“A person who is crazy about volleyball? If it means positively, I agree.”‘
Volleyball as a hobby, volleyball as a specialty, and only volleyball as an interest. This is the story of coach Tommy Tilikayinen (36) who brought Korean Air to the top in men’s volleyball. How did a young coach from Finland, the country of lakes, ice and Santas, lead the best team in Korea? We met at the Korean Air Gymnasium in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do and asked.
Korean Air’s last season was perfect. He won the cup competition, took first place in the regular league, and won the championship match with three consecutive victories. For the first time since its founding, it achieved the treble, and won the combined championship for three consecutive years. Coach Tillikainen expressed his feelings in Korean, “Thank you” after the game.
Coach Tillikainen, whom I meet inside the stadium, is a ‘funny person’. He rarely has private conversations with the players, and even gives rather stiff answers to questions from reporters. During matches, he enthusiastically gives instructions and gestures, but tries not to lose his cool. Manager Tilly Kainen himself said, “That’s right. He becomes ‘game mode’ on the pitch.”
My only hobby is running on the lake in front of the dorm. Director Tillikainen said, “It’s a complete time for me. I organize my thoughts and it’s good for my health. I get a lot of ideas while running, and I write notes on my phone.” “Every house in Finland has a sauna. If it were Finland, I would do it every day. In my free time, I always spend time with my wife. I even went on a trip to Busan. Except for video calls with my parents and relatives in Finland, I always play volleyball. I see and think,” he laughed.
However, the look he met right after winning was quite different. He praised the players for their hard work with an excited face. He grabbed a bottle of soju, poured himself into his attendants, and clinked glasses. Director Tillikainen laughed, saying, “That’s closer to the real personality.” “Finland has a similar culture to Korea. It’s a little different, but (the way people get along lively) is similar.”
Tillikainen’s career is unique. He started his coaching career at the age of 25 and won three straight titles with the Finnish Kokola Tigers. After that, he worked as head coach and manager for Wolf Dogs Nagoya Japan through Germany. He is still in his 30s, but he has already won 5 championships and 2 runners-up (league standards).
He had a brilliant career, but he also suffered pain. Although his skills were good enough to be picked for the youth team, when he was 18 he retired due to a back injury. Coach Tillikainen said, “I have been playing volleyball with my father since I was 6 years old in the backyard. My parents are physical education teachers, so I also played ice hockey and soccer, but volleyball was always my first choice. There was an offer to join a professional team, but my body couldn’t stand it, so I ended up signing it. I couldn’t do it, and it was sad. I was also serving in the military in Finland, but I was kicked out after two weeks because I was sick.”
The sadness of a prospect who ended his volleyball career before he turned 20 was great. Coach Tillikainen said, “I didn’t know what to do. I did a lot of things for three years. I worked at the club and met a lot of people. Then I returned to the volleyball world and tried to use the thoughts and energy I had as a player as a leader. I came back a lot, and it’s a dark time, but I think I’m here now because of that time.”
Tillikainen was offered the position of manager of Korean Air two years ago. He said, “I came to Korea a few times while I was in Japan. I came for field training and also came for a short vacation with my wife. I had a friend who came to Korea as an exchange student, so I heard a lot about Korea. Spicy food, And the image of Koreans’ affection was strong.” He continued, “I thought I had to come unconditionally. I was interested in the Korean volleyball industry before that. I thought I could learn by giving my ideas.”
Korean Air has players older than coach Tillikainen. Captain Han, and the same age as Yoo Kwang-woo. The two are setters, field commanders on the court. It was strange that there was no difference in how they thought about volleyball, how they trained, and how they looked at the team. I also had to adapt to the Korean culture that treats seniors preferentially. 스포츠토토
Director Tillikainen said, “It wasn’t special, it wasn’t difficult.” He replied, “No matter which team I went to, there were players older than me. It just took me time to recognize and understand that Korea has a ‘older brother’ culture that values age.” In fact, over the course of two seasons, player Han and coach Tillikainen went out to find the best way, leading to a happy ending.
The most difficult task for foreign directors is, of course, communication. Director Tillikainen said, “This is the most difficult part of coming to Asia. I talk through an interpreter, but one-on-one conversation is difficult. With an interpreter, I don’t know exactly what vocabulary or words to use. Sometimes, in an urgent situation, I made mistakes.” said.