“We both have our toolboxes”

sv98.de: Heckes, Scholty, what is it like to always only be addressed by your last name?

Martin Heck: I grew up with it and don’t know anything different. I like that and I don’t think it results in a loss of authority at all. I introduced myself here with this name, that’s how I feel comfortable.

Darius Scholtysik: There is almost no one who calls me Darius. Even my wife says Scholty. That’s how everyone knows me.

Heck…: And when I say Darius or he says Martin, it’s just to tease himself a little or to attract more attention.

sv98.de: This is the first winter training camp with Darmstadt for both of you. Heckes the first Lilien training camp ever for you. How are you liking it here in El Saler so far?

Heck: I think it’s a very good choice. The first priority is the content and we have very short distances here, we are on the pitch straight away and have full focus on the processes. The place is great, the weather is good, which also contributes to a good atmosphere.

sv98.de: In your role as assistant coach, do you look forward to these intensive and long days, the many sessions and constant being with the team?

Scholtysik: Of course things are really getting down to business this week. In addition to the units, there are discussions and a lot of things that you can’t really take care of during a season.

Heck: I consider it a privilege. You can concentrate on the content from morning to evening. The players are constantly around us, we always have access to them and can discuss various topics with them. This week is extremely important to convey as much as possible. It feels like the training session lasts the whole day.

sv98.de: How can you imagine the general distribution of tasks between you two? Smooth transitions or clearly defined responsibilities?

Scholtysik: It’s fluid. Each of us has our own specific area of ​​responsibility, but we complement and support each other very well. Things run very harmoniously between us and always in the interests of the team and with the aim of supporting the head coach’s ideas in the best possible way. Heckes is particularly specialised in the tactical and technical areas and in preparing opponents; I take care of the set piece situations. But we always exchange ideas.

sv98.de: Assistant coaches often work with the respective head coach for many years, often at different clubs. You and Florian Kohfeldt have never worked on a coaching team before. Does something like this need a little time to get started or does it work well straight away?

Heck: Flo and I had already been in harmony before, we had been in contact for a long time and knew that it fit on a human level and that we thought in a very similar direction. It only took three years until we came together at a working level. But we didn’t yet know how working together under pressure at work works. But we quickly realised that the three of us all have a similar attitude towards work and the things we want to convey. We came to a common denominator surprisingly quickly. But this isn’t about simply confirming Flo. We support him, complement him and sometimes show a different perspective. Four eyes see more than two, six eyes see more than four. And especially when you look in all directions.

Scholtysik: Heckes and Flo perhaps had the slight advantage that they already knew each other on a personal level and had already discussed football extensively. In the first week or two I had to see what made Flo tick, how he wanted to work and what his idea of ​​football was. It took me a short time to get used to it. From a human perspective it was harmonious from the start.

sv98.de: How can you imagine your daily exchange?

Heck: Nothing is left to chance. This is certainly an important part of development. We try to ensure that there are no question marks at all among the players. We want to be able to answer every question the players have about the content of the training. Flo is incredibly meticulous, but at the same time takes everyone along. This also ensures that we all invest a lot of time every day to gradually achieve the desired output.

sv98.de: Let’s take a closer look at your coaching career so far. Scholty, you are entering your 18th year in a coaching role in the men’s area and were previously a youth coach in Braunschwieg. Heckes, you were active as a youth coach at 1. FC Köln for 15 years before spending a year and a half with the professional team at VfL Osnabrück. To what extent do your paths differ and do you therefore bring in different know-how?

Heck: Scholty was a professional himself, then did an apprenticeship and started his coaching career with a different path and different requirements. I also played myself, but never at such a high level and then I studied sport and worked out the basics more scientifically. In Köln I went through all possible youth areas as a head coach and became German champion with the U17. This means I certainly have a different impact on the players than Scholty. He has professional experience himself, which I don’t have. I would never presume to give a player tips for situations that I have never experienced myself. I know what a player needs to understand tactics and technique. We both have our toolboxes. So we can cover everything because we have a very good potpourri in the coaching team.

Scholtysik: That is certainly a big advantage. I have definitely noticed during my career that you never stop learning. Of course it helps if you have experienced different situations before. But every player is different and we always have to see what makes them tick. That’s why it’s good that our team can address them individually in all areas.

sv98.de: A good transition. Because behind every trainer there is of course a person. What makes you tick privately?

Heck: We have a few things in common. We value life, we always see the glass as full rather than empty. We are both family people and like to have fun without losing the seriousness. And we love what we do. Otherwise, I’m a really happy person, very communicative and I like to surround myself with people.

Scholtysek: Family is extremely important to me. It was the same as a player and has remained so. I need this retreat in familiar surroundings. Five to six days of football, Darmstadt 98. Give everything you can. And the other time I’m at home. Switch off. Recharge your batteries.

Heck: It’s always about relationships. To family, to friends, to colleagues. You can have as much money as you want. In the end, you are only happy when you have people around you who are good for you.

sv98.de: Finally, a look forward: How optimistic are you about the upcoming second half of the season?

Scholtysik:. A season is not a sprint, but a marathon. And we completed half of it. The conditions for the second part are good, we want to remain stable in our performance and to do this we are working on little things that decide a lot in professional football. If the team maintains their work ethic, willingness to learn and joy, then we are really on the right track.

Heck: We are well advised to continue to think from day to day. We work in the here and now and must not lose this perspective. Nevertheless, there was one moment that made me look forward very quickly with optimism: After the away win at Schalke, I came into the dressing room, the boys were all standing together arm in arm in a circle, Luca Marseiler was putting on music and the whole team was together sung. Afterwards I called my wife and said: ‚Something’s going on here.‘ Because it is a prerequisite for success that the boys stick together like that.