Interview of Denes Kemeny

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Interview of Denes Kemeny

Δημοσίευσηαπό Jseret » Τετ Νοέμ 16, 2005 3:32 pm

Interview of Denes Kemeny in waterpolo.co.nz

Recently New Zealand regional squad members experienced world class coaching by Hungarian 2 time Olympic Gold medallist coach Denes Kemeny. In Wellington there was a solid turnout of around 30 boys and 20 girls who doned their swimming costumes to practise leg, shooting and extra man drills by arguably the best coach in the world. Each session finished up with the chance for the players and supporters to interact with Denes Kemeny taking photo's and asking questions on water polo.

Waterpolo.co.nz: How did you feel the training session went today?

DK: What I liked very much today is that everything you did was new, you tried to do your best, you don’t always see the plan, we [coaches] always know it better. It is important to do the same things in the same important moments during the games.

Waterpolo.co.nz: What is your personal view on what the new rules will bring to the game?

DK: Well I see the new rules will bring at the beginning some misunderstanding because quite difficult to actually see and interpret the new rules equal for the same game, for the same championship, for the same country or continent. I think the [water polo] community need to help to work towards interpreting the rules in the same way.

Waterpolo.co.nz: How will this affect your coaching style and what do you have to change?

DK: Our next important game is in May so I have time to check what to do, observing the club games. But probably mostly in the game today the best teams will be even better because they have the best players who can adapt before all the others. What will not be nice now is that the gap in a game will be bigger and for public, for sponsors it will be really easy that the first team can beat the 4th and 5th by 8 goals not 3 and 4 like before, it is not nice. So, the game is too long and it will be much more difficult to conduct the positional (6 on 6) attack because of the 5 seconds less of the 15 of the past with the ball in hand.

Waterpolo.co.nz: Will there be more focus on extra-man?

DK: No the focus will not be on extra-man but on speed. You have 12-15 seconds for coast-to-coast swimming, you did have 15 seconds to attack now you have 10 seconds, so you will try to shoot then cover and it will be very, very casual. But the biggest problem is now the two arms rule. In practice session you don’t want them to shoot free on goal from 5-6 meters, it’s normal, so you show the referee raising both your arms that you don’t touch him. If he takes a shot in this moment, let’s say a backhand shot, your arms are out of the water and will cause an exclusion!

Waterpolo.co.nz: Do you think it will take away the hole-man and have more outside shooting?

DK: Without the hole-man it is difficult to do outside shooting so you will send in the best swimmer, not necessarily the best hole man, so the player can come back fast.

Waterpolo.co.nz: So it won’t necessarily be the biggest guys that will be centre forward but it will be quicker, smaller guys?

DK: I heard the Australians trained with 3 centre forwards. My opinion is that one, you could send even a good centre forward not to the centre but off to the side and a player will drive in. This way you can free the player with a drive even with screens or if they haven’t freed themselves the ball can be put into centre and a shot can come from there, from closer.

Waterpolo.co.nz: Do you think that the defence will be any different from marking centre forward? Do you think they won’t press as much?

DK: The problem with pressing will meet with a danger that the opposite team can shoot a free shot from 5 or 6 meters. So probably the teams will create a wall of arms on 5 and a-half meters, this is the reason why I think you have my advice because you can drive through.

Waterpolo.co.nz: Do you think they will keep all the new rules around for a while?

DK: We have a meeting in December 2006 coaches, referees and FINA TWPC people to have a final decision on the new rules.

Waterpolo.co.nz: Would you like to see any of the new rules change back to the old rules?

DK: The corner is an area of confusion - corner, no corner, goalkeeper, no goalkeeper – if TWPC didn’t want the corner to make the game faster with the counter attacks, I can agree, mostly, no corner at all makes it much easier for the players and the public. So I think that some corrections in December 2006 have to be done

Waterpolo.co.nz: How often do players in Hungary play games throughout the year?

DK: In Hungary we have more than 5000 registered under 20 players in a country of 10 million. Our clubs have some financial help from the city council, the government, lots from the parents and lots from private sponsors. They then train the kids 11 months a year including a break for Christmas, May and summer. 2-3 weeks off school they spend with their family but during the school period they have 5 days training of 5 out of 2 hours and then Saturday and Sunday if they have a championship they play that official game and then they have some other training on Saturday or Sunday. When they are free from school in the summer, during the holidays, they have 2 to 3 trainings a day. Because you know, to play water polo it is different from playing another sport because you have to play in the water so you need to always be in the water. My players if they have some problem for 3 or 4 days they don’t train, they need even within two days to get in the water. So kids playing in championships and other tournaments during the year I think play 30-40 games a year. Some good kids who can play in a team that is not their age but 1-2 years older play 2 games in one day for 2 different teams, without additional squad teams. In Hungary we have a century tradition and the parents first choice or second choice is water polo, so they bring the kids to the pool.

Waterpolo.co.nz: From what age do they play?

DK: Some as young as 6-7 years, but 8 to10 is okay. In the first year’s only swimming, counter-finish swimming because now it is one of the most important skills the player has to learn. Swimming, good legs, and a good shot are very important too. If someone is armed with 3 of these things, even without excellent polo skills, it gives them much power.

Waterpolo.co.nz: What is the most important training aspect for younger players growing up?

DK: The most important thing to learn is ball-handling fundamentals. Also, it is important never to miss a water training. I know pool space is limited in New Zealand, but water is not our element, so we have to be in there as much as possible. A rugby player can walk to the fridge and get a beer out and he is training. We cannot swim to the fridge!

Waterpolo.co.nz: How long do you think New Zealand have to go to become a strong water polo country?

DK: You need to reach some important result now and then you have a chance. If you make some excellent result there will be countrywide publicity, and then it should be easier to find money, pool space, kids for the polo and you should start at 10 years old. So, your result can have a wider affect on the parents and then in 5 or 10 years time you shall have your whole country involved and having them, you can be like rugby and other national sports that always have kids playing, money and other good things. In Hungary we didn’t win for 24 years, and water polo in Hungary came down a little with financial problems, then we started to win again in 1997 in Seville at the European Championships. The country was again excited about the team and pushed the team for other results. You need to build up tradition and this starts with a good result. The women’s [New Zealand Senior] team, I saw in Montreal this year, has the chance. It is a good step to send some players abroad so they bring back more experience to mix. Just one result and the team will get government help, I think.
Here we see everywhere lots of players. In Hamilton at an after season tournament (because not during the championships) 13 players having fun playing even in the same club team because other teams not have enough number of players so it is nice to see, it is fantastic!

Waterpolo.co.nz: What do you think is the peak age for a female in water polo?

DK: In Hungary the girls they start later than the boys, or if they start early they play the boys teams. Some start playing at 13-14 years. The goal keeper of the Hungarian National women’s team this year started at 20, very late, she can’t swim very well. She was a former basketball player so she is tall. She was great in Montreal but this is not common case. She is 27 now.

Waterpolo.co.nz: Will you ever coach a women’s team?

DK: I am not brave enough to coach a women’s team. It is much easier with men, easier with my team, my experience. My team have a good team spirit. With women, the biggest danger is the jealousy out of a good performance, so 13 is too many to have someone with problems.

Waterpolo.co.nz: Last but not least who do you think is the best player in the world?

DK: Tamas Kasas is the best, he is a very good all round player. It does not happen casually that someone takes the leading part of his team’s 2 Olympic [Gold] victories. When he is in peak physical condition, he can turn a game. He does the necessary in less important matches, but turns himself on when he needs too. Aleksandar Sapic of Serbia & Montenegro is another very good player, but he is more individual than Tamas so totally different.
Jseret
 

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