Coaches

Miika's journey into the sport began over 10 years ago. Since then he has been a familiar sight both on competition mats and in competitors' corners. As a purple belt, Miika actively cornered other competitors, and that naturally led him to coaching at an early stage.

Coaching has always felt natural to Miika. Over the years he has found his strength as a coach: a deep interest in developing others. Miika has extensive coaching experience and, above all, the ability to see and develop an individual's potential. Miika has coached athletes at every level, from world champions to first-timers, and he knows how to help each person progress on their own path.

For Miika, what matters in coaching is being genuinely present and staying in touch with what modern competitive jiu-jitsu demands. It's important to him to be there for his athletes day to day: to encourage, guide, and push in the right balance. In the moments of failure, support matters at least as much as after the wins.

Riku began his jiu-jitsu career in 2008 at Riihimäki Heracles. The spark came from a joke at a house party about signing up for a beginner course while the first season of The Ultimate Fighter was airing on TV. After that, the sport took over.

As a competitor, Riku has achieved significant success: he has won eight Finnish elite-level championships between 2013 and 2023. That strong competitive background shows in his coaching, too: Riku can offer his athletes clear game plans and an understanding of what match situations actually demand.

For Riku, coaching began gradually through assistant-coaching early on, and over the years the role grew more significant. Through Hyvinkää and Riihimäki the path led to Lahti, where coaching became regular, and after moving to Turku in 2020, Riku has continued coaching actively.

Although Riku ended his active competition career in 2024, he is still a familiar sight at competitions in the corner role. Riku's cornering style has received special praise for its encouraging tone, well-timed humor to lighten situations, and his ability and willingness to recognize and develop individual strengths.

As a coach, Riku particularly enjoys running classes, cornering, and working through tactics. What matters most to him is helping each practitioner find their own strengths and developing training methods that suit the individual and actually work.

Riku is a qualified sports instructor, which shows in smart session planning and the ability to meet and coach athletes at different levels.

Salla started jiu-jitsu at the age of 6, so she has accumulated 18 years of experience in the sport. Originally, the plan was just to go and watch her older brother's first classes, but the sight of a large group of kids training at the gym sparked her enthusiasm instantly, and a long career in the sport began.

Her competitive career started early, and Salla has competed actively through the years, achieving internationally significant success. She has won the no-gi world championship, the no-gi European championship, and the no-gi Pan American championship, and taken bronze at the BJJ Worlds and Pans. Her record also includes medaling at ADCC trials and multiple superfight matches abroad.

Her long and strong competitive background shows in her coaching. Alongside competing herself, Salla has always wanted to help others develop and reach their goals, and practical competition experience brings valuable perspective to her coaching. She has received excellent feedback for her down-to-earth and encouraging coaching style.

As a coach, Salla values seeing the individual and meeting each person as they are. Fairness, listening, and valuing the athlete's own thinking are a central part of her coaching philosophy.