“My sweet spot for development is at home. The scheme is based on always keeping the wheels in motion,” says Frida Karlsson to Längd.se. 

Karlsson and her coach Per Nilsson will work more closely with coach Ola Ravald, who is, among other things, Linn Svahn’s coach.

On Monday night, Frida Karlsson and Maja Dahlqvist announced that they do precisely as Linn Svahn: stands outside the national team’s training group in the off-season:

“It was some intensive hours, but it will be quick to land in this. But I think it was a bit dramatic. The difference from before is that we will run our programs through the summer and autumn and then reunite for the winter. And I have high expectations for this new scheme,” says Frida Karlsson to långd.se.

What part do you want to work on now with your new program at home? 

“It will be about sticking to the common thread that I want to create in and around my team at home. To run my key sessions and have continuity in training and not have to make adjustments with travel and other things. The whole scheme is based on keeping the wheels running at all times, without any interruptions.”  

 Significantly ahead of the previous season, the Swedish national team has run several altitude training camps as part of the preparations for the Olympics in China. Furthermore, there have been additional adjustments in connection with travel due to the pandemic.

“The Covid has, more than anything else, made me realize that my sweet spot for development is at home. This is where I have my routines and where I can run my sessions with the coaches present. Yes, of course you can run key sessions at a training camp, but you cannot get the same individual feedback on technique there,” Karlsson explains. 

Can you explain the differences?

“Say that we run intervals on roller skis, then my trainer on each “rest” and I can watch the video together to get a quick review and adjust technique. That way, we get an extra dimension with the session.”  

Another change next season is that Karlsson’s coach, Per Nilsson, will also be the coach of the German women’s national team. But the Karlsson-Nilsson collaboration will continue.

In addition, there will be closer collaboration with Ola Ravald (with many years of coaching success in both cross-country and biathlon, now also head coach of the Swedish recruiting national team in biathlon Team Autoexperten), who is also the coach of Linn Svahn:

“Per and Ola have a very close and good collaboration, and they have a very similar philosophy, so I will get help from Ola, who will connect with Per. This means that there will always be coaches present,” says Karlsson, who has had an extra focus on building strength since the competition season was over.  

“I feel that it has had an effect. And I’m really looking forward to entering a season where the World Championships in Planica is the big goal. My main focus will be on distance, but I know that if I am not hopeless in the sprint, continue to work on my strengths, and develop sprint, it will make me an even better skier both in the distance and in the sprint” concludes Frida Karlsson.