China's Problems

Anybody who follows basketball knows China is an emerging force on the international scene. It is estimated that the population of Chinese NBA-followers is as large as the population of the entire United States. Yao Ming and Yi Jianlin are only the tip of a talent iceberg and will be melting into the NBA (and strong European leagues) over the coming decade.

But why has the matriculation of Chinese talent into the League not been faster? After all, Ming entered the league in 2002 and we waited another five years for Jianlin. Only one Chinese guard, Liu Wei, has had a shot in the interim and he did not progress past the preseason.

So what gives?

In the recent SLAM special Olympic issue (pg. 66), Alan Paul wrote that Chinese players are often overworked in domestic leagues. They "almost appear to be loafing when they are actually pacing themselves, the result of spending eight hours a day, six days a week playing basketball since they were 13 or 14. It is impossible to maintain high intensity for such long stretches and thus the system, which is designed to toughen up the players and almost make them basketball machines, eventually breaks down their will and teaches them that the smartest route is to rarely rise above a 75 percent energy level."

This observation is supported in a recent FIBA interview (FIBA Assist, Issue 30, pg. 45) with Tom Maher, China's womens national team head coach. He noted that China has a tradition of "committing itself to outwork its opposition" but that this isn't necessarily the "most productive method in a dynamic game like basketball."

"We have tried to change the philosophy of training from one of high volume to one of dynamic intensity."

It will be interesting to see how the Beijing games affect this aspect of Chinese training culture. The guess here is that intense exposure to the training methods of American and European coaches will leave a lasting impression on Chinese trainers and coaches - one that will hasten the nation's growth into an eventual basketball giant.