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Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Rafael Aruyunyan for ria.ru
EV: Your athlete was the last to skate in the LP and was the only one spared the falls. How hard was it keeping him concentrated knowing all the competitors were falling apart in front of your eyes?
AR: When you wish the competitors to skate well and understand your clean skate will beat them anyway it creates a good and a positive mood. Because you have a goal you are concentrated on. In such a case there is no need watching around and reacting to the situation. For example after the SP I was approached by many who said `why do you bother with 6 quads? Do 3 and you will win!'. You on the other hand, asked me after the LP what do Nathan and I plan doing in the LP. And I replied `the planned content'. I teach Nathan that: the professional athlete should not care how did the others skated. Important what he has in his planned content. 6 quads? Go and do them. No need to play games, you have to compete with yourself.
It's also important the athlete understands what I once told you: if all the competitors skate to their maximum and he does as well he will still win. During the competition even my wife was nervous - everyone in the last group were falling down. So I had to calm her as well: it doesn't matter whether the others fall or not. We will do what we have to and we will win.
On the other hand am so sorry for the athlets who are falling. I think every time `it must be so hard for them'. And even harder for their coaches- they look from the side and can't change a thing.
EV: Was Chen very nervous before the skate?
AR: Quite the opposite: he was very calm. Thanks to the work we have done after the Olympics he was very ready.
EV: How did you manage escaping the post Olympic tiredness that had an impact on many leaders? I assume your skater, just like the others, was very demanded in the media and it influenced the practices.
AR: Indeed all that happened. But we had a 3 full weeks of practicing. The thing is that Chen has such a good technical backgroud, and am not only saying it because he is my pupil, you'll hear the same from any other coach. More than that - I can see many start copying our technique trying to catch up. They do the same steps, the same entrances. Only that we started working on that technique 6 years ago. So we have quite a gap.
EV: Your skater made a history when he landed all 5 quads. Of course we all want to know whether we'll see Chen landing a 4A
RA: Depending on how our work will develop. Of course we are working on that jump, it becomes more and more real. It's a matter of the conditions. Like in the chef's kitchen: the better ingredients you use the better the dish will be.
EV: You reckon it will become harder or easier working with Chen after he became the best in the LP at the Olympics and won the Worlds?
RA: I think easier. The most important that we a well red of the `advisors'. If you noticed we were communication quite well with Nathan in Milan: during the practices, the competitions, outside the rink. I think he realized that first, he shoudl trust the coach, second he should progress all the time. Otherwise you will not survive 4 years in figure skating. Not even 2 years - the technologies have changed so much. Once the information is online everyone can analyze it and use it. Remember how it was in the past: someone have done something new, at the best case it was videotaped, you'll get your hands on the recording a couple of months later. Now all happens at instance. The progress as well. Hence if the coach wants to do something new they have to hide really well and compose the new thing. Show it and back to hiding.
EV: Are you talking about yourself right now?
RA: Of course. I have my own ideas which I will not voice out because that's my coaching advantage.
EV: Many specialists think with the increasing amount of the quads the amount of the injuries will go up as well. Is there a way to prevent?
RA: Of course. I only see one solution - calculating how many elements and which elements the athlete performs. What is his shape. The bikers have a rule: if you rode the bike all night you will not ride in the morning. It's not the car - the risk is too high. In figure skating it often happens the person comes after a vacation and starts checking whether they can still land a quad. Or a 3A. How can you, if you call yourself a professional? You are not a robot who was filled with petrol but a person with a body, which tends to change even after a well spent weekend! You have to get your muscles ready, get your head ready. The same can be said about the ladies who hit the puberty. Doing a big amount of jumps at that period is dangerous.
EV: What is more injuries prone - landing lots of jumps on or off the ice?
AR: Depending on the floor and the shoes. For example I never let my athletes work off the ice wearing the soft sneakers in which the athlete risks hurting the ankle.
EV: I know you were always against the little girls competing with the seniors.
RA: I still am. Look at Chen. He is now mature enough competing seniors. Had he been skating juniors till this season, and he could age wise, he would have known competing with the seniors and getting huge prise money is only allowed after the age of 18 he wouldn't have attempted the quads too early and get injuried. He would have risen to that level only after maturing with a possibility for a longlivety in the sports. With the current situation everyone is rushing into the hard jumps and I just don't see anything that would prevent them from. The thing is that the ISU when accepting or changing the rules does not ask us.
EV: Your athlete was the last to skate in the LP and was the only one spared the falls. How hard was it keeping him concentrated knowing all the competitors were falling apart in front of your eyes?
AR: When you wish the competitors to skate well and understand your clean skate will beat them anyway it creates a good and a positive mood. Because you have a goal you are concentrated on. In such a case there is no need watching around and reacting to the situation. For example after the SP I was approached by many who said `why do you bother with 6 quads? Do 3 and you will win!'. You on the other hand, asked me after the LP what do Nathan and I plan doing in the LP. And I replied `the planned content'. I teach Nathan that: the professional athlete should not care how did the others skated. Important what he has in his planned content. 6 quads? Go and do them. No need to play games, you have to compete with yourself.
It's also important the athlete understands what I once told you: if all the competitors skate to their maximum and he does as well he will still win. During the competition even my wife was nervous - everyone in the last group were falling down. So I had to calm her as well: it doesn't matter whether the others fall or not. We will do what we have to and we will win.
On the other hand am so sorry for the athlets who are falling. I think every time `it must be so hard for them'. And even harder for their coaches- they look from the side and can't change a thing.
EV: Was Chen very nervous before the skate?
AR: Quite the opposite: he was very calm. Thanks to the work we have done after the Olympics he was very ready.
EV: How did you manage escaping the post Olympic tiredness that had an impact on many leaders? I assume your skater, just like the others, was very demanded in the media and it influenced the practices.
AR: Indeed all that happened. But we had a 3 full weeks of practicing. The thing is that Chen has such a good technical backgroud, and am not only saying it because he is my pupil, you'll hear the same from any other coach. More than that - I can see many start copying our technique trying to catch up. They do the same steps, the same entrances. Only that we started working on that technique 6 years ago. So we have quite a gap.
EV: Your skater made a history when he landed all 5 quads. Of course we all want to know whether we'll see Chen landing a 4A
RA: Depending on how our work will develop. Of course we are working on that jump, it becomes more and more real. It's a matter of the conditions. Like in the chef's kitchen: the better ingredients you use the better the dish will be.
EV: You reckon it will become harder or easier working with Chen after he became the best in the LP at the Olympics and won the Worlds?
RA: I think easier. The most important that we a well red of the `advisors'. If you noticed we were communication quite well with Nathan in Milan: during the practices, the competitions, outside the rink. I think he realized that first, he shoudl trust the coach, second he should progress all the time. Otherwise you will not survive 4 years in figure skating. Not even 2 years - the technologies have changed so much. Once the information is online everyone can analyze it and use it. Remember how it was in the past: someone have done something new, at the best case it was videotaped, you'll get your hands on the recording a couple of months later. Now all happens at instance. The progress as well. Hence if the coach wants to do something new they have to hide really well and compose the new thing. Show it and back to hiding.
EV: Are you talking about yourself right now?
RA: Of course. I have my own ideas which I will not voice out because that's my coaching advantage.
EV: Many specialists think with the increasing amount of the quads the amount of the injuries will go up as well. Is there a way to prevent?
RA: Of course. I only see one solution - calculating how many elements and which elements the athlete performs. What is his shape. The bikers have a rule: if you rode the bike all night you will not ride in the morning. It's not the car - the risk is too high. In figure skating it often happens the person comes after a vacation and starts checking whether they can still land a quad. Or a 3A. How can you, if you call yourself a professional? You are not a robot who was filled with petrol but a person with a body, which tends to change even after a well spent weekend! You have to get your muscles ready, get your head ready. The same can be said about the ladies who hit the puberty. Doing a big amount of jumps at that period is dangerous.
EV: What is more injuries prone - landing lots of jumps on or off the ice?
AR: Depending on the floor and the shoes. For example I never let my athletes work off the ice wearing the soft sneakers in which the athlete risks hurting the ankle.
EV: I know you were always against the little girls competing with the seniors.
RA: I still am. Look at Chen. He is now mature enough competing seniors. Had he been skating juniors till this season, and he could age wise, he would have known competing with the seniors and getting huge prise money is only allowed after the age of 18 he wouldn't have attempted the quads too early and get injuried. He would have risen to that level only after maturing with a possibility for a longlivety in the sports. With the current situation everyone is rushing into the hard jumps and I just don't see anything that would prevent them from. The thing is that the ISU when accepting or changing the rules does not ask us.
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