By John Crumlish
Leonid Arkayev reinforces the Russian dynasty he designed
Solemnly decorated by Russian president Boris Yeltsin at a May 1997 ceremony in the Kremlin, Leonid Yakovlevich Arkayev was honored for designing and maintaining a sporting fortress as formidable and inspirational as the Kremlin itself.
Arkayev, credited with transforming the Soviet men's gymnastics team from prominence to dominance between 1973 and 1992, now helms the Russian men's and women's programs. Lauded as the country's all-sports Coach of the Year in 1996, he guided his men to gold and his women to silver at the Atlanta Olympics. Russia's multi-medal tally at the '97 Worlds (and its powerful presence on the international junior circuit the past two years) has further validated Arkayev's talent for devising and consolidating winning combinations of individual strengths and personalities.
The 57-year-old Arkayev is frank and humble when he describes the meager but earnest foundations upon which he built his career. The youngest of three children, he has only vague memories of his father, Yakov, a machinist who died on the World War II front when Leonid was 3. His mother, Anastasia, grittily supported her family as a cleaning woman at a factory, where the boisterous Leonid enjoyed his first "gymnastics" on the facility's playground junglegyms and monkey bars.
Rejected from one official gymnastics class because "I couldn't do even on pull-up on the high bar," Arkayev recalls his mother's resourcefulness that pushed another club's door open for him. The sister of 1952 Olympic vaulting champion Yekaterina Kalinchuk was a fellow tenant in the stark seven-family communal apartment the Arkayevs shared. Anastasia beseeched her influence, and soon thereafter 14-year-old Leonid was enrolled at the nearby Stroitel Society club.
Arkayev enjoyed moderate success during his decade on the Soviet national team. Ironically negating early assessments of his high bar potential, he earned his only individual medal (silver) on this event at the '66 Soviet championships. He calls this his token to travel as the Soviet team alternate to the Worlds in Dortmund, Germany, that year.
Unlike many of his gymnastics peers, Arkayev pursued a professianal life outside the training hall. Astute in design and science, he studied construction engineering at the Kuibyshev institute in Moscow, from which he recieved a degree in 1965. (There he met his furture wife, Lyudmilla, a fellow student.) Two years later he accepted a coaching position in his hometown, inaugurating what has become a 30-year mastery in the construction of sturdy gymnasts and teams. Arkayev continued to fortify his technical and administrative command of gymnastics by earning subsequent sports-related degrees in 1975 and 1995.
Arkayev's fusion of engineering and coaching principles has yielded matchless results. He clearly has a keen eye for selecting gymnasts as components in a single, smoothly operating unit. Intimidating yet intimate, Arkayev also has a kind heart for his deferential, very human team members.
IG recenltly spoke with Arkayev about his master plans
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IG: Many coaches compare their relationships with their gymnasts to one of a parent and his children. How would you describe your relationship with the gymnasts you coach on the national team?
LA: I treat all gymnasts the way a coach treats his or her pupil, but somewhat abstractly, and I'm tougher in my coaching. Sometimes a personal coach can feel sorry for a gymnast and be too lenient, and sometimes he might have only one gymnast. Wanting to "keep the pot boiling"- that is, to make money- he develops the athlete to maybe 70 percent of his or her potential. His coaching career is at stake, after all.
But I try to squeeze out of every gymnast 100 percent of his capabilities. That's the main difference between my relationships with the gymnasts and the personal coach's relationship. That's the only difference.
IG: What do you look for in a young gymnast- the development and complexity of their routines, or rather their desire to be a champion?
LA: First I look at the level of the gymnast's desire and his aspirations, what he is aiming for. If he is aiming to be only so-so, I have little interest in him, even though there are many gymnasts like that. When we're selecting them, we can't pick out great gymnasts right away, of course.
We select some very mediocre gymnasts and later, when they're on the national team, I can "polish" them. When you select them, the level of aspirations can't be seen very well. But when you work with them, you begin to realize that one guy might do everything possible to achieve his goal, while another is the opposite: he's talented, but he's inclined to be lazy and he's concerned about totally different things. First place isn't a priority for him, he doesn't have high aspirations. So in cases like this, I "yeild the palm" to the first guy, the one who has great desire and that light in his eyes.
Among young gymnasts, I look for the ability to handle a heavy workload, to work with a good attitude, and to be persistent and consistent in trying to achieve his or her goal.
IG: Who is the most naturally talented gymnast you've ever seen?
LA: I'd say that Nikolai Andrianov was probably the most talented. Among the girls, I think that Svetlana Khorkina is very talented. But basically, everyone who has made it to the elite level is a champion. You can't get anywhere in gymnastics without talent, so it's hard for me to single anyone out. I am convinced that only something like 30 percent of all talent reveals itself. That's my point of view as a coach. I can say that to anyone without insulting anyone (laughs).
IG: What do you say to a gymnast who is having a hard time because of injuries, coaching changes, inconsistency, etc.?
LA: If a gymnast is going through a difficult period, I tell him or her that this happens to everyone. What can I say? It's a road that's not straight or smooth. There will be ups and downs, twists and turns, and some potholes. Life is like a sine curve, and every person goes through periods that are very difficult. Of course, there's not one general answer I can give to everyone. With one person, I can be lighthearted and kid around; with another, very serious.
Only the method of persuasion can do any good. You can't just say, 'Come on, try,' when a person is in a difficult psychological state. The primary task here is to convince the person, and relieve the stress and tension, so that after this he logically comes to understand that he must get through this, that he's capable of getting through this and emerging at a new level in his accomplishments.
IG: What is the most frustrating thing for you as a coach, and as head of the Russian federation?
LA: Of course, the greatest frustration is lack of understanding- on the part of the gymnasts and coaches. They don't understand me as a coach or as an organizer or as president [of the federation]. This lack of understanding is becoming worse these days, because values and beliefs in our country are drastically changing. Although, it's true that we're in a second period of recuperation at the moment.
My greatest frustration is still the lack of understanding of the correctness and legitimacy of my actions, of the fact that there's no alternative to my actions, that there's just no other way. It's frustrating. I have the same frustrations as head of the federation.
IG: Why did you decide to step down as head coach of the men, as reported in Sovyetsky Sport?
LA: I simply appointed assistants and gave them titles so they'd have authority from the very beginning. After all, I can't be three places at once: senior men's coach, senior women's coach and president of the federation. I also have a lot of public responsibilities. The people I appointed are very good assistants. But it's certainly premature to say that I stepped down. I work with both the men's and women's teams; they're in my field of vision and I feel their pulse.
The reson I gave the title of "senior coach" to one of my subordinates is so that he could recieve a salary from the sports committee. Noblesse oblige- that's just the system.
IG: What do you think of the new Code, and the elimination of the compulsories?
LA: I think that the new rules are very progressive and correct. These new rules represent the fight of fairness. In the past, a score of 10.0 was devalued; it was too easy to get. There were 50 10.s in Seoul, 30 somewhere else- it was just a game among the judges. Now they've placed barriers in front of the athletes that are very difficult to overcome. We still have to see how high the gymnasts can go. But when someone clears that barrier, that will be simply an outstanding gymnast. I think this is very good and will only benefit gymnastics.
The routines on each apparatus now have to be more varied in structure. In the past, for example, (Albert) Azarian did several crosses on rings, and someone else repeated some other skill, etc. But now you can't do a lot of repetitions; you have to structure your routines so they'll have more variety. In this sense, the new rules are very, very progressive, and I fully support them.
As for the elimination of compulsories, that was a very big mistake. Compulsories are the book from which gymnasts learn. If you don't read this book and can't do everything in it, this will lead to bad things. As a member of the executive committee of the European Gymnastics Federation, I know the FIG asked the executive committee to create a compulsory program for juniors. We have a program like this in Russia. There was a good program which benefited everyone, and it was abolished...(trailing off and shaking his head sadly).
IG: how are the Russian gymnasts coping with the new Code?
LA: They'll all be able to cope with it; it'll just take time. And not just them; the whole world will cope with it. If there's another increase in difficulty at the next Olympics or beyond, we shouldn't run away from this- not if we want objective judging. Judging becomes more objective through difficulty, through someone's reaching unattainable heights. If everyone travels the same road at the same speed, a behind-the-scenes [political] struggle begins. I'm against that kind of struggle.
IG: The Soviet and Russian gymnasts have traditionally been known for their difficult and innovative routines. Are you trying to comply with this new Code, or is it your goal to surpass it from the beginning?
LA: To surpass it, of coarse! We'll try to surpass it. First we'll design routines with a 10.0 Start Value, and then we'll upgrade them through originality, brand new skills and super-difficulty.
IG: Many people were amazed at the Russian men's performance in the Olympics, after their problems at the '95 Worlds. What coaching changes did you make to implement this transformation?
LA: Please realize here that I don't deny, of course, that our performance in Sabae was disgraceful. But even so, the judges should assume half of the shame, or even more- 60 percent of it was the judging. In Sabae we were objectively second and, at worst, we were pushed down to fourth. This gave me and the other coaches a feeling of shame and dissatisfaction, and basically all of that enabled us to focus and concentrate more and to perform well in Atlanta.
IG: How are the conditions at Krugloye (national training center outside Moscow) since the land was transferred back to the Russian government? How much support are you recieving from the government?
LA: Well, you know from the newspapers that our country is currently in a difficlut situation when it comes to paying pensions, wages and salaries. There have been budget cuts in all sectors. Because of this, we've decreased the number of participants in training camps and the number of days of training. Nevertheless, I am grateful to the [sports] committee for doing everything possible to enable us to conduct training. Everything still hinges on funding, and we're hoping that in time we'll create a pretty good financial foundation; not one that's as good as Americas, but a pretty good one. The government is giving us the mazimum support it can.
IG: What do you think were the strengths of the Soviet system that are benefiting your Russian program now?
LA: The general level of the Soviet school of gymnastics [was] distinguished by the comprehensiveness of the training, and the correlation between physical readiness and technical elements. Fourth place is a disgrace for us, while for the French, for example, it would be a brillant victory. Furthermore, we take a very serious attitude toward science and, although it's still in an embryonic stage, this helps us. Another tradition in the Soviet school of gymnastics is the fact that we train our own replacements.
Right now I have about 10 girls who were born in 1982 or 1983 with whom I can work until the Olympic Games. But I won't tell you their names! As for which ones will make it, that's the question. It's tighter with the boys, but there are several promising and talented athletes. Everything will depend on the level of their desire and aspirations and on how organized we are. For now I can say that we have people who could become leaders in both Russian and world gymnastics.
-John Crumlish
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