AKAA. Olli Kunnari, 42, stands near the end line and attentively watches the receiving practice of the Akaa-Volley players in the new hall. Kunnari advises the players in a calm voice until it’s time to change the exercise.
Although the players joke with head coach Kunnar, respect for the former top player shines through.
The screens are also loud. Right in his first season as head coach, he piloted Akaa-Volley to the SM bronze. Around the middle of January, the Pirkanmaa club signed a two-year contract extension with Kunnar.
According to Kunnar, who finished his playing career in the spring of 2020, the transition from player to coach has been surprisingly painless.
– Stopping playing is a bigger thing. It is certainly painful for everyone who has been doing this job for a long time at some level. I finally decided to try coaching, even though it wasn’t a given for me, says Kunnari at the end of Akaa-Volley’s practice.
– I thought about it for a while. I was first in VaLePa’s coaching team Janne Kangaskokon roll. Then I thought about how it would feel to be the head coach, and so far I have no regrets.
Calmness is Kunnar’s trump card
Kunnari, who was chosen four times as Finland’s volleyball player of the year, admits that the love for volleyball that he has had since childhood has not disappeared anywhere.
Interest in coaching arose after the decision to quit, when the CEO of the volleyball association Olli-Pekka Karjalainen inquired about Kunnar’s interest in completing a professional coaching qualification in Kuortane.
Kunnari thought about it for a while and stated that there is at least no harm in the degree, and he is still on the same path.
In training and in intense game situations, Kunnari is like a coolie. Calmness is his hallmark character trait. Kunnari wants to listen to his players and give them the responsibility to make their own decisions.
– The personality must be strongly visible in coaching. It shines through if you try to be something other than what you really are. I have also had many kinds of coaches. As much as I’d like to be like (Mauro) Berruto in some coaching area, so if things don’t come naturally, it’s pointless to go down that road.
Kunnari feels that, as a former top player, he has an advantage in creating a relationship of trust with those he coaches. Of course, this also requires a lot of competence in the role of a coach.
Kunnari, who enjoyed being a general player, represented Finland five times in the EC final tournament and once in the World Championships. In total, he played a handsome 251 matches in the Suomi shirt.
As a player, Kunnari got the best feelings of success from winning big matches and national league championships, but as a coach, he experiences success in a different way.
– Professional joy comes from when the things you want to bring into the team move from training to the way of playing and to the team. Of course, it is also enjoyed by the players’ successes and aha experiences. Besides, winning still brings joy, reflects Kunnari.
European top leagues and the national team are interesting
Even during his playing career, Kunnari didn’t think much about what he could have learned from the coaches for his current day job.
He has played in the national team, among others, for the extremely demanding Berruto and Tuomas Sammelvuon under.
According to Kunnar, the most important coach in his career was the one who guided the French national team to Olympic gold in Tokyo Laurent Tillieunder which he played in Cannes in the seasons 2006–2008.
– He was the right coach for me at a good time. Tillie was very inspiring, but at the same time very demanding. He has been the biggest influence in my own playing career, says Kunnari.
The future goals of the commander of Akaa-Volley have taken shape. The bar is high.
– Of course I want to develop into the best possible coach. In the future, I am interested in coaching abroad and coaching the Finnish national team.
Where will you be as a head coach ten years from now?
– Bad to say. It’s an interesting situation, because at that point the children have probably already moved out of the house. Hopefully I’ll be training somewhere warm at that time.
broadcasts the culmination of the volleyball Suomen Cup weekend from Tampere on Areena and TV2.
Saturday 4.2.
Men’s semifinal: Hurricane Loimaa – Akaa Volley at 11:55 a.m. in Areena
Men’s semi-final: VaLePa – Savo Volley at 14:25 Areena
Women’s final at 17:25 TV2 and Areena
Sunday 5.2.
Men’s final at 16:20 TV2 and Areena