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
The Shanxi Fenjiu team showcased its unique characteristics in the 2024 National U17 Youth Basketball League. Despite not having a physical advantage, the team successfully qualified from the group stage by relying on active defense and team basketball.
Wang Xidong, the head coach of the Shanxi team and former head coach of the Chinese Men’s Basketball U17 Team, shared his thoughts on the selection, training, and competition of young players. He emphasized the importance of players’ minds, execution, and team awareness in modern basketball.
“For the current team, what I talk about most is the fighting spirit, toughness, and execution ability. 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 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 suffered, gained, and grown. In fact, it is the most gratifying to see them grow.”
Wang Xidong has a rich coaching resume, having served as the head coach of many CBA teams and 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 because of the different understanding and cognition of basketball. European strong teams will put more emphasis on the players’ understanding of the whole during training, because playing basketball requires a holistic continuation, from one person, two people to the continuation of the whole.”
Wang Xidong emphasized the importance of player character in the selection of young players. “For example, Lin Wei, when I selected 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. 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.”
Wang Xidong also discussed the cultivation of defender talents, saying: “Cultivation takes time, and it requires a lot of time and games to try and accumulate. We do not rule out the type of defenders who are extremely talented, but looking at the world, there are still few talents, and we still need a lot of time 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.”
Wang Xidong emphasized the importance of high-intensity and high-quality games in the development of outstanding players. “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 skills 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.”
Wang Xidong also shared his approach to talent selection, saying: “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 my philosophy, no matter how tall a player is, they must start practicing outside skills, because as age increases, each player’s body shape and playing style will also change. Fixed positions at a too young age will limit the space for players to develop in the future.”
Regarding the future of the Chinese men’s basketball team, Wang Xidong said: “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.”
