Sovetsky Sport. March 27, 1983. As the crew requested, the helm today is taken by the representative of the coaching galaxy among those on watch - the Merited Coach of the USSR Vladislav Rastorotsky, who trained the best gymnasts in the world in the 1970s: Ludmila Turischeva, Olympic and world champion Natalia Shaposhnikova, and World Cup winner Natalia Yurchenko.
So, Vladislav Stepanovich, the question asked to you by Dalia Kutkaite is about what is more important in sports: talent or hard work...
I remember, and I'll answer. But I will not answer in an original way. In our age, talent cannot be achieved without hard work. Because it won't manifest itself if it's not hardworking. And we won't know he's a talent.
I'll give you the example of Lyudmila Turischeva. Everyone knows her, but who knows that in some purely physical qualities - muscle elasticity, for example - she was considerably inferior to such an outstanding gymnast as Olga Korbut? Although Korbut could never beat her in the all-around. But, I remember once I was struck by the thought expressed in the booklet by the famous Japanese volleyball coach Daimatsu "Follow Me," and early in the morning I ran into the gym and shouted, "Girls, sit down and listen, I've found a treasure!" The idea was kind of simple. It takes time to train more. "It was necessary," Daimatsu wrote, "to develop a habit of taking a short nap every day and still feel great." I read it out loud, and Lyuda immediately understood everything. She exclaimed: "Vladislav Stepanovich, why should we sleep until seven? Let's get up at 5:30 and start training at six!" And she sometimes asked me: what if, for example, at 9:30pm I ran five laps around the stadium? She constantly countered my coaching plan with a 'counter plan.' I was putting pressure on myself all the time.
There were cases in the summer at a training camp in Leselidze. We decided to swim every morning, no matter what. And now it's raining, it's cold, the sea is noisy. Olya Korbut said: "I will see how you carry out the plan." Lyuda approached the water and touched it. I even laughed at her. And she would jump into the waves and swim! "Try to beat one of those," Korbut said.
But not only hard work and willpower, not only muscular talent are included in the concept of talent...
Talent is someone who constantly wants to know more, who is a restless soul. Talent poses questions and seeks answers. And from whom can he find these answers? Who will reveal the secrets of victories to him? A talented teacher. The teacher is looking for a student, and the student is looking for a teacher. They find each other - they are happy.
We have a lot of letters about how hurtful it is for the kids when their dreams of sports improvement are met by the absence of an adult next to them who can help, guide, support...
I understand this kind of insult. But I affirm that whoever seeks, will find. Teachers, coaches - not at her school, but at the next one... Why did Natasha Yurchenko, at the age of 12, risk taking the train and coming to me in Rostov? She didn't see me in person then - only by hearsay. The child just couldn't sit still, she couldn't!
But, well, Vladislav Stepanovich, the teacher found a student, the student found a teacher. Is this enough for success?
I want to be frank with you. We must admit our mistakes, too. It's no secret that Natasha Shaposhnikova left the platform early and didn't do everything she could. Nature gave her a beautiful face and a beautiful figure. But it didn't give her much physical strength. And in the family, this child lounged around, she was pampered by her family. She didn't have the resolve, figuratively speaking, to overload the wagons with sand. And I didn't have the power of persuasion. And here's my third hope - Yurchenko. In terms of performance, she is not inferior to Turischeva. But when she gets a heavy workload, she kind of shrinks into a lump. I'm thinking, I'm thinking I should give her an extra day of rest. If she rests...she'll turn the room upside down!
Some people ask: "Is it necessary for a champion to be an excellent student? It is necessary to read a lot? He already has so little time." What do you think about this?
Turischeva was an excellent student. Shaposhnikova, too. Yurchenko, too. If you want to achieve a result, it must be a result on all fronts. If you go to harvesting, you have to be the first. If you are practicing in a locksmith shop, you must be the first. And if you love sports very much, all this helps you, because you constantly learn not to indulge yourself in anything. That's my logic. If you answer the lesson perfectly, it means that your brain is capable of more today than yesterday. I always say: "When you solve a problem in geometry, you are solving a problem on the bars, you are solving a problem of behavior in society. By correctly solving the problem of behavior in society, you become an example to follow." This is my logic. They say bad examples are contagious. And I say - no! Contagious is good!
Excuse me, Vladislav Stepanovich, what kind of book is on your nightstand?
It's from the series "The Lives of Remarkable People." It's about the outstanding figure of Soviet industry Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malyshev. First, I'll read it myself, and then I'll give it to my girls. I underline especially important thoughts for them.
Can I see what you underlined?
Here. "A work of thought that cannot withstand sudden complication; a situation caused by external forces, means nothing, it is an ephemeral value." Here. "Quality is a more direct path to advantage." Here. "Strength is only ourselves."