About Ferdinand Bader
An active sports career was followed by studies and further training. Based on personal experience and extensive expertise, Ferdinand Bader is your expert for health.
Best performance for leaders and executives
Ferdinand Baders focus is on the holistic view of health and the human being. He looks not only at the body, but also at the mind and directs his gaze to a change of life in all areas relevant to health.
Vita
1983
Ferdinand Bader stood on skis for the first time at the age of one and a half. His passion for skiing is ignited.
1998
His career as a competitive athlete begins with his transfer to the Oberstdorf boarding school. This was followed by his inclusion in the German national ski jumping team.
2006
Ends his career as a ski jumper and begins studying sports science at the Technical University of Munich, which he completes in 2010.
2010
Work as co-national coach and start of work in the scientific commission ski jumping, which he carries out until 2016.
2013
Starts building up the movement department at Lanserhof Tegernsee and becomes Head of Sports Physiology and Movement.
2014
His preparation of athletes for the Olympics in Sotchi with diagnostics, training planning and mental training pays off. Carina Vogt becomes the first Olympic champion in ski jumping history.
2019
He graduates from the University of West Florida with a Master of Business Administration degree and teaches leadership seminars.
2021
Ferdinand Bader becomes a partner in the Dr. Schwarzl Health Center and further expands his service portfolio.
The health expert in interview
Follow the pendulum
You could have been anything in your life, but chose to advise and mentor people as a healthcare professional. Why?
Ferdinand Bader _ I was a competitive athlete. Making my own body more efficient and optimizing my health has accompanied me all my life. Of course, during my career as a ski jumper, this was only related to myself and increasing my performance was clearly the focus. But at the end of my active career, I realized how exciting it is to share my knowledge with other people. I have accumulated so much know-how and am still learning so much – I want other people to benefit from it as well.
When was the moment you knew what you wanted?
Ferdinand Bader _ There was no one moment. In principle, however, it became apparent early on. Even as a child, I looked for the center of attention at every family gathering and wanted a stage to share my experiences. Whereas back then it was mainly my athletic development that was admired, today I want to share my knowledge with people. And let's be honest: That offers significantly more benefit compared to what I demonstrated to my family back then.
What does it mean to you to live a healthy life?
Ferdinand Bader _ Wow. How much time do we have? No, all kidding aside, I basically advocate an easy-to-live lifestyle that makes you healthy and happy. No one has to live as an ascetic to be healthy. However, we have to start at the individually most important adjusting screws, whereby already small adjustments of the life-style effect a lot. There is no ONE healthy lifestyle, but it is always about finding the INDIVIDUAL healthiest lifestyle. What fits perfectly for me, does not necessarily work for you.
What advice would you give your 25-year-old self? What should he know?
Ferdinand Bader _ Hey Ferdl, you are exactly on the right track! And I have good news for you: You are not alone in this world and you don’t have to do everything alone. So please don’t be so naive and have faith in the people around you. Each of them has something that can help you evolve. Every personal story can teach you something about the world and about people. Every exchange means knowledge and every contact means networking. And, furthermore, it’s more fun together.
Which person has played a central role in your career?
Ferdinand Bader _ I would really like to tell a nice story about THE mentor under whose wing I grew up and whom I finally replaced. But – without wanting to disappoint you – he or she doesn’t exist. Instead, there are many other people who have supported me on my way with advice and action, criticism and wise words. From the moment I started to listen to others, I was enriched by many people and I am very grateful to them!
Looking back, what was the biggest mistake? The best decision?
Ferdinand Bader _ Ski jumping is an individual sport. Maybe that’s why I tried to do everything on my own in the beginning. That is not always helpful and not always the fastest way. But it took me a few years to understand that and see how valuable other people are.
My best decision was definitely my career ending. Getting out of competitive sports without any long-term damage and having the chance to be healthy for a long time is the greatest gift I could give myself.
Who or what gives you strength when you doubt?
Ferdinand Bader _ I’m very glad that I’m one of those people who are fundamentally convinced that their path is the right one. I’m not a doubter and no one has to talk me into it. I consider that to be very fortunate. Nevertheless, I also need people by my side. But if you will, they are rather clever brakemen who take me aside at the right moment and bring me back to reality from my euphoric visions. Because professionally, I tend to move at an absurd pace that is too fast for most people.
This is very often good for my development, but it can also be risky. My wife and family always bring me back to the right pace. Often my wife then reminds me of points that I usually give to my clients. And what can I say: it works.
You have so many projects going on. How do you manage it all? Do you need a fixed date for doing nothing?
Ferdinand Bader _Yes, a very clear YES. I am full of ideas and visions; I have many projects going on. Sometimes I also get into phases where I "don't have time" for myself because of all the work I have to do. Fortunately, these are quite short phases in which my wife notices that I'm getting grumpy. Then she pushes my running shoes into my hand and me out the door. When I then run over the mountains at home, I notice directly how I find myself again, how my ideas sort themselves out and how I gain the necessary energy and clarity for my projects. This time with myself is enormously important, both professionally and health-wise. And I'm very happy that my family is a great team player here, helping me to keep these appointments for "doing nothing".
What does the first hour of your day look like?
Ferdinand Bader _ Although no one may believe it, I am not an early riser. Although there are such great ways to prepare perfectly for the day in the morning with a healthy breakfast, morning exercise or meditation, I’ve never been like that. My day therefore starts quite unspectacularly: The alarm clock has to ring as late as possible! That’s why it goes very quickly after the wake-up call: morning hygiene, getting dressed, making coffee and straight off to work. On the way, I listen to news, podcasts or scientific audio books, but I’m basically really happy not to have to talk yet. I have developed my nature as a night owl to a healthy level since my studies, but I’ll be honest: I can only enjoy early mornings if I know that I’ll be rewarded by gazing into the first rays of sunlight at the summit cross.
You seem very calm, even though you work so much. Where does this serenity come from?
Ferdinand Bader _ Once again, a lot comes from competitive sports. The pressure situations of competitions leave their mark. Back then, I learned to deliver under stress and, in many years of mental training, I found a way to be able to block out everything around me when I want to.
But maybe I also have a genetic advantage, because I bring this calmness with me from birth. No, I wasn’t a quiet child, but my mother likes to tell me that my sister used to complain in tears that she couldn’t argue with me. I guess I felt even then that more meaningful results in a discussion could be achieved with rational and clear communication. Even though I might not have expressed it so eloquently back then.
So, there is a basic trust in me and my way. But that doesn’t mean I don’t reach for my familiar tools when I get into situations that make me jump out of my skin. Whether that’s breathing, visualization, physical techniques or other tools, they work for me too.
What do you want to have been?
Ferdinand Bader _ I want to have been a person who is remembered fondly because he was one of those who made life a little more worth living. Someone who helped people to live a better life. Someone who made the world a little bit healthier, more sustainable and better. I want people to think back fondly and remember how I made them think. And it would also be nice if they would quote my catchy words and phrases.
But seriously, I hope that at the end of my life I will have created something that will outlive me and for which I have laid the foundation. Who knows, maybe it’s the BADER principle.
If you were to give your clients a card to put on their desk as a reminder of working with you - What would it say?
Ferdinand Bader _ Follow the pendulum. Sounds cryptic, but it really makes sense. Let me explain. The pendulum symbolizes everything we humans are made for. Swinging in one direction means activation, swinging in the other direction means regeneration. Day is followed by night. Illness is followed by health. Inhalation is followed by exhalation. To food intake… well, you know. This rhythm determines our life in many ways. So, in one sentence: follow the pendulum.
Follow the pendulum
Interview
Sports scientist and coach Ferdinand Bader prepared the Nordic combined athletes for the Sochi Olympics in 2014. In the end, they won a complete set of medals. In an interview, Bader explains why training in the Nordic combined in particular requires sensitivity.
Progress report
“As part of our international management meeting this year, we opted for an unusual team event: a health-oriented impulse lecture followed by a practical exercise. Everyone was enthusiastic and the 12-minute exercise video created by Mr. Bader for each participant will help to incorporate the good resolutions into the personal weekly rhythm in the future.”
Expert tip
Former ski jumper and current sports scientist and keynote speaker Ferdinand Bader is familiar with various forms of anxiety from his active time as a competitor and competitive athlete. In 2014, he applied some of the methods from his toolbox to Carina Vogt at the Sochi Olympics. Vogt became Olympic champion that same year, the first in the history of women’s ski jumping.
Partnerschaft
Practice partner of Dr. Schwarzl in Straßlach
Ferdinand Bader has been a partner in the Dr. Schwarzl Health Center since 2021. Together they have developed their own blood picture profile specifically for training and exercise.
dr-schwarzl.deFor leaders and executives, Ferdinand Bader creates an individual health concept that includes not only training but also nutrition. He has developed his own method for a healthy and successful lifestyle.
Motivation
Find your
focus
A successful career is not only about reaching the top of the ladder, but also about staying there. The key to success lies in a strong body and a healthy mind.