The coach that strikes

How is Alexander Kovalev — the only fighter who will represent our country in phygital martial arts — preparing for Games of the Future?

Alexander Kovalev    Kirill Stasko

A completely new tournament is about to start in Kazan — Games of the Future. Its format, phygital, is unusual. For example, in the Sports challenge (that’s how the organisers call it), participants will first compete in computer games and then on real sports grounds. 
Four athletes will represent our country at the first Games. The guys from the Exponenta Team will play in the phygital basketball tournament, whereas Alexander Kovalev is getting ready to perform in the phygital martial arts competitions.
We came over to see the fighter’s training session and find out how he was getting up for the upcoming start.
Alexander Kovalev is an athlete with an interesting life story. The guy, who grew up in Mogilev, took up judo but also competed in sambo. Then, he switched to hand-to-hand combat, pankration and MMA. His work history includes a job as a physical education teacher at a village school, and his track record boasts awards at the pankration and MMA World Championships.
As for the new challenge, Games of the Future, Sasha said the following, “There was an opportunity to take part, so I did not refuse it. My contract with the ASA League has ended, and Games of the Future is an interesting and promising tournament. I would like to try myself in it. Perhaps the phygital format is our future.”
— As for your combat training, everything is clear. Now, how is it going with your computer games?
— Until recently, poorly. I found out about Games of the Future about three months ago, and I got down to preparing. Now, I play Mortal Kombat three times a week. There are a lot of characters in this game, I chose Johnny Cage. In Mortal Kombat, same as in battles, it is important to feel when to strike a blow, that’s why I settled on this fast and dynamic character. Johnny Cage does a lot of damage, but at the same time he punches and kicks unlike fantasy characters that use, for example, freezing techniques and so on.
— What are Mortal Kombat training sessions like?
— First, they explained to me how to control the joystick better, then I studied the techniques. And now, I’m practising them during the game. In short, I’m honing my skills.

Both Alexander Kovalev and Johnny Cage hit accurately and hard

— Several test tournaments were held in Kazan before the start of Games of the Future. Did you have a chance to participate in them?
— Our guys did, but I have not performed in this format yet. Those who took part in the competitions said that it was  interesting. The organisers gave a warm welcome. The level of those starts was not the same as that of the upcoming Games, though. There were no such strong fighters and high fees. In February, everything will be much more serious in Kazan.
— You will perform as part of a multinational team. Who else is included in it?
— There will be four people in it — three guys and a girl — one athlete in each of the weight categories. I know that the guys are from Switzerland and Brazil. We haven’t met yet, and, in principle, the team composition is not so important to me.
— What kind of competition will be in your discipline?
— A lot of cool fighters will come to Kazan. I can’t say that there are rivals that I would really like to meet, but I think there will be a lot of famous athletes at the tournament. Strong Russians are preparing, for example, Viktor Kolesnik, Timur Nagibin. Also, Americans and Brazilians are going to perform. So it’s going to be tough. I am also preparing as much as possible — like for the World Cup.
— You have already had Pankration and MMA World Championships in your career. And how did you get into mixed martial arts from Olympic judo?
— I came to judo quite late, at the age of 14. I could not achieve any great results. Probably my best result was when I took third place in sambo competitions among children under 15–16 years old. These are related sports, so I managed to combine. In judo, I won second and third places at regional competitions, but did not get into the top three at the republican ones. I have a judo friend. He finished his career, served in the government authorities and decided to open a club. So I joined it and started practising handto-hand combat, pankration, and a year later I began to take prizes. Probably, the reason why I liked it was because it started to work out — I was behind the rest in judo for four years, but things were going much better in mixed martial arts.
— At the same time, you studied at a pedagogical university and even managed to work in your specialty...
— Yes, I graduated from the Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University. I was assigned to the village of Bolshie Bortniki in Bobruisk district. I worked there, coached the guys, and trained myself at the same time. There was a good school in Bobruisk where I practised. Then, I took second place at the Pankration World Championship and I was reassigned to Minsk — now I train at the MMA Academy.
— How do you manage to combine work and training now? 
— While I’m preparing for the competition, I spend a little less time coaching. Now I have two workouts a day, in the morning and in the evening, plus preparation for a computer game. So far, Games of the Future is a top priority for me. I’m flying to Kazan on February 17th. There will be a few more days before the start. It’s interesting to see what kind of project it is. It may be a promising direction, worth participating in the future.

By Tatiana Pastushenko