MVLSZ Conference: focus on neuroscience and generational issues

Before the excellent presentations began, the most important announcement of the morning was made at the Groupama Arena: in his presidential address, Norbert Madaras shared the joyful news with the coaches that the coach training under the MVLSZ umbrella was successfully recognized by both domestic higher education authorities and the European Aquatics, allowing anyone who completes or obtains a degree to receive an accredited diploma if they successfully complete their studies.

First, child protection presentations were mandatory for coaches working with young talents. Mónika Szarvák talked about how to recognize minors affected by abuse and what to do if a sports professional suspects that their student may have been abused.

Then, Professor József Topál gave a sports-specific lecture on the functioning of the nervous system, outlining to the coaches how to enhance the motor and cognitive skills of young players. While the 21st-century technology allows testing these abilities in a lab, there are development opportunities as well. However, more studies indicate that development through computers and programs does not necessarily translate to improved performance in competitive sports. Especially in team sports, training remains the most crucial tool. Nevertheless, science, based on the latest findings, can provide significant support to coaches on which methods will lead to tangible progress (for example, it is essential to develop cognitive and motor skills simultaneously during different practice sessions; even though a movement sequence can be broken down into phases, practicing each part separately is not helpful – it is only effective to practice it as a whole because the nervous system, nerve cells function optimally this way).

Finally, after a year, generational researcher Krisztián Steigervald returned to the stage to further elaborate on last year's highly successful presentation, sharing the results of his research among water polo parents and coaches with the audience.

The fantastic and thought-provoking brainstorming, which could almost be considered a production, highlighted serious issues. Summarizing the complex series of thoughts briefly is almost impossible – it is worth revisiting our website to see this, and all the other presentations. Let it suffice to say that the backbone of today's development, the Z and Alpha generations, are wired completely differently than the majority of coaches dealing with them. Children have been socialized very differently, requiring a different approach as compared to X or Y generation members of a couple of decades ago. They need to be praised and criticized differently, as while former excellent players who now work as coaches were delighted to be part of their teams, today's youth operate under the premise of "be glad that I'm a part of this team," shifting from collective interests to an ego-centric approach.

Moreover, Steigervald Krisztián alerted coaches that according to his current research, late adolescence is so prolonged that certain child-like characteristics can still be identified even at the age of 28, meaning fully developed players may still exhibit entirely childish attitudes.