From dance to boxing: Athletes about gender stereotypes and how to overcome them

At the dawn of scientific breakthroughs and global tolerance There are still dense stereotypes in society, many of which concern physicality in the broadest sense - from race and gender to physique and physical characteristics. Athletes also get it. There are whole hit parades of the "most feminine" sports: rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating, athletics are leading in them. In the black lists, as a rule, weightlifting, football, martial arts, marathon running: these sports are considered "male", but the same figure skating or rhythmic gymnastics are often defined as inappropriate for guys. You can often hear comments about the fact that girls should "develop plasticity, flexibility and grace," as well as more fresh air, "because it has a beneficial effect on the skin." Men, on the basis of such judgments, are supposed to choose especially traumatic disciplines and show aggression in sports.

We decided to talk with guys and girls who are engaged in gender-marked sports, about the features of their disciplines, how they came to these sports and how they are influenced by public opinion. It turned out that amateur female athletes who are ready to talk about their "non-female" hobbies are much more than men with "non-male" ones. Probably, each of us has a girlfriend or colleague, who managed to try herself in kickboxing, basketball or weightlifting, but many can hardly boast acquaintance with a guy who is fond of synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics - only the names of professional athletes are usually heard. Someone has yet to get rid of social prejudice, and someone has already overcome them. The heroines and heroes of our material are strong and beautiful people who destroy stereotypes on their own experience.

Synchronized swimming is now considered to be a female sport, and until recently there was only the female category in the professional world. Nevertheless, men were initially engaged in synchronized swimming. In the XIX century it was called water ballet and the basis of the program was made up of figures on the water, which now practically do not perform: now these movements seem too simple, but before it was assumed that discipline is only by men. Back in the 40s of the 20th century, men were allowed to compete in mixed duets, that is, in pairs with women, but gradually this was eliminated. Everything changed last year: it was decided to introduce mixed duets at the World Championships in synchronized swimming in Kazan. There I spoke with Darina Valitova in two programs - technical and arbitrary - and became the first man in the Russian national team in synchronized swimming. The championship has caused such a stir, which our discipline did not know before, and the broadcast by the number of views overtook the jumps into the water, which had not happened before. In May 2016, mixed duets also competed at the European Championships, and my partner, Mihail Calancia, and I became champions.

Of course, mixed duets are different from women’s in terms of drama. In the performances, the “romantic” tendency is still dominant: as in dancing or figure skating, the story is usually about a relationship between a man and a woman. Mixed duets are a new trend in synchronized swimming, so choreographers first of all try to tackle a fresh, unexplored type of drama in a romantic way. But in terms of technology, everything is much more universal. The training program includes many related disciplines: on land, this is artistic and artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, choreography, in the water - swimming, diving. Synchronized swimming ensures the harmonious physical development of a person of any gender.

sporting goals - the challenge was just to learn how to swim. Due to the lack of prospects for guys in synchronized swimming teammates gradually went to other sports, and even the coach for the same reason, over time, lost interest in working with boys. But I decided to train on my own and hoped that sooner or later the men's program would be included in the official program. Until now, there are only a few professional male synchronists in the world, but now national sports associations adapt to innovations and recruit boys. In France, Canada, Japan, this trend is obvious. In Moscow and the regions of Russia, the boys also began to gain more activity, but the paradox is that the rules in Russia have not changed yet, and I, being a world champion, cannot officially perform in a mixed duet at the Russian championship - this is possible only out of competition.

I do not hear in my address that I am engaged in a sport that is inappropriate for a man, although there are quite humorous and even offensive attacks on synchronists on the Internet. Such a stereotype was formed because most people simply did not see men in synchronized swimming, and if they did not, they could not imagine. In addition, it is often possible to meet performances of a very low level - especially abroad, where discipline is more common among men and, accordingly, the variation in terms of performance techniques is more clearly visible. A logical reaction to bad technique: "Men's synchronized swimming is terrible." But, watching high-level speeches, skeptics are surprised that men can look so good in this business, and often immediately change their mind.

I had been involved in rugby for fourteen years, but I had to leave it because of the large number of injuries. I came to the gym to rehabilitate the joint and lose weight, but I was fascinated by the "glands": I really liked to watch what my body is capable of and feel pleasant fatigue after exercise. The first months of training were aimed at strengthening the muscular corset, the program included a large number of accompanying exercises and a solid stretch - all to adapt the body to work with weights. In order to develop in powerlifting, you need to improve your fitness and technique at each workout: the cleaner the technique, the lower the probability of injury and the easier it is to weight.

Among powerlifters, women make up perhaps twenty five percent. The first question they ask me when they find out about my hobby is: “Why do you need all this? This is not feminine and dangerous to health.” I want to be stronger and raise a lot. I want to look fit and sporty. Everyone has their own ideas about how a woman can look like, I have my own, and I do not impose them on anyone. Because of stereotypes, girls reluctantly go to the gym - they are afraid to "swing." I have been doing quite seriously for two years now, my coach is the elite of Russia in the bench press according to the WPC version, and I still haven’t “swung”. With regard to health problems, they are mostly those who do not engage in any kind of sport, and injuries occur in any sports discipline.

to the same gaunt girlfriend on command - and then a second wind opens, followed by the third and tenth. Powerlifting is an individual sport, and here everything depends only on me and the coach, so regardless of the intensity of a particular workout, I do not regret myself and give all my best.

Psychological work is also ongoing. After all, the return is felt only when you come to new records, and there are days when nothing happens. In powerlifting, development is rather slow, especially for women due to physiology. It would seem that adding 2.5 kg to the weight taken is a mere trifle, but the struggle for these 2.5 kg can last for months. In moments when the training plan fails, you feel weak and you start to eat yourself from the inside. If you do not pull yourself together in time, self-digging can continue until the next workout or until the release of a new weight. Sometimes it's better to stop thinking about numbers and just stick to the regime - and after a while the new weight will succumb.

Especially exciting event for me is competition, and this is with a great competitive experience in rugby. Anxiety sets in about a month before the start. During this period, the food becomes very strict: it is important to maintain the weight category and not to overdo it, because if you throw more than you need, the weight may not give in. Mandrazh does not let me go before the warm-up, but then all the excitement passes. I tune myself to the same work as on a regular training day, I no longer notice others and only listen to the coach. While my results at the competitions are not a complete reflection of the progress in the hall: for the first time, an excessive "weight loss" affected, the second time I made a technical error and the weight was not counted. My goal - the implementation of the standard master of sports, but after that I will not stop.

I got into figure skating by accident. I was enrolled in the section of my mother's friend along with her daughter: my parents decided that it would be good for health, and if you did not like it, you can always quit. It wasn’t close to the house, so the section took a lot of time and effort. I did not think that I would win prizes at international championships, but I rather quickly began to enjoy training, and I became involved. I have always been engaged in men's single skating and continue to play alone.

Figure skating is one of the most difficult coordination sports: here you can rotate around its axis, rotate in the air, and various jumps. It looks easy and easy, but in fact is the result of enormous work. In the training program of skaters - general physical training, gymnastics, choreography. We do not have strength training - for the most part we work with our own weight. During the preparatory period, we are mainly engaged in the athletics arena and in the hall - we are gaining a physical component. The training is intense, there are many of them, this is a good drill. I realized long ago, in my case, only discipline can produce results. In youth, something can be compensated for with energy, talent, and with age, as it seems to me, this stops working, and “physics” comes to the fore. Now I treat my body as a car: it must work smoothly to show a high result.

However, it doesn’t matter who coaches you - man or woman, because every professional has his own approach. With someone it is accepted to roll the whole program at once, for a start someone offers to disassemble the layout, where skating is developed first of all, and only then introduces jumps. With my current coach, I pay more attention to the spins, ribness in jumping (technique, in which the skater is repelled from the edge of the support ridge. - Approx. Ed.).

In some aspects of figure skating, sex makes its own specifics, but this is more about tradition and established rules than about physiology. Say, girls have a completely different set of jumps - they do not have triple and quad. In general, the preparation is identical. Of course, there is a stereotype that figure skating is not courageous enough, but only some very dark people can think like that. If figure skating is "not courageous", then what is courageous - the national football team, which takes the last places in all ratings and in all championships? Of course, in world football, the guys enter the field and fight not for life, but for death, and this requires serious resources, both physical and emotional. For me, courage does not depend on how aggressive the sport you are doing. Courage manifests itself when a person fights, when he challenges — above all, to himself.

I got into American football by accident. In the evenings, I conduct group dance dance classes, and at one of them I met a girl who spoke very inspiringly about the Moscow Dragonfly training session. I still can not understand what made me stay in the team: at the first training session I didn’t work, the ball was frightening in its shape and speed and it was difficult to figure out what was happening. Perhaps, I was attracted to the format of training, cute girls in the team and some exotic inherent in American football in Russia. The specificity of the game is due to a very low level of popularity, especially among girls: it is difficult to assemble a team, to find the right equipment and inventory, because often you have to deal with in Spartan conditions. But today, across the country - from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok - amateur female teams are rapidly emerging, and I think that after a couple of years, American football will become as popular among women as among men.

The main feature of American football is full contact with an opponent. This scares many, but it attracts those who are looking for new sensations. Making the right grip without breaking the rules, without hurting yourself and bringing the team the maximum number of yards is something that is important to learn first. Everything else - explosive speed, abrupt change of direction, fast running, strength, accuracy, dexterity - is present in many other sports and develops over time. Now we have two obligatory game trainings per week on the field, but besides that I am adjusting my entire training process to American football: I work more on endurance, I take individual sprint trainings, I try to develop in strength indicators.

to the test area. Sometimes it is very difficult to accept defeat, be it a competition or a personal result in training. I'm sure each of us cried at least once because of failure, but when progress is seen, the sad moments are compensated by insane joy for yourself and pride in the team. I will lie if I say that 30 women between the ages of 18 and 33 get along as a team without conflicts and souls in each other. However, we do not have sharp collisions - on the contrary, many in the team are very close friends, we relax and spend our free time together.

The fact that American football is not a woman's thing, I heard a couple of times in the gym from unfamiliar men. Mom would certainly be glad if I devoted all my free time not to training, but to starting a family, but I respect my interests and enjoy sporting achievements. At first, my boyfriend was a little surprised at my choice - first of all because of the high trauma of the sport - but now she strongly encourages my progress and goes to watch the games "Moscow Dragonflies". The girls from the team often complain about the misunderstanding of their friends. On the one hand, I consider people with similar stereotypes in their heads at least ill-bred, and even limited. On the other hand, it is the result of social attitudes. Most women will not trade Pilates, dance and fitness for American football, a barbell or boxing, and they can be understood. I try not to respond to sexist attacks and avoid communicating with people hostile to my hobby.

When in the elementary school I enrolled in the section of ballroom dancing for company with my friends, my swimming coach tried to convince me of the expediency of this intention. “Why do you need these dances, this is not a man’s thing,” he said. At some point, I no longer have enough time for all my hobbies, and soon I would really give up dancing if I had not met a girl in class who I really liked. Gradually, I was increasingly fascinated by honed movements and old Latin American music, which was played on reel-to-reel tape recorders. Later, the girl’s partner left, and I was put in a pair with her. This became a point of no return: I gave up all other hobbies and decided to devote myself completely to dancing.

The peak of my dance career came in the second half of the 90s: intensive classes, regular fees, master classes with well-known teachers. For almost my entire career, which is about ten years, I danced with my sister Xenia Casper. Many were interested in how a brother and sister can work in pairs and convey romantic feelings in the dance. We were also tormented by this question - there was even a certain complex about this. But at some point we realized that our work is akin to an actor's game: it is not necessary for a man and a woman to burn with passion for each other in order to play convincingly this passion.

It was only at the end of my professional career that I came to understand that dancing for me is rather not a sport, but an art. These are two qualitatively different approaches: in the first case we are talking about the performance at the level of mechanics, when the maximum precision of movements and stability of the technique is important, in the second case the actors play, the ability to convey sensations. I made a choice in favor of art.

In ballroom dancing, a couple enters the floor for the audience, and a certain aesthetics, which the public or judges expect, require well-coordinated and perfectly worked movements from the dancers. Mastery comes to balnick only after years of training. Социальные танцы, в направлении которых я сейчас развиваюсь, доступны для всех: в танцевальных клубах и на тематических вечеринках каждый танцует не для других, а для себя. Линди-хоп, свинг, сальса, афро - в этих танцах всё строится только вокруг естественного взаимодействия в паре, здесь можно менять партнёров и импровизировать. Меня привлекла эта свобода, и я решил работать над своеобразным синтезом бальных и социальных танцев в техническом и эстетическом смысле.

В советские времена было принято мыслить стереотипами и считалось, что мальчиков нужно отправлять в секцию бокса или борьбы. Now this installation is outdated, in modern society everything is unisex - from clothes to perfume. Before the Revolution, in the days of the Cadets, every man was supposed to be able to dance. Now dancing has become a popular hobby again, as evidenced by the abundance of dance projects on television. I participated in three seasons of "Dancing with the Stars" - both as a contestant and a choreographer - and watched how completely different people overcome themselves and take pride in their success. Dancing is a great way to express emotions, and a person of any sex and at any age can learn this.

The reasons why girls come to something like Krav Maga can be discussed for a long time and from different positions. I was always attracted to martial arts: I grew up "in the yard", played football with boys, and dolls did not interest me. My sister and I grew up without a father, and my mother became for me an example of willpower and firmness of character. I always wanted to be strong, and I knew that I had to hope only for myself. For nine years I was engaged in karate, but then I got injured, incompatible with performances at competitions. Later I got acquainted with the Krav Maga system, and, considering my achievements in karate, I was invited immediately with the condition of becoming an instructor.

Krav Maga is an Israeli melee system that effectively combines self-defense and hand-to-hand combat. Initially, Krav Maga was trained in the Israeli army, but this system does not stand still and develops in different directions. Our organization Krav Maga Global is something like an academy: we have directions for women, men, children, military, armed forces. Krav Maga is not a sports system, there are no competitions and discharges: we teach anyone to protect themselves regardless of age, gender, and physical abilities. Everything that is forbidden in traditional sports is allowed in Krav Maga: you can beat on all vulnerable parts of the body. In real combat there are no rules, no referee, no opponent in the same weight category with you.

One of the features of Krav Maga is ease of learning. All techniques are based on the natural reflexes of the human body, in training we reproduce situations as close as possible to reality. Instructors who teach people self-defense have a big responsibility; we have no right to make mistakes or give false hopes. We regularly undergo advanced training, go to training camps in Israel and invite specialists. In addition, instructors are trained in related disciplines: boxing, Thai boxing, grappling, sambo, knife fights, practical shooting. More recently, I and a couple of colleagues from the Moscow Center Krav Maga became knife fight instructors.

the streets one. Someone begins to engage, because he has already become a victim of an attack, and someone comes to protect themselves for the future. Girls are engaged both in general groups with men and in separate female groups - each chooses herself. In our center, men treat women respectfully, although in mixed groups, men are sometimes wary of working with women in full force. The girls train not sparing themselves and each other, so for someone classes in separate women's groups can be more effective - moreover, from time to time we invite guys to work out the technique with male power.

The decision to engage in Krav Maga is more difficult for women than for men: girls are afraid that it is too hard for us, some even go to workouts like a crossfit to get ready. But the supercomplexity of Krav Maga is a myth: we have an individual approach to everyone, and the load is moderate and is determined by increasing. The main principle of Krav Maga is safety in everything, including health. From the husbands and boys of my students, there are often phrases that this is not a woman’s business, but the men who work with us and know the features of the Krav Maga system, on the contrary, try to bring a wife, girlfriend, mother or daughter to training.

I tried many different kinds of sports - not for sporting achievements or a figure, but as a hobby. I was engaged in dancing, swimming, dressage, kendo, wushu, but nothing serious and long. Then I read an article about girls in boxing and decided to try. I liked it, got involved, got ready for a real ring, but then decided to get a new specialty, and there was no time left for big-time sports. During the eight years of recess, I received a second education, a favorite job, as well as twenty-five extra pounds and shortness of breath on the stairs. Recently, I realized that I was wildly missing boxing, and returned to the same coach with whom I had worked before, but not in the group, but in individual classes.

The relationship with the coach develops perfectly, his approach completely suits me. I cannot judge other coaches, except by observation in fitness clubs. There it is not boxing, but boxing-based physical education: no one really takes care of you, mash up your hands as you wish. Fun, sweat, shake your ass, but it's not that. And boxing is never boring, this is something new every minute. Boxing is a strategy: you learn to properly use the resources of your body and mind, and you turn features into advantages. These skills are very helpful in life, especially the ability to take a punch in every sense. After training, I crawl out of the room sweaty and half-dead, the sensations are gorgeous, endorphins are overblown. When I exercise regularly, I am in my best form. In the first two months after returning to boxing, 8 kilograms and 8 centimeters in volume were gone, and this is without diets and food restrictions. But most importantly, boxing adds confidence, makes an excellent character and position.

not right - bold units! If no joke, a negative attitude, as a rule, occurs in people very far from the sport. For some men, in order to feel their own usefulness, it is necessary for a woman to be pregnant and in the kitchen. And if a person has no problems with self-esteem, then it doesn't matter to him, the girl boxes, flies into space or constructs combines - this does not harm him.

In my opinion, girls are engaged in boxing more purposefully, concentratedly, stubbornly and mercilessly. Men often go to the gym to hang out, show off, then to become poses, and girls give their best and take the matter seriously. Familiar coaches see this pattern in boxing, rugby and in American football: girls are fighters who still need to be searched among men. In the physical sense, training is affected not by gender, but by individual characteristics. On critical days, it is harder for me personally: I refuse to make weights, concentrating on technology and working out parts. But men feel unwell, too, and not only once a month. Power indicators are also individual. In boxing, dull power is not the main thing - a lot of techniques and character decide.