Interesting questions for athletes. Interview with an athlete. Dmitry Rodimkin. “When I worked with difficult teenagers, they were motivated when I supported their sporting endeavors and talked about people who had achieved something in sports”
How not to lose motivation in sports? This question has been asked at least once by any athlete and any parent whose child goes to a sports section. We asked Alexandra Smetannikova, a sports psychologist and part-time sports leader of Decathlon Rio in St. Petersburg, what motivation in sports depends on and what to do if the desire to train has disappeared.
Why do we play sports
“A girl once came to me to run “for the sake of her health.” I said right away: this won’t work until you have a more tangible goal.”
- What initially motivates a person to play sports?
A lot depends on age. For example, children usually anticipate their future, they are dreamy - they want to become a famous athlete, a champion. The choice of a sport for children is often determined by random external circumstances: imitation of a brother or sister, proximity to a sports base, major competitions on television, etc.
- And for adults?
- It depends on who we are talking about - professionals or amateurs. A former professional athlete is in any case doing something. There are no former athletes!
However, much again depends on age and family situation. If we talk about an adult man who has a family, he will not devote much time to sports. When a person has a job or a family, his priorities change. Many people come to sports later, when their children grow up and free money and time appear.
- Does this mean that work and family leave no time for sports?
- There is always a way out. For example, involve the whole family in sports. Over the past three years, mass family sports have quickly gained momentum: many take to the races and run marathons with the whole family. Even children's races are held. It’s easier to attract people to a mass event – not everyone wants to do it alone.
Sport as a means to achieve a goal
“Only when the doctor talks about the consequences do people go to the gym to get treatment. And then, during the treatment process, many discover their favorite sports – running, swimming, and so on.”
- You are talking about cases when a person loves sports. What about sports “to lose weight” and so on?
I often work with such cases. Usually a girl comes: “I have a vacation in 2 months, I need to lose weight.” And these two months she moves towards her goal very quickly, constantly studies, accomplishes everything. Then he goes on vacation, after which he returns to the working world - and the goal is achieved. All.
Athletes always have goals and subgoals – competitions, championships. They are constantly preparing for something. And this motivates them. For those who are losing weight before summer, the goal is short-term. But it can always be corrected.
A girl once came to me to run “for the sake of her health.” I said right away: this won’t work until you have a more tangible goal. And she and I registered for the start of 5 kilometers - anyone can run this distance. So she had an incentive. After the 5K we signed up for the 10K. And so on.
She later thanked me very much for participating in the race: “I ran and saw how many people were running with me. This is so motivating!” And she still runs.
- What about those who are losing weight? Have there been cases when people stayed in sports?
People who treat sports as a means often begin to exercise regularly only when the doctor prescribes it. Constant weight loss and gain, a sudden transition from no sports to heavy loads are dangerous - this leads to hormone surges and is harmful to health. Problems with metabolism arise. And only when the doctor talks about the consequences, people go to the gym to get treatment. And then, during the treatment process, many discover their favorite sports - running, swimming, and so on.
What should I do if I want to exercise and be in shape, but sometimes I get lazy and lose motivation? Am I setting the goal wrong?
Remember the example of the girl who wanted to run for her health. We just rearranged its goal a little. If we run for the start, we always have an incentive to prepare for something.
Many people are motivated by the examples of others - for example, I often talk about my grandmother, who has been running since she was 68 years old. This encourages many people. For some men, the argument works: if a girl could complete Ironman, then he can too. And so on.
But the most important thing is to love the sport. If you don't like running, but you run to lose weight, it will end quickly. If you don't enjoy sports, then you're doing it wrong. This is why you need a coach - to feel responsible for the process and the result. In addition, people in groups with a coach work differently than people alone. One did 10 push-ups - the other wants to do the same. He won't do it himself.
How children get into sports
“When I worked with difficult teenagers, they were motivated when I supported their sporting endeavors and talked about people who had achieved something in sports.”
- In what cases do children choose sports?
Firstly, children come to sports from sports dynasties, where parents are athletes and coaches. A child initially grows up in a sports environment, plus he has the ability to do so.
The second reason is peers. Children want to compete with each other. Priority: all or nothing. And a lot depends on the environment. If everyone in the class drinks and smokes, then the child will look up to this example. Very rarely does a child direct his ambitions in the opposite direction. Children are afraid to stand out, because those who stand out are put under pressure by others. Not everyone can handle this.
The environment plays an even more important role if there is no good example in the family. Then children often look outside for someone to look up to.
You cannot force teenagers to play sports, but you can set an example: if I can do it, then you can too. They often look up to the stars – and sometimes it’s for the good! When I worked with difficult teenagers, they were motivated when I supported their sports endeavors and talked about people who had achieved something in sports.
Motivation of a child: how to help not quit sports
“When a person doesn’t take the places he wants, over time the idea becomes ingrained in his head that he will always be second. A habit is formed in 14 days, and then this attitude is difficult to change.”
- What if a child is already involved in sports, but loses interest in it? What to do?
In each case, everything is individual. We need to find out what the reason is: maybe he didn’t achieve the result? Or, on the contrary, has it reached its peak in development? Or have your priorities changed?
I work with a boy swimmer and he has already achieved a lot at his young age. But he had problems setting up before the start. “I can’t get in the mood and swim properly,” he says.
If it worked before, but now it doesn’t, it means he stopped working on it. It’s all in your head – and you have to work with your head.
Maybe the child's priorities have changed? First love, for example. In adolescence, such things are more important. And the boy will still think about the girl, no matter how much his mother forces him to play sports. In adolescence, children are no longer so interested in sports; there are more serious things to do. Especially if they have already achieved something in sports.
What if it's not a priority? It happens that a child cannot achieve the desired result. Let’s say he always arrives second, not first, gets disappointed and quits the sport.
This happens often. When a person does not take the places he wants, over time the idea becomes ingrained in his head that he will always be second. “In any case, nothing will work out,” he thinks.
A habit is formed in 14 days, and then this attitude is difficult to change. Unfortunately, in such cases, parents often do not take action, the child becomes fixated on “it won’t work out” and quits the sport.
- What can parents do? Say: “Winning is not the main thing, second place is also very good”?
Unfortunately, for teenagers it's all or nothing. You have to understand that second place is very offensive, unlike third. After all, before the third, in addition to the first, there is also a second, and the second was just a little short of victory.
If a child says: “It’s not working, I don’t want to,” and he responds: “You’re great, go study,” then this is not working on the problem. We need to analyze each case together: why it didn’t work out, what the child wants. Or send him to a trainer.
Good coaching is about psychology. I know many examples when something didn’t work out for children, they took second or third place, and then changed coaches - and became first. A lot depends on the coach. If he constantly forces the children to do something, yells at them, this is not coaching, everything should be neat and competent.
But parents can help without the help of a psychologist. If a child has second place, and not first, it means that he was not tuned in correctly. There are special techniques - ideomotor training - the essence of which is to mentally go through the distance, take first place, imagine yourself as a professional athlete.
Choosing Priorities
Many children simply do not have time to achieve good results - they have to combine sports sections with many other clubs. What to do?
This is a big problem for modern parents - even from kindergarten they try to load the child with all sorts of sections when the child is not yet ready to concentrate on something. The child does not have time to do anything, and he no longer likes anything. It is better to choose one thing - of course, having first found out what the child wants.
- How many sections should you attend at the same time?
What a child is given in kindergarten or school, plus one section, is enough. If you endlessly load a child with something additional, he will get tired very quickly. There should be a psychologist at school and kindergarten who could explain this to parents.
Interviews are one of the most rewarding types of content.
You select questions, send them to the hero, receive answers, format them and - print! Of course, this is a superficial scheme for creating an interview. In fact, this is an independent and vibrant content format. And on the blog it looks very advantageous against the background of the usual articles, guides and news.
We have already prepared several materials on the topic of the interview. Now we will talk about the most important stage of preparing for an interview - questions.
When studying a hero, you want to ask him important and pressing questions at the same time. I would like the interview not to be boring, banal and typical. I want the reader to swallow it, savoring every letter, every line.
And at such moments, there is a really lacking selection of interview questions at hand that can be tailored to an individual character.
Interview Questions: 60 Templates
- Tell us about yourself and your business.
- How would you describe yourself in a few words?
- When did you decide to become_____ and why?
- What led you specifically to __________?
- What was the impetus for _________?
- What were the first steps?
- What are the pros and cons of being a _______?
- Describe your greatest achievement and most impressive failure?
- Describe three of your achievements?
- Are there times when you lose inspiration (lose faith in yourself, in your business)?
- Describe your work environment?
- Are you planning to change _______?
- What are your plans in _______?
- What is the secret to success in _____?
- How did you manage to achieve success in _______?
- What are your favorite books (movies, dishes)?
- What would you never do in life?
- Can it be said that ______?
- By what principle do you ______?
- Did you come to this position yourself or ______?
- How have you changed since _______?
- Do you love your job (business, product, service, cause)?
- What do you like to do in your free time?
- How to make ________?
- What advice can you give to newcomers (employees, readers)?
- When was the last time you _________?
- What interests you besides _____ and ________?
- How do you take a break from ____?
- How did you come up with the idea to organize ________?
- Did you do _____ on your own or with support?
- How often you ________?
- What do you think ________ is?
- In your opinion, what qualities should _____ have?
- Are you being yourself while doing your job, or is this a PR stunt?
- What is the share of luck and fortune in your project?
- Do you have your own motto or mission?
- You have already achieved a lot in your profession, has popularity changed you?
- How much time do you devote to ______?
- Why do you think such a point of view has formed in society (in the market, in a company, on forums, on the Internet)?
- What was the most difficult thing for you?
- Tell us step by step what needs to be done to _________?
- Where should a newcomer start if he wants to follow in your footsteps?
- What professional advice can you give to those who are just starting to develop in _______?
- What pitfalls might there be in your field?
- Is it difficult to do something that brings you money? What does it cost you?
- How did your first success come to you?
- How do others perceive your development (work, changes)?
- Where do you look for your customers (clients, buyers, investors, partners)?
- Don't you want to throw everything away and start something completely new?
- Tell us the TOP 5 most effective tactics (tips, tips, tricks, secrets, methods) in _______?
- What is your opinion on this question: ___________?
- Form your attitude towards life (business, family, colleagues, employees) in five words?
- What is the main expertise of a person at your level?
- Was it difficult to give up _______ (free time, stability, career growth)?
- Are you always this open (closed, aggressive, optimistic, fast)?
- How would you rate yourself as _______?
- Have you ever had to overstep your principles in your professional activities?
- In any business there are turning points. Which ones did you have?
- What hinders your life and what helps?
- What are you dreaming about?
Of course, these questions relate more to a personal interview rather than a professional interview. But in any case, each of them can lead to a chain of new ideas, which will eventually turn into a full-fledged conversation scenario.
Olympic competitions are watched with excitement not only by savvy fans, but also by people far from sports. If you are one of these people, you probably have a lot of questions about the mysterious behavior of athletes, their mysterious rituals and many other details of competitions that seem strange or outlandish to an untrained person. Well, let's lift the veil of sports secrets.
What is this white powder that gymnasts smear on their hands?
This is magnesia powder. It removes the slightest traces of moisture from the hands, which can lead to the apparatus falling off, and facilitates sliding, making it easier for gymnasts to spin on the uneven bars or horizontal bar.
How is the distance over which an athlete has long jumped measured? He flops his whole body, so from what point does the countdown begin?
It's simple: the landing point is considered to be the point of contact closest to the push bar. That is why jumpers try to stretch their arms and legs forward - so as not to accidentally scratch their limbs on the sand before the final landing, because in any case, only the first touch will be counted.
Do synchronized swimmers hear the music they perform to?
Yes. For this purpose, special speakers are built into the underwater pool. French synchronized swimmer Margot Chretien claims: “The sound, of course, is not like in headphones, but everything is heard normally.”
Why do swimmers pat themselves on the back before starting?
For many athletes, this clapping is a familiar ritual that reduces nervous tension. Some, however, argue that these clapping speeds up blood circulation, which is not superfluous before the start.
Why do some swimmers wear two rubber caps at once?
The second cap presses the elastic band of the swimming goggles, making them fit tighter and not at risk of slipping.
What kind of bruises are visible on Michael Phelps' body? What, the coach beats him?
And not only Phelps, but also other American athletes. Only these are not bruises, but marks from medical cups - the same ones that our mothers and grandmothers used to treat colds in childhood. Now there is a new fashionable trend in the sports world: it is believed that cupping increases blood circulation and helps relax muscles.
What is the water temperature in Olympic swimming pools?
According to International Olympic Committee standards, the water temperature in Olympic pools should be between 27 and 28 degrees Celsius.
Why are the Olympic field hockey fields blue?
Field hockey fields are covered with artificial grass. The color blue was first used at the London Olympics in 2012 because the blue surface contrasts best with the yellow ball, which is convenient for spectators, judges and the athletes themselves. At the Beijing Games 2008 and earlier, athletes played on a green field with a white ball.
Why does the score go so strange in tennis - 15, 30, 40, game?
Initially, the scoring system was associated with the position of the hands on the clock, which counted points in quarters - 15 minutes, 30, 45 and finally 60. However, later, in France in the 19th century, with the development of tennis, the number 45 was replaced by 40 - presumably to make it easier was to announce the score. Several attempts were made to change the number system to a simpler one - from 1 to 4 - but they were not successful.
Why did American football never become an Olympic sport?
American football is popular mainly in the USA. Therefore, the IOC decided that it makes no sense to include in the Olympic program a sport that is interesting only to residents of one country.
What is freestyle swimming?
Exactly what the name says: the athlete is allowed to swim in any style, even doggy style. Restrictions apply only in the medley relay: here an athlete swimming freestyle is allowed to swim as he pleases, but not breaststroke, butterfly or backstroke. However, the vast majority of athletes consider one or another type of crawl to be freestyle.
What do the five Olympic rings symbolize?
They symbolize the unity of the five continents, although none of them are a symbol of any specific continent. The colors of the rings - blue, red, yellow, green, black - were chosen as the most common colors found on the flags of countries around the world.
Where did the tradition of lighting the cup with the Olympic flame come from for the entire duration of the Games?
This is an ancient Greek tradition - however, many people know about it. Few people, however, are aware that the ancient Greek Olympic flame was not just a torch, but an altar on which sacrifices were made to the gods. Fortunately, this part of the tradition has not reached us.
What sports are included in modern pentathlon?
Modern pentathlon is a sport that dates back to military training in the 19th century. In fact, it recreates the situations that an officer had to face when delivering a report to the commander through the enemy's ranks. It includes horse racing, shooting, fencing, swimming and running.
Why are all gymnasts so short?
There are many explanations for this. One of them says that it is not natural data that is to blame for this, but the training regimen. At the ends of human bones there are cartilage pads, the so-called “growth plates”. If these pads are constantly subjected to excessive stress, they become thinner and bone growth slows down. Since gymnastics at the level of elite sports is very traumatic for the musculoskeletal system, these very “growth plates” wear out very quickly, and growth practically stops.
Why are two bronze medals awarded at judo competitions?
This is the scheme of competitions in judo. According to it, athletes who lose in the quarterfinals meet each other in elimination bouts, and the winner of this “battle of four” receives a bronze medal. The same competitions are held between the losers in the semi-finals - in the bout between them the second bronze medalist is determined. The same system operates, by the way, in boxing and classical wrestling.
Can judo be used for self-defense?
Yes. Judo is a real martial art that originated in Japan in the 16th century and was modernized in the 19th century by the master Jigoro Kano. It became an Olympic sport only in 1964.
How much does a gold medal weigh?
At the 2016 Rio Games, the gold medals weighed 500 grams. They consisted of 92.5% silver, 6.16% copper and only 1.34% gold, which was used only for coating. Thus, each Rio gold medalist received 6.7 grams of 24-karat gold.
And how much does an Olympic gold medal cost?
Somewhere between $560 and $590. But this is the official price; on the collectibles market the price is many times higher. Thus, the gold medal won by black athlete Jesse Owens in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics was auctioned in 2013 for $1.5 million.
Do Olympic winners receive extra cash?
Depends on what country they represent. Brazilian athletes charge about 30 thousand US dollars for gold, 15 thousand for silver and a little less than 10 thousand for bronze. In Argentina, each medal costs about 20 thousand dollars, in Russia - about 60 thousand. But in Italy, bonuses for an athlete can reach 185 thousand dollars. But in the United States itself, only gold medalists are awarded, giving each a relatively modest amount of $25 thousand.
Today, the column has been updated with an interview with one of the most famous athletes of the Kaluga team, the current champion of Russia in polyathlon in the sports discipline of summer pentathlon, International Master of Sports in polyathlon Dmitry Rodimkin. As in previous interviews with and, the first question was about the beginning of a sports career in polyathlon:
— My sports career began with swimming, at the age of 7 I was sent to the swimming section, I trained for about 8-9 years, but I was never able to achieve high results, and I didn’t have enough motivation to stay further, the monotonous work in the pool every day began to get boring and lost interest in classes. Thanks to daily swimming training, I developed good physical fitness, this allowed me to successfully perform at various competitions among schoolchildren in various sports, I repeatedly became a prize-winner and winner of the Olympiad among schoolchildren in the profile of physical education at the All-Russian level. After some time, I was offered to do polyathlon, I decided to try it, and I was hooked
—Which species do you consider the strongest for yourself? What are your personal bests in all types of polyathlon?
— What I do best is swim and shoot. When I started training in polyathlon at the age of 16, my results in swimming were not very high, but good for a multi-athlete. In the process of doing polyathlon, I began to improve my results, despite the lack of training sessions in the pool (2-3 times a week). I owe this to my coach Nikolai Vasilyevich Ovsyankin, thanks to his well-structured work, my results grew. Best result in swimming 53.2 sec. and the best result in shooting at important competitions was 98, and at the city and regional championships it was possible to get 99.
In all types of polyathlon in the quadathlon the best total is 368 points (World Championship Tambov), and in the pentathlon 427 (Tutaev, Yaroslavl region)
— What is your favorite event in polyathlon and why? Which type is the most difficult?
— I like all types of polyathlon, especially when something starts to work out. I would give preference to shooting and swimming as my favorite sports. The most unloved types associated with running. It is much easier to get injured in athletics than in other sports included in polyathlon, which is why classes are sometimes incomplete.
— For many athletes, progress in one event often leads to a drop in results in others. Do you always manage to avoid this?
- Yes, unfortunately this happens often. As is known in educational literature, in polyathlon there is no positive transfer of qualities from one event to another, in contrast to other all-around events such as track and field (where speed-strength qualities are leading). In polyathlon you have to devote a lot of time to each event separately, so it is difficult to maintain high results in all disciplines, as it takes a lot of time. Thanks to the vast experience of my coach, we manage to maintain all types at a fairly good level.
— An important question for polyathletes: what model of rifle do you shoot from? Which rifle do you consider ideal for yourself?
— I shoot from Anschütz 8002 s2, a good rifle suits me quite well. Of course, you always want to shoot with the newest and latest weapons, unfortunately this is not always possible, and not every sports school can afford to buy expensive weapons. I believe that a good shooter can shoot with any rifle, because it is not the weapon that shoots, but the person.
— Tell us a little about the cherished dream of many athletes - performing MSMC. How did that start go?
— I completed the MSMK in 2012 in the city of Mogilev (Belarus), it was a difficult competition, the competition was very strong, the MSMK took sixth place in the overall standings among men already at that time, gaining 415 points. I became 4th by scoring 421. In some events I managed to show the best result. Overall, the start was successful.
— Do you like tetrathlon (indoors) or pentathlon more?
- I like both types of all-around - both quadathlon and pentathlon. Unfortunately, I received a serious back injury while throwing a grenade, and now I can’t fully pay attention to this event, so I perform most effectively in the quadathlon.
— Many important polyathlon competitions are held in Kaluga. Is it easier for you to perform at home competitions or do you feel more responsibility there?
— It’s always more difficult to perform at home, of course, in familiar conditions you feel more confident, but at competitions there are often coaches in other sports, friends, family, everyone expects good results from you, and you always want to live up to their expectations.
— Do you plan to connect your life with a coaching career in the future?
— I hope that I will be able to connect my life with a coaching career. I get great pleasure from sports and would like to pass on my experience to the future generation.
— Remember some interesting or funny incident from your polyathlon life
— Our team has had funny stories more than once. One day we arrived at a competition in the morning in the city of Gubkin on the start day and immediately from the train we went to perform at the stadium, sleepy and tired after the journey, it turned out that we simply mixed up the day of arrival.
— What are your immediate sporting goals and plans?
— In the near future, I want to continue playing sports, show good results and please my loved ones with my victories.
— Please tell us your approximate schedule, how many workouts per week, how much time does it take?
“We have to devote a lot of time to training sessions. I train in any free time, I usually manage to do 2 workouts a day, classes take place almost every day 6-7 times a week. Sometimes you have to do a workout for about 2 hours, and sometimes more.
— What do you think is the secret of your success?
— I think that I was lucky to get into a strong team of Kaluga polyathletes under the leadership of Nikolai Vasilyevich Ovsyankin, it was he who was able to make me a champion and interest me in the sport.
— What can you wish for other athletes and polyathletes in particular?
— The most important thing I can wish is to love what you do, constantly improve, and achieve your goal. And of course, so that defeats do not break you, and victories do not corrupt you.
Swim on (lane 3 from the operator)
Question answer. It is no secret that the Rusbiathlon website is read by our biathletes. Some of them are active, registered users of the Republic of Belarus. They are ready to answer questions that interest us. What are you interesting in? What do you want to ask them? Ask questions without addressing any athlete specifically. Write these questions in their Profile. Here are the general ones. Those that any of them can answer.
Questions that are interesting not only to me:
1. Are all conditions created for training? Is there enough equipment, etc.?
2. Prokhorov. With his arrival in biathlon, did it become better/worse for you? And with what?
3. Tell us a little about your biography. How, when, why did you start doing biathlon? Interesting and funny incidents from your life
4. Your hobby
5. Fans. Good and evil. What do you like/dislike about the behavior and statements of fans? Do you read negative reviews about yourself on the Internet? And how do you react to this?
6. Tell us about the daily routine (from wake-up to shutdown) on race day and on a regular training day when you are at the training camp.
7. How do you prepare for a race? Who are you talking to? Who are you listening to? Maybe you're watching something?
8. How do you do your morning exercises? What is?
9. Do you eat additionally, in addition to eating in the common dining room?
10. What signs or rituals do you have before a race that help you?
11.. Your Question?
Ask questions. Here you can go to “My Messages”. I will add)
P.S. A big request to those users who communicate with athletes, as well as Family, Friends and loved ones. Pass the link to them. Maybe they can answer the same. Personally or through you. You can also send your answers to me in “My Messages”. I'll post them here. Anonymity is guaranteed;) I give you a fang. Bagheera! ;)
How much cyclic work (cross-country, skiing, roller skating, imitation) do members of the national team undergo per year? While doing orienteering I had from 6 - 6.5 thousand, but today in modern biathlon?
How should and how does the selection of athletes for the main team actually take place? What standards must athletes demonstrate during the summer training period in order to qualify for the beginning of the biathlon season?
How do you assess the situation in the team and the qualifications of the coaches? If the qualifications of the coaches are satisfactory, then why the dismal results?
Your idol in sports.
What is the motivation to win?
Question:
Who are the athletes performing for?
What is the most beautiful/interesting country in your opinion that you have been/have not been to (but would like to)?
Have there been times in your life when you wanted to quit biathlon? Because of which? And what prevented you from doing this?
Some athletes dedicate their victories to family, loved ones, and friends.
What principles do you have, for whose sake or what do you strive for victories?
Wolf-7 is a better intelligent English teacher.
OLGA
And translators!
Wolf-7
And a nutritionist?
Wolf-7
Yes. Good question.
In your opinion, is a personal psychologist necessary for an athlete?
Kirill Semykin
Why do I like cognac and not vodka? Why do I listen to Sylvia Vartan and not Pugacheva? These are my tastes. And, then, I am asking questions not to you, but to Olga Galich.
Kirill Semykin
We all have our favorite athletes. Or those we follow more closely)
Philosopher
Why does Galich receive so much attention? Why is she so much better and more promising than Kuznetsova, Alikina, Perminova, Pechenkin and many others. Now they don’t talk about Margarita Fillipova, but next year, I hope they will. And it’s not a fact that Laura Dahlmeier will continue to progress, although she is certainly a great talent, and the Germans will probably be able to make her a very strong biathlete.
I have questions for Olga Galich:
1. How realistic are the chances of playing in the main team starting next season?
2. Olympic Games-14 in Sochi - what are the prospects for competing at the Olympics?
3. Will we see a confrontation between Galich and Dolmeier?