Toronto FC monitoring athletes remotely during COVID-19 (part two)
With the worst-case COVID-19 scenario planned for by Toronto FC’s Head of Strength and Conditioning, Tom Williams, and his players divided into one of three performance groups, Tom and his team sought to ensure his players were as equipt and comfortable as possible.
Delivering performance essentials
Toronto FC, under the instructions of Tom, sent each player a care package that included the Catapult Vector device, a treadmill or bike depending upon preference and other training aids like stretching bands, soccer balls, and gym mats.
“The objective we had was to make sure every player had what they needed to deal with the situation and for what might happen in the future since this situation could be 12 weeks or even further,” says Tom.
Despite full financial support from The Reds’ owners and general manager, Tom and his team have been able to keep the expenditure on these care packages to a minimum by reaching out to various organisations in the industry.
“We haven’t spent a lot of money, we already had the equipment in the training facility and relied on support from businesses like Catapult. You guys sent us the Vector portable chargers, so the players can use them at home. That has been a big help for us in this situation, so thank you.”
Flexible training plans
Given the unknown about when the MLS will return, The Reds know little about when the team is likely to play again.
“We don’t know what situation we’re going to be thrown back into, we might have a short period of time to prepare for any games that do take place. So we realised that we need to be ready and prepared for that. As a result, we’re developing a program that allows us to lead a flexible approach.”
Under normal circumstances, the MLS season would currently be in full swing and The Reds’ training plans would be mapped out for the season. However, with the league postponed and the difficulty players face when completing their workouts in their homes or in a socially distant environment, Tom has set out training plans which last for three weeks.
“The three-week training block affords flexibility in designing plans around the restrictions and allows us and the players to focus on the objectives for each week.”
In addition, Tom explains that by having training plans divided into three weeks he is best able to ensure that the players and staff maintain focus on their performance objectives. “We always ensure we don’t lose sight of our two fundamentals, keeping the guys in shape and psychologically healthy,” says Tom.
Objectifying remote working
Catapult Vector has particularly helped maintain focus on Toronto FC’s objectives during this difficult time.
“Players will wear them as they run every day, and even those on treadmills as we can get metrics like PlayerLoad. It has been great as it has proved my intuition and informed the planning process. It helps keep an objective understanding of how hard and far the team is running.
“Vector has provided me with the information around where the guys are at. This is great since it means when we’re all back together, we’re not just starting from zero and lacking understanding around players’ fitness levels and physical capacities.”
By delivering the essential equipment to the players and developing three week plans Tom and his team are able to ensure Toronto FC is in the best possible state in which to compete, should the MLS season continue.