Alexander Katushev: the main problem that faces to the Russian sports is shortage of experts, and not in the last instance – psychologists

The main problem that faces to the Russian sports on the threshold of the home Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi - is shortage of experts. The executive director of “The Russian Olympians Foundation” Alexander Katushev wrote about it to the Agency of sport information “All Sport” in his blog.

“The main problem that faces to the Russian sports is shortage of experts, - Alexander Katushev said. - In this situation it is impossible to solve this problem with money investments at once. It takes much time to prepare a qualified expert. Besides, we need to adjust the exchange of experience with other countries in number positions. We must admit: in many kinds of sports we have lagged behind and we can hardly go forward for a short period of time without loaning methods. But even after receiving diploma an expert must get good practical skills, show the first results of his work. Only after that he can be a real professional, but not just a person with diploma of high education. I name as experts not just coaches, but also doctors, and not in the last instance, psychologists. I also wish to say here that is not indisputable, but to my mind should be sounded. In sports, as well as in life, victory can be made only in human mind. The athlete can be the first only in case, if on the start he really believes that he is able to win. If he doesn’t have such confidence, it is very difficult to win. We have seen it many times when our athletes in Vancouver began during the competition loosing, and in the result he lost. One mistake can reduce to “zero” all four years of work in the Olympic cycle. Human possibilities become huge, almost boundless, only if a person is prepared for it psychologically. It is adjust which makes a good athlete – the brilliant, exclusive athlete. There are supporters and opponents of work with psychologists in the national team. Many coaches think that they better know their athletes and don’t want to invite professional psychologists to the team. Some of them are afraid of athletes depend on psychologists as a part of the population of the USA depend on psychoanalysts and as some scientists consider, have lost ability to make independent decisions. If something happens people at once go to their personal consultant, begin searching motivations, impulses, soul… Beijing and Vancouver, to my mind, have shown: we must pay attention to psychological preparation of the athletes. Victory lives inside a person. Psychological stability is one of our serious problems”.