China, the waking giant of sport

Press, 4 November 1983, Page 15

China, the waking giant of sport

After years of non-in-volvement in the international sporting world, China is now a rousing giant. In their typically industrious and efficient way the Chinese are starting from the lowest levels to create individuals and. teams of the highest standard, Their table tennis teams have already squashed the rest of the world, and their divers, gymnasts and women’s volleyball team have successfully challenged the best in the> world. Hockey is one of the sports still in its infancy. The numbers playing are growing steadily, and a Christchurch man is playing a significant role in the development of the game in the vast and populous country. Cyril Walter, the former Canterbury hockey coach, recently returned from his second journey to China where he held a series of

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coaching clinics for players and coaches. Mr Walter made his first coaching sojourn to China two years ago, and the majority of players and coaches he was involved with then, returned to his coaching sessions this year. The first week of his fourweek stay was in Shanghai, the venue for the Fifth National Games. For the first time hockey was played at the Games and ' Mr Walter spent the week watching the matches. From Shanghai, Mr Walter, who was accompanied by his wife, and Alec Ostler from Auckland, a former international umpire, travelled tb Chingdao on the Yellow • Seas coast, the venue for the coaching course. Ten members of the national team, two young women whose potential impressed Mr Walter, a num-

KEVIN TUTTY

ber of beginners and 20 coaches were present at the lectures. The majority of the coaches had attended Mr Walter’s first series of lectures in 1981.

As he was two years ago, Mr Walter was again impressed with the enthusiasm of his students. “They took copious notes. I was amazed at the speed with which they could write in Chinese script.” Mr Walter emphasised to the Chinese, as he has with teams he has coached in New Zealand, the need to concentrate on the skills of the game. , “I hammered at them that it takes some years to learn the skills, and that international tournaments are not the place to learn them.”

The body mechanics associated with each skill were explained by Mr Walter in depth, and repeated again and again. “It was important that they knew the correct skills so they did not practice faults after I left.” There was some progress noted by Mu Walter among the members of the national team in the two years between his visits, but the main progress he said was in expanding the base of the sport. Two further provinces have introduced the sport since his last visit and there were now seven in which hockey was played.