Why Sweden? Wolfgang: (laughing) First I think Sweden is the most beautiful country
in the world. Norway and Finnland are besides Sweden and I think it is sad that
both countries are so great in skijumping, but not Sweden. The job as the
Swedish headcoach is a challenge for me.
How had been the team when you
came there the first time? Wolfgang: Actually there was no team. We had Johan. But it was very
hard for him to be alone all the time. Therefore I started to build teams. Then
everybody has a group where he belongs and they can all work together.
Please tell us something
about the beginning? Wolfgang: It was a good time, but it needed some time until they
trusted me. There were so many coaches in the last months and everybody said
something different. So why should they just believe what I say? But now they
found the confidence and we are really one team now.
What have you changed yet and
what do you want to change in the future? Wolfgang: I changed the contain of the trainings. We are making more
power training than they did before. And we are also working on the technical
mistakes. Isak is a bit unstabile. He jumps very good in the training, but not
always in the competition. The same with Johan, he does not manage to jump at
the same level all the time. But we are working for the winter, not for the
summer. We said that we just competete in summer, if it is good it is nice, if
not it does not matter. My aim for the winter is having Isak and Johan in the
points in the Worldcup.
What have you done before? Wolfgang: I was jumper and functionary by myself, so I know the
business. 1993 I started as a coach for Skiclub Partenkirchen. They had no more
young jumpers, so I started building a group of 40 young people. In 2001 I
changed my job and worked for DSV (++ German Skiassociation) and coached the
young jumpers there. I came back to Partenkirchen in 2004, to coach the whole
base Garmisch-Partenkirchen. And now I am headcoach of the Swedish team.
How do you talk to the
guys? Wolfgang: We are talking in English. It works good, they get, what I
say!
How do you motivate the guys? Wolfgang: I try to persuade them that skijumping is not only work, it
is also a lot of fun and pleasure. I try do to that with outdoor activities,
like we did in the first camp, when we went canoying and hiking.
Can you describe the
trainingplans for the next weeks? Wolfgang: We are making block training now. First we will have six
weeks power training for the legs, then six weeks power training for the arms,
then we will train the high-speed strength for another six weeks. I also plan to
make some coordination training. I dont want them to be in the best shape in
Kuusamo, I want to have the maximal achievement at Olympia. And we cancelled our
plans for the following competitions. We wont go to Habuba, but instead we will
go to Predazzo and Bischofshofen. We also planned some trainingscamps in Ramsau,
Oberhof and Stams, only with the A-Team. But maybe Jakob and Besnik can join the
camp in Oberhof.
Can you explain the
team-constellation? Wolfgang: We have three teams now. Johan Erikson and Isak Grimholm
build the A-Team, Jakob Grimholm, Besnik Gashi and Andreas Arén the B-Team and
the Juniors Niklas Eriksson, Carl Nordin, Fredrik Balkåsen and Alexander Mitz
are the C-Team. The B-Team will be coached by Nils-Olov Westberg from
Örnsköldsvik and Rickard Fröier will be assistant. Per Balkåsen will coach the
C-team, with co-coach Joakim Bulin.
How can you convert all your
plans? Is it working with the Skifederation? Wolfgang: There is a new man in the Swedish skifederation and he is a
really great man. Up to now they converted everything I have said. They have
told me in the beginning how much money I can use and with this money I can work.
But if I need something I can ask for help and I will get the help. All are
working together.
What do you think about Swedish
future? Are there young jumpers? Wolfgang: I am not only coaching the A-Team, I am also making coach
training with all the club coaches in Sweden. All the clubs need to work
together and need to help each other. So they cannot have different ways of
teaching the kids. I will try to tell them about coordination and also other
things. In two weeks we start with about 50 coaches in Stockholm, later then we
will meet again in Örnsköldsvik. We have to work more and harder.
How satisfied are you with
the summer up to now? Wolfgang: I am very satisfied. However, if I see that we are top in
the training, but not in the competition, I become sad. My aim was not being up
to the best this summer. We have to work and we have done a lot of work. The
guys have noticed that it is going better and better, the team has a lot of fun.
Now they want too much. They have to get more patient. But as I said, it is
going better and better.
How to imagine the
preparation for the winter? Wolfgang: We will start with the first snow jumps at the 10th
November with the A-Team. It is not yet sure if we go to Lillehammer or
Sollefteå. But we will then directly go to Kuusamo. The B-Team will join then at
the 17th, because the COC starts one week later. The C-Team will join another
week later, because the FIS-Cup starts another week later. But they will mainly
be prepared for the Junior Worldchampionsship in the middle of January, not for
the FIS-Cup.
What is your aim for the
winter? Wolfgang: I want Johan and Isak constantly in the Top 30 in Worldcup.
And I also want Isak be qualified for Olympia.
What are your aims for future at
all? Wolfgang: We have to find some sponsors. But we are working on that
and everybody is looking for some sponsors now. We have nearly the money we need,
but it would be much easier with some more money. In the beginning we said we
will first check if it works out with the team and me. But I really think and
hope it is a longtermed job. So I am already thinking as a Swedish heachcoach at
Olympia in 2010.
Could you please describe
the guys now a bit more? Wolfgang: Johan is very ambitiously and disciplined. He is doing his
job 100%. Isak is also ambitiously, sometimes too much. He is working a lot in
his head and he thinks a lot about his jumps. Jakob is thinking way too much,
actually he is only thinking about the sports. Skijumping can be so easy, but
Jakob makes it complicated. Besnik is the entertainer in the team. He is also
ambitiously and he is really working hard. He has some good beginnings. But both
Jakob and Besnik have to get a bit relaxter. And then we also have Andreas. I
really think he is a very very good man. He was very unlucky in the last months.
I am helping him with finding specialists. They should check him again and then
make a special trainings programme for him. I try to get him to Germany to make
everything here. Andreas has the same injury as Alex Herr from Germany had. Alex
needed 6 months, but he trained 8 hours every day. Andreas has a lot of work to
do. This week we will start with a special training, 6 hours a day. My aim is to
get him to the last trainingscamp in Stams.
_______________________________________
Thanks to Wolfgang!
Danke an www.swedish-skijumping.com, dass wir dieses Interview hier veröffentlichen dürfen!