Hey everyone. Welcome back to San Portland
podcast, the home of authentic conversations between coaches.
That sounds good. I literally just made that up.
So if you like it, let me know because that's what it's sort of
becoming, which is wonderful today.
I've got Robin are cool with me now, he's very humble and he
won't tell you how good he is. So I'm going to tell you how
good he is, he's amazing. He is one of the best and
smartest coaches, I know and I'm So, honored to have him on the
show. Welcome Robin.
Thank you. Thanks Sam.
First of all, I like to introduction.
I thought I was great. Like it sounded like you had
rested for years. Thanks very much for having me.
Now you're very welcome that you're very welcome.
And so so we're not going to drop CVS or know that boring
stuff. But what we actually want to
know is what's your story? How did you?
How did you start? What what what drove you to
where you are? Today.
I think it's probably a very similar story to a lot of people
and I think I've heard you talking about it before and
obviously over time you evolve and you thought you both but I
traditionally effectively got interests and see because all
the failed athlete myself but that purpose has changed
obviously over time and it's more what drives me now is is
trying to optimize Human Performance and trying to give
other people You know, the best opportunity in life that they
can get, and it's not because I didn't get it, but it's just
because I'm passionate about trying to get other people to
achieve what they are capable of achieving.
I think so often you come across, people who've got the
talent but donations don't necessarily achieve what they
can achieve. And I just want people to
succeed, so that's what sort of drives me today in terms of
doing what I do. Nice man, not many people say
they old athlete and then all that they want to do is drive
people to succeed. I think it's wonderful and like
that's It's so broad which is great because it doesn't
pigeonhole you to any think it does.
It shows No Boundaries into the type of work that you want to do
and where you want to go, what I to you have the we have this
failed athletes story. Then when was your first
opportunity at coaching, First opportunity and coaching was
doing University pretty much. I did a sport Science degree so
naturally through that course you start coaching but I'd say
my first proper experience of being an Essence see coach was
during my time as a master's student in Cape Town and I got
involved with the University team as an SMC and assistant is
and see with our under-20 team. And that's kind of where I think
the passion grew it for me at the time, it was just filling.
I'm off to Union and doing something, you know, and I think
the club that I went into helped a lot, just because of what the
passion that they had the community that they had, and I
wanted to be part of it and it just went from there, to be
honest. It went pretty quick.
But yeah, my first experience of coaching was under 20 Rugby
Union Couple of nights a week, bring up the cones, collecting
the cones and you do and it went from there.
And you also, what were you 18? 19 at that time.
At that time, I was probably a little bit older 23, I think
probably 24. Now, 23, probably because by the
time I was 26, I was the head of essence, he had a Premiership
Club. So and so, so your and before
that you had never done any form of coaching.
No other than just our practicals at University during
our lectures and even that. And even that as you probably
know, is not very comprehensive in terms of teaching you how to
actually coach. And I still think today that
I've probably missed out somewhere along the line, but
I've just tried to be curious and everything I do and learn
from what I do. And listen, so I asked for a lot
of feedback, a lot of the time from people around me and Just
trying to use those experiences to grow my ability as a coach.
Yeah, one of the things I've listened to on podcast and
listen to interviews with people.
Bypass the notion of curiosity, you're very curious human being
I know you are but what are the types?
Everyone, everyone's like I'm curious but they don't actually
tell people how they're curious. They don't tell them like how
curiosity manifest themselves in themselves, scuse me.
So, So when your bring you get the itch for a topic or you get
the itch for something called, there's some reflective practice
that you've gone through. What type of questions are you
asking yourself? What else is there to know?
I think. I think I'm an individual, as a
lot of other people. Are that questions myself a lot?
Like I don't think I know anything, although I probably do
know, I approach the subject. Why approach an individual with
the mindset that I don't know anything.
So the type of questions are asked the most probably sound
quite Elementary and maybe even talking to someone, they
probably think this guy knows nothing but what I'm trying to
do is just get their perspective or just trying to get you all
the information that actually matters.
As opposed to trying to come across like someone that knows
something because then you, you changing their narrative.
I think. And so I think I'm always
asking, like, there must be something else there.
There must be something more that I don't know about
anything. Whether it's warm ups,
cooldowns, the most Elementary stuff that we do.
It's, there's there must be something else out there that I
don't know already and I just I think I approach any situation
or context or any conversation With that sort of mindset.
Yeah, that's awesome. And that's The Beginner's mind
beginner's brain. It's amazing.
And it's the one that removes blind spots for you or shows you
where they are at least and you're right.
The element of conversation. There is if you go into a room
and you're asking we've all done it, we've gone to observe other
coaches for the day and stuff like that, and then you ask them
the questions like you're on their patch.
And, you know, there, Either they're the hot shop for the day
and there's almost this kind of like, protective element that
comes over. No, I'm just asking a question
because I want to, I want to know.
And and I think it's a, you know, that process for anyone
listening like write that down. That's that is the way to do it.
It's the way that you develop. So, you're there in 2023, your
you've been putting out cone to be in writing programs.
You've been doing all that sort of stuff that You know, everyone
turns into here, but it will be a point and then so then you're
heading up a team. What's that?
Like, It was tough in the beginning.
I don't know what I was doing to be honest.
I just went with what I thought was, right?
Yeah, and I think like if I reflect a little area so far,
I've always had every opportunity I've got, I've had a
coach that's been very open to allowing me my space and being
able to do what I think is, right.
And I think that was, I was very lucky in my first full-time job
with the university. I got promoted to the first
team. And they play in the, in the, in
the National Varsity Cup in South Africa, which is quite a
big competition in South Africa. And at the time when I was
promoted to the first team, there was a new coaching staff
as well. So we were basically a
completely new group of coaching staff and the guy that came in
as the head coach, Kevin music and that was a big Jim guy
himself. So he placed a big emphasis, on
my line of work in the team, and he just said, go Runner that do
what you want. Basically just said what he
wants his the guys to be fit, strong powerful fastest as
everyone wants, but he said, whatever you need to do do it
develop the program at the time, there was no full time program
at all. So we set up a whole high
performance center. We stood up structures to get
the boys in training or five times a week.
Yeah, we basically started it from scratch and I didn't know
what I was doing. I just I just went along with
it. I knew the guys.
Had to train a certain time for a certain number of times a
week. And I knew, you know, Basics.
But I didn't know how to run a high performance Department.
I was 23, but I think from that experience and put it threw me
into the deep end. And I think I learned a hell of
a lot jackpot. Yeah, we are fridge.
I mean and Yeah, I think are super lucky because we were
tipped to be relegated That season as well.
We had 12 games in the previous two years across those
tournaments and we came into that third season.
The one that I joined for and we were odds-on favorite to be
relegated. New coaching staff young group
of players and we actually ended up winning the final.
We won the varsity Cup and the nature of how we did it.
Also, I think helped me we were 21 points.
Down with four minutes, left of the game.
And we ended up winning. We ended up winning by Four
Points. We, it was ridiculous.
We went we went to 84 minutes and so yeah, it went a bit crazy
after that like because he wanted the car so fit and all
the stuff. And we didn't have any injuries
the season, like it was just a perfect environment for
everything, everything came together and we are after a
season and a half with their, my God.
Got recruited and moved up into the Premiership teams and also
continue to learn. Yeah, I probably should have, I
probably should have your team turns around that Lake and
fully. The Almond is game over.
Let's just do something else. Next, that's great.
That's great. And then didn't indict.
You, if you think about it there, You know, you're you're
you're literally learning through experience.
Like, you are getting the best on-the-job training, along
moving it, out of that out. So yeah, yeah.
You're getting literally the best on-the-job training.
And what, you know? When you when you put yourself
by her 23-year old and you're, you're setting up these
schedules and you know, you're applying the basics with over
there. Was there any time where it went
really wrong? Although it is there anything
that pops out in your head? You're like, oh my God, that was
bad. All that was really good.
That was lucky. I think often actually reflect
back on to the back on that time and I'm like, it felt like at
that time. I knew the most hmm in my whole
career, but it was because I was I'd been exposed to the least
amount of information. The least experienced, I hadn't
been exposed to all these other Essence.
He coaches the information that time wasn't so available.
I didn't have any preconceived ideas about What worked, what
didn't work? So I literally took programs
that, you know, I'd been influenced by from other coaches
around me are implemented that. And I went with it, I kept it
simple and As soon as obviously, you get to you you expose
yourself to so much more information.
You start questioning to this work, does that work?
You try this, you try that. So I would say like during that
period, it felt like I'd like a new the most compared to what I
have over the last 10 to 12 years to be honest.
But obviously what I was doing then doesn't compare to what I'm
doing now. Yeah it just worked at that
time. I kept it super simple.
We didn't have a lot of technology or equipment, so I
mean, everything was pretty standard and easy.
There was not much that could go wrong.
Basically, I think my biggest challenge was probably moving up
a level in to the Premiership where I think I got a lot wrong,
and probably learned a lot from that experience as well,
obviously. But I would say that, that was
probably my biggest challenge or like, just Wake up call.
Yeah, now that's great. Like you're ignorant to your own
flaws. At that stage, aren't you?
You're just exactly. Yeah, I mean also saying that is
I I did come across a program. The other day from that period
when I was with the university and I was like, oh my God, how
did I put this together or how did the boys actually get
through that? It was a preseason, happy trophy
based program and I was just like holy shit.
But yeah, they got through it and And did pretty well.
So, that's yeah. It's it.
When you do I found some old programs as well.
And, and it's true, and it's always the sobering reminder,
that actually everything, can the weight rooms General?
And pretty much the lot of the other stuff is General as well.
Just like when I am shocked at what they did, but then also I'm
like that's okay because if it was really important they
wouldn't have survived you know. Exactly.
Yeah. That's great.
And then and I It's a useful fact, you know, drawing lessons
out this for, for any coach listening.
I think the coaching landscape is very different.
Now, there's not that many of those opportunities around to
getting getting those reps to get out coaching.
As soon as possible with with what Emmy other means, you have
is really important today start going through that process.
So when you've got to the Premiership made a lot of
mistakes, they started to realize some of the mistakes
that you are making and Then you ended up changing sport, right?
Yes, how did that happen by chance?
I think to an extent, as a lot of them come to context,
probably more so than anything else.
But yeah, I think I was lucky enough to always have had
someone slightly ahead of me and their Journey on the same path.
And when Lombard was has, always sort of been, you know,
Colleague and friend of mine. And he was a couple years ahead
of me. And he had already being
recruited or moved over to India and he had got the opportunity
to work with Indian women's hockey team.
And when he started, they then asked him or do you know someone
else that could come across the only maze?
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
So yeah, yeah, they contacted me and they, this director of
performance called me and said, do you want to come And I said,
yeah, sure. And yeah, it is a pretty quick
process. There was no real interview
anything, it just kind of likeable can you start in two
months time type of thing. And yeah, I went, it was All art
is an opportunity. I can really turn down to us,
although it was a big change in sport.
I always had aspirations to be in rugby, to go to Rugby World
Cups and stuff that was always my dream and never thought about
working in field hockey, but I did always also have the
aspiration of going to an Olympic Games and obviously
being successful and look at games and that opportunity gave
me the chance to achieve that goal.
And as soon as I realized that it was kind of an Brainer for
me. It was why not try the
opportunity to challenge yourself.
Again, completely new cultural experience, completely new
sport. And I think I was at the right
age to do it as well. It's not an opportunity that you
can do all the time I think. And at that stage, I was 27 or
28. And I had the opportunity to go
and Lead an international snc program, so yeah.
Yeah. It was, it was a good
opportunity I think to take in it.
Turned out pretty good as well. Yeah I think it turned out
pretty good and and so obviously you've got the differences in
sports but what what makes transition hard is culture and
we you know, one of the things, the realities of strength and
conditioning as well. Sometimes, if you do want to
work, you have to relocate. And sometimes people like
yourself relocate, thousands and thousands of miles away from
family, friends, and and all those sorts of things.
But Then you touch down in India.
And I'm what was the, you know, you could, you could be good at
your job at. But but when you're in places
that are so different in culture, How did that have an
effect on user as a coach? But then also, just as Robin has
left home? Massive actually understated and
probably difficult to put it into words, to be honest.
It was. And if you haven't been to Asia
or a country like India, it's so difficult for people to actually
understand the extent of what the country is like.
Yeah, I arrived in India and knowing a little bit because of
communication and conversation with people that were already
there, but it still didn't prepare me for what the what the
reality was like. I didn't, I actually didn't
unpack my suitcase for my the first month I was there because
I was convinced. I was not going to stay.
It was a super super overwhelming just from every
aspect of life. Mmm of your senses were on
overdrive. The cultural change was
difficult from sport, the different sports as well, just
like our Miss rugby. I'm a strike.
Be I miss working with the guys that I was working with.
I miss doing the type of stuff that I was doing was right
because Aki. At this, at the time, the boys
couldn't really understand English or talk English, show
communication and bent to between you and the athletes
wasn't their facilities. Where a challenge, it was food,
will have to return to living the.
Everything was a big Challenge, and yeah, it took a lot of
resilience and a lot of Sort of belief in my purpose as to add
actually taking the job in the first place to work through that
and stay. I was lucky enough that my
girlfriend came with me, she joined me after a month of me
being there and I think if she hadn't come, I probably wouldn't
have stayed. But yeah, she, she actually came
with me and spent three months with me, in India, and I think
that just helps settle in. And by the time you do, get a
little bit more familiar and comfortable with things and But
you are a super tough. I mean, I wouldn't always say to
everyone that it's the right thing to do in terms of
uprooting and traveling 20,000 kilometers to a new country,
just to pursue a work goal. Because I think along the way.
And on reflection I have lost out on a lot of life in terms of
friendships relationships. I've missed family, gatherings
weddings, miss my mom's wedding. So, like those things, it comes
with challenges like that. And I think at the time, I was
just too naive and I was very siloed My Approach and all I
wanted to do was achieve Olympic, you know, qualification
and success. Ultimately.
And yeah, although the journey and the process was super cool
and interesting, and I wouldn't change it reflecting on it.
You can obviously do things a little bit differently.
Yeah. Obviously you actually answer
the question. I was going to ask you, you
said, and this is the another buzzword resilience and then you
are you today took a lot of resilience and then you Was
going to say what's resilience and you actually said it is the
belief in my vision and my purpose for what I want to
achieve that is resilience is reminding yourself of what you
want to achieve. And I think it's admirable, you
know, saying that it wasn't easy and it wasn't fun, and it was
hard, and I had to sacrifice a lot to get there.
And then, looking back on reflection, maybe some of those
things weren't worth the sacrifice and our butt.
I think the most important thing that I draw out of that, if
you're going to do something, do it be prepared to take the
consequences of that. But if it is part of your plan,
then get after it, don't waste time, do it because when since
danice tan and, and that's so powerful, so, so admirable for
you. I just love the fact that you
didn't unpack his suitcase very good and I says, you are
sleeping on my couch. Action for a month.
I was just like I'm not even a purpose and perseverance, led to
the LED to me being able to stay there for as long as I did
because it wasn't only those first six months that were
challenging. It was four and a half years
that were challenging of course they periods in time doing that.
Phase that we wouldn't change for anything and it was super
fun. We had a group of 12 foreigners
there. Australians Dutch South African
everything in it was we had a great time, but we went through
a period of time in lockdown covid, where we spent nine
months locked inside a wall. We couldn't go anywhere
couldn't, and I'm not saying that that my situation is worse
than anyone else. Is everyone went through a tough
period but being in a foreign country like that locked in
walls. For nine months, you couldn't no
one. Saw their families couldn't go
to shop for my months, couldn't do anything.
It was that was also probably one of the most challenging
times. Yeah.
As a probably was for everyone. But yeah, those times just make
you grow. I think it's an individual as a
coach and I think I've probably come out of it stronger and
better than yeah, what I was when I went into it.
That's awesome because there's a there's an opportunity in that,
man. And I am obviously covid-19.
Everyone. And it's kind of like one of
those things is that everyone's worst day is their own worst
day. Nothing is comparable.
And my uncle got stuck in India. There are he said, we were given
four hours. It was like grab your shit
because when it's done, you ain't coming out.
Exactly. Yeah.
And he must have felt like a bit of a prism It was show.
Yeah, I won't go into too much detail because as you said,
like, everyone's got their own reality, so you can always
identify with someone else's reality, but it was for sure a
good personal learning period, for sure.
And an opportunity where I did take a lot of time to invest in
myself with personal development.
And it's basically how I started on this journey with you
actually. Yeah, it was a period of
Personal growth and just exploring other avenues,
basically of how to become a better person and how that can
translate into becoming a better Coach.
Yeah, I love them. That's so good.
And another see you have the who's Rio Olympics, wasn't it?
Tokyo Tokyo. Sorry.
And then and you got where did you guys finish in that finished
third. So one time and we got the
bronze. Yep.
And there's it's actually interesting.
Anything there as well as that you said is you know, some
people only sign like a one-year deal as a coach.
You're in for an Olympic cycle. In you, when you go into these
things like you're in this for years and that's overwhelming in
itself, there's like a lot of coaches, don't even know what
they're having for breakfast tomorrow.
Let alone a four-year commitment because there's none of them.
Had relationships, have lasted that long and and so you do
that, you get the bronze medal and your kind of, that's the
Mountaintop we can sit back here.
Like I've actually achieved a goal that I set out to achieve
its tangible. What's right in front of me?
What's the conversation like about well, what's next?
I was contemplating will just curious as to how you're going
to ask a question like this. And how are they going to answer
it? Because I can answer it in a
very philosophical way and and get quite vulnerable about it.
But to be honest it since the day the moment that we won the
Olympic medal and onwards as really been the most challenging
time in my life. Just because everything I've
done up until that point that led me to getting to that
moment. And once I'd got that moment, it
was almost instant that, all that stuff.
And then vanished it was like, I don't know what my purpose is
anymore, I don't know what I'm doing.
And yeah, the conversations with myself where well, what next
what am I going to? To do next.
Am I still do still have the passion purpose and the and the
resiliency to keep doing this type of job.
I knew that I probably had to leave India, just for personal
reasons and like social life relationship perspective, but I
didn't know where to go. I had built up, obviously, a
good relationship with the players and the coaching staff
and India. And just, in terms of the
country, it turned out to be a place that I absolutely love.
And it was difficult to leave, to be honest.
But I also knew it was probably the right thing for me to do,
but I left not having another job and that came with obviously
another Morissette of more questions of like, what's my
purpose now? And what next and I didn't know
what next, to be honest. So I teach answers is super
tough period. But again, it's always an
opportunity to grow and I think From those type of questions,
you start developing, what, what your next purpose is, what your
next sort of goal, is in life. And that's where I'm at the
moment. Yeah, I love that again.
It's super fun durable and, you know, thank you for that because
it's, it's so easy to be like, Arch, get another job.
I'll just do it again. I'm thinking it'll be any
different. And it's you know I was thinking
about myself when you know the day I got the first team trouble
was just like I've done it. Three years, or whatever layer
or resigned. And it was like an hour.
Remember when I remember walking out that day, the exactly the
same Jesus. What am I going to do now?
Because I knew that that that was done.
It closed and you know your medal was the closing ceremony,
Olympics closing, ceremony it was done and then you're faced
with all these questions and life.
Throws you different curve balls and then you're trying to figure
out but you still and I think it goes right back to correct me if
I'm wrong that. Now when you describe what, you
know want to do stuff like that, no passion to improve
performance improve people as that kind of a resounding result
of the experience of going through that change.
Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's sort of come out of
the whole experience of being in India's Bob, just because what
drove me there, big time was just trying to give those type
of athletes the opportunity and life, that there were so
desperate for that. If they achieve that would
significantly change their life and I saw how, you know, impact
that I could have on an individual, how it could change
their life and their family's life and potentially
Generations, especially In a country like India.
Now, it's not the same in my soul in my in my current
context, but the principle Remains the Same around.
Okay, I'm not attaching my purpose to winning a tournament
or winning a gold medal. It's more around touching my
purpose to maximizing someone else's potential and I think
that can be endless as opposed to something that's definite.
Because once you receive that medal at the closure, where's I
think with Having a purpose of enhancing the person's
performance that performance is never closed its infinite.
You can always keep chasing and I think, yeah, that's what sort
of drives me now and I hope it's something that can keep, you
know, the passion going, as opposed to reaching that sort of
end point again. You know next year?
Yeah, wow. I'll try, I think, I think what
also keeps me going is I've transitioned into new Ouch in a
new environment again and it's kind of like restarting again
because it's it's a system that has worked in the past.
It's a decentralized setting. So it's completely different to
what I was doing before. It's a different language again.
So I think those like constant changes as well keeps me on my
toes a little bit and evolving personally, and professionally
as well in terms of how I need to coach and stuff like that.
So, Yeah that's so good. They honestly that that but any
I think any coach at any level of their career needs to listen
rewind the last five minutes and this and tagging.
Because what that shows is is what someone who's actually done
the work in going through that process rather than spiritually
by passing. It think look how Philosophical.
I am in my thinking because I've won and now Ivory reoriented my
life, but they still end up doing the same thing.
You are complete. You're doing the same thing but
completely differently, the completely different intention.
And you said it's actually become endless now.
And when it becomes endless you have freedom of choice and
you're a perfect example that so you should be so proud of you,
like that's just bloody awesome more coaches, should be like
that. Yeah, thank you.
I mean some I offer nothing. I don't know what I'm doing.
Because yeah, you can get caught into cycle as, you know, in this
industry. But what I have definitely tried
to do is we talk about a lot is like set boundaries and create
the life that you want. I think in that in the time in
India allowed me to do that. It was kind of like it.
Go with. This is what I actually want and
slowly over the last two years since moving on.
I've I have probably achieved a lot of that in terms of getting
into an environment which is more personal friendly, you
know, being able to set up my life and going into a job.
Like, I've got now which is a little bit more flexible and has
more freedom, allows me, you know, the opportunity to do a
little bit more outside of just working.
And I think that's, you know, what will keep me going as well.
Because I've got the opportunity to be a little bit more diverse
as opposed to spending. You know, 16 hours at a
facility, seven days a week. It's keeps you fresh as well.
I think and yeah. Enhances your coaching because
when you do have the time with the athletes, you switched on
and you've had time to freshen up and come into the environment
and really give you 100%, That's the best place to finish it.
That's brilliant. That's so good.
And we didn't even get to the next part.
That's that's part to you coming back part 2.
So for anyone listening to us then some people may feel
compelled to reach out to you they've got experience you've
got a lot of experience, a lot to offer.
Is there any way particular that people can contact you?
Yeah for sure. Through any other social media
channels? Instagram is probably the most
is the easiest Through my personal account, Robin are
curl, or through one of my business accounts as well.
APA, Training Systems as well, you can reach us through there
or yeah, email, Robin Dyke 007 at gmail.com.
There you go. Easy, easy.
I love that. Well, thanks for your time
today, Robin, I really appreciate it.
Everyone else. Listen to this.
Make sure you get on the list for the sport speed system.
But looks amazing, just let You know, and and proceeds are going
to charity. Let's use sport to kick
homelessness in to touch big event August 8th, which is still
a top secret location, but it's going to be massive Centre of
London. Kings Cross August 8th, Legacy
showcase, you are going to have your bloody socks blown off
right there. So Robin, thank you so much for
today. I look forward to speaking to
you again soon. Thank you sir.
Thanks for the opportunity.