Alexander Shvartsman and NDF: creating conditions for victory
When a champion and a system work together
Author: Alexander Rudnitsky
 In modern sports, victories are increasingly becoming the result of not only individual skill. Today, a systemic approach comes to the forefront.Within the framework of systemic cooperation with international grandmaster, 22-time World Champion Alexander Shvartsman in the field of draughts development in the United States, “The NDF of the USA” is taking the next step.
The Federation has created a штаб (headquarters) for the preparation of the outstanding grandmaster for the World Cup, which will take place in Riga from July 4 to July 10. The creation of the headquarters is a conscious strategic step. Its key idea is to include, in addition to traditional training methods, additional resources necessary for working with top-level athletes. This refers to a comprehensive approach that takes into account: – intellectual load The preparation of the strongest players requires more than classical training. It requires a system. |
Introducing the coaching team
To implement this task, “The NDF of the USA” has formed a coaching staff consisting of specialists with different but complementary experience.
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Alexander Rudnitsky — head coach of the team, U.S. national grandmaster, five-time U.S. champion, World champion among veterans. He possesses a combination of playing and coaching experience, which allows building a preparation strategy taking into account all nuances of world-level tournaments.
Alexander Akselrud — team administrator, director of operational management of the headquarters. Responsible for coordination of processes and creation of conditions under which the team can work as efficiently and stably as possible.
Andriy Shcherbatyuk — methodologist coach, master of sports, international category referee. Developer of his own methodology for training high-level athletes. His approach is based on the understanding that at the level of top players, outstanding abilities and sports mastery alone are no longer sufficient.
For victory, the following are necessary:
– psychological readiness
– resistance to stress
– the ability to make fast and accurate decisions under pressure
It is important to note that Andriy has higher education in psychology, which allows integrating modern psychological approaches into the training process.
The main objectives of the headquarters, in addition to traditional methods of supporting the athlete during competitions, are:
– targeted preparation for the circle of opponents and probable game scenarios
– consideration of the psychological profile of the opponent and his condition during the tournament
– development of game strategy depending on the tournament situation
– management of psychological state under conditions of prolonged tournament pressure
– organization of active rest for the athlete under conditions of daily multi-hour play
Such an approach is especially important when facing a strong opponent. And it is precisely the advantage in psychological and physical preparation, proper organization of rest and distribution of effort, deep relaxation and moral support that makes it possible to achieve victory in the strongest tournaments.
Additionally, a scenario-based approach is used in preparation — modeling typical and critical situations that the athlete may encounter during the tournament.
Project significance
The preparation of Alexander Shvartsman for the World Cup in Riga is not only a sporting task. It is:
– testing of a preparation model
– formation of a standard for working with top athletes
– development of international cooperation
– considering that the coaching staff consists of players from the USA, members of NDF, this is of great importance for the popularization and development of draughts in the USA
When systemic solutions are applied in practice — they become the foundation of the future.
Looking ahead
“The NDF of the USA” considers this project as part of a long-term strategy.
The creation of the headquarters is a step toward forming a system for preparing world-class athletes in the USA.
We consider the possibility of working within such an approach with various world-class athletes and interacting with them for the purpose of popularizing and developing draughts in the USA.
History is created by champions.
And future champions will be created by a systemic approach
To be continued…