JYUnity

Motto: “Be better tomorrow”

Mikko Tupamäki, born in Laukaa, is the head coach of the Jyväskylä Basketball Academy (JBA). He graduated with a master’s in sport sciences from the University of Jyväskylä in 2007 but did not end his studies there. In addition to his major in the science of sport coaching and fitness testing, he has received top-level coaching certificates in Finland (the HKVT from the Finnish Basketball Association) and Europe (level 5).

Tupamäki has many good memories from the time he was studying at JYU. As for many other alumni, his memories relate to his everyday studies and activities such as meeting people during lunch breaks in Ilokivi and the café in Liikunta.

“We had a group of young men with a similar sense of humour, meaning that we had a lot of fun together,” Tupamäki says.

Lasting friendships were created during his studies. Tupamäki believes that it’s the people that make the difference, not what you do or where you do it. “Maybe the course on social interaction skills became a bit of a comedy but it must have been pretty successful because I still remember it,” he says.

Aside from his playing career, Tupamäki is known as a professional-level basketball coach. He has 15 years of experience coaching everybody from children to adults. It is typical for his coaching style to lead by example in order to get young players interested in practising. For him, continuous learning means personal development and an effort to understand people, society and the world better. This also means finding new perspectives on coaching, leadership and, most of all, on making contact and interacting with people.

Under Tupamäki’s leadership, JBA aims to create an atmosphere in which young players can study, practise in a goal-oriented way and, at the same time, have important roles on the team. These three things must support each other. University studies have provided substance for developing a new way of thinking in coaching. Tupamäki finds the development of logical thinking and a comprehensive perspective on human physiology as the most important skills learned at the university.

“Above all, studying opens your mind for the enormous amount of knowledge and learning opportunities the world offers,” Tupamäki says.

“For people, unfamiliar things often seem like a threat, but the more we learn and understand, the more they can become opportunities. The Jyväskylä Basketball Academy is based on the principle of continuous learning and developing yourself. Our motto is ‘Be better tomorrow’.”