At the end of May, the girls of the Chinese women's volleyball team will face the challenge of the World Women's Volleyball League.
This will be the debut of the Chinese women's volleyball team in international competitions in 2023, but this is only an "appetizer", and the subsequent Olympic qualification matches and the Hangzhou Asian Games will constitute an extremely busy year.
Chinese women's volleyball coach Cai Bin.
"I think it still achieved the effect we wanted, and we are doing it step by step according to our plan." In an exclusive interview with The Paper, head coach Cai Bin was satisfied with the results of the training so far this year.
In his opinion, compared with last year, the Chinese women's volleyball team is now more stable - on this basis, the team will give more players the opportunity to perform, explore the potential of substitutes, and "raise the depth of the bench." ”
Cai Bin instructs the female volleyball players.
Practice physical fitness, practice cooperation
After the Spring Festival this year, the girls of the Chinese women's volleyball team were not idle.
On February 5, the team kicked off the 2023 training with a 10-day military training. Then the team went to Beilun in Ningbo for training, and then transferred to the Zhangzhou training base.
It is understood that in about two weeks, the team will officially travel to Nagoya, Japan to participate in the first leg of the World League.
What have you practiced in the three months of intensive training so far? Cai Bin told The Paper that in the two stages of Beilun and Zhangzhou, the team's training has its own focus.
"When I was in Beilun in the early stage, I mainly did more in terms of players' personal ability and physical reserves. After arriving in Zhangzhou on April 7th, it entered the cooperation period, and there will be more cooperation. The focus will be different [in both stages]. ”
The emphasis on physical fitness has always been a tradition of the Chinese women's volleyball team, and under Cai Bin's coaching, it is no exception, in his words, "Sometimes technical problems, but also in physical strength to break through." ”
"For example, the height of bouncing, you have to meet certain requirements to complete the technical movements in the position, and if you don't have physical fitness, you may not be able to do many techniques."
In addition, the upcoming competition tasks also require the team to have sufficient physical fitness, "after all, once you go out to play (the world league), it will take more than a month and two months to be outside." ”
After the World League, the Chinese women's volleyball team will return to the Beilun Training Base to prepare for important competitions such as Olympic qualifying.
Stabilize the lineup and dig deep
Cai Bin gave a positive evaluation of the players' performance in training and the mental state they showed, "I think it has achieved the effect we wanted, and we are completing it step by step according to our plan." The athletes are working hard. ”
Compared with last year, he believes that the construction of the team has gradually entered a new stage.
In 2022, in Cai Bin's first year as the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, he made building a new lineup for the team a top priority at that time.
"We changed a lot of people, seven people on the field [at the Tokyo Olympics], only three people left, one free man, one receiver, one side attacker, so we need to do a lot of work in this area."
"When I went out (to play) last year, I needed to establish a main squad and the main style of play, and this year, it is relatively stable." He told the surging news reporter.
"Once the lineup is set, we will raise the bench depth of the bench."
Cai Bin said that there are many young players in this year's national team training camp, some are only 18 or 9 years old, which is an inevitable measure for the Chinese women's volleyball team to connect and introduce new blood.
"We can't just focus on the present, the training of reserve talents is also on the agenda."
"Of course, if these young players participate in the game, they will definitely be much more immature compared to other big players in terms of age and control on the field." However, when the time is right, the substitute line-up will also be given the opportunity to exercise and perform, "we will do some rotation according to the situation of the game, according to the score on the field. ”
The Paris Olympics are a race against time
For the World Women's Volleyball League, Cai Bin's requirements for the team are - "Go all out, whether it is a strong team or a weak team, we must play seriously, play with spirit, and show the spirit of daring to show the sword." ”
At the same time, the experience of the world league is also to prepare for important competitions in the future, such as the Olympic qualification match.
"The World League has to rush forward, which is also an examination of the team's training effect, to see where it is not done enough, where it can be retained, and adjust according to the situation of the game. The goal [of Olympic qualifying] is to qualify. ”
In Cai Bin's view, it is not a bad thing for the team to have problems on the field, and after the problems are exposed, it is most important to correct and make up for them in time.
"Originally, the Olympics were planned every four years, but now we have a three-year plan [in Paris], so we should use our time as efficiently as possible."
China Women's Volleyball Schedule.
Indeed, for the Chinese women's volleyball team in the Paris Olympic cycle, there are many challenges, and the replacement of the player lineup is an important aspect.
According to the surging news reporter, Zhang Changning, who had previously made outstanding contributions in the main attack and receiving position, was basically in a state of close retirement.
In the case of a certain loss of the lineup, Wang Yunbi and other players entered the main lineup through their own performance and efforts.
According to the calendar, after the end of the World League in July, the Chinese women's volleyball team will host the Olympic qualification match at Ningbo Beilun from September 16 to 24, followed by the women's volleyball competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games from September 28 to October 7.
In addition, the Women's Volleyball Asian Championship will be held in Thailand from September 3 to 10.
Facing the test of many competitions, the Chinese women's volleyball team will, as always, go all out to embark on a new journey.