What Not to Copy from Niklas Edin

Winning eight World Championships, eight European titles and a full set of Olympic medals is a résumé that may never be surpassed. As Niklas Edin steps away from the game, he remains an idol for thousands of curlers and fans around the world.

And that raises an obvious question: What should you copy from him? Or any other idol?

Most players start from the wrong place. They copy what they can see.

The delivery. The sweeping technique. The equipment. The body language. Even the emotional edge — the intensity, the reactions, the fire in big moments. They even copy the emotional reactions – sometimes the ones that don’t belong in the game at all.

But copying the visible rarely works.

Why technique isn’t the answer

Yes, technique matters. Better mechanics can reduce effort and improve consistency.

But elite players don’t build their success on textbook technique alone.

They build it on history.

Thousands of practice hours. Thousands of competitive shots. Years of adapting, failing, adjusting and repeating. Over time, technique becomes personal — a signature that fits that player’s body, timing, and decision-making.

That’s why copying someone else’s technique is unreliable.

It might improve your game. But it won’t make you them.

And more importantly, it might not even take you to your own highest level.

The invisible advantage

So what should you copy? Not the delivery. Not the sweeping. The engine.

Every top player in the modern era shares something deeper: an internal drive that shapes everything they do.

The willingness to train when it’s not convenient. To spend long hours on the ice and in the gym. To travel constantly. To sacrifice comfort, stability, and often income. To stay in cheap hotels. To organize life around performance.

That level of commitment isn’t visible on TV, but it’s present behind every shot.

And it cannot be copied.

The uncomfortable truth

You don’t choose that level of passion. It either exists — or it doesn’t.

And if it doesn’t? That’s not a failure.

It simply means your greatest drive may lie somewhere else.

And in that case, curling becomes something even better:

Not a sacrifice.

But a lifelong source of enjoyment.