Xinhua News Agency, Honghe, Yunnan, October 26Topic: Clear Mind and Overall Basketball – Former U17 National Youth Men’s Basketball Coach Talks about Youth Training
Xinhua News Agency reporters Lin Deren, Wang Qinou and Yue Ranran
In the 2024 National U17 Youth Basketball League, the Shanxi Fenjiu team showed its own characteristics. Players who did not have an advantage in physical conditions successfully qualified from the group by relying on active defense and team basketball.
The head coach of the Shanxi team is Wang Xidong, the former head coach of the Chinese Men’s Basketball U17 Team. During the game, Wang Xidong talked freely with Xinhua News Agency reporters about his thoughts on the selection, training and competition of young players. He believes that in the context of modern basketball, players’ minds, execution and team awareness are particularly critical.
“For the current team, what I talk about most is the fighting spirit, toughness, and execution. Because our team’s physical condition is not that good and it is not so outstanding among teams of the same age, so we must improve on the fighting spirit and defense. Work harder. I am a coach who prefers defense and likes quick counterattacks,” Wang Xidong said.
The Shanxi team also paid special attention to this competition. Wang Xidong described the players as “suffering a lot.” He revealed that 20 days before the game, he adjusted the morning training time to eight o’clock and the afternoon training time to three-thirty, just to adapt to the rhythm of this game in advance. “The amount of training is huge, but through this competition, they will also feel that they have endured hardship, gained something, and grown. In fact, it is the most gratifying to see them grow.” Wang Xidong said.
Wang Xidong has a rich coaching resume. He has served as the head coach of many CBA teams and has led many youth teams. He also goes to Europe every year to study, observe and communicate. Regarding the style and characteristics of European basketball, he commented: “European basketball also focuses on defense, mainly because the team defense is very good. They add some changes in overall defense on the basis of personal defense. In fact, the physical condition of Chinese children is not bad. , mainly due to the different understanding and cognition of basketball. European strong teams will put more emphasis on the players’ overall understanding during training, because playing basketball requires a holistic continuation, from one person, two people to the continuation of the whole . So when you look at European basketball, it doesn’t look too flashy, but it is very practical because they teach children how to understand basketball as a whole and what the true meaning of basketball is, which is to rely on teamwork, not one individual. The point is fighting.”
In recent years, Wang Xidong’s main job has been to coach young athletes. Regarding the selection of young players, he said that player character is very important. On the one hand, it is the player’s innate character, and on the other hand, it depends on acquired training. “For example, Lin Wei, when I chose him, I mainly looked at his character. He is relatively tough, determined and capable of execution. Under any circumstances, he will not let the external situation of the game affect what he wants to win. The determination to win is actually a rare trait. In addition, when you find a good player, it is also important for the coach to give him confidence when he fails to make a shot; he must also maintain confidence when he makes a key shot. Be normal. I don’t let some key players celebrate after making key goals, because I want them to feel that this is his normal performance and there is no need to celebrate. He has to perform at this level every game.”
In the current world basketball world, the role of defenders has become increasingly prominent. Japanese defender Yuki Kawamura’s outstanding performance in the Basketball World Cup and the Olympics has also attracted a lot of attention. As a player, Wang Xidong’s position was also a defender. Regarding the cultivation of defender talents, he said: “Cultivation takes time. It requires a lot of time and games to try and accumulate. We do not rule out the kind of defenders with extraordinary talents. However, looking at the world, there are still few talents, and it still takes a lot of time and competition. Click to accumulate. Here, the coach’s philosophy is very important. If the coach likes the child’s offensive ability, he will mainly cultivate his offense. Then he may be an offensive defender in the future. If the coach likes to focus on assists and assists. When you organize a team, the players may develop in another direction, so the coach’s indoctrination and training of the players is also related to the team’s playing style.”
Wang Xidong said that outstanding players must emerge through a large number of high-intensity and high-quality games, but one problem currently faced is that there are still relatively few such games, which is also a challenge in the selection process of Chinese youth basketball talents. “There is a saying called training through competition, which means that no matter how well you practice, if there is no accumulation of games, the players will not be able to understand it. For example, you teach him some techniques and tactics, but he doesn’t know what the situation is. When the time comes, you have to meet him in the game. If he makes a mistake, you teach him again, and he will change next time.”
Having been with young players for a long time, Wang Xidong, who is born in the 1970s, likes the “complaining” part of the players the most. Players get together to “expose each other’s shortcomings”, which is a way to relax after training and games, and also adjusts the atmosphere of the team. “Complaining about the coach? They dare not say it to his face, but they will definitely complain behind his back.” Wang Xidong said.
Wang Xidong admitted that overall, players’ minds and spirituality are still important in talent selection. If a player has good brains and spirituality, he must be cultivated no matter how tall he is. According to his philosophy, no matter how tall a player is, they must start practicing their outside skills, because as they grow older, each player’s body shape and playing style will also change. If you fix your position at a young age, you will lose your ability. Limit the space for players to develop in the future. “I require the players to master outside skills, because you don’t know what kind of performance they can play in the future. If there is a child who is two meters tall, but is very suitable for playing guard, if you don’t practice outside skills, will you just Excellent talents have been delayed?” he said.
Regarding the future of the Chinese men’s basketball team, Wang Xidong also has his own message: “I hope that through the joint efforts of many young coaches in China, we can cultivate more talents for Chinese basketball as soon as possible, get closer to the strong teams in Europe and the United States faster, and return to our Asia as soon as possible. In the position of overlord.”
