30 Tips Touch Elite Players Are Using to Stay Sane During Isolation

touchfootball.com.au, Touch Football Australia
Wondering how to fill your time at home while Touch is off? Here's how some of our elite players are having fun and staying sane.

Adam Russell, last played NTL 2020 Men's Open for Brisbane City Cobras

  1. Making up games in the backyard and getting competitive with it – for me this is easy because I have two brothers! We spent three hours in the backyard hitting golf balls into a container to see who could get the most in, it's a good way to pass the time!
  2. Using the (House)party app – it's pretty much like FaceTime but you can talk to groups of up to eight people. It's good to stay connected with your mates in times like this.
  3. Going back to the basics of Touch – spending time just making sure I get the little things right, such as setting up a target then standing about 10 or 15m away and getting both sides of my passing game right by hitting the target 10 times in a row.

Patricia Michaelopoulos, last played NTL 2020 Women's Open for Sydney Mets

  1. My 1000-piece Disney jigsaw puzzle has been keeping my mind off everything that's been going on. While I'm doing this, I make sure the TV is off and I don't use my phone. 
  2. Staying fit and also connected with my Touch friends with a video program called Zoom – we set up our laptops and do workouts together so we can push each other through training and catch up at the same time. 
  3. Then there's also time for (Houseparty) and TikTok – I've found these are the best ways of staying in contact with my friends and having a laugh through this pretty dampening time.  

Samantha Rodgers, last selected for Open Trans-Tasman 2020 for Australia

  1. Writing and completing The Final Touch At Home Workouts that fellow Touch athlete Ash Kearney and I create. (They're free, try them out to keep fit at home!)
  2. Watching plenty of Netflix! Currently on Lucifer and Outlander. 
  3. Teaching PDHPE to my school students online.

Dave Zanette, last played NTL 2020 Men's Open for Central Queensland Bulls

  1. Sticking to my previous training schedule and times to keep it as normal as possible. Obviously the location is just adjusted. 
  2. I just finished listening to You Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. Incredible book, highly recommended. Currently listening to It Takes What It Takes, which is about strategies on Neutral Thinking.
  3. Great time to be competitive with workouts. Post your times for different workouts in a group to create some competition. 

Aaliyah Paki, last played NTL 2020 Women's Open for Sydney Scorpions

  1. Watching the Dare Me series on Netflix.
  2. Going to work each day (as a before- and after-school educator) with essential workers' children. Being with kids keeps me on my toes, gives me interaction with my colleagues and keeps things in normality mode. 
  3. Staying active with my family. I make sure to change it up every day so my siblings don't get bored. I rotate the basic skills they use in their usual sports and integrate some stuff from my gym workouts to help broaden their skills.

Amy Dufour, last played NTL 2020 Women's Open for Hunter Western Hornets

  1. Painting my bedroom then I'll move on to do the loungeroom. 
  2. Colouring in a mindfulness colouring book that I raced to the shops to get before they all sold out! 
  3. Doing 1000-piece or 2000-piece jigsaw puzzles that are usually of landscapes or wildlife.

Hayley Maddick, last selected for Open Trans-Tasman 2020 for Australia

  1. Bingeing on Grey's Anatomy.
  2. Trying to do some sort of exercise every day. I did take up tennis until they shut the courts last week ???? So now it's a block run, beach run, bike ride or home workout. Also thinking of taking up online dance classes!
  3. Catching up on uni work (so much easier with no sport or anything else on!). 

Rachel Jeffs, last played NTL 2020 Women's Open for Hunter Western Hornets

  1. Doing my "home" workouts outside so I don't feel cooped up – I do The Final Touch At Home Workouts. 
  2. Taking the dog for a walk on Redhead Beach.
  3. Exploring new movies on Netflix that I'd otherwise never have time for when life (without the virus) is flat-out.

Steph Maiolo, last played 2019 NRL Touch Premiership for Parramatta Eels

  1. Trying to learn to speak Italian to keep my mind stimulated!
  2. Socialising online – I don't think I've ever spoken to my friends or family more than at the moment. They're probably sick of me!
  3. Rewarding myself for hard work and my at-home workouts with a heap of chocolate – it is Easter soon, after all!


Keely Silva, last played NTL 2020 Women's Open for Sydney Mets

  1. Going to the park with a footy or basketball and adding in some sprints while I'm there. I find a combo of mucking around as well as training helps keep us happy.
  2. Pranking my family. Ie, scaring my sister.
  3. (House)parties with friends!