Want to see a recipe for long-term success in Japanese basketball?
Well, this insider's comments explain what not to do -- that is, avoid doing what's been done for decades.
"Most Japanese basketball problems are systemic," he said. "Unless you change the system, in a country resistant to change, nothing will improve.
"Mini basketball is the foundation, but it mostly exists so the coaches can win tournaments. It's not a truly developmental level. For example, many youth leagues in the US are very age specific, limit the number per team, prohibit full court pressure (for all or most of the game), only allow man-to-man defense (or limited zone), and often require that everyone play 2 quarters per game, or something similar.
"Mini basketball in Japan however consists of large numbers per team, a big gap in ages, 2nd-graders on the same team as 6th-graders (so while they practice a lot, many kids never actually play in a game), and because almost everything is tournament style, the coaches always play the best players to try to win, the marginal players get little or no playing time, and pity the inexperienced team that has to face the full court press....
"And it becomes the same thing in junior high and high school, even college. Whereas a U.S. high school might have four teams, freshman, sophomore, JV, varsity, a school in Japan has one team. So many players practice, but never play in a real game. When this happens at every level, mini basketball, junior high, high school, and college, it's easy to see that many players who might have had potential are lost along the way. Even the good players are often a couple of years behind their American or European counterparts at the same age just in terms of experience and playing time.
"I could go on and on about the level of coaching at the lower levels, the lack of baskets that prevent players from practicing individual skills, the fact that good young players aren't encouraged to go study and play abroad, the fact that the year round schedule, and tournament schedules, prevents almost all players from even going to a basketball camp in the U.S. to acquire new skills and knowledge."
Well, this insider's comments explain what not to do -- that is, avoid doing what's been done for decades.
"Most Japanese basketball problems are systemic," he said. "Unless you change the system, in a country resistant to change, nothing will improve.
"Mini basketball is the foundation, but it mostly exists so the coaches can win tournaments. It's not a truly developmental level. For example, many youth leagues in the US are very age specific, limit the number per team, prohibit full court pressure (for all or most of the game), only allow man-to-man defense (or limited zone), and often require that everyone play 2 quarters per game, or something similar.
"Mini basketball in Japan however consists of large numbers per team, a big gap in ages, 2nd-graders on the same team as 6th-graders (so while they practice a lot, many kids never actually play in a game), and because almost everything is tournament style, the coaches always play the best players to try to win, the marginal players get little or no playing time, and pity the inexperienced team that has to face the full court press....
"And it becomes the same thing in junior high and high school, even college. Whereas a U.S. high school might have four teams, freshman, sophomore, JV, varsity, a school in Japan has one team. So many players practice, but never play in a real game. When this happens at every level, mini basketball, junior high, high school, and college, it's easy to see that many players who might have had potential are lost along the way. Even the good players are often a couple of years behind their American or European counterparts at the same age just in terms of experience and playing time.
"I could go on and on about the level of coaching at the lower levels, the lack of baskets that prevent players from practicing individual skills, the fact that good young players aren't encouraged to go study and play abroad, the fact that the year round schedule, and tournament schedules, prevents almost all players from even going to a basketball camp in the U.S. to acquire new skills and knowledge."
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