Humility, Not Envy, Makes a Winner - Interview with Goalkeeper Zoltán Szécsi

What is the image of sportspeople in public thinking in Hungary today?

 

Sport is important part even in the lives of those people who do not participate in any sport. It is a common denominator. This is why people like us and we are respected. Even the tabloids are interested in us. And we try to find a way to show ourselves in the most meaningful way. People usually know that water polo players are usually also involved in other activities. I cannot even tell how many diplomas are held by members of our team. I don't know what those people who know us only from the media think about us. Maybe some people, though not most, feel sorry for us because we must train so hard. The difficult thing is that the public has the highest expectations: we know they will not accept anything less than a gold medal from Hungary's national water polo team. Yet, the differences in the world's top tier for the sport are small.

 

 

The team includes members who have strong interests in the arts and culture, so they can probably gain strength from that. They read a lot and I understand that some of them regularly read poems. I am more interested in the sciences, so I could very well utilise what I studied in applied psychology at university during training. But I think how you collect strength depends more on the type of personality you have. It is funny, but I was born on the turning point of two horoscope signs and so I always read both and use whichever I like more.

 

You often make crude remarks to members of the opposite team during match. Did you learn this in a psychology course?

 

No, I learnt that somewhere else. It did work for some time, but a backlash started after a while. When the opponents also started making remarks, I realised that this was a double-edged sword and an ill weapon in the long term. I do not use it anymore. I use my knowledge to develop a harmonic relationship with the people I work with, because this is most beneficial. I learnt in psychology that one cannot lose his form just like that. It is a self-confidence problem, because when a player can make five goals in one week and then nothing for weeks, he will lose his self-confidence and not his form.

 

 

That is exactly the case. The result of a match will depend on what form the team is in on the given day, unless there is a difference of six or seven goals between the teams. At the Olympics there are at least two teams that are not six or seven goals behind us.

 

Do you think there is a connection between the fact that you are all more intellectual - and so your playing is more intelligent - and the fact that you are also very successful? Especially if you consider that players in other sports, at least in terms of diplomas, are not so well-educated.

 

Intelligence and the ability to combine things are reflected in the game. Getting a diploma will not make a player better. Though it is a fact that perhaps similar talents and skills are required for the both. It is also a fact that physical skills, unfortunately, are gaining an increasing emphasis in water polo and one must accept that less brain is needed for it. I have clearly seen this trend in the past two or three years. The international board has been changing regulations and interpreting existing rules in a way that promotes this trend. Perhaps they see this as more marketable.

 

Does the Olympic spirit still exist?

 

That is an interesting question. The Olympics is not the main competition in football and if we consider that football is the most popular sport in the world then the situation becomes rather ambivalent. So the football world championship may be a louder event, but the Olympics sums up what is happening in sports and shows the sports world in a more colourful way. It shows that we may view human achievements in many different forms - in a more elevated way....When I watch the Olympics, I consider the greatness of human achievements much more important than to count how many times the flags of a given nation will go up on a pole. And all of us who participate in the event work for each other because what is most important is that teams can show strong performances.

 

We understand how an individual is talented and may work hard for years, even mentally, but how does this work at the team level?

 

One thing is the way forward, when we can support each other. Self-confidence can be very shaky, even if this does not show on the faces of people standing on the podium. There is nothing unusual or mystical about this. Positive feedback and approval do help. The other thing is what is going on during the match in the pool. There is not much variation in the case of a goalkeeper or a center but in every other position, everyone must keep in mind how each of the other players feel. Those who feel less in form will harm the game even for those who are in better shape. A game can offer very many combinations of moves and it is important that those moves are chosen that are best for the team as a whole. (Coach) Dénes Kemény often says that the big problem is not when somebody is weaker but when the team cannot help him out. It is obvious that when somebody is not in the best form, he must be given encouragement. It is a commonplace but still works. And I think it is also important that even though we do not talk a lot to each other, we share an intimate relationship with each other. We can really be happy for each other's success and joy. I may not see a friend for years but then we can sit down and talk and it does not matter how long it has been because the original closeness remains unchanged.

 

How can the personality of the goalkeeper influence the team's work and defence?

 

There are situations when the goalkeeper can manage the entire defence and therefore clearly influences it. I never tell anybody off. I just warn them of tasks ahead. After somebody in defence makes a mistake, all I say is that next time you should rip his head off. I do not need to start explaining what the mistake was. The team also builds on what people think of each other and how they speak to each other. When we voice criticism it is not by saying you were stupid, because that would be terribly destructive. Instead, we must look ahead and understand most efficiently how similar situations can be best resolved in the future.

 

To what extent do you think it is a matter of destiny and what personality traits are necessary to become a sports professional?

 

Anybody can become a winner if he is humble enough. Perhaps envy is the only thing that will prevent success. If I take the current team, I may say that besides the basic intelligence and physical abilities, we are all very different, we have different lifestyles and habits, but one thing is certain: we are all humble and we are never envious.

 

 

Many different things. I have experienced so many different situations, with so many different people that there cannot be a better practice. Everybody can quickly learn technical things, and beyond those, it all depends on human relations. Finding the right tone and taking common interests very seriously. These are the things I have learnt.