Interview with PE Teacher at ITMO: Lessons on Lifelong Fitness

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. For Vladislav Trifonov, teaching isn’t just about fitness; it’s about helping students improve and grow, one day at a time.

Thanks for agreeing to an interview! First, please introduce yourself.

My name is Vladislav Trifonov. I teach physical education and sports at ITMO University.

What sports do you teach?

To be honest, that's a difficult question. I've become a multi-sport athlete, teaching everything. Right now I'm responsible for two main areas: martial arts, specifically sambo, jiu-jitsu, and judo, and lapta.

Lapta (a traditional Russian sport somewhat similar to baseball — Ed.) is a sport that’s been recently added to tournaments between universities. We'll try to land a respectable place in the tournament, and after that we'll decide whether I continue training the team or if I hand it over to the students to manage independently.

For judo, sambo, and jiu-jitsu, I train all students to participate in competitions, though not all of them are ready to compete. I have the beginner-level class, where they start by learning how to fall and other basic techniques. Over the course of a year, they gain experience and develop some skills, after which they switch to intermediate level and set future goals. For me, the goal is to have them participate in tournaments. If they train, they should compete. If my opinion differs from those of the students, I tell them they can still train, but I'll pay slightly less attention to them. I won't abandon them, but I'll focus more on those who are going to compete.

These are the two clubs I’m responsible for. Apart from them, I also oversee open-access classes like fitness, basketball, and stretching, which has become surprisingly popular recently. These classes are straightforward for me; they let students get their minimum of physical activity. I don't aim for specific results; I try to optimize the experience for all students. Many different kinds of people attend, so I try to make everyone feel comfortable.

What do you love about your job?

I love the university environment and seeing smiles on the faces of students who say, "'Sup Vladislav Olegovich." That really brings me joy. Also, when I'm walking with my colleagues and am greeted by students, my colleagues say, "It seems like you know all the students at the university." It's genuinely pleasant. I also enjoy receiving emotional feedback after class. Even though sometimes students can be very sad or upset, I hope that after exercising, they leave feeling rejuvenated and ready to achieve something, even just a small accomplishment for that day. Now, I don’t see myself without teaching.

I attend your classes because I like the level of intensity and how you lead the lessons. How do you maintain your energetic and positive attitude?

It's difficult sometimes, because we're all human. We have different days and moods. But again, on tough days, I try to understand why students come to my classes. I remind myself that they don't only come for points, but for something else as well. I prepare myself for each class in a way that acknowledges this, so I try to save all my energy so that students get more than just those five points. However, when I'm in a good mood, I just want to share it, so there's no need to save energy. In addition, I simply enjoy my job. I don't come to do the work; I come to find joy.

That’s great to hear! Do you have any tips for how a busy student can stay physically active? For example, what are some simple ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine?

Actually, you can develop physically in every action. For sedentary students, even simple actions like standing up and sitting down are a big success. However, if you're serious about becoming more physically active, it's a good idea to create a basic workout plan and stick to it.

How do you create a workout routine if you’re very busy during the week?

Of course, when we talk about creating a training plan, we don’t mean becoming a super athlete, but rather doing the minimum that’s achievable. To start, identify the free time that you have weekly. For example, if each week on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. and Fridays, say, at 3:00 p.m. you have free time, you could try and dedicate it to physical exercise and sports.

How can you train and participate in sports? At ITMO University, this is quite easy to do for students, as we have numerous sports clubs and opportunities. However, after a student becomes a specialist with a degree and graduates from university, they may want to maintain their physical fitness. Then, they can start with the most accessible option — running, it’s the best form of exercise humanity has invented.

If there’s just no time to follow a weekly plan and you realize you can’t stick to one, you should add activity to your daily life. Use public transport less, or exit two stops early and walk. If you use the metro, you can walk up and down the escalator. If you have a static posture, at minimum, you can stand up and do some light physical activity and stretch: bend down, twist your torso, stretch your arms and legs. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, you need to distract yourself and move for a bit once an hour. This will have a positive effect on your body.

How can someone getting started on their fitness journey maintain motivation and achieve success?

Once again, everything begins with choosing the time to work out. All physical culture is about discipline. If we are disciplined, we will see results.

Ways to maintain motivation, to be honest, vary from person to person. You need to set goals. Right now, we indirectly motivate students to train regularly as they want their 5 points per class. But if you are no longer required to attend PE classes and still want to exercise, you need to set personal goals. What do you want to achieve in your workout? Do you just want to spend time at the gym, achieve specific results, or perhaps simply maintain physical fitness? Here, you need to define your goal from the start. Based on your objective, you can build your training plan. Then everything will be great in life.

For those who would like to join ITMO's more advanced clubs and teams, how can they prepare for tryouts, and what should they expect?

We have an incredibly wide variety of sports clubs, but not every one is suitable for every student. There are clubs ready to teach someone from zero, while others select people to play in a team representing ITMO. If you’re aiming to join a team, some tryouts can be particularly challenging, like volleyball or basketball.

How can a student prepare for tryouts? By being physically active. If you've spent your whole year studying to get accepted into university without doing any sports, it might be difficult to perform well during tryouts for a competitive team. For beginner-level clubs (speaking about the classes I teach), I accept absolutely everyone, down to the most unprepared person, and structure each training lesson to ensure comfort for all participants. However, other clubs may have different approaches; I can't speak for them all.

In any case, if you're curious, you should give it a try. You can try talking with the trainer, chatting with people who are already in the club you’re interested in, and if it's truly a good fit for you, everything will fall into place.

What would you like to see in the future of ITMO sports, any changes?

I'd like to see less greed from students. About 90% of them only come to get the five points. When students say, "Oh, could you give me five more points, please? Please give me something else, what will I get if…," I'd like to see less of that. Instead, I’d like students to do sports because they genuinely want to, not just because they're forced to do so for grades.

Other than that, I'd like ITMO to have more clubs and more types of sports. We don't have them all.

Finally, is there anything you'd like to add?

What can I say… Come to classes, exercise! It's the best thing that can happen to you over the course of a day. If you're feeling sad or bored, just come to a PE class, and you'll feel better — all your miseries will leave you and go somewhere else. Physical activity also releases endorphins, which are so needed during our days in gray St. Petersburg.

Thanks for the interview!