The Finnish national break team includes nine diamond dancers and an experienced coaching team. The national team is new and its activities are taking shape. Breaking is a new Olympic sport and the dancers have big goals for Paris 2024.
Breikk involves a strong sense of community, encouragement and support for others. On the other hand, the sport is mostly played as an individual, sometimes against a team. So the big questions are how to balance the interests of the national team and the individual, and how to find the right policies that support both the national team and the individual.
The breakout team played a SmoothTeam simulation between the national team camps. The coaches participated in the simulation as followers.
In the simulation, a positive, pro-development vibe
The simulation was a success. It reinforced our coaches' belief that we are going in the right direction. The topics covered were expected and, crucially, the simulation allowed for a bold and open discussion with a positive momentum throughout. This provided a nice challenge for development. As a trainer, you were able to challenge your own perceptions and learn a lot of new things, even if you were just listening.
Sincere praise boosts self-esteem
The simulation allowed the conversations to go deeper than usual, the dancers opened up and were more open than they would have been without the simulation. It was really important that the dancers were able to discuss these topics without rushing.
In the simulation, everyone was able to express their point of view and new insights were gained about their role. The dancers loved it, and said it was a bit like a "therapy session". It certainly boosted the self-esteem of many dancers to hear the sincere praise of others.
Continuous development
We have had a lot of discussion about the role of the national team. The team is still young and the national team is still in its infancy. Obviously, at this early stage, not everything is ready yet.
The simulation helped me to understand that things evolve as you go along. It was great to see that everyone, both coaches and dancers, have a genuine desire to develop, to take the sport and the national team forward. Processes take time to create and they also evolve along the way.
Shared experiences are needed
Casual time together is also really important for team building. We are increasing the opportunities and as coaches we will try to support this more in the future, even though the interest rate has been limiting so far.
Although many of the dancers in the team are experienced and internationally successful, the young national team has not yet accumulated much experience of competing together. This affected the simulation to some extent. In the future, the team and its dynamics will certainly be developed through joint competition trips and experiences. Now, in their absence, the simulation was one shared experience.
The conditions for a top team
We see commitment, resources and shared values as key to building a top team. When the ambition is high and you want to get results, it is essential that both coaches and athletes are strongly committed to what they are doing.
Of course, the team's resources must also be in order to provide a sufficient amount of quality coaching and training. In addition, a top team must have a common, clear set of values.
SmoothTeam is incredibly good for a young team
SmoothTeam works for a team like a team that wants to evolve. It's really good for a young team in the sense that you can effectively discuss even the slides on the reels and the discussion moves forward. Insights and good self-reflection emerge. In addition, the simulation motivates you to improve your own performance. On the other hand, older, established teams, where everything is rolling, also benefit. In terms of development, SmoothTeam is certainly a positive injection!
National team coaches:
Aleksi Kyllönen, national team manager
JussiSirviö, national team head coach
Petri Rasanen, head physical coach
