Recently, the Chinese volleyball world has been shaken by the news of the former director of the Volleyball Management Center, Li Quanqiang, being taken down, sparking a wave of anti-corruption. As the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, Cai Bin quickly returned to the public eye within three days, demonstrating his continued dedication to the sport.
On the afternoon of January 13th, Beijing time, the Shanghai Volleyball Sports Center held a coaches' symposium at the Oriental Green Boat Sports Training Base, inviting Cai Bin to share experiences with the center's coaches and strategize for the upcoming National Games.
During the symposium, Chen, the director of the Shanghai Volleyball Sports Center, pointed out that with the National Games qualification matches approaching, all teams have entered a state of intense preparation. He particularly introduced Cai Bin, the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team and training director of the Shanghai Volleyball Sports Center, to delve into discussions on athlete development and match preparation strategies, offering new perspectives for the forthcoming competitions.
Cai Bin candidly shared his thoughts on the future of volleyball and his unique insights, emphasizing the importance of precise technical shaping and significantly improving athletes' physical fitness for youth coaches in training. He stressed the need to cultivate well-rounded athletes who excel in both technique and physique.
In terms of competition, he advised coaches to make full use of tactical means such as challenges, substitutions, and timeouts, while mastering the latest changes in international rules to avoid disruptions in the overall rhythm due to video challenges during matches.
Especially in substitution strategies, Cai Bin emphasized that coaching teams must deeply understand each player's psychological state and technical abilities during daily training, ensuring they are well-prepared. He also reminded coaches to focus on addressing their players' weaknesses to prevent continuous scoring by opponents exploiting vulnerabilities. These suggestions reflect Cai Bin's experience and calm thinking accumulated during high-intensity Olympic matches, providing coaches with a fresh tactical perspective.
At the symposium, Cai Bin also engaged in an in-depth discussion with the center's coaches on the key issues of cultivating young athletes. They reviewed the successes and failures of the major ball games in 2024 and conducted detailed discussions on the training plans for the next phase. Cai Bin provided specific suggestions on technical details such as key point attacks, second pass distribution strategies, main attackers' reception capabilities, and coaching team coordination, helping coaches better understand how to formulate targeted training from practical combat.
Notably, Cai Bin particularly highlighted the importance of youth development this time, offering coaches a longer-term planning perspective. He believes that coaches should not only focus on current match results but also look to the future, preparing more outstanding talents for the national team.
It is well-known that since Li Quanqiang's arrest, the Chinese volleyball world has faced many challenges. Cai Bin's swift appearance dispelled doubts, maintaining a steady pace amidst the anti-corruption turmoil in the volleyball arena. The Chinese women's volleyball team's training camp is almost here, and how they will climb to new heights remains to be seen.