Rikard Grip Edit
Tue, 10/26 7:57AM • 27:12
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
coach, athletes, important, team, feel, talk, olympics, sweden, people, swedish, bit, relay, situation, depends, expectations, starting, person, kilometers, handle, race
SPEAKERS
Paul Barnett, Rikard Grip
Paul Barnett 00:00
Riccar group Good morning and welcome to the Great coach's podcast.
Rikard Grip 00:04
Thank you very much.
Paul Barnett 00:06
Let me just start with something really simple where in the world a today and I know it's only 19 am but what have you been up to so far?
Rikard Grip 00:13
Right now I'm in this situation I'm home in my home place is in stock on right now. And this morning has been a little bit busy with two kids, three years and five years. When they're a little bit tired in the morning, it's it could be a little bit Russia time to get in time to for them to the kindergarten and also for me to the office.
Paul Barnett 00:32
I'm very excited to talk to you because Stockholm is one of my favorite places in the world. So I'm very keen to hear your experience touching Sweden and living in such a beautiful town. But I'd like to actually start with a pretty broad question because you coached the Swedish cross country team for nine years, you took the team to the Olympics, the World Championships, and you had the chance to see many great coaches close up through that experience. So what is it that you think the great coaches do differently
Rikard Grip 01:00
depends a lot what kind of athlete it is, when they are in the career, if it's early on, or if it's in the end of the career. For me, it's really important for the coaches to meet the athletes where they are. And what I mean by that is, we have to meet athletes, if they are in the age, it's adjoining or if it's like the owner, and what they have for own experience. For me, it's always that you should try to work together with athletes, that means some of them, you might showing the way a little bit more, someone asks you a bit more adverbs, what they should do give them opportunity to choose which kind of rope they should go for. So depends a lot and all. But the main thing, and the most important is that they are into the job, really focus and give a lot of energy. So the athletes feel like they have coaches that had big knowledge.[PB1] But for sure, the most important part is that I give lots of energy to the athletes. And I did actually after or before, as you said, I have worked for nine years in a team. And the first three years I was working as a coach or head coach for the ladies. And after that I took over the headquarters position or also the team manager for both plates. And man, that was 1011 months before Sochi. And I have a white paper and my boss said that you have a fantastic opportunity to build your own team. And I thought that was really nice opportunity. But quite fast, realize that it's not so easy to build a team, and also have all this pressure from media fans, everyone, let's feel like okay, it's only like 1110 miles to the Olympics, and you even have an organization. So that was a little bit stressful. But when I asked the athletes, all of them was talking about the passion, the energy from the coaches, that was the main thing when I asked them what they want from the coaches, there was the passion and the energy to the job[PB2] . I want
Paul Barnett 02:57
to talk about the team's performance Sochi as we go along, because of course, it was pretty special. But before we get there, I'd like to ask a little bit more about your philosophy and your advice. And I'd like to wind the clock back if I could to when you were 26. And you took over from pick pick Erickson as the coach of your own Ski Club, that's a young age to move into a role like that. So if you could give your 26 year old self advice now, after everything you've achieved, what would it be?
Rikard Grip 03:25
When indeed says you think sometimes maybe you can change the world, what I should say, and also that you have the only My way was the only way if I should go back and give another coach in the same age, my experience. Now as you said, it's not that important that you always have the last word, if it should be like three minutes or four minutes into all if there should be like four of them or five of them. For me right now, that's not the most important thing or part. [PB3] But I should also say that I'm a little bit more a coach than a trainer because I see the whole picture. For athletes, you have the sponsors, you have the private life with family situation, you need to get this all things running well, because you should have great time of training. But if you're not feeling good, or you're like not everything outside training is not working. It doesn't matter. I don't think that if you go for it, we should talk about such later on. But if you had like an athlete's standing on the start line that day, I don't think it's them.
So it's a little bit. Yeah, it's hard to say. But you should really focus and believe yourself. And as Pekka said to me, he was a really strong man in across country in Sweden, and lots of people said to me, you should be the new Packer. But it told me that you could for sure bring good and bad experience from me. But never forget, I am packer and you are required. That's the most important thing. So bring in your experience from me, but make it to your own. Otherwise, you will play a game that someone will come behind and see what that's not the real thing.[PB5]
Paul Barnett 05:48
I'd like to take you to Sochi, then because it was a pretty special moment, equal top of the metal table, which was a great was celebrated quite broadly, in your home country, Sweden, where cross country gets as much coverage as football. And you said after the success, you said, the most important thing for me is that everyone feels important that they have a task in the team. I'm just the one who tries to make sure that everyone keeps the same track. So in your sport, in cross country skiing, what is the role of the coach
Rikard Grip 06:18
in that time, I was also like the team manager for the whole teams, I was like the responsible for old coaches, all the technician, all the stuff around the team. So you can say that I sometimes bring two different leadership because you have the leadership, the coaching for the athletes, but I also at the same time should coach and have the leadership for the rest of the team. So that's for me a little bit different actually. And I have a really good story actually, from this time. And at the Australian friend is working as a physio and the team. He did a great job he prepared you on Olson from injures the last three weeks on the pre camp, we have been in the north part of LA. And then we should have a shot apply from Saatchi now to such a from Zurich. At the same time, when we should go into the shorter I gave him a key to a car and say safe drive back to Sweden 3000 kilometers. But after the man's relay, he sent me a text. I feel even home in front of the TV that I'm a part of this team and the success that you bring to Sweden in such a and that's my be the strongest memory for me from such a even if we have this gold medals both in the manner latest really a great story.
Paul Barnett 07:34
Thank you for sharing it. This is a pretty broad question. But I would like to ask, how would you describe your coaching philosophy because it's been very successful. And later on, we'll talk about how you've transitioned now across to biathlon, but are you able to sort of describe the energy or the philosophy that you bring,
Rikard Grip 07:54
the most important thing is, as you said, is the energy, the passion, the passion for the job, the passion for what you're doing, that's really important for me, and also try to work to see all of them. As I said, this first year was really important for me, you have lots of other person support, that's really important as well. So see all people try to handle everyone equal. But that's could be quite tricky. And what I mean with that is that you need to, if you try to handle everyone at the same equal, then it means you're not to do it equal, because then it's not equal. I have example that you want also, he was 32 for three years, actually one more year older than me. At the same time I had Steena Nielsen, she was 19, she was still in the school. And he had two kids and a wife. And if I should handle this to athletes equal, then I have to handle and be one kind of person to Juwan and one other two Steena. So for me, it's really important that we meet athletes where they are. And also sometimes you have athletes that are crying. So you just need to give them a hug. Sometimes you really need to stand up and just show them whether you're fully armed that this is the way and this is how we do it right now. So it's really important to feel the situation and after that try to meet the person where they are standing right now. That's for me actually the most important thing.[PB6]
Paul Barnett 09:26
Are there any values or behaviors that are central to what you believe that you really enforce with your athletes?
Rikard Grip 09:34
I have to come back to that thing. I think
Paul Barnett 09:37
there any sometimes a coach has a saying that they repeat all the time, all the time, all the time. For instance, preparing for a cycling coach later today. And his mantra always is ride your bike, just ride your bike and I want to ask him about why he says that. So is there anything similar that you have with your athletes,
Rikard Grip 09:56
not something like that I do all the time. But you can also have especially if you have a really nervous person that should go for competition, actually, I was helping the first leg guy. And in such a large Nelson, normal is always coming like five, six minutes before start. That's normal. And you know that sometimes you're wondering if we missed the start or not. But this time when it was the relay, and he was the starting man for Sweden, it was the first time he did a relay in the natural suit. And that was the Olympics. And we was for sure, the gold medal favorites, he was coming maybe 20 minutes before the start. And I will read there realize that he is nervous. And this is not like a normal day for him. So then I try to struct in with the saying that yeah, men run over there around that tree and come back to me and do this. And this gave him like, different short things that he should do is to try to focus on something else than what he should do in 25 minutes or something. And the last word I was saying to him, and mostly I do to all of them, as you said, when they are really nervous before start is that we have trained for this 365 days a year, you are professional. And this is nothing else, what you should do today, just go out ski, because you're a great skier, try to like safely fight to not make it big or something like that.[PB7]
Paul Barnett 11:21
He seemed to be the type of coach that at least through my research and reading that handles people's nerves and their expectations really well. In fact, I was reading where you said, You'd actually don't have metal expectations, you say the goal is to work hard, all the way to the finish line and then see if you get any medals. This is very different from many other coaches, can you explain why you believe this?
Rikard Grip 11:45
For me, it's so important with all this preparation that you have to do before and the whole way, actually to passing the finish line. There was a lot of things that you can do all the way to the end. But I also think it's important for the team that we not just get the response about if there are metals or not, because you know, it's really hard to get this smells. For me, it's more like, as I said before, the overall view is really important. For me, it's really important that there are good beds in the pre camp, even, it's not only the life, the training, that's why I said it was this is for me a quite big difference between a trainer or a coach, the trainer might not care about that at all, because they are so focused, there's so into the training program, what they should do this two, three hours on the session. But for me, it's like the big picture is really important. And I think that was actually the great success for Saatchi. I haven't had that feeling. Even before or after even if I tried to do it. I hope I will feel some time more in my life because it was so amazing. All people are asking in saying that your athletes were in great shape. And I asked Yes. But also the coaches the stuff behind was in great shape those weeks. That's a feeling that's so amazing.
Paul Barnett 13:04
How did you bring such alignment and consistency to the broader group of trainers and athletes within the team? Was there something that you did that helped achieve that
Rikard Grip 13:18
I have a mentor. I was talking to him a few days before we leave for the pre campaign so he was quite I was not so immediate that we haven't done a good season so far and what will be with this and when old coaches are starting to try to get some sometimes in the media coming with it is what we should do and why we didn't do like this and this and he said to me regard, hey, you have to believe what you have done and what you are doing. The most important thing for you is that you have to show that for the team, not with word with your body. So every day when you wake up, make sure in front of this mirror that your pillow is in the bed and you go there with lots of energy down to the breakfast. So I think that was the main thing I didn't talk I didn't mess some words so much I work with my body actually my buddy speech. That's I think is the main thing to bring this kind of philosophy or mental to the rest of the team.[PB8] And also some days it was actually one situation one of the coaches was saying to me after hard session in the weekend, it feels so good. And then it's like something has to be like wrong, it could not be good like this and I said why are you saying that? Right now we shouldn't believe anything else that it is that good. But it's feel where to go and talk to like that. You should not talk like that. You should walk like that. At the same there. You don't have to talk about it. Just show what your feeling is that you're come you can have confidence you feel like we had done a good job. We are ready for this now. Just love it enjoying the time that we actually have. It's not like sweets that we're standing there in have like speeches or talking so much about we are great everything like that that's not so normal for sweet. I think that's really bit more quiet as people and we're not the person that scream out big word. Instead, we working with our body and showing that we have a really great feeling.[PB9]
Paul Barnett 15:23
Now that's a great story. Thank you for sharing it. I'd like to talk a little bit about the last stage of a race could be the last kilometer could be the last 200 meters. Is there anything special you do in your coaching and your preparation with your athletes to prepare for the end of the race? It depends which
Rikard Grip 15:41
kind of race it is for sure we're doing that it is a sprint race all our lives know what should we the last, like 300 minutes or the last curve before that final 200 meters, something like that? It depends. But yes, for sure. And also, I think that the coaching during the race is actually quite important. And also it depends who it is what you should say. In such a when Charlotte was capturing a Germany and Finnish team, we were screaming to her all the time that you are the strongest in the world. And that was something she was telling off that gave her lots of energy at the same time that they after Marcus Helmer was going out in the lead. I think it was like 1015 seconds to Russia, in the homeplace. So the public was quite sure who they are supporting. And his last word was like regard, just say to the coaches that they should remember me or my skiing technique, don't scream that he was catching one or two seconds or that I'm going one or two seconds faster. I don't care about that just helped me to ski well, and then I will fix the rest. And he was able to have the flag for under meters in front of the finish line to have that amazing feeling to bring the Swedish Olympic team to the gold medal in Sachin. So it depends all the time. But it's really important. I think the old same hair meet athletes meet the situation, how should we do it at the same time with Marcus in the world championship in Finland, he was catching the third place. I said to them, who was out on the competition track that if he has one, and it's 55 seconds, it's not 55 In the next it has to be at least 54. Even if it's 56 we always have to give him information that he is catching, catching, catching. So in on feel like it's not possible, he should already have the feeling that I'm strong, I have the possibility to actually bring up to that. And one coach was saying that actually afterward that record, I have been in this for many, many years, maybe 20 years. And he said that actually, I think that you should really feel like you have a part of this metal because how you push all the coaches during the radio during the race when Marcus was skiing was so important for this now, in[PB10]
Paul Barnett 18:03
2018, the team go to be on chain. And the performance was, at least according to the media was below expectations. And there were some reports of issues within the team. I don't know whether that was true or not. But what I'd like to ask you is what advice do you have for other coaches on handling disruptive influence within the team
Rikard Grip 18:24
expectation was a really big as you said, and the latest data? Well, the problem was that we didn't get any model on demand side. So that was the big Miss of expectations. And it's hard also because if you go for the history, the Swede has been really really strong on the men's side, but maybe not on the ladies side. So exploitation was really weighing on ladies, but on the man we didn't have many girls, it was a hard situation who we choose for the relay. And as you know, there are like 1 million tweets are looking on this kind of racist and you have 1 million people that have better knowledge and they know more than me who should go in that team. But I always I had tried to have the feeling like this is just because there's so much passion it's so much feelings around the team around the sport. I try to bring this to an A positive situation not like feel like Oh Jesus, oh, why are people thinking like this? My mailbox was like bombed during the Olympics about this. My phone was calling that I was stupid, you have no idea you should not have this work and so on and so on. I think it's important to try to like feel like you still have your feet on the ground. Even when it's going good as such. I'm not the one is like falling, flying high, but I'm not the one who's going really dumb either. I'm quite equal in this because it's as a famous soccer coach in Sweden said so good. People said that I am when we are good. I'm not but I'm not so bad as to say When it's going bad either, I think that's also something that you should bring with you otherwise is try to, even if it's hard to give or communicate hard situations or decisions, I think you should try to do it and really give them or share with them how you have made the process to use choose these in this. And for sure, try to keep it inside the team, that we're not talking through the media. But sometimes, as I said, people outside that have other ideas how they should works. But I think it's really important that you feel inside the team that yeah, we have talked about it, we are passing it, but we might not agree fully. Because if there will not be athletes that are disappointed, they're not able to ski or race or shopping Olympic Games or a world championship or something, then I should also feel like, why are they doing this? If it's not more important that they not get like disappointed, then are they on the right place, then for sure, they had to be disappointing. But still, we try to handle the situation. And we need to respect each other respect that. I'm the coach might bring the team and I have to take decisions. Sometimes you say that I go on the feeling in the stomach. But that's less like, what is that? Yeah, but might be the most important you do? And you don't have actually the answer, why you choose this or not this. But just try to say and give them as much as possible. I think that's really important as well, and try to have it inside a team and not try to talk with outside.[PB11]
Paul Barnett 21:37
Do you have any ways that you found more effective than others at giving feedback to athletes,
Rikard Grip 21:43
I think it's important, they feel like the whole team, I cannot say that I'm doing this to the all of them. But if I talk as a team, you have different coaches, different personalities that fits to different athletes, but important that you have some coaches that really have a good and tight relationship with athletes that they can bring up and share both goods and Bad's. And I think that's the main thing. And also, when you're giving feedback, you need to stop for a second or two session if it's good feedback. Because if you just give them a fast like hug and just run away and or you're giving some feedback, and at the same time, you have your phone in your hand and you look 50% on the phone as the same time that you talk to that let's all the person, then you don't have the feeling is this for true or assess something you say, because you have to do it. For me, it's important. When you give feedback, the person that should take the feedback that really feel like you mean this, and you're into it, if you don't have time to stop or look, the person in the eyes, I think it's better to not say anything, it's worse for a few times that you give the feedback when you are in a rush. Or you're just passing. You can do it for a few times. But if you do it too many times, I think you will lose the feeling that you really mean it. So for me, it's really important to stop give the time and actually look the person in the eyes when you talk to them.[PB12]
Paul Barnett 23:13
Regarding Are there any particular resources, books, and TV shows anything that you found particularly helpful as a coach.
Rikard Grip 23:21
For me, it's self being the persons around me actually, that has been the most important. They support me that has pushed me tried to push me over my line outside the comfort zone, and so on. So I have a few persons actually during my road for sure it to say to start with the paper. Because he was also as I said, I take the role after him but I was also part of that team before so he started coaching me as a 16 years old, I moved 500 kilometers from my hometown where my parents are living. So it's like I said, I'm growing up two times. One, together with my family, too. I was 16. But I haven't had the experience to the next step in my life. Because when I was living here with the school or with the club, it has given me a lot to my life now that what happened there? Because otherwise I think everything you said is how I grew up. Everything is follow one line, for sure I have the slides, but I had another one that gives me because I need to take responsibility or read at 16. And I think that is something that I always cared about other people's. That's why I think I was into this coaching. Actually,
Paul Barnett 24:33
you've transferred across to biathlon, which is a huge sport here in the Czech Republic where I live. And one of the top Swedish by athletes said recently quite from what I've heard about Ricard, he's very driven and committed leader and he has a lot of experience. So I'd like to ask one final question and that is, what's the legacy that you want to leave as a coach
Rikard Grip 24:55
for me is that actually those words? I think it's fits very well and it's also fits very well what I want to have legacy from me. And I also want to have a legacy that even if I stopped in a job, I still want to be a person that help others to get great performance. Because with all these years, you have knowledge and experience you have always sometimes that your champing that you can bring to another when I stopped my job in the cross country, one of my colleagues had a speech and said that the most important for record is that the organization is working, it's not important that he showed that he make it work. And actually, that's also very near to what my own feeling is, I don't have to be the person who is standing in front. For me, it's more important that our persons are growing and everything is working. That's the main thing.[PB13] But I think that for me, it's hard to jump in, in a feeling or a position to see what they actually have been through, and what I have done there. So actually, when I did my first speech about leadership, I need to ask other people about what I should say, because my speech should be like five minutes, no, not that maybe just one minutes, I should say, hey, who I am and where I'm coming from. And then I say I am just myself. That's my leadership. I always get back to where everything is starting. Everything is starting on the small street with mom and dad. And I will never forget that even if I'm in interviews in the Olympics, or wherever. I always get back to where everything is starting. And I think it's important for me, it's really important to never lose that where everything is starting and that you could be Yeah, don't fly away too much still keep the feets on the ground and stay safe there because sometimes it could blow very much on the top of the mountain. And then it's good to feel like you're standing strong on the ground.[PB14]
Paul Barnett 26:55
Regard. Great. It's been wonderful to talk to you today. I can't wait to see the successes of the Swedish biathlon team, maybe not so much against the Czech team. But I do look forward to the Olympics. And I want to thank you again for a wonderful interview today. So thank you very much.
Rikard Grip 27:10
Thank you. It's been a pleasure.