Dedicated coaches play a crucial role in sports. One of the long-time coaches in women’s and girls’ floorball is Kimmo Tikkanen, who currently works with SSRA’s women’s league team and the Belgian women’s national team. We interviewed him about coaching, learning, and the development of the sport.
Tikkanen’s path to coaching began in the early 2000s when he took his daughter to floorball practice and gradually got involved in coaching. With a background as a floorball player himself, his initial involvement was more about helping out as a parent, but his passion for the sport and coaching quickly took over.
– At first, I was just driving my daughter to practice, but I soon realized I wanted to do more. That’s when the spark for coaching ignited, and it’s still burning strong.
Tikkanen’s journey has taken him from junior teams to coaching women’s league teams, and along the way, his coaching philosophy has evolved. Since 2015, he has been actively involved in national-level competitions, closely witnessing the floorball's development.
As a coach, Tikkanen emphasizes continuous learning. He believes that a good coach is never fully developed but constantly seeks to improve.
– Every day brings new insights—sometimes it’s a small detail learned from another coach, and other times it’s a broader approach to training.
In recent seasons, Tikkanen’s coaching philosophy has increasingly focused on supporting player discovery. A coach’s role is not just to instruct but to create an environment where players can find solutions themselves.
– One of my biggest realizations has been that not everything needs to be explained. Sometimes, it’s more valuable to give players time and guide them toward figuring things out on their own.
Tikkanen splits his coaching efforts between two teams: the daily work with SSRA’s women’s league team and the more project-based work with the Belgian national team. The differences between these two environments are significant.
– In Belgium, there’s a lot of enthusiasm, but the training culture is still developing. In Finland, the quality and intensity of training are already at a very high level.
Tikkanen aims to help the Belgian national team gradually raise its overall level while recognizing that the starting points are entirely different.
– You can’t just copy Finnish methods—you have to understand where the group is in their development and move forward from there.
According to Tikkanen, a good training session should always be game-like and based on the way the team wants to play.
– Tempo is key—when training intensity is high and everything is done with quality, players enjoy it more, and development happens faster.
At SSRA, training is supported by Qridi Sport, a tool used for planning training sessions and tracking player participation.
– Qridi Sport has been a useful tool, but we know we’re only using a fraction of its potential. There’s room to expand its use, especially in feedback collection and workload monitoring.
Continuous learning is also crucial when analyzing and developing gameplay.
– Games measure how well our training translates into actual performance and highlight areas for improvement. We analyze matches, identify key takeaways, and create clips to illustrate them. Then, we design training sessions specifically targeting the challenges we faced in the previous game. This way, we systematically develop our playing style.
Women’s floorball has made significant progress in recent years, according to Tikkanen.
– Players’ technical and physical levels have improved tremendously. The demands of the game are higher, and you can see it in every match. Younger players are developing their skills and physicality at an earlier stage. The sport has evolved, and as a result, the game is getting faster every year. Passing, ball control, and movement speed are all improving, reducing unnecessary delays in play.
Although women’s floorball in Finland is not yet fully professional, it is heading in a more professional direction. One of the biggest challenges remains increasing the number of players, but Tikkanen sees enthusiasm and growth among younger age groups, particularly in his own club.
Over the years, Tikkanen has observed a wide range of coaching styles. He believes there is no single right way to coach, as different methods can lead to similar success.
– I’ve seen coaches who focus entirely on tactics and others who take a highly player-centered approach. Both can be successful as long as the team’s needs and individual players are considered.
Tikkanen’s own approach emphasizes individual player development and player-centered coaching.
– The key is to recognize a player’s strengths and help them grow, rather than just focusing on mistakes. I feel much more prepared as a coach now than I was five years ago. That has required a lot of work and learning through experience.
Tikkanen’s passion for learning and self-improvement is also reflected in his future plans. In the upcoming season, he will be coaching SSRA’s W21 team, with the goal of developing players for the league team.
– I now have a much clearer vision of what we want from players and how we can support their development paths. Five years ago, I thought about these things much less.
Kimmo Tikkanen is a coach who lives by the principle of continuous learning. His journey as a floorball coach demonstrates how passion and curiosity can take someone far.
Coaching is not just about teaching game strategies and tactics - it’s about engaging with people, developing individuals, and working together toward a common goal.
Tikkanen’s philosophy is clear: There is no single correct way to coach, but the most important thing is to help players discover and grow.
More Information:
For more details about SSRA (in Finnish):
https://www.rankatankat.fi/
For more information about Finnish Floorball (in Finnish):
http://www.salibandy.fi/