Coaching Class with Tatiana Stepanova

Tatiana Stepanova was a former athlete who turned her attention to coaching most successfully with Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who she has guided to Olympic and World Championship glory. She explains her coaching methodology and the reason for the pair's success in the latest episode of Coaching Class.

You were an athlete yourself, how easy was the transition for you from athlete to coach?

I began doing athletics at the age of 15. At first, I ran the 100 and 200m, and then I switched over to the 400m hurdles. At the age of 21, I graduated from the institute where I was studying and began working with children and enjoyed it straight away.

And how did that journey take place in terms of what you did, who you were coaching?

At that time, I went to schools and recruited children from 12 to 15 years old. There were three beginner groups, with 20 children in each group. It was all-round training and then, at 16, they chose their specialism. My athletes went on to become medalists at their national championships and also finalists at the European Athletics Junior Championships in the 400m hurdles.

What’s your coaching philosophy?

I always considered the children I coached to be my large family and always helped them not only in training but also in their daily lives. I compare a coach’s work to that of a sculptor, when you begin to sculpt perfection.

And is that something that’s always changing?

My philosophy does not change over time but I understand that one alwayss has to work energetically with children!

What makes a good coach and what makes a good coach-athlete relationship?

Deep knowledge of one’s field, an individual approach, developed intuition, willpower and the ability to preserve an athlete’s health. You also need excellent communication, mutual respect, a shared goal, and, of course, support during difficult moments. It's a fine balance between being demanding and being humane.

You’ve had amazing success with Yaroslava, how did that partnership begin? 

Yaroslava was 12 when I began coaching her. At first, she ran hurdles, did the long jump and was still growing. Then I realised that I needed to work with her on the high jump. This discipline was difficult for me, but Yaroslava liked it. She was easy to coach because she did everything I told her to do in training without any unnecessary words.

Do you remember your first impressions of her?

The first thing that caught my eye was her large, slightly mischievous eyes. They showed love, respect, diligence and, at the same time, great sincerity, as though they were always plotting something.

Why is the dynamic between you so good? What’s the secret?!

There is no secret, we are simply on the same wavelength.

When an athlete achieves the very greatest success, how do you follow that the next season? Is it hard to keep motivation?

When success comes, a coach would like the athlete to stop in time and analyse their actions. I always give one month of rest and then we begin recovering, and everything starts from the beginning again.

Is there a specific session in training from which you know Yaroslava is ready for a major championships?

When I see a good take-off in the high jump from a full approach and a flight over the bar with plenty of clearance, that is pure joy.

She said the decision to go back to Ukraine to train has helped a lot this year. Is that something you decided upon together?

This is already the fifth year of the war in Ukraine. It is very difficult to be in different countries, so I decided that Yaroslava needed to spend time with her friends and family and train at her home school, despite the missiles and Shahed drones.