Peter Gade Interview: Academy in Ukraine? Why not?
Hi All,
my name is Max Sydorenko, I am the author at “This Is Badminton” blog. I write about Ukrainian and world’s badminton. I am very lucky today… My guest is a legend of European and World’s badminton, Peter Gade.
Former World’s #1. One of the most popular and well-known players in the world. The winner of 22 Gran-Prix. Four times Olympic Games participant!
This is the text version of the interview, which was slightly adapted for the reading format.
Читайте інтерв’ю українською тут.
Find the recording of our dialogue on YouTube:
Peter, thanks a lot for agreeing to give me the interview. To be honest, I did not expect to receive your response when I reached you on LinkedIn. Your response and participation in Special Olympics Games as badminton ambassador tell much about you as a person. Is this openness to the world being a part of your philosophy, something that you promote and call as “badminton” lifestyle?
First of all, I think that you are pretty much right in analyzing that aspect of my life… I have always been opened to everyone, who contacts me. As far as my time allows it and I feel that a request is a serious one, and there are people with an idea behind, it is always interesting for me.
After I started my Academy, I have got a lot of different requests, so I have to be quite good at selecting. The way you answered me, the fact that you are doing this from Ukraine, which is not a badminton country in that way, got me the feeling that it might be interesting. For me, it is important to get more parts of the world to appear on the badminton map.
Regarding me being an ambassador at Special Olympics, it is a natural way to me to say “yes” to such kind of events. I was very impressed and very inspired by this trip, by all those athletes; I really enjoyed it.
Thank you, Peter! On the 20th of April, you will celebrate the first anniversary of your Academy. I understand that it is still the beginning of a big path, but what can you say about the first results of this year? Can you share a bit more about the idea behind your Academy?
Actually, the correct date would be the 1st of May, maybe, a bit later. But it does not matter too much, it is close to the year. When I started this project, it was based on many reasons. One of the reasons was that I wanted to create a new role for me. I had free time, I could work with players and do love the whole process, love working with players.
In the meantime, I also wanted to be freer in the way I worked as a coach. If I went to the national team, I would be tight, there would be some limits that put some boundaries… I have two daughters, who are 10 and 14 years old now, I did not want to make the badminton calendar to decide when I could spend time with them.
And, surely, I had the idea of the Academy for many years. I am not pretty sure that the world of badminton is ready for such a format but I hope that I can make people (I mean clubs, national team, players) see badminton in a more convenient way, not only that way through the big associations that badminton has been running today. It is still a very old-school system, more like we had that 10 or 15 years ago.
When I say that, please, do not misunderstand me. I am brought up in the system like that and I have a lot of respect for the associations, so my position is not about being against smth, it is more about creating a different way. I am saying, “OK, I can work with different associations, I can be a kind of “tool” to maybe improve things for the players”. I am not going to go and say that this is my player, he is from my academy only, like many Academies do.
I really respect all coaches, who do great work for the players and want to follow them. If I can push a player a little further and he still will be with his coach, it may be a good solution for everyone.
When you manage the team of coaches and you have a lot of tasks that are not related to badminton, it takes much time… Do you see yourself more as a manager or as a coach? What will be your role in 5–10 years from now?
It is a difficult question because I do not know where we are going to be, but I would say that right now I would be a lot on the court. And I am on the court every single day. I had only a few weeks of holidays during the past year, few more weeks I was at the events and the rest of the time I was coaching. So, I am with my players, working with them every day.
So, now it is more about coaching…
That is where we are right now. Maybe, it will be changed in the future… One year ago we did not know how would people react to the idea, how would they approach us, in what areas they would need us more. And for me, it is still a process, including approaching associations. They have to understand how they can use our Academy.
And it will be a different way from what they used to do. We have some really good examples of national coaches approaching us and working with one player. At the Academy, we want to adapt to the needs of a player.
We have players for a short, mid, and long term and the way I work with them is more even about being a mentor. Not only being involved in what is happening on the court.
However, you and your colleagues have limited time. Just because there are only 24 hours in a day. Do you plan to scale up your Academy? I mean, do you plan to open branches of the Academy in the future?
I will consider that. I am already considering that because I had quite a lot of requests for that. But I am very careful because I need to be 100% sure that what we do here, in Denmark, is working…
I have a lot of requests from other countries, especially from India, to set up a franchise or open a branch. If I find the right people to do this, I will take it more seriously. But we have to take step by step and probably my role will change too.
Peter, hope to see your Academy in Ukraine as well.
Why not?
By the way, if a Ukrainian coach reads this interview and thinks of reaching out Peter Gade for consultancy, training, what will be the first step to proceed? How to apply to your Academy?
They can apply by going to the PeterGade.com, choosing the academy section and just applying through the request form. And we will get back to everyone and talk. We have to find out their need, to know why they contacted us. And we will see if we can meet their demands.
Do you have any selection criteria for players?
It depends… We can have young players, older, we have programs, where the player may take only individual sessions. Some players doing both group and individual. It depends on the level. On the group session, they need to fit some level. If they don’t, we will try to find an alternative.
Normally, we will ask for a video before.
You have players from many countries. Before you opened the Academy, you were a coach at National Team of France. I read your interview to Emma Lollike, Badminton Europe journalist. It was the 2017th year. You told Emma:
“I have learned a lot for the last 1.5 years, it’s been really educational for me, I learned a lot about the French culture. I also asked them to change some things and sometimes people´s natural response is not to like that.”
To your mind, what is the core difference in mentality of French and Danish players? What is SO SPECIAL in the mentality of Danish players that makes them dominate European and world’s badminton?
There is a big tradition and culture of badminton in Denmark. It has been developing for many years. Coaches, players, the whole environment know that they have to think long-term. They do not think only ‘next tournament’. If you want to be as good as possible, you have to develop a long-term vision. Many other countries in Europe are still thinking short-term and that is the main difference and issue.
France is very passionate about badminton. They have a lot of coaches, who are doing a great job but they do not have role models to look at to say “You have to do like this to become the world champion”.
At Denmark, we are very lucky to have new personalities coming over and over for many years.
In France, maybe that will happen soon too, they have a potential too.
That was a part of my reason to go to France, to try to motivate and inspire them. French people are different. In badminton, it will be a lot of repeated stuff to do over and over to become a master. And if you are not used to doing it from a very young age and you have me coming and saying that we have to do it again and again, it may not work… The understanding of it comes only when you get it when you are a young player.
So, it is more about long-term thinking…
Yes, in Denmark, coach, and players, they all know that this is about long-term. We try to do as good as we can but we have a very strong mindset.
Also, it is about basics: footwork, understanding of tactics, mental, physics… If these basics are in place from the young years, you have a ground to go high. And Denmark is so good in putting basics for players…
I think France will develop its own culture. They do not have to be like Denmark. It is also about finding your own ways. But, without badminton basics in place, you will not generate big names.
That is what I am trying to do now — to create a proper structure of thinking for players and coaches.
To your mind, what comes first when you want to achieve great results: talent, hard work, dedication? Maybe even technologies?
I might be an old-school guy but ‘technology’ is not the word that comes first to my mind. I still believe that in badminton, we are quite inexperienced in using technology, research, big data to analyze the game. We are still on a low level comparing to other sports, for instance, in the US.
How can AI change the badminton? Read here.
The more I work with players, the more I understand that there are a lot of cases that are out of the usual order. But what can I say for sure is that you will not go anywhere in badminton without hard work. It is not smth you can do in a few years.
That is why new countries do not appear on the horizon. It takes many years to manage… But I have never had a feeling that it is not possible to fight against Denmark. Again, we are coming to the culture and traditions.
But when you see a young player, can you predict his future in badminton, do you have a feeling that he or she will become great?
There are different parts in this. When I look at a player, I can see how he is approaching the game, you understand if it is a natural feeling for him. But one of the most important things for me is to put a player in a difficult situation and to check his reaction. Will he react with a fire in his eyes, will he have an attitude?
All the good players, they like it. When things are tough, when things are against them, they get fire in their eyes. That is one of the main things, which I look for. If I see a fire, I understand that we can go further, we have options to grow.
I also look at how fast you learn. If you look at the good players, like Viktor Axelsen or Anders Antonsen, the way they learn things is impressive. They might do mistakes, they are still young players, but they learn and they do not repeat these mistakes.
If you are fast in learning, there is no limit on how far you can go.
These mental strengths… How to develop them? Is it smth that is already inside? Do you have any secrets to share?
Some part of it is how you are born. But a lot of it is how you spend your younger years. What is your daily life, how hard you are practicing? Do you have an environment where you have to fight for your way?
The more you have to fight, the more matches with stronger, older players you have, the more chances you have to become strong mentally. That is certainly smth that will develop the players and will give the toughness.
I also believe that a coach should create comfortable training. But I also believe that a coach has to push the player. That is what I wanted when I was a player. It is not an easy sometimes because you also want your player to like you… It is one of the most important things. As a coach, you cannot rely on how much a player likes you. I hope that my players like to work with me but they do not have to like me, they have to like the way I work with them.
Sure, when a player has downs, he needs to have a coach who says, “Hey, I am here. If you have lost, you have the next day; we will practice then and get more results”.
When you ask about specific exercises, it has to be smth that a coach has to put into daily work. Coach has to put players in situations when they are looking for solutions…
Peter, when we talk about the highest level… What do you think about Kento Momota? He came to the world’s badminton and defeated all players. Do you think he is unique?
I see Momota as a fantastic player. His style, his way of approaching the game. He has his own natural way of ‘reading’ the game, anticipating the game. I really like that. Momota took over the number 1 spot and I think that together with Viktor and a few other players, you will see him on the top for a long time.
But I also think that such top players like Lin Dan, Lee Chong Way, they are finishing their career. So, it is a period when new players came and said: “it is about us now”.
Kento Momota may be the one, who will keep a very high level, but still, I am sure that he can be a lot better. I hope that he and Viktor can even raise the bar. We will see in the coming years a new group of legends. Antonsen could be another one, who will join these two. There is a group of players who can play big tournaments but they do not keep the level the same. Everything will be very interesting during this year and the year of the Olympics.
Read our article about the Total badminton of Kento Momota here.
I hope that the friend of mine, Lin Dan, still has a shot.
Lin Dan, Taufik, Lee Chong Wei — you’ve played many matches with these guys. Who was the toughest to play against?
I enjoyed playing against all of them. But if I have to take out one and say “he was the toughest one”, I would name Lin Dan. I did not play against any player of Lind Dan’s level of Olympics 2008.
Peter, you finished your career 6 years ago. How do you think, when is the right moment to finish a career?
I will not be clever to say when is the right moment, for instance, for Lin Dan or Chong Wei to finish the career. I had a feeling that I gave everything. My body and my mind were telling me: “Peter, it is time”.
After finishing my career, I had no bad feelings, no regrets, only positive emotions, and understanding that it was the right time. I am totally honest on that. When I go to the stadium or see the match, I have no regrets — that is the main.
So, it is about feeling your body.
Yes. Also, one thing about Lin Dan and Chong Wei. I cannot imagine them playing badminton without passion. They are national heroes, everyone expects them to win, no matter what happens. When you enter the court, you have to win. If you do not win, there is a disappointment. You have a lot of pressure at your shoulders. You’re taking everything out of your system.
Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, they are born to do that. I was also born to do that. I had 11 years without losing even a single match to any European player.
I have a few more personal questions. When you hear the word “Ukraine”, what comes to your mind first? You can be honest.
The first thing that comes to my mind is “Yellow and blue”…
Do you know some famous Ukrainian sportsmen? I know that you like to watch other sports…
I saw some Ukrainian badminton players. I saw a lot of passion. I saw that fighting attitude. I think there is a lot of potential in Ukraine, in Russia as well. But you need a culture, you still need to find your way. You have to have young players, 10–15 players of very high levels.
I have no doubts that your players have the mentality and attitude but you need to have a system, which will produce and grow players from young age…
I hope to see players from Ukraine on top… sooner or later!
I hope so too. I believe it is possible.
Read the interview with Ukrainian #1, Artem Pochtarev, here.
Peter, thanks a lot. If you think of spending a weekend in a very nice city, visit Ukrainian capital Kyiv, you are welcome. Come together with your daughters for a weekend, you will enjoy your time, I promise you.
Max, thanks for asking a lot of good questions. You do it in a bit different way than it is commonly run, I appreciate it!
Interview by Max Sydorenko, the author at “This Is Badminton” Blog. Subscribe to our Blog on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badmintonblog/
Peter Gade official FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/petergadeofficial/
Pere Gade Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petergadeofficial/
