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S1 E10 - Osku Partonen
60 Plays2 months ago
On this episode of Session Share - The Coaches Podcast we have Osku Partonen. Osku has his UEFA Pro License and has dedicated his life to football. At a early after being selected for the best academy in Finland he suffered a massive set back when he was 23 which saw him have to hang up his boots far too early. Rather than feel sorry for him self he used this energy to help move forward in a coaching career where he helps individuals strive forward in their football journey and avoid similar mistakes. Listen to Osku journey, opinions and thoughts on how to develop teams and players.
Osku Partonen
https://www.youtube.com/@EliteFootballSquad/featured
https://www.instagram.com/elitefootballsquad/
https://www.tiktok.com/@elitefootballsquad
https://www.skool.com/elite-football-squad/about
Session Share
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpF44AndExPudaD9AXe2v3Q
Twitter/X - Follow @SessionShareNet
Facebook - sessionshare.net
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Transcript
Introduction to Osku Patron
00:00:22
Craig Birtwistle
Hello and welcome to our lastest episode of Session Share, The Coaches Podcast. My name is Craig Burtisall and I'm delighted to have Osku Patron as our guest today. Osku has a UEFA Pro license and has dedicated his life to football. After being selected for the best academy in Finland, he suffered a massive setback when he was 23, which saw him have to hang up his boots far too early.
00:00:46
Craig Birtwistle
Rather than feel sorry for himself, he used that energy to move forward in his coaching career, where he now helps individuals strive forward in their football journey and avoid similar mistakes.
Osku's Passion for Football
00:00:57
Craig Birtwistle
Oscar, this is very amicable. So, Oscar, how are you doing today?
00:01:01
Osku
been great thanks for having me craig
00:01:05
Craig Birtwistle
Yeah, I've had the pleasure to kind of like meet you as a quote unquote, meet you on Twitter, share a lot of your information and I've been very impressed with it. So ask you, tell us a little bit about your background. how What got you interested in football?
00:01:24
Osku
Probably as any kid playing with friends in in our backyard and going to local football club. I think I was eight years old old and getting hooked on on the game. So pretty basic story.
00:01:42
Craig Birtwistle
Who's your team of choice?
00:01:44
Osku
Real Madrid.
00:01:46
Craig Birtwistle
Real Madrid, okay.
00:01:47
Osku
So suffering at the moment.
00:01:49
Craig Birtwistle
ah Well, I'm an Aston Villa fan, so we know too much about suffering, so don't worry about
From Injury to Coaching
00:01:53
Osku
yeah
00:01:53
Craig Birtwistle
that.
00:01:55
Craig Birtwistle
So, Asku, I mentioned briefly in the introduction about how, like, you had a promising career as a player and up until you got injured. So, what led to your successful career in coaching?
00:02:09
Osku
Yeah, I was 24 when I got bad knee injury. I was playing for 40 years as a professional. and um I missed the whole season and then I of course started it was very disappointing to see everyone play and stuff like that so at that point I started to reflect on on on coaching and and stuff like that and um yeah started my coaching um doing the licenses and coaching I went to semi-pro level and for the whole time I've tried to be
00:02:51
Osku
really honest on on everything. So not thinking that I know everything, trying to learn from mistakes, um being honest that I can't know anything. I can't know everything. Asking can be a coach, can be a player. So I think that has been the one trait that has got me the most improvement and and success. So being being really honest and open for everything related to coaching and football in general.
00:03:31
Craig Birtwistle
It sounds like from like an early age, obviously most people, if they had that the setback that you had after what looked like it was gonna be a promising career, would feel sorry for themselves, would like go into a dark place, but it seemed like you had um a good sense of maturity from like a very early age.
Reading and Introspection in Coaching
00:03:51
Craig Birtwistle
Where did that come from? Is that something like that was drilled into you from your parents, or is it growing up in Finland, is that common trait?
00:04:00
Osku
I don't think it's a common trait. I like to read a lot. Actually, i I like to be alone a lot ah thinking about things. So um yeah, I think that's just ah natural for me. ah And um yeah, definitely a good trait As a coach, I would say, I think it's it's a better trade for a coach than a player to think a lot of different things.
00:04:36
Osku
so Yeah.
00:04:38
Craig Birtwistle
That's very true. I've had many players that like some some players that work so much better dealing with reaction as opposed to overthinking it um as as someone who um
00:04:47
Osku
Yeah.
00:04:51
Craig Birtwistle
Things a lot and he's alone a lot with your thoughts and everything like
Prioritizing Player Development
00:04:54
Craig Birtwistle
that. I'm sure you've come up with a detailed like coaching philosophy and that's like led into how superbly you work with individuals and breaking down those tech technical nuances of each player. So could you talk to us a little bit about your philosophy?
00:05:11
Osku
ah Yeah it has so of course evolved and when you start coaching when you are 24 years old um you you think you know something but after a couple of years you realize you don't need much said and I would say that ah with with early ah years um Of course, you always want to help players, you want to help the team to improve, but you tend to think that it's it's like you are winning and it's it's ah your team, it's your win. ah But now, of course, it's it's always nice to win and stuff like that, but ah for now,
00:06:02
Osku
I more and more feel like it's it's eventually it's a player sport. my My role is to help the players. And if they if they can eventually do something without me, that's the that's the ultimate goal. So um yeah,
00:06:22
Osku
um that's how that's how I look at it now. yeah
00:06:29
Craig Birtwistle
That's interesting, because I 100% agree with you. I think when we transition from that player to the coach, we go through a journey that makes it less selfish. Because as a player, we're always thinking about our own nutrition, our own exercise routine. Every time we get the ball, want what am I going to do? And I think as a coach, the eye gets reduced. I kind of liken it to parenting at a time when Before you have kids, it's all about you. And then when when you have kids, it's kind of a case of now it's all about them. And I feel like coaches go on that similar journey. So that's really interesting. That's fantastic. Oscar, we'll be back after a short message from Zencaster where we're going to talk about how we can help players.
00:07:57
Craig Birtwistle
Welcome back and we're going to go a little deeper on those players that are in that say zero to zero, 1% of players that really make it as a professional out of this game.
Common Pitfalls and Basic Skills
00:08:07
Craig Birtwistle
Ask you from your experience, what are the biggest pitfalls that players fall into when pursuing a career in the game?
00:08:16
Osku
um
00:08:19
Osku
Yeah, I've seen, um i I've always worked it as a head coach, so I've seen many players contacting and and coming to the team and and stuff like that. And of course, it's it's super difficult to to make it to a professional game, that that's for sure. But one thing I'm i'm constantly seeing is that ah Players are underestimating the quantity and the quality of basics you need to get right when when ah if you even dream to play a professional games. So that's something ah um i have I have become really passionate about to to teach these kids.
00:09:09
Craig Birtwistle
I from seeing your videos that makes so much sense because you you see the glorified videos unlike YouTube on Twitter X if you want to call it that Instagram of the players doing the Maradona, the Cruyff, the Alta and the Vita and all these different types of moves to be a defender and yes that is the glamorous side of the game and players do need that.
00:09:33
Craig Birtwistle
But what I really like on your videos is how you make the you break down the basics so players can actually really improve those. When looking back on like my career, like I'm a villa fan but like if someone ever said to me what would be a model professional I like to go to Dennis Irwin at Manchester United and Dennis Irwin was no Ronaldo but he did everything exceptionally well at a basic standard so to the point where he was so good that he would disappear in games from people's logic because he just took care of those basics and I completely agree with you that like
00:10:13
Craig Birtwistle
The modern-day player now is so worried about learning this elaborate move that they don't even know how to pass 10 yards with their left foot or the the simplicity of like I saw a video of yours the other day when it was the correct way to shoot a ball when it was off the bounce.
00:10:32
Craig Birtwistle
like you see so many times players sky the the ball over the net rather than just the basics of getting your knee over the ball, shoulders over the ball and so on. So can you teach us a a little bit how you break down those moves to basically make the simplified moves even easier to for players to learn and perform?
00:10:53
Osku
I totally agree with you what you said, Greg, because i i'm I'm really a bit worried about the content that is ah all over the Internet that the players are are consuming.
00:11:09
Osku
um so many tricks and hacks and circus tricks. Of course, they look great in in the videos, but that's not that's not the real game. And that's actually the ah main reason we started creating the videos, ah because we want to bring the game as it happens.
00:11:40
Osku
in in in real life. Of course, it's ah you need to figure out what what's working on the internet. So that that's the problem. ah but ah yeah Because there the the difference is the details, but what the like what like we are doing Amaterasu vs. Pro.
00:12:03
Osku
so
00:12:08
Osku
Because professionals make it look so easy, so effortless. And yeah, we are trying to break down the details on on very basic skills and and situations.
00:12:28
Osku
to to And hopefully um players and coaches can kind of learn from them.
00:12:36
Craig Birtwistle
You mentioned there about coaches learning from these like pitfalls. What advice would you give a coach that um to help them ah um help them help the p players to avoid these sort of pitfalls?
Integrating Skills in Team Training
00:12:51
Osku
Yeah, first of all, of course, coaches need to understand the the techniques and and the fundamentals fundamentals themselves. and That's the first thing. and Yeah, it's not an easy task. It's not an easy is task because players if if players are motivated, they will ah co-train their own in Sunday morning ah honing their skills and stuff like that. and Of course, coaches, it's also depending, of course, your level. If you are coaching an adult's team or under 12 teams, it's totally different.
00:13:34
Osku
but of course as a head coach or when you have a team practice you need to um do a team session, you need to take care of all the players and stuff like that, but um eventually it's the individual players we try to improve, so I think it's really important to give them tools and help them with with the game realistic skills.
00:14:05
Osku
yeah
00:14:06
Craig Birtwistle
Totally agree. And I've always likened it. It's it's basically a guided discovery when we're talking with that player. um If we're lucky, if we're if we're at like a high level team, we probably get three, four, potentially five practices a week, barring like midweek games and weekend games.
00:14:23
Craig Birtwistle
Most youth teams that I deal with and so on have two to three days of practice. So I always say it's kind of like a guided discovery. you show I think it's more about ah my lesson is teaching a player how to learn the game. so And what I mean by that is the fact that when I'm breaking it down to the technical ah bright breakdown of the technique when it comes to those players, I want them to go away and learn it themselves. And that is one of the struggles that we have today with players having so much things that can distract them about getting out there. So I particularly love the fact that you in particular, and like what Session Share does as well, is about
00:15:08
Craig Birtwistle
putting it on the technology side of them so they can pull out that YouTube video, they can pull out that um that post from OSCU and be able to learn it themselves. I think that's a real key thing when it comes to players learning, do you agree?
00:15:24
Osku
Absolutely. it's ah um I don't think it's realistic to to say that players can learn enough in in team training sessions. I think that's absurd.
00:15:41
Osku
you need to do individual training or small group training. Anyways, if you want to even play at certain level, let's say, even the read semi-provision level, ah you need to work individually. So yeah, I definitely think it's ah hugely important that the coach can provide um right guidance to um so that players can search in the right places.
00:16:12
Osku
Because they they will search for sure. So let's let's make sure they consume the best available content.
00:16:23
Osku
And then are yeah and there there are many ah create creators ah out there. So there's good information available.
00:16:23
Craig Birtwistle
you see
00:16:34
Osku
You just need to know but what to look at.
00:16:36
Craig Birtwistle
100% that's the biggest thing isn't it about knowing where to look. What advice would you give coaches to ensure that They work on the individual as well as the team. You said it a minute ago, how like it can't solely be their responsibility within a team training. So what advice would you give a coach in order to break down those team trainings to make them more individual?
00:17:05
Osku
it's um It's a good question. um
00:17:11
Osku
I think ah you should you should use ah the team training to mainly ah focus on things you do as a team because that's
00:17:23
Osku
also one aspect you need to learn from the game. So it's it's pretty difficult to learn tactics or or play as a team alone on Sunday morning. So yeah, you need to use those sessions to build a team and and and do do that side. But I would like to see more coaches to integrate what the players do outside the team training, ah with with team training.
00:17:59
Osku
that's That's my thought, yeah.
00:18:04
Craig Birtwistle
Yeah, so you're thinking like, it's more some like individual plans. So like, for example, the coach would pull player aside and say, listen, I feel like you're struggling with, as you we said, earlier like shooting on the bounce, you constantly keep tying the ball over.
00:18:17
Osku
Yeah, yeah,
00:18:19
Craig Birtwistle
So you'd probably set him like a little game plan to take away with them. Is that what you mean? Yeah, I love that.
00:18:24
Osku
yeah. yeah
00:18:25
Craig Birtwistle
That's great. Excellent. We will be back after a short message.
00:18:46
Craig Birtwistle
Welcome back and we just spoke about the advice that Oscar would give a coach.
Training vs. Match Performance
00:18:50
Craig Birtwistle
Oscar, what advice have you been given that has really helped you in your career?
00:18:55
Osku
um As a player, ah obviously, as you can guess, I was really into individual training and and doing everything I can to to make it pro.
00:19:13
Osku
so um I can't recall, maybe I was something like 15, 16, something like that, that I was doing my my individual session. um And my coach ah walked by and and to the beach and he came to me. I was doing the session and he just came to me and walked to me and said something like,
00:19:44
Osku
Oscar, that's fun fantastic what you're doing. I was like, oh, OK, yeah. And then he continued, ah now, make sure you step up in the match season, perform.
00:19:59
Osku
That was really impactful for me, because I would say I was a bit of bit of ah like a player who did better in trainings.
00:20:12
Craig Birtwistle
Mm hmm.
00:20:13
Osku
than in matches. So that was one ah important moment that I realized that, OK, it's the matches that eventually count. And it's about me. that It's my responsibility to transfer those skills into matches.
00:20:41
Osku
so um Yeah, and and that's ah also something that I have now tried to implement with with the the players I coach. And also, I would give this advice to coaches that ah um we need to perform in the matter. we we We can't just say that we train well.
00:21:10
Osku
We need to find a transfer to matches because football is a game sport eventually.
00:21:20
Craig Birtwistle
What do you think that is when, when you because I've experienced that all my life as well. You have players that look exceptional in training and then they come to the game day, they can't switch it on. And I've also worked with players in, in of all situations, they turn up to a tryout and you feel like they can't even tie their laces, let alone something else. But then.
00:21:39
Craig Birtwistle
they just switch it on. What do you think?
00:21:44
Craig Birtwistle
I think that's the million dollar question if we all answer it.
00:21:46
Osku
No idea.
00:21:49
Osku
and No idea.
00:21:52
Craig Birtwistle
so
00:21:52
Osku
No idea. No idea. Yeah. But it's ah it's it's what we see ah week after week.
00:21:59
Craig Birtwistle
the
00:22:00
Osku
And yeah, I think it might have something to do with with how how we coach players also.
00:22:00
Craig Birtwistle
it's um
00:22:06
Osku
I don't know. But that's just what I am wondering. that Do we put enough emphasis on the matches?
00:22:15
Craig Birtwistle
Mm hmm.
00:22:16
Osku
do we play enough so that the players get used to matches? It might be different the situations across different countries, but yeah.
00:22:28
Craig Birtwistle
And if any of our listeners do have the answer for that, both of us will love to hear it.
00:22:31
Osku
Please share.
00:22:34
Craig Birtwistle
So Oscar, I always like to ask my guests as we as we come towards the end of an episode to see how their background has shaped them as a coach.
Zidane's Iconic Volley
00:22:45
Craig Birtwistle
What's your favorite moment in sports? It can be as a player, a fan, or a coach.
00:22:52
Osku
Yeah, of course, there are nice moments when when ah when I played. There's been nice moments ah as a coach, but for for as ah as a football fan, Zinedine Ziran, that that Champions League volley against Bayern Leverkusen in the final. That's definitely the favorite.
00:23:21
Craig Birtwistle
It's honestly, Zinedine Zidane for me is one of those players that doesn't get spoken of enough in regards to when we talk about the greats of the game. ah We talk obviously about your Messi's, your Ronaldo's and rightfully so. But Zinedine Zidane for me created so many magical moments as a player and just made was one of the things you mentioned earlier the simple things look even easier and he made the difficult things look simple it was one of those things a very very unique player that we were i i was very fortunate to be able to see live and see as i as i grew up as a player as a coach as a fan
00:24:02
Craig Birtwistle
ah So 100% agree with that. We'll ask you, thank you so much for this conversation. It has been an absolute
Where to Find Osku's Content
00:24:09
Craig Birtwistle
pleasure. ah Where can our listeners learn more about your coaching and and benefit from your expertise?
00:24:16
Osku
Yeah, in Twitter or or X, how we call it now, you can find me as a coach, Oscar. But our project with with the coaching in other platforms, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and also we have a community in in school platform. They are all called elite football squad. So we try to um create content with a couple of my my friends and try to provide actionable tips for for players and coaches to to learn the basic skills.
00:24:57
Craig Birtwistle
Fantastic, that is great. And what we'll do for our listeners listening, we will leave all of OSCU's information in our podcast description so you can benefit from seeing his videos. And I truly believe it, the the people I get on my podcast are the people that have really impressed me and I really like the way Oscar breaks down those videos for a player to really get their head around about how to work on it. So I do highly recommend all my guests that come on um the show and Oscar in particular, take a look at his videos, take a look at his details that he provides, it could be very beneficial. so
00:25:36
Craig Birtwistle
Well, that's about it all the time we have for this episode of Session Share, the Coaches Podcast. Thank you very much to Oscar Petron for joining us. As the holidays are around the corner, we'll be taking a two week break, but we will see you all in the new year. Be sure to get in touch across all our socials to give us your feedback and opinions on everything that Oscar and myself have discussed. You will be able to find those in our podcast description. This has been Session Share, The Coaches Podcast. Thank you for listening and thank you for coaching The Beautiful Game.