Photo credits: Ville Vairinen - 2020

Finnish coach Milja Sarkkinen has just wrapped up her six-week Instagram series for synchro coaches. Covering everything from summer motivation to seasonal planning and self-development, her posts—available in English—offer valuable insights for every stage of the season.

Following her initial posts on team culture and skating basics, Milja Sarkkinen continued her Instagram series with strategic themes aimed at supporting synchro coaches as the season unfolds. Through six weeks of content, she delivered a blend of structure, reflection, and practical advice.

“When it comes to planning the season,” Milja shared, “I’m sharing my approach to setting clear focus points for each phase and making sure everything connects to the bigger vision.” Her method helps coaches connect technical preparation, performance readiness, and creative expression throughout the year.

One major focus in the latter weeks was summer motivation—a time when athletes often need renewed purpose. “I’m talking about aligning training with long-term goals and making sure skaters feel ownership and joy,” she wrote.

The series also encouraged coaches to look inward. “I want the series to feel like a quiet support system on your coaching journey,” Milja explained. “I’ covered how to build programs that truly reflect the team’s skills, and how to use the summer to grow as coaches and individuals.”

At the heart of her approach lies a belief in curiosity and presence over rigid answers. “Coaching is not about having all the answers. It’s about passion, curiosity and presence,” she affirmed. She also underscored the power of mentoring: “Use mentoring to perfect your craft – it really is worth it!”

The final four themes of her Instagram series were:

• “Study the motivation”
  
• “Program your season”
  
• “Design a program that flows”
  
• and “Develop your craft”
  

Through this series, Milja Sarkkinen has created valuable content and advice for coaches—useful at the start of the season and throughout the year.