Daniil Gleikhengauz: “How do we motivate the girls for such success? The best psychologist and motivator is, of course, Eteri Tutberidze.”
Daniil Gleikhengauz about the secret to the success of the Tutberidze coaching staff.
original source: Sport24
Daniel Gleikhengauz was a guest on the show “Morning. TNT,” where he discussed, among other things, the secret to the success of the Tutberidze coaching staff and how they deal with star syndrome among skaters. Here’s a translation.
“Q: Do you feel a lot of responsibility, and does the burden of medals weigh on you?
Daniel Gleikhengauz: We have been showing high results for many years. The Russian Nationals has just concluded, where Adelia Petrosian won and became a two-time Russian champion. Our team has won the Russian Nationals in women’s singles skating for the 10th consecutive time. This is an achievement for us.
Q: How do you explain such a huge success? Your girls are the best again for the 10th consecutive time. Why?
Daniel Gleikhengauz: We’d like to believe it’s because we understand figure skating. In reality — it’s our life. We dedicate ourselves fully, all our free time to figure skating, to training. I think that’s why we achieve such results.
Q: How do the girls cope psychologically? They are all very young. Maybe, does your team have some approach, or a sports psychologist? How do you motivate the girls for such success?
Daniel Gleikhengauz: The best psychologist and motivator is, of course, Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze. But also we have an individual approach to each one. We constantly communicate, chat with each athlete. Because we spend so much time together, we become like family to them.
Sometimes they see their parents less than us, because the training day starts early and ends late, we are together all day, six days a week, we become a family. Therefore, there are arguments, disagreements, but also reconciliations, and joy from common victories.
Q: Over many years, you have been raising world champions, Olympic champions. Alina Zagitova, Kamila Valieva, Anya Shcherbakova, Evgenia Medvedeva — these names are familiar to everyone in the world of figure skating. How hard is it to work with such stars? You raised them, and they became popular. Didn’t they have any star syndrome?
Daniel Gleikhengauz: Star syndrome appears and manifests differently in everyone. With us, I think, it’s even harder for them to get carried away. Because we’ve known them since childhood, from the very beginning of their journey, we know what they are like. If there are any moments of stardom, the athlete looks at us and thinks: “Not here. Not with you.”
Q: So, you immediately curb such moments?
Daniel Gleikhengauz: Of course. Relationships should remain as they were.
Q: We talked with a child psychologist about the carrot and stick approach, how to properly treat a child in sports. The child psychologist said, of course, we choose the carrot, the stick can damage the psyche. But in big sports, is it possible to achieve great success only with the carrot?
Daniel Gleikhengauz: Of course not. You cannot have only carrots in big sports (laughs). Big sport, unfortunately, is not exactly about health. Therefore, both the stick and the carrot — more through words and support. But without heavy loads, without full immersion in the process, giving up sweets, resting, meeting friends… When an athlete is pursuing their goal there is nothing but their training and recovery, again, in order to go back to training.
Q: Is Eteri Georgievna mostly responsible for the stick?
Daniel Gleikhengauz: No. We all move in one direction. It all depends on the training, on the athlete, hence each of us can be both the good and the strict coach.”
Related topics: Daniil Gleichengauz
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