On Saturday, Anton Shipulin was unable to lead the overall standings of the World Cup, but on the contrary, dropped from second place to third. Nevertheless, the Russian continues to fight for the Bolshoi crystal globe, his gap from the leader is not great - 37 points. Why did the “Shipulinsky breakthrough” take place exactly this season?

Elena VAYTSEKHOVSKAYA

Shipulin's new personal mentor is perhaps the most mysterious figure of the current Russian biathlon... Andrei Kryuchkov came to this sport from cross-country skiing at the request of the current president of the SBR and the head of the National Team Training Center Alexander Kravtsov. This is all that I knew about Kryuchkov, going to the interview.

- How did it happen that you started working with Anton Shipulin?

After Olympic Games in Sochi, Anton wanted to try something new, to change the very method of preparation. He came, of course, with this request not to me, but to Kravtsov. He presented him with his training concept for the next four years and said that first of all he wanted to relax psychologically. Therefore, he asks for permission to work outside the national team. Kravtsov recommended contacting me. Biathletes were often tested in our center, so Anton and I knew each other, although we never really communicated.

- And Shipulin immediately believed you?

Of course not. First of all, he asked me: "How can you even know what I need?" To this I replied that I was not going to dictate at all what and how he should do in training. But since he wants to try to find something that suits him, I am ready to explain some things. But initially there was no question of any trust.

During work in great sport I realized one important thing that allows me to quickly find a common language with both coaches and athletes. I stopped thinking that I was smarter than them.

- So you thought so for a while?

Not really. My task is to calculate the risks. If a coach wants to improve some qualities of his athlete, I "translate" the work plan written by him into the language of biology and explain what the body will gain and what will lose with such work. It is the coach's prerogative to choose the option that suits him from all the options. This is how the whole of Europe works now. I read quite a lot of all kinds of translated literature. And I understand, for example, that the results of the same Norwegians do not come from the fact that the coach poked his finger in the sky correctly, but from the fact that a variety of specialists work with the athletes very accurately. There is no chaos in the selection of exercises that the same Norwegians post on the video - it is clear there what is being done and why.

- It turns out that the future of sport is not trainers-practitioners, but trainers-physiologists?

In a sense, yes. The main thing is to come to an agreement. Not to interfere with the coach, but to help him.

At the same time, I am aware that not a single physiologist will ever rise on the same level with a trainer. Because the first one talks about the work of the cell at the test tube level, and thousands of people pass through the trainer from year to year. And he himself, by trial and error, acquires tremendous practical experience and clearly knows the direct relationship between work and response to it. Moreover, with experience, he sees a shorter and shorter path to the goal. Any strong practitioner doesn't give a damn if some textbook says otherwise. You can't knock him down.

The physiologist in this respect can only suggest some things. How, for example, without violating the key goal, to compensate for the losses that the body bears in the conditions of a particular work. Or calculate what kind of work is most optimal for achieving a specific task.

At the time of the beginning of our joint work, the same Shipulin went through a variety of coaching methods, had vast experience of his own performances. Moreover, he came to Kravtsov with a detailed plan for his summer work - he wrote himself how he saw him. That is, he acted as a coach, which is not really surprising: he shoveled thousands of kilometers with his feet. And through his feelings he can tell about anything. When I saw this plan, I immediately understood what he wanted. And he wrote in turn his conclusions and recommendations.

The fact is that Anton is a very thinking athlete and very sensitive to stress. He is not one of those whom the more you load, the faster they run. It is important for him not only to understand what he is doing, but to constantly feel that this brings exactly the result that he wants to achieve. How, for example, can you catch your inner sense of speed? There is no speedometer in my head. How does a solo athlete know that he is going fast? Shipulin has no partners like Martin Fourcade, Johannes or Tarjei Be. Yes, and there were no teammates for a long time while we were preparing for the season. Therefore, we followed the same path that Justyna Kowalczyk once walked.

- Did you work with her too?

No. But we quite often crossed paths at the training camps, when I worked in skiing with the sprint group of Yuri Kaminsky. I talked a lot with Justina's coach, Alexander Veretelny, and watched them work. The work on the slopes, that is, in some way artificial conditions, allowing you to create a feeling of fast movement, when you form your own speed, I took just from them. In the same Östersund, we were led to the start of the first stage of the World Cup in exactly this way - under the "dull and fast" snow.

I understood that if Shipulin runs on such snow with his usual "pressing" style, then nothing good will happen. Because among the rivals there are a lot of guys who surpass Anton in leg strength. And the usual tempo-rhythm structure of movements is not entirely suitable here. As a result, Anton became the second in Östersund.

- What is "stupid" snow?

Snow on which there is "dull", that is, limited slip. As a rule, Anton does not have problems with skiing, but he is limited by the sliding itself in stride. He is used to feeling the ski sliding under his foot. And if suddenly this sensation becomes "dull", it causes internal discomfort. Even if the speed is not greatly lost. In sprint races, this is especially important - there is no opponent's back, there is no one to reach for.

It also happens the other way around: athletes come from "dull" snow to the ice - and cannot run. You also need to understand: why? Lack of cardiovascular and respiratory systems? Or the muscular apparatus? No, guys, you're in great shape. You are just trying to transfer to the ice the sensations that you developed while training on "slow" snow. Therefore, nothing happens ...

- How big changes did you have to make to Shipulin's technique when you started working with him?

We only changed the work of the hands. Previously, Anton walked with his elbow down. Many people walk like that, but if you look at the same Martin Fourcade, his hand work is completely different. It goes the way skiers do: it creates a rigid system in the shoulder girdle, without "sinking" in the elbow. That is why skiing for the Frenchman is much more powerful. But in order to walk like this, you need not only skill, but also certain muscles.

- Can we say that Fourcade's technique is correct, but the one that Shipulin had was not?

After all, we build any movement so that it is combined with a person's physique, the ratio of his bone levers, with the capabilities of the body. That is why I always say there is no good or bad technique. You can teach a first-class person to run in exact accordance with what is described in the textbooks, but he will remain a first-rate person for the rest of his life.

First of all, we need to decide: what do we need? A classically beautiful move, or gold medals? Another issue is implementation. You can put ski pole a little further, thereby lengthening the lever. But if the muscles are not strong enough, such a structure will still not work. So when Shipulin tells me that he cannot change the biomechanics of his own running, I answer: you cannot change it just because you do not yet have systems capable of providing the desired biomechanics. For this, first of all, a certain muscular apparatus is needed.

Another question is that there are some canons of biomechanics. If we change the way the hands work, then the workings of the legs will change. And this must also be taken into account.

In general, I am not a supporter of destroying everything and adjusting the technique for some kind of my own understanding of how to move along the track. There is no single recipe. You can go on the track in a completely different way than Fourcade does, and still win.

- But there are certain tendencies?

Undoubtedly. Now there is a more impulsive repulsion - both in biathlon and in skiing. Exactly so - Martin Fourcade, Tarjei Be, Emil Hegle Svendsen walk in a speed-power manner. They have a short take-off and a long slide that allows them to rest: if they tense up, they rolled.

- Can you explain what happened to Shipulin in Oberhof, where he failed the sprint race?

The fact is that Anton's running technique is a "fluttering leaf" technique. He carries out his arms with sufficient amplitude, stretches, rises on his toe and only then pushes. The main pushing force comes from the edge of the ski, not from its surface. When an athlete "sits" on a ski, like, for example, Dima Malyshko, pushing on an ice surface becomes somewhat easier. And with a jerk from the edge, the skis begin to disperse. That is, in the sprint, Anton simply could not "collect" his legs. In fact, he himself later confirmed this: he said that he felt good, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not push normally.

Just after that race, Shipulin decided that he needed to learn to push on the ice too. The first thing I did was ask which muscles were hurting. It turned out that the most discomfort is felt in the deltoid and oblique muscles of the abdomen. Why? Because from the inability to keep himself on the ice, Anton began to try to compensate for this with his hands, due to the muscles of the core and shoulder girdle, which for such a case should be very well prepared in both the strength and the aerobic component.

- How is Fourcade?

Yes. He, too, goes with an edging, not a surface. But the right move You cannot teach at a swoop. It is necessary, firstly, to be able to "crush" the ski into the ice, that is, to be able to train on such a surface, and secondly, to prepare the muscles so that, if necessary, they would be able to take on part of the load.

I always look at these things first. When I am told that an athlete has not shown results because he is not ready, the question immediately arises: not ready for what? If a person spent six months at the training camp, he, of course, may not be ready physically, but one should not forget about the implementation of the existing motor potential through the appropriate biomechanics of movement. It is in the realization of the motor potential that very often lies the unsuccessful performance of an athlete at competitions under certain external conditions.

- I listen to you and involuntarily recall the comment of a fourfold comment that I accidentally heard at the stage in Ruhpolding Olympic champion Alexandra Tikhonova: "If Shipulin strengthens the shoulder girdle, he will be able to raise the speed of his own running by an order of magnitude."

No wonder. Tikhonov has tremendous sports experience. Therefore, a quick glance is enough for him to understand: such a tempo-rhythm structure of running, like Anton's, is very much tied to the work of the shoulder girdle. As soon as Shipulin began to try to create a more rigid lever in his hands when moving, he himself understood exactly where and in what to add.

- How long, according to your feelings, does it take to provide Anton with the necessary muscular system?

It is clear that this cannot be done during the season - only in the preparatory period. As muscles change, the biomechanics of movement will change, and World Cup stages are not the right place to experiment. Again, practicing any new skills is most effective when the central nervous system the athlete is in a fresh state. If this system is tired, it will inadvertently distort the very idea of what I want as a coach.

- But what about the widespread opinion that a high-class athlete can no longer alter his technique?

If you stand above a person's soul and tell him how to move, then you really can't change it. Because in this case, the athlete will correctly place an arm or a leg only as long as he hears the coach's prompts. After all, all the sensations have already been accumulated over the years. Moreover, as soon as a person begins to move differently than he is used to, and the sensations change, a changed signal goes to the brain. That is, the athlete perceives the correct movement with his head as incorrect. And it automatically returns to whichever model is more comfortable.

So, you need to rack your brains: how to create conditions in which a person would perceive the right skills right. It's complicated. It is much easier, of course, to say that it is not possible to retrain an athlete.

In principle, we have already started this kind of work with Anton. When we came to the national championship in Tchaikovsky, they probably looked at us as not quite normal - just like in Oberhof, where we did special work charging before the race. For ordinary people, I admit, some of our exercises really look ridiculous, according to the principle "if only what time to take." In fact, all of these exercises were aimed at maintaining certain functions. In other words, we tone the core muscles so that they work correctly in two hours, and in three, when Shipulin arrives for the final shooting.

The central nervous system needs to be constantly reminded of what we want from it. Ideally, the muscles should work exactly as they work during the race. At the same time, you must be able to switch under different sliding conditions, under a different track profile. Otherwise, you will be vulnerable.

- Who is more functional to work with - an athlete or a coach?

It is easier to work with a coach who already has a group of athletes whom he knows well - what suits them, what volumes of load they perform, what exercises they do. Approximately the way I worked with Yuri Kaminsky. He is a very thinking coach, constantly trying to understand what he is doing and why.

For example, I have never been a supporter of wasting time to deal with a general athlete. physical fitness... That is, to develop muscles that do not carry the main load for a skier in terms of skating. And they only pull on the body's resource. We must clearly understand: bodybuilders do not run on skis. This is called morpho-functional specialization.

At my university there was a teacher who jokingly liked to say that all athletes are abnormal creatures. Because they have developed only those muscles and functions that determine the result in the chosen sport. Should not be given to an athlete strength training like swimming and then make him ski. Because it destroys all the laws of biology. If I choose a specific exercise, then I must clearly understand which adaptation processes I will launch in this case in the body.

- I often come to the conclusion that very few coaches go in their work from the ultimate goal. The overwhelming majority simply loads the athlete in accordance with the usual methods, without really understanding what all this will lead to.

I agree. When I started working with athletes, the most difficult thing was to explain to the coach - in his language - my biological idea. After all, a coach, as a rule, talks about training from the position of one or another exercise. Moreover, even when a person clearly understands what the final result should be, he sees it from the position of a certain linear connection - the relationship between certain exercises and the result. BUT the human body it's all completely purple. It was not made for exercise. They imposed them on him. And our body does not perceive a specific barbell with a bar and 20-kilogram pancakes, not jumping and not skiing. And some kind of violent influence on yourself from the outside.

You just need to understand: when we want to develop certain functions, we can either help the body in this, or interfere. For this, in fact, testing is needed: in order to understand that the athlete's body does not just develop, but develops exactly the way we want it.

I can photograph the same Martin Fourcade at a certain segment of the distance, calculate the tempo-rhythmic structure of his run, decompose all this into components and only then puzzle over how exactly systems can be developed that can ensure the implementation of the tasks. But if, for example, you reduce the stride length, but increase the frequency, this will immediately change the requirements for the cardiovascular system. The main problem will not be an increase in the size of the heart, but its ability to expel blood at a high frequency, corresponding to the pace of running steps. In this case, the coach will be required to redistribute emphasis in training process within the framework preparatory period, ensuring the development of precisely this aspect of heart rearrangements. Accordingly, the resource of time is released and the resource of the athlete's body is saved.

If we want to accurately program an athlete so that he is able to run a distance not in 4 minutes, but in 3.40, it is absolutely not enough to load all systems by another 10 percent. A person will not run faster until you understand that these 20 seconds, relatively speaking, lie not in an insufficiently developed muscular apparatus, but in the work of the cardiovascular system.

On the other hand, there is no need to develop the power of this or that system by one hundred percent, if in competitions it works at 60. Many sincerely believe: if you develop everything to the maximum, then the athlete will run to the maximum. For example, a person did 150 hours of step imitation in his pre-season training. So, if he does 160 or 170, then he will be happy. This is not the case.

Plus - the specificity of the sport. The more variable conditions, the more difficult it is to calculate everything. For example, when I analyze a track in Falun where the championship will be held of the world in skiing, then I take into account everything: what kind of snow was there five years ago, what climbs on the track, what category they are, what capabilities of the body are needed in order to cope with such a track. What is needed, for example, to run up the hill, keeping up with the rivals, but at the same time not reaching the maximum oxygen consumption. Because if you go to it on the rise of category "A", then on the next one - category "B" - you will simply die right on the track.

Not to mention the fact that with age a person experiences regression, which must also be taken into account.

- But what about Bjoerndalen? Is this an ingenious construction created by nature, or ingenious coaching brains?

There is no doubt that Ole Einar is the most gifted athlete. This talent, it seems to me, is manifested primarily in the fact that, from a genetic point of view, all the systems of his body are predisposed precisely to do the work that he does. It is not so easy to make the central nervous system tolerate strictly certain things, and not just cold and pain. As a matter of fact, talented athletes are people who, firstly, have extreme motivation, and secondly, whose central nervous system allows them to withstand extreme loads. Now Bjoerndalen runs with crooked sticks, and all of us in our center are racking our heads about this, analyzing the biomechanics of movements in detail.

- Is there really a grain of reason in this?

Yes. There are certain nuances there. Scientifically speaking, there is a coincidence of the angle of maximum force and the vector of force application. But this does not mean at all that all skiers and biathletes should immediately switch to crooked poles.

- The recent story with the disqualification of Russian walkers made me once again think about why people generally begin to resort to the help of prohibited pharmacology. Do they understand that otherwise they simply cannot cope with the volume of the load, or does it happen when the coach has exhausted his experience and cannot think of anything else?

As soon as the person goes over with physical activity, his hormonal system begins to deplete. And this entails a decrease in immunity. Therefore, doping in most cases is not used to develop something there. And in order to banally support the hormonal system. The whole idea is often just that.

In my opinion, the use of prohibited drugs in sports can pursue two goals: to correct the trainer's methodological errors, when one or another load in terms of volume and intensity or in its combination with other loads contradicts the biological laws of the body's development. That is, these patterns can be bypassed. Deceive the body.

The second goal may be for the body to move to a new level of adaptation through even higher loads, for which it is not ready for various reasons. But the question is something else: is there an alternative to stimulants?

- Do you think she is?

Sure. I'm not even talking now about forbidden pharmacology: you can dilute the loads so that the body does not require any pharmacology at all - except for vitamins and amino acids. In this regard, I adhere to the position that many of my Western colleagues adhere to.

- Explain.

They believe that pharmacology is not the only way to break records. But not because you can be caught and disqualified - this is not a question of scientists at all. But because the muscle must "digest" the load on its own. Only in this case the work is able to give maximum effect... Pharmacology facilitates the recovery process. And it turns out that you have completed the amount of work, but the full effect from this will no longer be.

- Is it worth from your point of view the gold Olympic medal those sacrifices that the athlete pays for it?

Difficult question. Not so long ago I came across some interesting statistics in some European edition. Athletes were asked one and only question: if they tell you that after the Olympic victory you will remain disabled for life, will you go for it? 27 percent of those surveyed answered in the affirmative. That is, from their point of view Olympic victory worth it.

I thought hard about what I had read. In my opinion, life does not end with sports. And who, having lost your health, will you see yourself in this future life? Can you live a normal life if you pay that price now? And how ready are you in general for another life? The worst thing happens when a person leaves the sport without removing the old mask. Moreover, this does not always happen from a reluctance to remove it. Some end their careers to such an extent internally crippled that they simply cannot do it - switch, rebuild. I have seen many such people. Who, relatively speaking, woke up for many years and, like the damned, plowed in order to become one step closer to the goal. But they reached the top and don't really understand what to do now.

- Are there any sports you would especially like to work with?

Maybe a giant slalom. In fact, I use in my work a lot of the most different types sports. Long ago I realized, for example, that in artistic gymnastics coaches have gone much further than their colleagues in understanding how movement is built.

- Not surprising. Any wrong movement in this sport can be a matter of life and death.

Maybe. And one of ski trainers for example, he once told me that he had come to understand the technique ski run in the rise, observing how a spider moves along a vertical wall, which actually puts the shins of the legs on the surface. It sounds funny, but if you look closely, this is how many Norwegians go up the hill.

- Are you also working on shooting with Shipulin?

No, this is the only area that I don’t go into at all. Although Anton constantly teases me, he says that he will teach me how to work with a "pipe" and a tablet. I really love to study, which is why I like working with coaches, but there is one caveat. Before getting into shooting training, I myself need to understand: what the quality of shooting depends on in general. Understand the nature of tremors, for example. What's this? Where does it come from? What is short pulse work? For what reasons and at what point does the athlete start to imbalance, and he misses the fifth shot? This is not shooting, but pure physiology.

Let me give you an example: one athlete stops working before entering the line earlier, another later. Who has the advantage? The one who quit working earlier? Is not a fact. Because the excitability of the more loaded muscle is lower. Accordingly, the tremor will be lower, but only in the first seconds. This means that the rate of fire must also be appropriate.

Before changing a person's habitual preparation in prone or standing shooting, one must thoroughly understand what muscle mechanisms all this is provided. And not just advise you to lower your shoulder or raise your elbow. In other words, it takes time to figure it all out. Because a high-class athlete is not a guinea pig.

- By the way, how do you feel about the concept of "peak form"?

Nobody, as they say, felt it, but it certainly exists. As Anton likes to say, he has two exact indicators. The first - when you hit the muscle and it "rings", and the second - when the ability to sit in the bath for a long time appears.

- When do you meet at the next stage of work?

The other day I am flying to him in Yekaterinburg - Anton is released from the team's location for a few days home. Then we are planning a joint training camp in the Czech Republic, and in the second half of February we will start purposefully preparing for the World Championship in Kontiolahti.

Why is it now desirable for me to be with Anton as constant as possible? Because at the current stage, it is important to convey to the athlete as correctly as possible the very idea of the work that he does in training, and indicate the criteria that should be guided by his feelings. He will do the rest himself.

The first coach of biathlete Anton Shipulin, Vyacheslav Muraleev, began to study with him individually when the student was still 14 years old. Vyacheslav Borisovich told "RG" about the ability to analyze and about the boundless will of his pupil to win.

Vyacheslav Borisovich, you became the first coach who considered talent in Anton. Tell us, where did you first meet and why did you decide to train him?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: Parents were the first to consider talent. He moved to Ugra, where we studied. The fact is that I was Anton's personal trainer, and Mikhail Semenovich Novikov was involved in the school's national team, he was the head coach. Mikhail Semenovich took our guys to the competition as part of the national team.

How was your first meeting? What was the peculiarity of Anton when you saw him at the first training sessions?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: It all started with Anton's older sister. Nastya studied in the biathlon team of the Tyumen region with Leonid Alexandrovich Guryev. Nastya came to Khanty-Mansiysk in the team of the national team for training. Parents - Vladimir and Anna Shipulins - constantly supported the children. Whether it was a competition or a gathering, they still came. And we came with Anton to Ugra to see Nastya for the weekend. It was only two days, and Anton had to go skiing. We have known Nastya and Anton's parents for a long time, from the time when they themselves acted as athletes in Khanty-Mansiysk. They asked me to give equipment for their son. Anton came up to me in the coaching room, we chose skis, he rode and that's it. After some time, the guy caught fire with biathlon, his parents called and found out if it was possible to train with us. They themselves are from coaching moved away, and in Tyumen there was no opportunity at that moment to do just men's biathlon. Of course, Nastya was already in the team, but Guriev was engaged only in the female team, and no one worked with the young men.

Before agreeing to coach the boy, did you look at his abilities?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: I am a trainer for children. Therefore, I always thought that if a child has a desire to study, then he should have such an opportunity. We, the coaches, do not really choose, they choose us. The child comes, if he likes, he begins to study. The same thing happened here. Anton came, tried it, work began. He studied with me at the age of 14-15.

Did you notice his abilities or was he an ordinary boy?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: First of all, he was distinguished by his judgments, thoughts, although he was still a child. He constantly analyzed, looked closely, as the elders do. And here's what else is left: from childhood he had this - always fight to the end. Even if the odds are nil. It happened that he seemed to lag behind, but still does not give up. There was a significant case. You know, the condition of the equipment is very important for skiers, that time the grease "didn't get into the grease", Anton stood at the start, and his skis practically did not move. He left the start fourth out of four, skis did not work at all. Someone would give up, but he would not. He pushed, pushed and so reached the finish line fourth, but did not give up. He always had this charge to fight, this cannot be taken away.

That is, he takes his own in sports more by perseverance than talent?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: Everything worked together here: excellent sports data, and a charge to win, and hard work. Plus, he always tried to understand, analyze why he needed this or that training, he needed work.

How often did you train?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: We did it 5 times a week, one workout a day. There were 2 trainings at the training camp, from one and a half to two hours. Basically - ski training and working with weapons.

How can a coach explain what strengths and weaknesses Anton Shipulin has?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: I am a trainer for children. And I calmly relate to the fact that a moment comes when I can simply become useless. Each of us has our own canvas, now other mentors are needed for him. Sometimes he comes to competitions, I look from the outside and can suggest something. I give him my reasons, he gives me his own, and so we communicate who will convince whom. These are not even advice from me, but wishes.

Why do you think Anton took fourth place in his last competition?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: I did not understand this situation, I cannot say for sure. It was a big mistake when no one told him at the finish loop how to get around another athlete correctly. For more than half of the finish circle, he followed the athlete, who clearly interfered with him. I had to shout to him, tell him, because a split second was not enough. The fact that there was a mistake, I cannot judge about it, it is necessary to talk to Anton. But I advise you not to go to the athletes at the moment, for them this is a lot of pressure. I myself have not communicated with Anton, I try not to twitch him now. Therefore, I don't even know if there was a technical or psychological reason.

That is, the work of the whole team plays a role in victory?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: Yes, 50 percent depends on how the team works. They may say before shooting, "You are leading by a margin." An athlete can relax and make a lot of mistakes, or you can reassure him: "It's okay, work it out as best you can" - don't give unnecessary information, so he will be calmer. The team employs professionals, there was only a flaw in the finish circle. It often happens that an athlete is told: "You are the leader, just shoot and that's it," and the person instead falls into a stupor, begins to wind himself up that he must hit all the targets, gets excited that this must be done and it only gets worse. And at this level, the athletes have already brought the shooting to automatism, if they turn off, they will shoot great. It is necessary to turn off the nerves, emotions, brains, and everything will be fine.

And how does Anton approach the competition: does he activate when something fails, or goes smoothly, without emotion?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: It is absolutely impossible without emotions, but he always tries to analyze, it even hinders him. He always tried to disassemble every failure, to understand the mistakes to the end. Sometimes he takes it too closely. But failures mobilize him, that's for sure.

What is your prediction for the race?

Vyacheslav Muraleev: It is always difficult to predict in sports, but one thing I can say for sure - he will fight to the end.

January 25, 2015 (19:30, Sunday)
sport-express.ru

INTERVIEWER Elena VAYTSEKHOVSKAYA

New personal coach Anton Shipulina is one of the most mysterious figures in Russian biathlon. He came to this sport from cross-country skiing, at the request of the current president RBU and the head of the National Teams Training Center Alexander Kravtsov. This is all that I knew about the interlocutor, going to an interview with him in Moscow.

How did it happen that you started working with Anton Shipulin?

After the Olympic Games in Sochi, Anton wanted to try something new, to change the very method of preparation. He came, of course, with this request not to me, but to Kravtsov. He presented him with his training concept for the next four years and said that first of all he wanted to relax psychologically. Therefore, he asks for permission to work outside national team... Kravtsov recommended contacting me. Biathletes were often tested in our center, so Anton and I knew each other, although we never really communicated.

And Shipulin believed you right away?

During my work in big sports, I realized one important thing that allows me to quickly find a common language with both coaches and athletes. I stopped thinking that I was smarter than them.

So you thought so for a while?

Not really. My task is to calculate the risks. If a coach wants to improve some qualities of his athlete, I "translate" the work plan written by him into the language of biology and explain what the body will gain and what will lose with such work. It is the coach's prerogative to choose the option that suits him from all the options. This is how the whole of Europe works now. I read quite a lot of all kinds of translated literature. And I understand, for example, that results the same Norwegians do not come from the fact that the coach correctly pointed his finger in the sky, but from the fact that a variety of specialists work with the athletes very accurately. There is no chaos in the selection of exercises that the same Norwegians post on the video - it is clear there what is being done and why.

It turns out that the future of sport is not trainers-practitioners, but trainers-physiologists?

In a sense, yes. The main thing is to come to an agreement. Not to interfere with the coach, but to help him.

The fact is that Anton is a very thinking athlete and very sensitive to stress. He is not one of those whom the more you load, the faster they run. It is important for him not only to understand what he is doing, but to constantly feel that it brings exactly the right result that you want to achieve. How, for example, can you catch your inner sense of speed? There is no speedometer in my head. How does a solo athlete know that he is going fast? Shipulin has no partners like Martin Fourcade, Johannes or Tarjei Be. And partners in national team for a long time, while we were preparing for the season... Therefore, we followed the same path that Justyna Kowalczyk once walked.

Did you work with her too?

No. But we quite often crossed paths at the training camps, when I worked in skiing with the sprint group of Yuri Kaminsky. I talked a lot with Justina's coach, Alexander Veretelny, and watched them work. The work on the slopes, that is, in some way artificial conditions, allowing you to create a feeling of fast movement, when you form your own speed, I took just from them. In the same Ostersund, we were brought to the start of the first stage World Cup exactly in this way - under the "dull and fast" snow.

What is "dull" snow?

Snow on which there is "dull", that is, limited slip. As a rule, Anton does not have problems with skiing, but he is limited by the sliding itself in stride. He is used to feeling the ski sliding under his foot. And if suddenly this sensation becomes "dull", it causes internal discomfort. Even if the speed is not greatly lost. In sprint racing this is especially important - there is no opponent's back, there is no one to reach for.

It also happens the other way around: athletes come from "dull" snow to the ice - and cannot run. You also need to understand: why? Lacking the capacity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems? Or the muscular apparatus? No, guys, you're in great shape. You are just trying to transfer to the ice the sensations that you developed while training on "slow" snow. Therefore, nothing happens ...

How big were the changes you had to make to Shipulin's technique when you started working with him?

Can we say that Fourcade's technique is correct, but the one that Shipulin had was not?

First of all, we need to decide: what do we need? A classically beautiful move, or gold medals? Another issue is implementation. You can put the ski pole a little further, thereby lengthening the lever. But if the muscles are not strong enough, such a structure will still not work. So when Shipulin tells me that he cannot change the biomechanics of his own running, I answer: you cannot change it just because you do not yet have systems capable of providing the desired biomechanics. For this, first of all, a certain muscular apparatus is needed.

Another question is that there are some canons of biomechanics. If we change the way the hands work, then the workings of the legs will change. And this must also be taken into account.

But are there certain trends?

Can you explain what happened to Shipulin in Oberhof, where he failed the sprint race?

Just after that race, Shipulin decided that he needed to learn to push on the ice too. The first thing I did was ask which muscles were hurting. It turned out that the most discomfort is felt in the deltoid and oblique muscles of the abdomen. Why? Because from the inability to keep himself on the ice, Anton began to try to compensate for this with his hands, at the expense of the muscles of the core and shoulder girdle, which for such a case should be very well prepared both in the strength and in the aerobic component.

How is Fourcade?

Yes. He, too, goes with an edging, not a surface. But you cannot teach the correct move with a swoop. It is necessary, firstly, to be able to "crush" the ski into the ice, that is, to be able to train on such a surface, and secondly, to prepare the muscles so that, if necessary, they would be able to take on part of the load.

I listen to you and involuntarily recall the comment of the four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov, which I accidentally heard at the stage in Ruhpolding: "If Shipulin strengthens the shoulder girdle, he will be able to raise his own running speed by an order of magnitude."

How long do you feel it takes to provide Anton with the necessary muscular system?

It is clear that along the way seasons this can no longer be done - only in the preparatory period. As the muscles change, the biomechanics of movements will change, and the stages World Cup is not the right place to experiment. Again, practicing any new skill is most effective when the athlete's central nervous system is refreshed. If this system is tired, it will inadvertently distort the very idea of what I want as a coach.

But what about the widespread opinion that a high-class athlete can no longer alter his technique?

So, you need to rack your brains: how to create conditions in which a person would perceive the necessary skills correctly. It's complicated. It is much easier, of course, to say that it is not possible to retrain an athlete.

In principle, we have already started this kind of work with Anton. When they came to championship countries to Tchaikovsky, they probably looked at us as not quite normal - just like in Oberhof, where we did special work on exercises before the race. For ordinary people, I admit, some of our exercises really look ridiculous, according to the principle "if only what time to take." In fact, all of these exercises were aimed at maintaining certain functions. In other words, we tone the core muscles so that they work correctly in two hours, and in three, when Shipulin arrives for the final shooting.

Who is more functional to work with - an athlete or a coach?

For example, I have never been a supporter of wasting time on doing general physical fitness with an athlete. That is, to develop muscles that do not carry the main load for a skier in terms of skating. And they only pull on the body's resource. We must clearly understand: bodybuilders do not run on skis. This is called morpho-functional specialization.

At my university there was a teacher who jokingly liked to say that all athletes are abnormal creatures. Because they have developed only those muscles and functions that determine the result in the chosen sport. Do not give an athlete strength training, as in swimming, and then force him to ski. Because it destroys all the laws of biology. If I choose a specific exercise, then I must clearly understand which adaptation processes I will launch in this case in the body.

I often come to the conclusion that very few coaches go in their work from the ultimate goal. The overwhelming majority simply loads the athlete in accordance with the usual methods, without really understanding what all this will lead to.

I agree. When I started working with athletes, the most difficult thing was to explain to the coach - in his language - my biological idea. After all, a coach, as a rule, talks about training from the position of one or another exercise. Moreover, even when a person clearly understands what the final result should be, he sees it from the position of a certain linear connection - the relationship between certain exercises and the result. And to the human body, all this is completely violet. It was not made for exercise. They imposed them on him. And our body does not perceive a specific barbell with a bar and 20-kilogram pancakes, not jumping and not skiing. And some kind of violent influence on yourself from the outside.

I can photograph the same Martin Fourcade at a certain segment of the distance, calculate the tempo-rhythmic structure of his run, decompose all this into components and only then puzzle over how exactly systems can be developed that can ensure the implementation of the tasks. But if, for example, you reduce the stride length, but increase the frequency, this will immediately change the requirements for the cardiovascular system. The main problem will not be an increase in the size of the heart, but its ability to expel blood at a high frequency, corresponding to the pace of running steps. In this case, the coach will be required to redistribute the emphasis in the training process within the preparatory period, ensuring the development of this very aspect of the heart rearrangements. Accordingly, the resource of time is released and the resource of the athlete's body is saved.

Plus - the specificity of the sport. The more variable conditions, the more difficult it is to calculate everything. For example, when I analyze the track in Falun, where championship the world on skiing, then I take into account everything: what kind of snow was there five years ago, what climbs on the track, what category they are, what capabilities of the body are needed in order to cope with such a track. What is needed, for example, to run up the hill, keeping up with the rivals, but at the same time not reaching the maximum oxygen consumption. Because if you go to it on the rise of category "A", then on the next one - category "B" - you will simply die right on the track.

Not to mention the fact that with age a person experiences regression, which must also be taken into account.

But what about Bjoerndalen? Is this an ingenious construction created by nature, or ingenious coaching brains?

Is there really a rationale behind this?

The recent story of the disqualification of Russian walkers made me think once again about why people even begin to resort to the help of prohibited pharmacology. Do they understand that otherwise they simply cannot cope with the volume of the load, or does it happen when the coach has exhausted his experience and cannot think of anything else?

As soon as a person goes overboard with physical activity, his hormonal system begins to deplete. And this entails a decrease in immunity. Therefore, doping in most cases is not used to develop something there. And in order to banally support the hormonal system. The whole idea is often just that.

Do you think it exists?

Explain.

They believe that pharmacology is not the only way to break records. But not because you can be caught and disqualified - this is not a question of scientists at all. But because the muscle must "digest" the load on its own. Only in this case the work is able to give the maximum effect. Pharmacology facilitates the recovery process. And it turns out that you have completed the amount of work, but the full effect from this will no longer be.

And from your point of view, is the Olympic gold medal worth the sacrifices that the athlete pays for it?

Are there any sports you would particularly like to work with?

Maybe a giant slalom. In fact, I use a lot of different sports in my work. I have long understood, for example, that in artistic gymnastics, coaches have gone much further than their colleagues in understanding how movement is built.

Not surprising. Any wrong movement in this sport can be a matter of life and death.

Maybe. And one of the ski trainers, for example, once told me that he came to understand the technique of skiing in the ascent, observing how a spider moves along a vertical wall, which actually puts the shins of the legs on the surface. It sounds funny, but if you look closely, this is how many Norwegians go up the hill.

Are you also working on shooting with Shipulin?

Before changing a person's habitual preparation in prone or standing shooting, one must thoroughly understand what muscular mechanisms provide all this. And not just advise you to lower your shoulder or raise your elbow. In other words, it takes time to figure it all out. Because a high-class athlete is not a guinea pig.

By the way, how do you feel about the concept of "peak shape"?

When do you meet at the next stage of work?

The other day I am flying to him in Yekaterinburg - Anton is released from the team's location for a few days home. Then we are planning a joint training camp in the Czech Republic, and in the second half of February we will begin to purposefully prepare for world championship in Kontiolahti.

Kryuchkov is Kashpirovsky in biathlon.
If Anton believes in this, then the flag is in his hands.
But only then do not be offended.))

No need to persuade me, let me stay in my wrong :)) The main thing is that Kryuchkov should convince Anton that now he can push off on the ice. Before that he couldn’t sprint, but now he knows how to push off like no one else in the world, and that's the point!

VM, This is what Anton himself said after the MS about the sprint “Yesterday, on the contrary, there was ice and I did not have time to collect my legs. My jerk slipped off, and, looking from the side, the coach made adjustments. I didn't have time to adapt to running on ice, fast sliding.

What did your coach tell you?
- Before the start, he came up to me and said that today is my track, and I have to run well. And so it happened. I am glad that we found the reason for yesterday's loss, and now we will work to ensure that this does not happen again. " There was one more interview, which, unfortunately, does not open for me, in which Anton spoke in more detail about the sprint, there were such words that it seemed to him that he was running very powerfully and quickly, but in fact all his strength went into nowhere, and if not for Kryuchkov, he would never have understood why he ran so badly. I remembered this interview, because before not a single athlete talked in such detail about his mistakes, everyone got off with general phrases "we will analyze, we will look with coaches, etc." In December, there were also Anton's interviews, in which I remembered several moments (I don't know why they don't open with me, it gives an error, otherwise I would have quoted him) - 1. Anton said that now he analyzes a lot, compares, studies the techniques of others athletes and is working on his technique, which did not exist before, and when earlier they tried to show him some pictures (he called it that himself), he tried to get away from this as quickly as possible, and now he understands the importance of this. 2. Anton said that now he has finally relaxed and enjoys every race, and earlier he went to the race as to hard work.
I really hope that this experiment of Anton (and Anton himself said before the start of the season that this is an experiment and only time will tell how it will end) will affect both athletes and coaches.

Why as no one else? Because this guy, who is mistakenly called the main analyst, does not have analytical, and not scientific (academic), but synthetic thinking. This is another level.

He is not a narrow specialist (a virtuoso performer) and not an academician (like a composer), he is an orchestra conductor, do you understand? :))

Strong interview, supported by the results of the ward. That would be such a physiologist in the female coaching staff a year or so 4 years ago, you look and Pichler would have succeeded))

VM, why "like no one"? If I understand correctly, in the West they have been using the services of physiologists for a long time, moreover, some of them (Isabelle Knaute) have already made their way to our skiers a long time ago through the bastions built by our honored professionals (Vyalbe).
Yes, and we have our own coaches who use advanced techniques for a long time, but for some reason we do not like them, and, unfortunately, they get rid of them as soon as possible. website

And who told you that I doubt Kryuchkov's competence? Clear pepper, that this guy really drags in the sciences like no one else. I just don't believe in his explanation of the reasons for Anton's failure in that sprint in Oberhof. In a sense, Kryuchkov certainly knows the real reason for the failure, but he will not tell the general public about it and will do the right thing.

And regarding your suggestion, to whom Anton owes his breakthrough, first of all to his parents, who awarded him a unique cardiovascular system... How many times a minute does his heart beat calm state, You do not remember?:))

However, our conclusions, as well as all other "analytecs", are not important in this case. The main thing is that Anton himself is sure that now, after that sprint in Oberhov on the icy track, he knows how to push off on the ice. And God forbid that in case of icing of the track at the remaining stages of the WC or World Cup, he had a doubt about this before the race.

Dima "No. 1951. About the bear, that's for sure. The reason for Anton's poor shooting, and is it only him alone in the disregard for this element. Will explain. The artist Kanaeva did not climb out of the gym, honing the element with multiple repetitions, the basketball player, without throwing around the ring for a week, will smear from the game. Why is there an athlete, the same young soldier is not in vain taking the course of a young soldier. Did not meet the time limit of the command to retreat the sergeant will stand over you by the bed and train when everyone is asleep the same repetitions. he knows all the elements by a bite, but with repetitions is a big question. to force to run there is no such coach like the hockey Tarasov, and this is the trouble. As he admitted once, they shot a little, it’s not worth it. The union of Kryuchkov with Anton, it won’t be any worse. It’s glad to be an intermediate link between the athlete and the coach. skis and edging skis and retrain Anton something I doubt. It's like the same steppe Mongol who spent his whole life on a horse from that and his legs are crooked yes try to straighten them. A technical solution is also possible. In order not to be repelled by the edging, give him the conical bleaching skis for a special order. The boots should be placed on a slightly conical surface and there is no need to retrain. One thing is that the manufacturer of these skis will ruin it not for crooked poles. It might really be time to start skiing, the skates have already undergone changes.

Not coach Kryuchkov, he is a consultant, and replaces the psychologist. “This is how the whole of Europe works now. I read quite a lot of all kinds of translated literature. And I understand, for example, that the results of the same Norwegians do not come from the fact that the coach poked his finger in the sky correctly, but from the fact that a variety of specialists work with the athletes very accurately. There is no chaos in the selection of exercises that the same Norwegians post on the video - it is clear there what is being done and why. " Here he is one of the "different specialists" who must work with the athlete.
... "It is important for him (Shipulin) not only to understand what he is doing, but to constantly feel that it brings exactly the result that he wants to achieve." This is not important for all athletes, and therefore it is not necessary to offer Kryuchkov to take care of this or that athlete - nothing will come of it. Most of them have enough of such a coach, whom Kryuchkov describes as follows: “Thousands of people pass through the coach from year to year. And he himself, by trial and error, acquires tremendous practical experience and clearly knows the direct relationship between work and response to it. Moreover, with experience, he sees a shorter and shorter path to the goal. Any strong practitioner doesn't give a damn if some textbook says otherwise. You can't knock him down. " I wanted to recommend to Kryuchkov to write a book for the coaches or to hold seminars with them, but according to him it is useless - "You can't hit him with that."

Many of our trainers have in their heads a direct relationship between the use of illegal drugs and the result. Native WADA began to catch offenders. Maybe now such a connection in their heads will be destroyed and they will look for other methods.

VM, Advard, of course, it is impossible to learn how to rationally change the technique in a day, depending on the state of the track, but the state of the track in Oberhof could have changed in a day: due to weather conditions (in my opinion, there was a lot of snow in front of the MC, but I don’t remember exactly), or because of the intervention of the service personnel.
But the main thing is not this, but the fact that Shipulin himself believes that he owes his breakthrough to Kryuchkov, no matter what you, "analysts", say.
Advard, it would be better if you did not demonstrate your ignorance: "At least you can even teach a bear to shoot in a year and a half." :))

Beauty, everything is clear and accessible. Even to me, the sofa.
I wish there were more such gifted coaches.
Thank you!

I read and laugh. Something like: "Let's argue to the point of hoarseness, before a fight, about the taste of oysters with those who ate them." Of course, Kryuchkov taught Shipulin overnight to change in his technique what he had been practicing for thousands of kilometers of cross-country skiing for many years. But the most interesting thing is not even that. How often do we all try to tell what this or that person thinks at this or that moment and why he acts this way and not another. We know exactly why, we are convinced that he is right or wrong. And the essential is only that the athlete has grown to understand his own body and learned to hear it. The athlete has learned to communicate with his own body. And Kryukov is simply trying to teach the athlete this, explaining to him what he has not yet understood in this very communication. Any athlete who has not reached this point may accidentally show the result, but he will never be able to win a tournament or a multi-day event. MM Zhvanetsky (he is not a skier and will hardly ever master the "skating course" of Gundé Svana) once said: "the organism exists completely separately: it is capricious, scandalous and let down exactly when you count on it most." I wonder, not being an athlete, how did he know about it? From Kryukov, probably.

I also don't have delusions of grandeur :)) I confess that I don't even think that I am able to learn to "push correctly on the ice" in one night, even in the direct presence of a super cool coach of all times and peoples :))

Okay, jokes are jokes, but the main question remains open. Does Anton know how to push on the ice now, or in case of icing on the track, for example, in Nove Mesto or at another stage of the WC and World Championships, he will have problems with pushing off again?

vicc It is clear that Kryuchkov is not a coach as it is clear and that it is stupid to kick out of science, but where is she dear? Vaughn Prokhor, argued that it turns out that there was no sports technique in Soviet times, and there was no cabbage soup *** bast shoes. And now, not anything but a center for training the highest achievements. Perhaps it seems to me alone that there is a center as such, but with achievements? No, of course, there is something, as Arkady Raikin said, but all the same ... I am deeply convinced that the result will be the best then, this applies not only to sports when all those interested will blow the same tune - nothing more than a resonance phenomenon. What kind of resonance can we talk about when Glazyrina is put on the fourth stage, not her stage A TSh or who is cooler, says more importantly: we must suffer for the "society" and we suffer each separately. By the way, it is not excluded that they are putting on a stage in order to form a relay team. The same Glazyrina will remember this stage if it appears that he wants to run first. And there is already planned another one, I will not say which one. This is the phenomenon of resonance in action.

I have no megalomania. I am one of those who are trying to master.)) Therefore, I am happy to listen to advice from those who understand this better than me and see my mistakes from the outside. It really helps! One of these days one of these former pros simply showed me one subtlety on his fingers. I never thought about it. And I felt the difference! I mean, you can't neglect the little things. Sometimes they help a lot.))

I tried it, at an amateur level, of course, that's why I argue from my bell tower and repeat: I don't believe :))

And you are not only an honored master of sports in cross-country skiing, Yes?:))

PS You don't have to answer. This is a joke. I just really do not like it when someone starts to move from the discussion of the TOPIC to the discussion of the participants in the discussion.

VM, you yourself have even tried skiing skating? You just ask questions that are absolutely clear to those who are trying to master this move at least a little.
Alexander, just laid out everything on the shelves.)) So it is.

Natalie Peter,
“He (Shipulin) came to Kravtsov with a detailed plan of his summer work - he wrote himself, as he saw him. That is, I ACTION AS A TRAINER, which is not really surprising: he shoveled thousands of kilometers with his feet ... When I saw this plan, I immediately understood what he wanted. And in turn he wrote his conclusions and recommendations ...
MY TASK IS TO CALCULATE THE RISKS. If a coach wants to improve some qualities of his athlete, I “translate” the work plan written by him into the language of biology and explain what the body will gain and what will lose with such work. PREGATIVE OF THE TRAINER TO CHOOSE from everything offered the option that suits him. "
So: in the role of a coach of himself - Shipulin, Kryuchkov - "calculates the risks" from the point of view of science (biology) and gives recommendations, chooses what to accept - Anton. Those. a kind of "scientific group at TS" (represented by Anton)!)

Natalie Peter,

I read it, but still did not understand what was the reason for Anton's failure in the sprint in Oberhof. It turns out that in his inability to push on the ice?

Here are Kryuchkov's words: "Just after that race, Shipulin decided that he needed to learn to push on the ice too."

Well, how do you think? Did Anton learn to push on the ice in ONE NIGHT after the sprint before the mass start in Oberhof?

In my opinion, this is all from the realm of fantasy or a conscious "artistic whistle", and the real reason for the failure of the sprint, which the general public does not need to know, is completely different.

VM, you yourself read the article about this. As in any job, it is important right direction, hint, practicing, Kryuchkov is probably able to do this. Again, why can foreigners fail the race, for example, the same Dalen, and then, after talking with a psychologist, win the next one, but Anton cannot?

And I don't care if they whistle or not, there is a result, this is the main proof.

Natalie Peter,

Regarding the correction, Anton's failure in the sprint and the extravaganza in the mass start, I still don't understand, he taught Shipulin to run on the ice in one night? I mean, before the sprint in Oberhof, Anton did not know how to run on such a track, because he did not have developed the right muscles, and after the sprint, i.e. can it now?

I do not believe:))
They all whistle! And before he knew how to run on the ice on the edge and now he can! And Anton's abdominal muscles ached because he almost tore him in that very victorious relay!

HURRAH! Brains have appeared in our TSH!

Vladimir, probably, Kryuchkov is not a coach after all, but a specialist physiologist and he will have to work in conjunction with coaches, and each of them himself with a mustache ...

Alexander LS, I do not agree with you. It is Kryuchkov who paints the load for the athlete, depending on the goal, he also corrects these loads. Kryuchkov and Shipulin trained all summer away from the national team according to their plan. If an athlete is experienced, then why does he need a practitioner Kasperovich? Only interfere with the process? The coach can only suggest, again with the approval of Kryuchkov, because Kryuchkov is responsible for the result. Here is an example: after a failed sprint, it was Kryuchkov who did the correction to Shipulin, and you saw what Anton was in the MC! Again, as for the shooting, there was information that even Anton's bed was changed, and a lot different tips gave Akhatova. Therefore, Kryuchkov can take under his tutelage several athletes, but experienced ones, of course, this is how he worked with sprinter skiers.

Yes, forgive me a sinner: the feeling that the article is a warm-up for a specialist does not leave. The bunch of Shipulin and Kryuchkov is also good. Why not one of the girls, we know how awful their situation is? Or are there none? And so ready Shipulin The strangest thing is that our respected president of biathlon A.M. Kravtsov is, among other things, the leader scientific center preparation and having such a trump card in the sleeve not to use it for the benefit of more than one Shipulin? If he thinks that the trainer needs specialists, physiologists of Kryuchkov's level, then give them to him using the knowledge and experience of the same Kryuchkov. In the interview, he says the seemingly obvious things about the individual approach to each or every biathlete and about the alignment of the components of biomechanics and about the loads to each his own. With Anton, a kind of live experiment is being carried out. Only Anton does not need to sing praises ahead of time. It won't do him any good. Let everything go on as usual Tsiplyat will count in the spring and God forbid Antoshechkin to blunder, not talking about the BHG, this is how it will turn out, but about the medals of the world championship. Any specialist working with Anton in a pair will also fall under the batch.

Ay, Zagursky ...

Andrei A: "Not the" old Soviet school "? All principles are built and developed on the Soviet school. Literature must be read.

After reading, I am inclined to agree with zakol: you shouldn't dream that he will lead any of the national teams, he is a good specialist, but he is NOT a COACH! Rather, he is a "scientific consultant": he helps a coach or an athlete who is engaged in an individual plan (and not everyone is able to make such a plan) to understand the physiological essence of certain exercises. It can help correct training plan in the right direction, but he will not draw up a plan itself. This requires a practical TRAINING experience, his "strong point" is rather scientific work.
“At the same time, I am aware that no physiologist will ever rise on the same level as a coach. Because the first one talks about the work of the cell at the test tube level, and thousands of people pass through the trainer from year to year. And he himself, by trial and error, acquires tremendous practical experience and clearly knows the direct relationship between work and response to it. Moreover, with experience he sees a shorter and shorter path to the goal ... A physiologist in this regard can only suggest some things. "

Only if the athlete himself wants to achieve something, there will be sense. I think many are happy with the tit in the hand.

Collaboration pedagogy in action.

Judging by the interviews, a serious, thinking coach! He came from cross-country skiing, his own method, understands the intricacies of physiology. I regret that I talked a little with him on summer biathlon in Tchaikovsky, stood nearby on the track, at the exit from the rise, where he kept track of Anton's progress and, accordingly, the others. I wish you good understanding with Anton and successful work.

I am delighted! This is a detailed, scientifically grounded and very convincing confirmation of my idea, which I already expressed in the blog about Loginov, that our TSh works in the old-fashioned way, is lazy to study, study and create modern technique training, and instead stuffs athletes with medications, hence all the doping scandals.

But it looks like the ice has broken. One has appeared, others will appear. Smart ideas are contagious.

Yurievna, I agree with you about Vancouver. I looked at the Elder Be, who was also brought to that Olympics: I ran only the IG and purposefully prepared for the relay, which I showed, became the OCH. And Anton was thrown into all races, and after all, at his stage in the relay he shot to 0 and left the rack first (perhaps, with a different scenario of use in previous races, he would have passed it first, and there would have been gold), but he was knocked out on the track. Thanks to the coaches, they squeezed out of the young guy to the fullest, and some still reproach him for that relay race.

Everything is logical and understandable. A competent, thinking physiologist - a competent, thinking coach - a competent, thinking athlete. The future of sport lies in such a bundle. It is quite acceptable to combine a physiologist and a trainer in one person, if it comes about one or two athletes, which we observe in the tandem of Kryuchkov and Shipulin. The only sad thing is that we are only now beginning to understand this, and, at the same time, the apologists of "plowing" and "chuyka" are trying to trample the sprouts of the future. And in the women's team, to help Korolkevich, a physiologist like Kryuchkov is very necessary, although it seems that Korolkevich already builds his methods on the same principles as Kryuchkov, therefore, smart, thoughtful athletes made the fastest and greatest progress with him: Vilukhina, Podchufarova, Virolainen, Glazyrina - and not a lover of photo shoots, such as Shesterikova. But athletes with "extra" muscles, developed under the guidance of " best coach peace ”, it is hard, even if they are sincerely trying to fix the situation.
It's nice that the SBR seems to be headed by an intelligent person who managed to understand not only Shipulin, but also Korolkevich, and who managed to stop the persecution of the latter by the apologists of "plowing" and "chuyka".

Kryuchkov is from that extremely RARE cohort of people who madly enjoy not only doing what they love, but also constantly studying (and enjoying the process of studying) everything related to this business. There are very few such people, for this requires not so much intelligence! how much wisdom. May God grant health and strength to Kryuchkov and specialists like him!

Victor H., Only crutches will help Yana ...

I read it with great interest. The results of Kryuchkov's work with Kaminsky are evident Our sprinters ran, and how! The result of Legkov's work with a high-class physiotherapist is a victory at the Olympic Games. Therefore, such an analysis should be at least for the leading sportsmen. This is not the "mysterious" scientific group of Zagursky, about which they talked excitedly before the OI. Now they don't mention her at all, because there is probably nothing to talk about. Respect to Shipulin. He really subjugated his entire life today main goal- achieving the highest results in sports. How can I remember Vancouver, where he was thrown into the race unprepared and how he almost died at the finish line! The unfortunate coaches at that moment could easily deprive us of the opportunity to rejoice at the current successes of Shipulin.

Yeah, interesting.

I hope that such a specialist as Andrei Kryuchkov is not unique to us. Although I don’t think there are many of them.

And now I am looking at the structure of our national team (it does not matter - male or female) - there is a senior coach, there is just a coach, there is a shooting coach, there is Zagursky with his complex scientific group, a doctor, a massage therapist, a biochemist and twelve athletes in each team (I mean preseason). And so from year to year. And the feeling that all this is already yesterday's last century never left me.

Not so long ago Pichler was told that he did not have an individual approach to every athlete. Changed him to Korolkevich - what has changed? What kind of individual approach can we talk about when you have twelve people in a group? So maybe someone is superfluous or someone is missing?

Victor H. And how do you know that Volkov did not work out?

First, Volkov has been known to train with a broken arm. Accordingly, not everything could be done.

And, secondly, well, he lost the finishing segment to Eder and Beatrix. So we still need to understand if there is progress here as well. Maybe a year ago he would have leaked them completely without options. Still, the same Beatrix a couple of stages back to himself with Shipulin and Fourcade ran on equal terms until the finish line.

In general, as Volkov is getting in shape, it will be necessary to look, and suddenly there is progress there.

Mad bear
Yes, I understand that all this is not about Yana. As the saying goes, not a horse feed. Yes, and for Yana herself, all these methods are more likely "to the lamp, uncle Sidor." It would be more interesting to know why Volkov did not work out? With Shipulin, everything is clear - fertile material, there is a strong motivation of the athlete himself and is not physically offended by nature.
And one more question is spinning. What, now everything is according to Zhvanetsky - forget everything that you were taught and, in general, you have to start with the conservatory? Or should such specialists be involved from a certain stage? Like to help Korolkevich, when he says that in the national team he only brings to condition, and does not teach the basics.

Victor H., Yana, too, can probably be taught to run a little faster. But the athletes do not come off the assembly line. Accordingly, someone has a better ability to move quickly on skis, and someone worse.

Accordingly, no matter how you train Yana, it will hardly be possible to tear Domracheva and Kaisa on the track. But Virolainen, Glazyrina, Podchufarov, and Kaishev would have to see ...

It is very reminiscent of the work of Reto Burgermeister's group in skiing and, accordingly, is close to modern interpretations of Europeans, and not the "old Soviet school".

This is a dubious undertaking, to draw any conclusions by watching computer men without nerves. And not only because the muscles (including the heart muscle) move the nerves, but because any movement of the subject is based on a goal. This is what distinguishes ordinary biomechanics from psychobiomechanics to which our "scientific groups" are like to Beijing on all fours ...

Competent view, pleased!
It's time to think about the development of computer models of the course, taking into account anthropometric data, the individual characteristics of the muscular corset and the snow cover. Then it would be possible to help more athletes, domestic, of course.
Oo-oo-oo, scientific group ...

Excellent view! Good luck! Kryuchkov is a real thinking professional .. I'm glad that he started working with Anton!
It is a pity ... that it will not be enough for everyone .. but I think there are still such specialists as Kryuchkov .., we must look for them and involve them in the national team!

This is what the man has laid out "to the bones"!
For a thinking athlete (not a running and shooting machine) to work with such a trainer is not only useful, but probably very interesting. And most importantly, to get satisfaction from the results and strive to improve them.
Such coaches must be protected and all conditions for work must be created.
Thank you, Andrey Kryuchkov, for an interesting interview.

I read the article excitedly! How smart it is, competently .. There would be more such coaches! We urgently need to understand the shooting and help Anton! Thanks for the work you've done!

Marina Alekseevna, and Dima should be pulled out of the pit! ((Eh, it's a pity that there is only one Kryuchkov ...

Is it weak to teach Yana to run faster, or is this technique only for people like Shipulin?

Anton Shipulin: "When the coach asked:" Did you read the news? "- I understood everything without words"

Russian biathlete Anton Shipulin in an interview with Match TV told how he survived the IOC's decision not to let him go to the Olympics, and also explained why he was not offended by his European colleagues.

After the sixth stage of the World Cup, there are doubts that the national team will go to the Olympics in full complement, no one had it, but you said the phrase: "If they won't let me in, then ..." Did you still have doubts?

Well, seeing the situation that took place on December 5, before that, when honest, clean guys were removed, the medals were taken away, I immediately told the coaches: "This is not the end." In general, it was not easy for me to decide to go under neutral flag on OI or not. When asked on the air of Match TV, I had already decided - I just did not want to go out in public. But up to this point, I made a decision for a month. I tried to tune myself up, to mobilize myself. With the coaches, we prepared a good plan for the Olympics, we had to be in good shape for the start of the competition. But then this decision happened. I'll even tell you how it was.

I was talking on Skype with my wife and son, I started getting ready for training - and then there was a knock on the door. Andrei Kryuchkov opens: "Well, have you read the news?" I asked in surprise: "What kind of news?" Although Andrei Sergeevich's face could be seen. He hasn’t finished the sentence yet, but I already understood: it looks like we’re not going to the Olympics. All my mobilization disappeared as if in a split second. Another half a day went no, wadded. Well, fate cannot be changed. I thought a lot about my family, that they were my main victory. I really wanted to go home, I didn't understand why else to stay in Europe. But the coach held me back: "Wait, wait, the information may be inaccurate." On the same day, we wrote a letter to the IOC.

Then I called up with friends, and I was offered to participate in the "Marchalong". Unwind. I went to the coach and informed about this idea. Although I had never run such a distance before, not even a classic one. But Andrei Kryuchkov is a subtle psychologist, he understood that for the next 5-6 days I need some kind of goal in order to stay in Europe, to wait until the end.

And I reconfigured again, there was hope. The guys justified court of Arbitration, I understood that there was a chance. I began to concentrate and tune in. Weight began to decrease, and this is the first sign that the body is mobilized.

- And you were ready to come even on the opening day of the Olympics?

Not "though", but right on the opening day. I even talked to my wife, warned that, most likely, I was leaving tomorrow. I looked at all the flights, I first understood what to take with me. I didn’t sleep for three nights, because they were delaying the decision. I constantly woke up, watched the news with hope. They would have pity us more if they had announced the decision right away. I didn't really sleep for three nights, I hoped.

- Not surprised by the reaction of the biathlon family? No one followed the example of Simon Fourcade.

The public probably thinks that we are all bosom friends here, almost brothers.

- That's what they say all the time.

So these are empty words. We communicate well, we can make fun of them, have fun at the end of the season, as it was before, but in a difficult situation, I think, I would not stand up for them either. And I don't blame them for that. For someone from my team, I would fight to the last, I would gnaw my teeth to the end for my own. But they are not their own. Nice guys, but not ours. Yes, maybe I was waiting for some messages.

- You have each other's phones.

Sure. The only thing - Daria Domracheva wrote to me that Bjoerndalen is very worried and asks to say hello to me. That was nice. Because he is my idol, the person I was rooting for. And indeed he has now become the closest to us.

In this situation, I am not at all disappointed, not at all offended. I will also communicate with the guys, as well as communicated. Let the same Peiffer spoke recently. But I understand that when you give different interviews, especially to print media, they take phrases out of context. Maybe in his heart he didn't want to say so rudely. Peiffer is a great guy with whom I talked a lot. And I will not change my opinion about him.

- You're not dissembling?

I will definitely not bite my teeth, drive by and not say hello - too. I will remember who is who. I was not guilty in any way. Throughout his career, he has been a clean and honest athlete. There wasn't even a single red flag.

- Is this a test skip?

Yes. Or when someone runs away from the doping officers. This has never happened. Therefore, I want to prove at the World Cup that I didn’t go to the Olympics in vain. I will try to come up in good shape and finish the season well.

- And wishes to the guys who are now in Korea.

The main thing is to abstract. For all of them, this is the first Olympics. I remember those emotions when there are too many of them and you have to cope with them. I tried to convey some instructions to Babikov, the guys all sport life ahead, there will be many more races. The main thing is to help. If I can give at least something, a piece of myself, and it will benefit them, it will be great. I will rejoice for them no less than I would rejoice for myself. They are fighting, fighting for us, for the country.

Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Wilf

The first coach of Shipulin: Anton interferes with the favorites, so he was removed

The first coach of Anton Shipulin Vladimir Putrov gave an interview to "Soviet Sport".

Articles | The IOC does not allow the leaders of the Russian national team to the Olympics. Online of the day

It's just incomprehensible to the mind what is going on, - Vladimir Putrov is indignant. - Anton has been with me since 2006, there have never been any complaints about him. He passed so many of these tests in his life. Yes, they came to him at four in the morning, and at six ... All this was muddied by this gentleman who left for the States, Rodchenkov ...

Still, not everything is to blame only on Rodchenkov. The IOC is guided by some criteria when removing our athletes, to whom there seemed to be no complaints. What do you think?
- And what is there to think if the Norwegians are sniffing (taking medications for asthma. - Ed.), And they can do anything? At the Olympics in Rio, a gymnast from America admitted that she was taking doping, and nothing - she was allowed to attend the Games. Tennis player Serena Williams is taking all sorts of drugs, she was overlaid with certificates - and nothing. I think this is just a run over to Russia, pure politics. I do not see any other reasons here.

- Vladimir Mikhailovich, have you and Anton already called up?
- I called, but I won't talk about our conversation. Let it stay between us. But I think that our leaders should deal with this, the athletes are not to blame.

- But at least tell me, what is Anton's condition - is he depressed?
- I think no. He knows that he is not guilty of anything.

But a person will not go to his last Olympics in his life, where he dreamed of winning personal gold. Did he take this news so calmly?
- Why should a guy get into the soul? Let's go without these details. And then you write, it will sound everywhere. Don't touch Anton now.

- Well, you supported him?
- Sure. Think, Anton interferes with all the favorites, here's the result. I think everything will work out - everyone will be forgiven and everyone will go. They are all pure athletes. How can you deal with them?

- Well, you are an optimist. If the IOC has decided, that's all. Moreover, the week remained.
- Some of our athletes were involved in something. And Anton - never in anything. The same can be said about Seryozha Ustyugov. I've known him for a long time, he's from the Khanty. He has good health. Due to this, he wins. There are no other reasons for his victories. Ana is not allowed in because she is Korean. Why is he there for Koreans? They beat out the first, not the last.