Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 29th.Title: Beijing Shougang Basketball Youth Training: Inheritance, Change and Infinite Possibilities
Xinhua News Agency reporters Cao Yibo and Li Bowen
The unremitting efforts on the court and the natural love for the sport are the deepest feelings left to the reporters from the Beijing Shougang Youth Team Training Open Class.
The newly-appointed youth coaching team of the Shougang Team is also as fixated on the training ground as the players, always staying focused.
Inheritance: Fourteen years, one person, one city, transformation from player to coach
“A step-back jumper, why do you have so many steps?”
“This time the action is much better, you must remember it.”
Wang Xiaohui, who was slightly silent as a player, became more talkative after he transformed into a coach. He patiently instructed the technical movements of each young player, and from time to time he couldn’t help but “play in person” to demonstrate the movements.
The “3D” player, once known for his defense and 3-point shooting, voluntarily made way for young players this offseason due to injuries and physical decline, ending his 14-year playing career. After communicating with the team management, Wang Xiaohui chose to transform into the head coach of the Shougang Second Team with his love for the team and the city that witnessed his growth.
On the first day of officially taking over the training of the second team, Wang Xiaohui said with emotion: “I am very happy to step into the arena every day, and I feel that I can reflect my value again. Although I am not a great player, I am honored (as a player) ) can be on a team from start to finish and look forward to playing my ‘residual heat’ as a coach.”
When talking about the difference between players and coaches, Wang Xiaohui said that coaches are much “difficult”. “When you are a player, everyone revolves around you and serves you. After you become a coach, you will serve the players. Sometimes when you receive a call from another youth team coach, Liu Peng, at night, you are afraid that something will happen to the team. What’s going on. I’m lucky to have a lot of help and support from our coaching team, and I love what I’m doing now.”
Wang Xiaohui has mentioned “inheritance” many times, and he hopes to use his experience to help young players grow faster and go further. “I want to pass on my experience in the professional arena to young players, and I want to pass on the spirit of the Beijing Shougang Men’s Basketball Team from generation to generation.”
Change: “Integration of China and the West” to help the team rebuild
In the past season, as a traditional strong team, Shougang’s men’s and women’s basketball team had a poor record. The men’s basketball team stopped in the first round of the playoffs, and the women’s basketball team only won the tenth place in the league. The club has also begun to rebuild the team, and the first step in the reconstruction is the adjustment of the coaches.
In addition to promoting Xie Libin and Zhang Lin as the head coaches of the men’s and women’s first team respectively, and realizing the “rejuvenation” of local coaches, Shougang also realized the importance of “sustainable development” and continued to appoint Italian Giorio Griccioli as the club. Youth training director, exploring the help of the local and international coaching system for the growth of the youth team.
In the training class of the second team, Qiao Riou demonstrated the mid-range jumper over and over again. He mixed Chinese and English to motivate the players. Sometimes he would ask the players with standard movements to do it again for everyone because he was afraid that they would not understand.
Qiao Riou, who has more than ten years of youth training experience in Europe, joined Beijing Shougang in 2020 and served as an assistant coach of the men’s basketball team, and will join the team’s youth training from 2021. Chorio said he would combine the characteristics of European and Chinese youth training models: “The first step in my work is to understand China’s youth training system, and then compare the advantages of European and Italian youth training with the actual situation in China. Combined, and will take into account the coaching habits and background of Chinese coaches, make periodic adjustments and improvements.”
He also pointed out the problem of Chinese youth training: “Chinese players are very happy. Compared with Italian players, they have a more complete training system and growth channel, but they don’t have many opportunities to contact the game. Young players in Europe can play in a year. With 70 to 90 chances, young players in China tend to have less than 50.”
As a change, Shougang interspersed competitions in daily training. In “one-on-one”, “two-on-two” and “five-on-five” games, young players are more likely to stimulate creativity, and they can also be familiar with the game. Technical actions and problem finding.
There will be new ideas in training, but the goal of Joliot and the coaching team is clear and consistent: “Our goal is to develop players who can enter the first team and enter the CBA/WCBA arena. Hopefully before they enter the league , and prepare enough through youth training.”
Unlimited Possibilities: Continue to increase investment in youth training and focus on the training of young coaches
According to Zhang Yunsong, executive deputy general manager of Beijing Shougang Basketball Club, being young means infinite possibilities. He said that the club has always cared about and attached great importance to echelon construction, not only to cultivate excellent athletes, but also to cultivate excellent coaches, so that they can grow through experience.
“The sustainable development of the club must come from its own blood production. In the future, we will invest more strength and energy in the youth training system.” Zhang Yunsong said, “We will also organize the coaching team to conduct an overall assessment based on the actual situation of the players. Keep the passage for the first team clear.”
Affected by the epidemic, many competitions in the youth echelon were forced to be cancelled, and the “Eagle Project” launched by Shougang in 2017 was temporarily put on hold. Zhang Yunsong revealed that when conditions permit, the team will sign up for the national U-series competitions and other invitational and teaching competitions, and will restart the player overseas program to provide more excellent players with opportunities to experience overseas.
