Matches with the participation of young hockey players from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia became part of the sports program dedicated to the Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum. And a few days before the start of official events, the guys spent in Almetyevsk, where training camps were organized for them on the basis of the Ak Bars Hockey Academy.
The training camp was held from May 10 to May 16 at the Neftyanik Hockey Training Center. 32 players born in 2011 and 2012 took part in the program. The program that the scientific and methodological group of the Academy developed for guests from the Asian republics was very intense. The guys practiced on the ice twice a day, practiced their technical skills in the throwing area every day. On a mandatory basis, once a day, hockey players had a “dry” training session, which took place either in the gym or on an equipped site next to the hockey center. With particular interest, the guys also attended theoretical classes, where, using the examples of KHL and NHL matches, they analyzed technical and tactical elements.
Immediately after arrival, the hockey players underwent a medical examination. And at the equator of the training camp, the guys passed tests to assess technical and physical fitness. All pupils of the Ak Bars Hockey Academy undergo similar testing several times during the season. Their results were of particular interest to the coaches of the visiting athletes. After all, they had the opportunity to compare the data obtained with the average results for the pupils of the Academy of the corresponding age. Such a comparison helps to understand what moments in the technical training of hockey players need to pay special attention to.
An important part of the camp was friendly matches with the teams of the Neftyanik sports school. There were six in total. The team from Kazakhstan played three times with their peers – hockey players born in 2011, and also had a successful match with pupils of the Almetyevsk school a year younger. The national team of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia played two matches with the team born in 2013.
“All conditions have been created for children’s hockey in Almetyevsk”
The team that came to the training camp from Kazakhstan is the guys born in 2011 – pupils of the hockey club “Astana”. The guys have been playing hockey since the age of 6 – it is from this age that hockey schools in Kazakhstan recruit their pupils. This season, the guys became the silver medalists of the Republican Championship by their age. Therefore, these fees for young hockey players are a kind of encouragement. A trip to Tatarstan for the team was organized by the Hockey Federation of Kazakhstan.
Team coach, Vladimir Zakharov, told us that in the capital of Kazakhstan – Astana, hockey is gaining more and more popularity. This is largely due to the fact that the country’s top club, Barys, playing in the KHL, is based here. On its basis, a national team is formed, representing the country at the world championships and other international competitions. “Of course, when recruiting, in the first place, parents prefer to send their child to the Barys school. They have the largest recruitment – annually up to 180 people. We have – a little less – from 60 people. We take everyone who wants it, and then natural selection takes place. Hockey lessons for our pupils are free. The school is financed by the Akimat – the city administration of Astana.”
Speaking about his impressions, the coach of the Kazakh team did not hide the fact that he was most shocked by the hockey infrastructure created for children in Almetyevsk. “If we talk about impressions, then there are no minuses here, there is simply nothing to complain about. For children’s hockey, Tatneft has created all the conditions in Almetyevsk: food, accommodation, sports, gyms, a sports ground, a trampoline center … I say this with confidence, because I myself am a hockey player. There are many places where I have been – I have something to compare with. But most of all I was impressed by two ice arenas. Ice is in short supply in Astana. And here he is at the complete disposal of the youth teams.”
In order to relieve the hockey players a little during intensive training, an excursion to Almetrica, an interactive scientific and educational center of Almetyevsk, was organized for them. “It was very cool,” Zakharov admits, “Children are children… Someone gets tired, someone misses their home and relatives… The trip to Almetrica was a good change of scenery. We were there for a little over an hour. But it seems to me that this time was even a little bit not enough – the guys were so passionate.
When asked if the team is ready to come to the training camp again, the coach replied: “With pleasure. If such an opportunity arises again, then we are all in favor.
“Despite the different time zones, the intense training program, the guys are trying very hard”
As part of a group from Kyrgyzstan, along with hockey players, two coaches and a representative of the Hockey Federation of the Republic arrived. We talked with one of the mentors – Rinat Mustafaev.
In 2010, he, a pupil of the Ust-Kamenogorsk hockey school, was invited from Kazakhstan to coach in the capital of Kyrgyzstan – the city of Bishkek. Already in 2012, the team under his leadership took second place in the championship of Kazakhstan. The republic also has its own internal championship, but it is held only once a year, in winter, when children living in the mountains can pour ice and practice before team competitions.
Now the coach leads the national team of Bishkek born in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Due to the lack of recruitment (in the traditional sense), the teams in Kyrgyzstan are of mixed ages. “We take absolutely everyone. Hockey is not that developed in Kyrgyzstan. The top sport, as in many Asian countries, is wrestling. Of the popular team disciplines, football is a priority. There is no selection as such. Financial support is on the shoulders of the parents. This also creates an obstacle in the development of hockey. However, we also have pupils who took part as hockey players. For example, Bogdan Nesterenko, a native of Bishkek, born in 2005, now plays for the Russian MHL team, was called up to the Russian youth team.”
There is an infrastructure for playing hockey in Bishkek. The guys are engaged in an indoor skating rink. True, according to the coach, this is very different from what the Kyrgyz people saw in Almetyevsk. “Everything here is valuable to us. And the equipment, and how the technical material is worked out – skating, stick handling technique, throws. We do it all too. But here, in Almetievsk, there are different conditions and different coaches… They explain the technical elements in their own way, which may be more understandable for children. Several coaches of field players work on the ice at the same time. Plus a separate goalkeeping coach. With us, I am one for all roles.
The mentor of the Kyrgyz people does not hide that, especially at the training camp, he was captivated by the attitude towards the activities of the young athletes themselves. “Despite the different time zones, the intense training program, the guys are trying very hard. Everything here is new for them. The fire in the eyes burns … For this, many thanks to the coaches and the administration of the Academy.
“We now have 200 children. The oldest are 15-16 years old. The youngest is about five.”
For Mongolia, hockey is rather exotic. In the homeland of the descendants of Genghis Khan, individual disciplines are popular – boxing, judo, wrestling, as well as equestrian sports. It was all the more interesting to talk with Mergen Arslan, the founder of the first hockey academy in the country, about what inspired him to undertake such an undertaking: “I studied in Moscow and have been playing hockey since the age of 6. Since then I have loved this sport and decided to establish my own hockey academy five years ago. Now we have 200 children. The oldest are 15-16 years old. The youngest is about five.
How do our people learn about hockey? It’s just that we recently hosted the World Ice Hockey Championship in the IV division. Our team took second place. Plus, we held the Asian Championship. These competitions attracted interest in hockey. Since our academy is the first in Ulaanbaatar, interested parents began to bring their children to us. I note that we have sponsorship from some companies, including Russian ones. When we travel to competitions, sponsors can cover travel costs and hotel costs. But basically, everything falls on the shoulders of the parents.
Since there is no competition within the country, the teams of the Mongolian Academy go to competitions most often in Russia. The nearest city where most hockey tournaments with their participation usually take place is Ulan-Ude, located 600 kilometers from the capital of Mongolia. There, on the indoor rink, the pupils of Mergen Arslan play with Russian teams from Chita, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk.
“In our academy, guys from the first graduates born in 2006 and 2007 train, – Mergen Arslan told us, – There are 16 of them. They work on a volunteer basis. It was these guys who brought Mongolia the silver medals of the World Championship. Many of them are students, but they don’t quit hockey, they try to maintain the level. Thanks to the successful performance, we were able to prove that team winter sports have a future in Mongolia, and therefore we are counting on state support in the future. In the meantime, I repeat, everything is financed by the parents. And those five people who came to the training camp in Tatarstan are children whose parents found the opportunity to pay for the trip.”
According to the coach, supporting hockey in Mongolia is very expensive. The cost of electricity is three times more expensive than in Russia, gasoline – twice. The Academy has a small skating rink with an area of 26 x 14 square meters. That’s where the classes actually take place. Teams ride 4 times a week for 2 hours. From the infrastructure there is also a basketball court for dry training and exercise equipment. Mergen also built a boarding school-type hotel for 80 people, where children can live and play hockey.
At the end of the conversation, the founder of the Mongolian Academy warmly thanked the organizers of the camp: “I would like to say thank you for the hospitality of the organizers of the hockey camp in Almetyevsk. We really like it here – a cool base, excellent conditions. Coaches treat all children kindly. I see that they want to help. My dream is to bring five promising guys here at least for a season to improve their hockey skills, because the level of training here is completely different. In addition, we are now considering options for inviting Ak Bars Hockey Academy coaches to us, so that all our students also have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills that we received here at the training camp in Almetyevsk.”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nk2ai4KN-00?si=9OefVAio9-Kydqg-