nokeepeesh on donk: “For him, those shouts were actually a way to channel that stress.”
Former Team Spirit psychologist Alexander “nokeepeesh” Kuznetsov, in a podcast on the club’s official YouTube channel, recalled his first impression of the CS2 roster after joining, discussed the specifics of working with esports players, and commented on Danil “donk” Kryshkovets’ shouts.
On the team’s first impression of the psychologist
At first, the guys took my arrival pretty positively, I think. After all, at that time, Kaeser was ranked in the top 30, so they were, as they say, reaching for the stars, and that’s why they were basically trying to seize any opportunity. Their trajectory wasn’t a straight line upward—there were definitely some ups and downs—but as far as I remember, the overall momentum was actually quite positive, even if it wasn’t as fast as we’d have liked. I think I can even cite the fact that Dima S0tF1k and I are still working together as an example of trust and connection. We’re in slightly different roles now—he’s a coach at the academy, and he trusts me with his students specifically when it comes to psychological preparation. So I think that, yes, I’ve managed to establish this connection to some extent.
On the specifics of my work and an ethical approach
From the perspective of a sort of ethical code and ethical standards, I try to make it clear right away—both to the players and to management—what information I’m actually allowed to use. First and foremost, this pertains specifically to my interactions with the players. By default, I won’t share information because it involves professional matters, but I might ask, “Can I share this information… ...and share it?” Or I might suggest that the player himself initiate a conversation on a particular topic. If it’s, say, not a personal matter—like, I don’t know, problems with a girlfriend or something like that—but rather something related to the game, like doubts about strategy, about certain other players, or that my teammate isn’t playing his part, is slacking off, isn’t training, and so on. Those are the kinds of issues I might suggest he discuss—either with the player, the coach, the manager, or someone else. That’s my approach.
About “donk”
As for his shouting, well, essentially, that’s actually his way of coping with all these processes. Yes, he has an extremely high level of motivation, coupled with an equally high level of responsibility toward himself and others. The desire to live up to certain expectations—again, both his own and those of others—undoubtedly creates a great deal of internal tension. To some extent, this shouting was actually a way for him to channel that stress. It’s a good tool, especially if you learn how to use it—not just shouting pointlessly every time, no matter what’s happening, like, “Nice! Good!” And like any such technique, it always starts with awareness—with diagnosing what’s happening to you and where you want to go from the state you’re currently in.
In the previous part of his conversation with a former Team Spirit psychologist, Alexander “nokeepeesh” Kuznetsov described the personality of the organization’s CEO, Nikita “Cheshir” Chukalin, and also talked about how they work with esports players.
Photo: Team Spirit.
