Training Day: Saku “SKUIJKE” Sajakoski

In the latest in our Training Day series, ENCE star player Saku “SKUIJKE” Sajakoski invites us into his world to share his typical daily routine. From “being the guy who makes the moves” to relying on his number one fan’s support, it’s an enlightening look into the world of professional PUBG.

I get up… between 10am and 12 noon, it depends what I am doing that day and how long I need to stay up. My morning is pretty routine – have a wash, prepare my coffee. Breakfast normally looks like toast with yoghurt on the side. 

The best way for me to get in the zone... is simple, jump on the PC and play some PUBG. It can be with friends or random players, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll often play one of the custom modes to get sharp.

My training space… is a tiny room, it is so small it is almost a closet. But it works for me, it is personal and it’s mine, I know I am not going to be disturbed which I like. I’m living with my girlfriend at the moment, I think she prefers me to use this room rather than our shared spaces – I can end up making a lot of noise.

If you want to become a professional PUBG player… you cannot be afraid of death on the battlegrounds. If you overthink it then you become too cautious and you end up hiding, this allows your opponents to take the upper hand. You need to make sure you are the guy who makes the moves, the one who takes control – not the guy who just hides in the corner.

For lunch I… usually let my girlfriend take charge, she is definitely the head chef. I help where I can with chopping and doing the simple stuff, but I haven’t got her culinary skills. I personally don’t focus too much on diet, we often have meats with a side of rice. As a rule you don’t want to eat too much before a game as it will affect your focus, but other than that I am not too strict.

If I am having a bad day on PUBG… I remind myself that these things happen, we are only human. Of course as a professional the number one thing we are aiming for is consistency, but people perhaps do not realize that consistency is one of the toughest parts.

I also rely on my teammates when things aren’t going so well, we are all there for each other. We always talk about what is and isn’t working openly, so we can work through any issues together. We are a very open minded and communicative team, and that’s something I think we all appreciate. 

Before a tournament… I like to watch highlights to get me pumped up. Sometimes highlights of other players fragging out, or sometimes some of my own. It really gets me in the right frame of mind to go out and have a good day.

My biggest fan… is probably my mum! When I first started playing PUBG she would watch the matches but she didn’t have a good grasp of the rules, but now she’s an expert. She understands the circle, and how important its moves are. She loves it, it is really funny.

I log off my computer… at around 1am. I’ll then brush my teeth and chill for an hour or two, it’s nice to rest after a busy day. I get into bed and drift off to sleep between 2-3 am.