Where does the Czech walk go?

I was thinking how to write my reasoning about the state of Czech walking and I could not think of a more concise title. And let's be glad that thanks to Anežka we are still stumbling. Because if it weren't for Agnes, we would have stumbled.

So let's start with what worked. EC in Berlin. Relatively "good" limits this year sent an unprecedented number of athletics to the Berlin start. Fortunately, there were two representatives of our discipline, Anežka Drahotová and Lukáš Gdula.

Prague watch 2018 2473After last year's suffering, Anežka, our number one pedestrian, is in good health again and after a block of more than solid races, she closed the spring with 6th place (2nd European) with a time of 1:28:40 at the World Team Championships in Taicang, China. In Berlin, she once again resisted the international competition, fought fearlessly for victory and her way of racing, it was simply a fantasy. Unfortunately, the Spaniard Perez was better in the end, but the silver definitely suited Anežka and the Czech walk could be heard. Lukáš has set his better standard and I must praise him especially for the repeated "returns" to the race after he did not escape the crisis in the great heat, which Lukáš does not love at the moment.

But we can hardly boast about the overall state of our discipline. Before the European Championships, youth strength measurements of the junior teams, ME17, MS19 and other competitions took place, and not only did we not have a single representative here, we will not oversee the minimum performance required for a non-tragic international performance with our Czech, albeit master medal level. Already in April, MU in Poděbrady has set up a mirror for us, but we will still prefer to lie that we work well with young people and everything is in the best order.

In the Czech Republic, the number of participants in pupils and adolescents is somehow increasing, but in the way and form of training, which is mostly visible, it is simply not possible to compete internationally, much less succeed.

But how can you succeed?

There is a complete lack of pressure on the performance component of the training as well as general physical fitness. Is the situation to improve from Czech walking training and racing?

The hardness was completely gone. And this is the result. If the preparation is not systematized and the pressure on performance does not arise, situace .. the situation will not improve !!!!

We do not want to submit to centralization, we do not want to push young competitors "prematurely" into performance and most importantly, on the Czech pedestrian scene, our performance is sufficient. Those points for the team. Amazing - in our discipline, pupils, pensioners and the disabled are useful for the adult team. Everyone gets points. So don't change anything! It's a closed circle. Do we really want to go the route that compares the level of Czech walking with performance, for example, with Austrian ?!

Be angry with me or not, but our situation was well described by Dr. Petr Brandejský on the pedestrian website when evaluating the M-CR student categories. It is not possible to brag about a poor level of performance in our champions and league races, to praise competitors and coaches for performances that are rather funny and not to admit that as for representation - we are knowingly committing suicide! Unfortunately, the competitors and coaches are satisfied with the medals from the M-CR. The main interest is that the coaches keep their would-be stars and they do not start training according to someone else's notes.

Seriously - mainly adequately and not overtraining it. After all, we know that all the rare exceptions to the reality of Czech walking in recent years (decades), led by Anežka, are given by inadequate and professionally completely unsuitable management. But because with the right and professional management we have not been able to reach anyone for many years, even under the supervision of the European level, we have probably found ourselves in a dead end ……

Prague watch 2018 2512Therefore, these arguments are unconvincing, purposeful and have a single goal - to divert attention from their own zero results compared to Europe and the world. In athletics, words do not win, in races, performance decides. That is why the ČAS coaching board also stopped hearing these wise words about overtraining, about performances that will come in 5-10 years. Nothing came. Often it was not often the time to stay in athletics and walking as such, for example at the recreational level - Unlike the great generation of veterans, we could take an example of what it means to make sacrifices for our discipline and do walking with enthusiasm and heart. It's a pity that age can't be stopped!

So the question is, how and where to go next?

I will try to centralize the walking training in the system of youth representation of the Czech Republic and SCM. I don't see another way. It is necessary to show young competitors the possibilities that are in them and the goals that they can achieve with a little talent and honest work. Maybe someone sees the path of the pedestrian restart differently. If anyone like that, I'd love to join. If your program is clear and aimed at improving the situation, I will be happy to revise my current path.

I went through a lot of unnecessary sessions and discussions leading to various walking meetings. I no longer want to waste time and look amicably at experts who have zero results, but who boycott the effort to centralize on the way to improved performance and ignore any international result of the Czech pedestrian, at the worst slander, make up meaningless accusations, they report and try to harm where they can. Why are they doing this? Because it is a set mirror of their own work and abilities. This fuss is not due to the fact that I am responsible for walking. This would affect anyone with European and global plans. It is often ordinary Czech envy and fears that it will be seen differently than in a small Czech pond.

If a coach is afraid to dream big sports dreams, these dreams will never be dreamed by his charges. Because in life and in sports, it is true: "We can only do what we can really imagine."

We were able to gradually work to the situation that in the system of training future representatives we have a minimum of young pedestrians and zero number of professional or semi-professional coaches. This was not due to poor management on the part of ČAS, nor due to incorrect setting of criteria. We - the pedestrians - are to blame!

I appreciate the work of youth coaches and you don't even know how much I would like to cooperate and gradually build on your work. Which of the Czech coaches could and can I follow in the walk? I don't want to take coaches their stars if they really are stars. I am not afraid of international or global competition, I wish there were centers in our environment where we would argue about who is better in terms of the possibility to really succeed at the Olympics or the European Championships and could argue that more people met the limits than can be sent and what will we do about it!

It doesn't go together (cannot be managed in time or organization)  with one coach, in one group Recruit small, work with a large group while pulling people at peak times. Therefore, the effort of sports institutions is to set up the system so that usually each stage is done by someone else. The fact that I choose the competitors relatively soon (criticism of many) is the only one. When I was waiting until the 18th - 19th years, the athletes who were generally athletically, physically and, most importantly, mentally unprepared came to me.

In the eyes of the association and the sports community, the European Championships in Berlin helped us a little again. But let's remember how the individuals among us were able to quite successfully destroy the potential that previous years, especially Anežka, brought us ……… reporting, slander, soiling of her performances, successes and names even among the athletic youth, coaches and parents. How far will this envy and hatred lead, before what does it stop? Neither titles nor world records are enough in this case and they cannot protect it.

It is the sad reality of incompetence and vanity, hidden behind the facade of justice and doing higher good.

BIG DREAM = HARD WORK - the password, which is written in Livigno at the sports center. Realization of big dreams in endurance sports can (and unfortunately may not) succeed only through many years of hard work.

Success is about work, determination and priorities! And I would very much like him to other walking coaches. Competition, performance and prestige and the future of our discipline would grow. But it's not enough to just want to. It must be accepted that exceptionality is paid for. Work and life (training, lifestyle, including food, school, limited entertainment, etc.).

We often look for reasons why and what is not possible, why this and that is not possible. Both the coach and the competitor must look for directions to the given conditions and event. problems, it would go among the international elite! There are always plenty of reasons and excuses why it doesn't work and it won't work, but this is not the way. When I really want something, I arrange things around to make it work.

So the decision and the responsibility for where we are going is in our hands. If it should be the direction of Austria, it seems unnecessary to me, however much to waste time working around the Czech walk!

At the seminar of leading coaches and trainers of talented youth training units in October in Nymburk, I decided to take youth walking under my central leadership.

Apart from the 2 adult representatives of Drahotová and Gdula, there are only a few young people with a certain hope that they could reduce our distance from the walking world and Europe. I will try to coordinate and combine weekend youth meetings and training camps with races and training of our two top. I think it can help young people to see how they train pedestrians who are no longer even in the world.

I will gradually select an assistant who will be responsible for the walking youth of ČAS.

I will also offer the best and most demanding young people to participate in foreign competitions and training camps.

I will try to use the funds of pedestrians included in the SCM only for joint events under central management. I will compile a list of these events by November 10.11.2018, XNUMX.

And finally: For those of you who have read and voted for Vision Walk 2020, this is nothing new. We do not change our views or our direction. We explain and despite Agnes's great success we see things in reality. The vision is about the future. That's why we're looking. No excuses, no envy.

The racer must accept the fact that being average is not normal. And coaches second fact that 10 average racers, will not replace the top!

When I was looking for competitors - young pedestrians and studying their performance, I was scared not only by the level of their walking performance, but especially the sad level of running performance.

Prague watch 2018 1384List of young people with completed performances for inclusion in the SCM:

Pupils: Adam Zajíček, Kateřina Nedvídková,

Adolescents: Eliška Bočková, Eliška Martínková, Jana Zikmundová,

Juniors: Vojtěch Libnar, Rostislav Rožnovský,

List of otherswhich I have noticed and which I would be willing to "give a chance to" under certain conditions:

Pupils: Jaroslav Morávek, Eva Klimentová, Kryštof Alexa, Antonín Sekerka, David Špok,

Adolescents: Dušek Petr,

If you miss someone here, you have the taste and courage, add to the list yourself and contact me. Because the basic level of performance of all the nominees is such that you all stand on almost the same starting line! I don't think we've ever been down in the youth categories like this. That's why I like to give a chance to anyone who finds the desire to really race and train.

I ask all the named to contact me and agree on the method of communication and possible cooperation.

Ivo Piták mobile: 603473318, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need to have Javascript enabled.

Attachments: youth walking tables