Feature: German training style vs. youth football players from China

A documentary film by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has recently brought the "battle" between Chinese and British education into the forefront of social media debate, with several teachers from China experimenting a four-week Chinese teaching style in a UK middle school. Culture shocks and ideological conflicts are found everywhere in the documentary.

Also as a part of Europe, Germany may have some minor differences with UK in educational philosophy, yet is enough to greatly inspire the Chinese youth football players and their coaches receiving a typical training program in Germany, a football nation, for a very short time.

A head coach, accompanied by two assistant coaches, leads the football team aging between 9 and 13 from Jiangsu Province's Zhangjiagang city in southeastern China to Berlin Football Talent Training Center (Fussball Talentschmiede Berlin) for a short-term training program in a sheer German manner.

It has been a great eye-opener, not only for the Chinese kids, but rather for the coaches.

Head coach Xu Hongshun told Xinhua that the German-style teaching is rendered effective and tactical. Even dozens of methods are applied in teaching them how to pass a ball.

Apart from the advanced tactics, what impresses Xu most is the smile-oriented pedagogy.

"In China, kids always face great pressure in the football training from the beginning to the end. Some may have fears. However, the praise-criticism ratio during the training is set by the German coach here as at least 7:1," said Xu.

On this point, German head coach Oliver Minow said: "A Quality Plus Joy mode has been adopted in our teaching. As a coach, I never put pressure on them. It's important to make them feel comfortable and joyful physically and mentally during the training."

German Coaches would rather choose to stay on the sideline without interrupting the kids in a football match, let alone shouting at them: "You've done wrong!" "You! Do this way," or "No, that's not right," unless something really serious happens.

Such free reign given to the youth players serves to protect their self-confidence and improve the coordination capabilities, on their own initiative, in a team.

"Our approach is 70% play plus 30% theoretical and tactical teaching," Minow said.

Minow also expresses his hope that China could focus more on fostering training-related personnel in their ability to help China's youth players better enjoy the happiness of playing football.

Then, what did the kids say about their unique experience?

When asked the difference between the training in China and Germany, they answered almost with one voice: "At the end of the training here after a whole day, we feel happy and relaxed."

The training course is actually intensive. The reason why those children feel physically but not mentally tired is that German coaches attach great importance to warm-ups before teaching. Football dances, football games and tennis-like football kicking competition are applied to activate their enthusiasm for football and let them fully experience that playing football makes fun.

Yet learning from the football nation known for advanced football training philosophy should never be considered once-for-all.

"Our stay in Germany this time means much more than merely understanding the current training theories and approaches. Even for the German coaches, regular study and updating of knowledge are required," said Xu.

When the German coach took out his coach card, Minow told Xinhua that regular testing system is adopted to make sure that every qualified coach keeps abreast of state-of-the-art knowledge. Only by constant learning and passing the test held every two years can a coach extend his qualification.

The training program for the Chinese youth players in eight days is actually designed for six weeks at a normal rate.

Asked about the outcome of training, Minow replies: "The Chinese kids are particularly receptive to what I taught. Everytime after I explain twice or at most a third time, then they can do it well. In comparison, I have to do more to reach the same outcome when teaching the German youth players."

Tracing back to the root of the matter, "the Chinese children are all self-disciplined," Minow said. Every time when he explains something, all of them just give their full attention.

Discipline of students is probably also the same root of the matter that has driven the Chinese teachers crazy and once brought them to the edge of collapse in BBC's documentary film.

"The Chinese kids always obey the rules and listen to me carefully and it has a very positive impact on the training outcome," said Minow.

Of course Minow has difficulties as well: "The Chinese kids seldom take their initiative in coordination. Based on their performance at the beginning, they lack the ability to decide boldly where they should move to and whom they should pass the ball to. Teamwork and collaboration is what they should improve."

From the coach's perspective, Chinese kids always do a great job in one-to-one program. But in a teamwork, things would go with less satisfaction.

Recently, those Chinese kids had several football matches against the German kids. The Chinese side lost the first game. But days later, they won.

"At the very beginning, we all had fears because we had never played a football game together with foreigners. Later, fears disappeared. Actually we feel that both sides are almost on a par."

During the conversation with Xinhua, delight and excitement on Minow's face are easily perceivable: "Look, that boy, and they two, and, and they over there, they are all talented. They have excellent physique, strength, enthusiasm and perception for football. I like them very much. I am very optimistic about their future."

In his view, potential of football development in China is huge. From the bottom of the heart, Minow said, he hopes that those potential "football superstars" will continue to enjoy good training resources and environment and be allowed full play to their talents. Endit