We had the chance to speak to Sergey Tokarev during the Ukrainian Championships. He told us all about his methods of preparation and his recent passions.

On discoveries:

I have a gym that I keep adjusting to modern-day demands, I’m talking TOP 16 standards here. In our region there is the “old school”, and the “new school” that I represent. I don’t only train armwrestlers, I’m also a developer and a welder by profession, my brother is a mechanic, and my father – an electrician. We deal with new technologies a lot.

Recently I’ve noticed that a new thing has emerged here – the terminator. It’s a kind of mechanical arm. I’m trying various things on it, and I’m also working on a pneumatic robot, we’d like to finish it before TOP 16, but it’s still a work in progress. Having a machine like that could help perfect all sorts of techniques and angles. We thought of this machine as a sparring-partner, for Tsyplenkov for example. My ligaments are often “pumped” during competitions, which might mean that I don’t train properly. That’s why we’re working on this machine, to be able to work on everything – from a warm-up to real-life fights with an opponent. We also manufacture various grips. For example, we have a grip to simulate a fight with Michael Todd. It’s this kind of potential that the “new school” is based on.

On training activity

I think that events like the Ukrainian Championships need as many contestants as possible. Being a coach, I’ve learned a lot by observing other coaches and their students’ relations. For example, I’ve recently spent an evening studying and analyzing left-arm bouts to prepare for next fights.

I coach two groups of kids now. It’s hard to get young people to work out, they just want to sit home and play with their computers. It’s the coaches’ job to make a sportsman passionate about their discipline. I also like working with older sportspeople. If children can be compared to a house being built, then adults often need “rebuilding” – it’s hard to say which one is harder.

On creativity and armwrestling

Generally speaking, armwrestling is and amazing sports discipline, it’s a creative man’s paradise! In every sport, the sportsman is the key to the creative process – both tactical and technical. It’s amazing. My main goal is to understand the armwrestling formula. To fight, you first need to think!

 

Anastasia Kisilyova