The past ski jumping season was by no means satisfactory for Poland. Super talent Kacper Tomasiak alone made positive headlines. It therefore came as no surprise that the proud ski jumping nation made profound changes; there was also speculation that national coach Maciej Maciusiak would be out. Now the country is apparently going its own way.
As Adam Małysz, ski jumping legend and president of the Polish association, reveals in an interview with “TVP Sport”, the Polish national team will in future be divided and trained in two training groups by different trainers. “There will be neither a division by age nor by training center. Three selected players will go to one coach for a certain phase, the other three to the other,” he said.
While national coach Maciej Maciusiak will look after half of the A squad, Michal Doleżal, who was Kamil Stoch’s private coach until the end of his career, will look after the other players. “You can certainly call it an experiment. I know that there is something similar in some other countries and that it works there,” Małysz believes in the model’s success.
“They will complete dry training, simulation exercises, strength training and the like together, but on the hill they will be assigned to the respective trainer,” the 49-year-old revealed further details about the training conditions of the proud ski jumping nation: “It is easier for our trainers to concentrate and give instructions when they have fewer athletes under their care.”
Ski jumping: Horngacher already led the unit
In addition to Maciusiak and Doleżal, Stefan Horngacher will also play an important role in the new method. “He sees himself as a trainer, as a kind of advisor and leader. I was even at a training session where Stefan led the unit and introduced certain changes together with the trainers. It’s great that he is so actively involved,” explained the “Polish Eagle” in an interview with the TV station.
Małysz is not worried that the trio will not work together successfully. “After discussions with Michal, Maciek and Stefan, I now know that this danger does not exist,” he said: “I see that they get together again in the evening and discuss individual players. It’s worth it, because every coach sees something different.”
Incidentally, the new role for Doleżal should not be understood as a disempowerment of the 44-year-old, who came under criticism in the last ski jumping season. “You can’t introduce a position of a second head coach,” the man from Wisla explained the power structure with regard to the Czech: “But Michal certainly gets along well with Maciek. He’s an assistant, so to speak, but not in the sense that the head coach alone has the say.”
