Jackie Bachteler is an MA-native, currently based in Sweden as a Professional Soccer Player & Director of Coaching at TikiTaka Football Academy. Bachteler has been consistently involved with private 1 on 1 training as both a player & coach over the past decade.
HOW DID THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY/COACH IN SCANDINAVIA ORIGINALLY COME ABOUT?
I graduated from Florida Southern in 2010, two days after graduation I was on a flight over to Finland to play for GBK Kokkola. It was a great first professional experience! I was able to coach in Finland also; I worked in a Finnish soccer school, a Swedish soccer school, and helped my club with camps. In Finland most people in the school only spoke Finnish or Swedish, so I learned and I’m now fluent in the Swedish language.
The next year I got recruited to play for IFK Gävle in Sweden. I thought this was a great next step for me because not only was I able to play in the Swedish league but I was also named head coach of IFK Gävle’s second team which played in division 3. Besides that I also worked as a coach in three local soccer schools, and put on the first girls soccer camp for girls in Gävle!
That year in Gävle my coach brought me to a TikiTaka coaching development presentation run by Tony Gustavsson. I knew Tony was recently the former assistant coach of the US women’s national team along side Pia Sundage and the head coach of Tyresö FF so I was extremely excited to meet him and hear his coaching philosophy and what TIkiTaka was all about. During the presentation I could not believe how much Tony and I have in common when it comes to coaching philosophies... We talked afterwards and we have such similar views it is scary. Tony and his father Borje offered me a job as a coach and help grow TikiTaka in Sweden and possibly the US!
The following year (2013) I went back to Sweden and played for Gustafs GoIF and worked for TikiTaka Football Development. For TikiTaka, I was in charge of Tyresö Academy on the girls side, ran sessions for many clubs in the Stockholm area, directed the TikiTaka Tyresö Soccer Camp, my staff included the A team in Tyresö with players such as Marta, Vero Boquete, Caroline Seger, Christen Press, Meghan Klingenberg and many more. The quality of the whole camp was out of this world!! TikiTaka spread really took off in Sweden last year and I became co-owner alongside Börje and Tony.
Playing-wise I transferred to Tyresö FF and played on the B team but had the honor to train with the A team and play with Vero, Marta, Press, etc. It was a dream come true. This past year I transferred to Djurgården and played in the Elitettan.
As for TikiTaka I continued to work with clubs around Stockholm, work as the football coach in Olympen Skolan, and am with the Academy in Tyresö, as well as their Flickallsvenskan team. Tyresö was invited to compete in the G17 Elite in the Gothia cup. I was named the head coach and it was by far the best coaching experience I have had so far. We competed against teams such as PSG (France), St. Gabriel (Spain), Eskilstuna (Sweden) etc.
TikiTaka is launching in the US and we had our first successful clinic in Milwaukee WI with St. Anthony’s school. There will be many more camps and clinics to come. I will head back to Sweden in January and play for Tyresö FF again. I am excited to be playing for them again as well as continue to work with TikiTaka!
HOW DOES PLAYING FOR CLUBS SUCH AS DJURGÅRDEN & TYRESÖ IN SWEDEN COMPARE TO YOUR PLAYING EXPERIENCE IN THE U.S.?
In the U.S. I have played in many professional environments and Djurgården/Tyresö are also extremely professional. It’s a much more tactical and technical game in Sweden, where as the US places a bigger emphasis on fitness and the physical and mental side of the game.
WHAT TRAINING METHODS AND PHILOSOPHY DOES TIKI TAKA PROMOTE?
The TikiTaka method is based on four key factors: Overall perspective, motivation, balance and JOY. TikiTaka comes from experience, proven techniques, scientific studies and the analysis of successful clubs and nations. TikiTaka training is where all the parts in soccer (technical, tactical, physical, mental) interact to form a whole; training is very match-like with a high degree of decision-making.
HOW DO YOUTH PLAYERS IN SWEDEN & THE U.S. DIFFERENTIATE IN YOUR OPINION?
My opinion is that U.S. players are more physically fit than players in Sweden but the youth players in Sweden are smarter tactically overall in the game. I believe this is because players in Sweden are constantly watching soccer. Americans do not watch nearly enough soccer. Players can develop just as much or more by just simply watching and studying the game.
WHAT 1 ON 1 COACHING INVOLVEMENT DID YOU PREVIOUSLY HAVE IN THE U.S.?
I’ve been an individual trainer since I was 14 years old. I’m a very technical player and it made me easy to help kids of all ages improve technically. When I was in college I worked as an individual trainer for both boys & girls aged 7 to 16. I would have at least 10 individual sessions each week throughout college.
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN 1 ON 1 TRAINING OR SKILLS-BASED CAMPS/CLINICS GROWING UP?
Growing up I did participate in 1 on 1 training session. I had a trainer for a few months and I was lucky enough to have my coaches’ stay after training with me to work on shooting, take on moves etc.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL ARE THE BENEFITS OF 1 ON 1 TRAINING FOR PLAYERS?
The technical benefits that occur during individual training are tremendous, both technically and mentally. It not only increases a player’s confidence with the ball but also, can give the player the opportunity to make technical strengths stronger and improve on weakness. It can also be a place where they gain ideas on different aspects to train on their own.
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