Having done a brilliant job at the helm of the Finnish national judo team for more than three years and signed an extension contract at the end of September until the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 Rok “Roki” Draksic36, tells the Slovenian to the siol.net sports websitewhat his work in the cold Nordic country has been like so far.
The most visible of Draksic’s results have been Martti Puumalainen a historic European Championship, a sensational Masters victory and securing a place at the Paris Olympics. Behind the Finnish judo star are also other rising talents, which the Slovenian is refining towards bigger limelights. The results have improved across the board at the national team level.
When “Roki” arrived in the exotic judo country in the early autumn of 2020, Finland was among the five worst European judo countries and the best Finn reached the 87th place in the world list. Now Finland has five judokas to show a better place in the world list. Luukas Saha (66 kg) and Valtteri Olin (73 kg) are still competing for Olympic places in Paris.
– There has been more professionalism during Roki’s time and the level has therefore risen in Finland. This is not Martti Puumalainen’s show, and that’s fine, stresses Puumalainen, the new heavyweight European champion.
Draksic admitted to Urheilu that he got to know Finland’s top ten judo players before his retirement and that he saw potential. The job was made challenging by the fact that he had to train mainly judo athletes over the age of 20. It would have been easier to influence, for example, the guidelines for the talents of 15-year-olds.
– When I started at work, we practically started with almost nothing, which, however, suited me. It reminded me of Slovenia’s own judo story 20 years ago. I wanted to show that together we can make the dreams of a smaller country come true, says Draksic, who enjoys tough challenges.
Culture shocks
Draksic got used to the Finnish way of life surprisingly quickly, but still hasn’t escaped the culture shock.
– Slovenians have a Southern European character, while Finns are much more reserved. It’s really hard for them to open up. Until you get to know a Finn properly, he hardly ever smiles or shows emotions.
Known as a demanding coach, Draksic has described himself in such a way that dog people would describe him as quite a “pit bull” when judoka.
– The first lesson in Finland was quite clear. I realized right from the start that under no circumstances should I raise my voice because I would be fired immediately. I had to find other methods that worked, Draksic reveals.
The duration of Draksic’s contract was from the beginning, in the form of 2+2 years in 2020. He tells a Slovenian newspaper that he had a six-month trial period at the paper.
– The most important thing for me was that the federation gave me free rein as a judo coach. I had good reasons for my working methods, and when the management saw what I was doing, they gave me the necessary freedoms.
Semi-professionalism is surprising
As a small judo country, money, or rather the lack of it, is problematic in Finland, but Draksic does not want to raise the issue on too big a scale.
The Judo Federation has centralized coaching at the Olympic Training Center in Helsinki, where the Urhea Hall and the Capital Region’s Sports Academy Urhea offer international-level conditions and prerequisites to rise from youth to the top of adults. The centralization solution has been a financial effort.
– The union gives a certain budget and you have to perform within it. It is interesting that in Finland, money is allocated more to infrastructure and much less to the athletes’ camping and preparation, which is the opposite of Slovenia.
In Draksic’s opinion, sports in Finland are still to some extent considered a hobby and many have to pay for training themselves. The matter baffles a professional who overlooks semi-professionalism in his own sport.
– For example, there were two competitors in the Finnish team who competed in the European Championships, but despite the demanding training, they also have a full-time job, which is difficult to understand, says Draksic.
Good luck to the NCOs
During his own sports career, Rok Draksic was enrolled and “worked” in the police force. With such designations, many Central European countries secure the opportunity for professional sports without financial pressure for top judokas.
– In Slovenia, the way things work is that when a judoka wins a medal on the IJF tour, at that point he gets a job in the police, army or border guard.
A total of 12 non-commissioned sports non-commissioned officers work for the Finnish Defense Forces, all of whom are the best in their respective fields, but have stayed to work for the Finnish Defense Forces after their own conscript service.
Martti Puumalainen won the European Championship gold in judo after working at the same time in the Santahamina garrison of the Defense Forces as a non-commissioned officer in sports.
– After all, this is a functioning system. When you look at this year’s list of sports non-commissioned officers in Finland, it’s about shooters Eetu Kallioinen took World Cup silver and an Olympic place, Aleksi Leppä also for Olympic place, with wrestlers Arvi Savolainen and Elias Kuosmasen both have medals since they have been working, Puumalainen praises.
Draksic praises the fact that Finns have compulsory military service. This is, surprisingly, something that has helped him in his own work as a judo coach. An understanding of discipline and order will advance your career.
– In other words, the work is much easier for me, because when they come from the army, judokas understand that you don’t always need an extravagant democracy, but that ultimately one person decides on things, and in sports it is the coach, says Draksic.
“A Finn will do anything if he can justify it”
With Finnish athletes, Rok Draksic has to act differently in that he has to justify every possible thing to them.
– If you say, for example, that we run to the left, then you must always explain why we run to the left. In the end games, the Finn will do anything if you can justify it to him, this is a big difference compared to the Slovenians, Draksic praises.
Coaching in the Finnish national judo team has refined Draksic into an even better sensei.
– There is a huge difference in my work now compared to the previous coaching years. Now I approach things much more pedagogically. I’ve learned that you don’t always have to go in the front door, but you can do things another way and get the same, if not better, result. Before, I always entered through the front door, explains Draksic.
In addition to the Puma player, Draksic has coached a Slovenian player Adrian Combocin European champion in 2018. In his own sports career, Draksic won EC gold in 2013 and a total of six EC medals.
Social Draksic is a respected personality in international judo circles. He signed a long extension contract with the association before Puumalainen had time to conquer the European championship. The Slovenian says frankly that he had two “very good offers from abroad” on the table, but he still took the Finnish offer.
Martti Puumalainen sees that one of the reasons that Draksic stayed in Finland despite the attractive offers was that here he can carry out “his own” coaching, while in some bigger judo country – the instructions would come from the upper management.
– I appreciate the support offered to me by the Judo Federation. Life is beautiful here. I don’t know if young families are taken care of better than in Finland. Katja-my wife got a job at an English daycare center and my son, who was born in Finland two years ago, attends an English daycare center. My wife and son already speak Finnish quite well, but I still have work to do, Draksic admits.