youth sport institutions going through a financial crisis. Mainstream and amateur sporting clubs will also feel the financial strain, many are dependent on the sale of youth prospects to keep afloat financially.

The sporting routine of millions of youth players has been disturbed. Some had prepared to have their seasons in full swing this time, but due to the circumstances brought by the coronavirus, they are now probably rocked and devastated. How are children from the ages of 6-18 years  handling the suspension of sport on a psychological aspect, are they maintaining?

For many children sport is an escape from the harsh realities of life. Sports gives them purpose, a sense of belonging and now with sport out the window frustration is expected to be at a high. Truth is that many youth athletes are in a state of frustration, many are anxious because of the uncertainty that has been laid by the pandemic.

Some had hopes of improving their trade or making certain teams but those dreams are shuttered. A lot of athletes are devastated now, some do not have the proper support structure to help them deal with the disappointment they are going through. They may have to live with this disappointment for the rest of their lives and will have regret hovering around even though it's not their doing.

School based sports are not returning anytime soon and this will take a huge toll on children's social lives. Putting aside the formal school sport activities, the informal games kids play in the sports ground during break time at school are cancelled. Schools do not have the infrastructure and medical resources to ensure the safety of its athletes.

South African Rugby took the measures of cancelling all youth tournaments; all SA Rugby Youth Weeks, SA Rugby Under/13 and Under/17 Sevens, SA Schools Under/18 competition, SA Rugby Provincial Under/19 week and SA Rugby Provincial Under/20 competition. Club and community rugby where many youth play has been postponed until further notice but the point of return is impossible. 

The cancellation of the World Rugby Under/20 Championship which was suppose to be hosted in Italy is probably a hard one to swallow for many players. The tournament plays the role of a stepping stone, it is able to give players exposure and experience on the world stage.

"It is obviously very disappointing for Chean Roux, his players and the team management, but these drastic steps are vital to ensure the safety of the players, team management and match officials. I would like to thank the players, coaches, and management for all their hard work in the last few months, and encourage them to keep on putting the hard yards albeit outside of a team set-up given the current need for social distancing," said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.

In order to grasp and understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had on youth football in South Africa, I spoke with Transnet School of Excellence coach, Mojalefa Mathebula. Below is the interview.

Athenkosi Tsotsi: Before this pandemic hit, what was the state of youth football in South Africa?

Mojalefa Mathebula: By virtue of sheer numbers of participants and the fragmented nature of youth development, it is very difficult to quantify this objectively.   However, my personal (subjective) opinion is that youth development was not in a good state going into Lockdown. Although in Gauteng were had a good youth development league going (GDL), the was few concerning developments such as the withdrawal of sponsors for youth tournaments. 

A.T : The pandemic, has it exposed the frailties or strengths of our youth football in some form? 

M.M : I think the pandemic exposed more of frailties in youth football than it showed our strengths. Very few youth structures have been able to use technology (Zoom) to stay in contact with their players. DATA and access to better hardware such as superior quality screens was the most prohibiting factor. Socio-economic background also played a role such as inadequate nutrition, lack of better health care access, small yards and finance as these factors made difficult to exercise, but also heighten fear risks.  Our strength is definitely our die hard attitude, I see the enthusiasm to go back, and that gives me hope.

A.T : Youth football is unlikely to return this year, how is this affecting the many players, not only as athletes but as humans?

M.M : Psychological because most players will feel like they have been denied an opportunity to take a step closer towards their dream. Physically they are going to loss their fitness which will make it difficult to return to playing. Technically, they are going to struggle with their ability to play for a short while that will be frustrating for some. Tactically they are missing out on age-related training and curriculum.

 

A.T : On a financial aspect, how has the pandemic affected youth football financially?

M.M : Well, companies are going to cut back on their expenditure and sport will be the first item. As most youth development are reliant on sponsorship  for their operation. We are likely to see some of these institution closing down or cutting back on the number of players they recruit. Also, things such as football equipment, kit or attire, food and transport will become a luxury for many Clubs going forward and we might see many Clubs withdrawing their teams from organized football to save cost.

  

A.T : You as a coach, how are your players taking this and what measures do you have in place to ensure to keep your players mentally stable?

M.M :  Well, generally I am cut off from the players but we communicate through the parents. We shared FIFA 11+ to follow and other motivational information.

  

A.T : Lastly, this pandemic gives the powers that be to do introspection, in your view what needs to change in order to ensure youth football goes to greater places.

M.M : Well, I think this pandemic showed that we can include technology to enhance our teaching and learning experience for both players and coaches. So investing in Technology will be one of my priority going forward.

With professional sports in South Africa at the point of return, there is hope for youth sports but the cracks created by the coronavirus will have a lasting impact.