Interview: China U15 football coach stresses thinking ability for youngsters

BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) — Reflecting on the difference between Chinese and overseas players, Bin Ukishima, the head coach of China’s under-15 football team, figured it out “more an issue of thinking ability than technique.”
The team arrived in France for a half-month training camp after days of training in Xianghe, north China’s Hebei Province.
Ukishima said he had organized five training sessions since he took the position in April, with around 70 players earning call-ups.
“We are still in a building stage and we need to evaluate different players, our goal is to secure a spot at the U17 World Cup. I want to help the players through assimilating my ideas and enhance the talent pool as well,” the Japanese coach told Xinhua.
“Meanwhile, we are trying to whittle the roster down to 23 players on the same level, and bench depth is a must for the upcoming qualifiers featuring a busy schedule,” the 57-year-old added.
Ukishima, whose team is slated to play against several youth academies from French Ligue 1 outfits, insisted his side would stick to their own style despite facing some strong teams.
“We will maintain our tactic set-up, it is not to say we have to opt for a tight defense strategy against strong teams. The priority is to see whether my players can keep coolness to perform well under a higher level of tempo.”
“It was the first time for some players to play international games, they will reap benefits if they can play that kind of match as early as possible,” he said.
Ukishima acknowledged his team’s lack of technique, while singling it out that it will also test the players’ thinking abilities.
“For example, if we build up from the back, our defender can receive the ball and turn relatively undisturbed in a domestic league fixture. But at international level, maybe we can’t do that at ease any more, the opposite will press you in just a few seconds,” he said.
“That requires an excellent judgment and decision-making skills. We often ask the players to observe the situations before receiving the ball, the attacking direction comes first, seeing whether we can move forward.”
“A player in modern times can cover a range of 30 meters within five seconds, so when a player receives the ball, he doesn’t have three seconds to think about his next move, with only one or two seconds allowed for him to make judgment and execute.”
“Observing only once is never enough as the ball is always in move, you must keep observing to have a wide vision before making judgment,” he stressed.
As Kenichi Uemura, the head coach of China’s under-16 football team, is also from Japan, Ukishima faces the question concerning the tag of Japanese football coaches.
“Maybe I don’t have the right to talk about the common tag,” he remarked. “I think as a football coach, regardless of the nationality, should have the obligation to discover potential of young players and arrange the training and competition according to their characteristics.”
“I often communicate with Uemura for team’s development, including which player is better to fit the bill, or proposing a more suitable partnership,” he revealed. ■