Junior powerlifting world champion and mother of two who gets on well with children very well, but she is very consistent in her job. She taught swimming for four years, and now she works with youth generation of Iron Swim club as a coach, not only on pool deck, but in gym as well.
- Swimming or powerlifting?
Swimming was the number 1 sport in my life, I was a competitive swimmer for eight years in Békéscsaba. I loved water and it might sound strange, but for me a swimming pool gives much more than, for example, the Balaton or a sea. If I had to choose between natural water and swimming pool, I would surely choose the pool. I swear that I even love the smell of chlorine. I do not know where it comes from, but it is more than love. Although I had bigger success in my other sport, I would choose swimming all the time.
- How did powerlifting come into your life?
My father is a body-builder and at the age of 12 I went to gym with him to do some exercises for my butterfly stroke. I did both sports for a period of time, I had four gym training and a lot of swimming. It was too much. I made a decision. Maybe not the right one, but I felt it was the proper path for me. When I went to my last swimming competition, I already knew that it was the farewell event. And I swam better time than ever. Later, I felt regret that I finished, but my parents let me go on my own way. I understand them now, I would do the same with my children. Fortunately, I returned to swimming very early, meanwhile I continued powerlifting, too. I entered Olympiad in high school, then I claimed a degree of swimming coach in Sport University, moreover, besides my studies I already started to teach swimming.
- In Iron Swim you do not only hold pool training, but you can use your experience in the gym as well. Is the gym training here very different?
In Iron Swim, we add gymnastics and gym workout according to the age group to the normal preparation. I can benefit from my 16-year powerlifting experience in implementing the exercises correctly. My best deadlift is 150 kg, but the kids are not aware of it, I am not sure if they could get it positively. By the way, I do not train in front of them, they have never seen me working with such weights. Although it already happened that they were to complain about one of the exercises and to say that it was easy for me only to instruct them and then I started to do it with them, they were just saying wow. I often train with Katinka, and I can go on weights with her. Sometimes I just pull her leg that she could go for powerlifting, but she does not want to do it.
- From professional point of view when do you think it is the best time to set gym training into the program?
In my opinion at the age of 12 kids can start gym sessions, but nothing with weights. At first gymnastics, then full body trainings. I would recommend introduction of workout with weights from only the age of adolescent. As of the present groups we use less weights and focus on more the full body training. I think that a swimmer does not need large body and weights strengthen the volume of the body. The swimmer is faster, if there is no too much muscles on and full body trainings, squat or pull-ups make them stronger, but not too muscular. We talked a lot about this topic with the parents as well, and I think I could explain the motivation authentically, they understood that kids would improve better using this new type of full body training. Experience and authenticity always inspire confidence in kids and parents, too.
- You were teaching swimming for years and now you are working as a coach. Is it different? If so, in what?
Being a coach is totally different from teaching. Here at the club I work with kids of the same age and level, more or less and in long term. As an instructor I could not really feel this kind of continuation, but I had to face other challenges day by day. A coach must put together a season plan and go ahead with the group according to it. Certainly, it is much more responsibility, since the coach can follow up where to start from and where to get at, but I like it very much.
- As a coach what is your goal?
My goal is that a certain group or the kids would achieve the best possible result and exceed themselves. In powerlifting I was thinking on kilograms, there were two goals, one was to get into my weight category and the second one was how much I would lift. In swimming numbers are also significant, we also think on times, but the most important is that everybody works for the goal they set out.
- The coach needs a certain steadiness to be able to work efficiently, the instructors do not need it much. What do you think?
The instructor should be consistent, too, but as a coach, I need my voice more. Good spirit and positive attitude are also important here, but if there is work, the work has to be done even if somebody smiles or cries. I think I can be hard, though the kids might not think of it. They often try me to play, but I always answer that if there is time after work, no problem, we can make fun, but we are here to work and execute a certain program.
- Do you think it is easier or more difficult that you are also a mother?
Among parents, I think it matters that I also have kids, because they do not see me as a girl, but on a par with them. By the way, I have realized some changes on myself since I became a mother. I am more patient with the kids, if anybody complains that they hurt here or there, in the past I thought they surely wanted to play wag and now I think more whether they have real problem and try to speak about it to find the solution. I pay more attention to them in the gym, too, when they climb on the iron to pull up, I have some worries that I never felt before. However, with motherhood I have become much more consistent, I determine the rules and I have the kids meet them. I ask them for example to go to the bathroom before training and during the training there is no excuse because as a mother I know that kids can bear for an hour.
- How can you combine your new working schedule with your own family?
Coaching can be combined perfectly with family life. In the mornings I can take my children to nursery school many times, between two trainings I can go for them and I stay home in the evenings with them or they come to the swimming pool with me, so that I can show them the environment that their mother was enchanted by.