Sovetsky Sport. November 29, 1967. Our sport doesn't like haste. Success in gymnastics requires persistent, thoughtful and, above all, many years of hard work. But lately, gymnasts are being admitted to competitions not based on their preparation, but on their age. In the republican championships, the regional teams often include children who are not truly prepared, but have simply been coached to achieve a certain rank. But the team needs them - the competition rules require it.
Preparing a world-class gymanst requires a long period of hard work. During this time, they don't need to participate in high-stakes competitions. In my opinion, a young man should only compete on the big stage at the age of 21, and a young woman at 17 or 18. Of course, before this major event, they need to gain competitive experience by competing against equally skilled opponents two or three times a year. However, only routines that are within the athlete's capabilities and can be performed flawlessly should be made public. Shakhlin became Shakhlin only when his routines became consistent. It can be said that he became "ironclad" when his exercises became "ironclad." Viktor Klimenko is a gifted athlete, but he doesn't yet have "ironclad" routines, and he probably needs another two years of work before competing on the all-Union and international stages.
We also need to consider the issues of psychological preparation. For example, a 100-meter runner knows that he will, more or less, reach the finish line. The stopwatches will show the time, and he will finish the race. But what about a gymnast? They face a course of 8 to 12 apparatuses, and they need to prepare for each one. In practice, however, it turns out that gymnasts start competing for experience, so to speak, when their routines are not fully developed. What does this give them? Experience? No, mainly psychological trauma and a lack of confidence in their abilities. And if the gymnast is also 15 or 16 years old, then frequent failures can literally cause them to develop a fear of the competition floor.
The question of early specialization seems clear to me. It is necessary, but not in order to train a master at a young age through excessive workloads and distorted training methods, but rather to create the prerequisites for developing a top-class athlete. Exercises for young people should be accessible and contribute to the all-around development of the boy or girl.
At a young age, the training process should focus not on learning routines from the classification program, but on improving the basic elements and preparatory exercises on each apparatus. Special attention should be paid to acrobatics, developing movement culture, and fostering the right psychological approach. The latter should be achieved not through competitive means but purely through training.
A. BABENKO, gymnastics coach at a children's sports school in Evpatoriya