Connect with us

SPORTS

“In Japan you don’t get so emaciated”

Published

1 week ago

on

By

Seine Spieler zeigten dabei genau jene Tugenden, für die der Trainer steht. Über eine aggressive Verteidigung forcierten sie 20 Münchner Ballverluste und schnappten sich 13 Offensiv-Rebounds. Das dadurch erarbeitete Plus an Wurfoptionen bildete die Grundlage für die Überraschung.

Täglich acht Stunden Japanisch

So gesehen, war es also ein typisches Spiel – und doch war es außergewöhnlich. Denn nach zwei Jahren in Japan stand der 56-Jährige wieder in einem Pflichtspiel für den Klub an der Seitenlinie, den er seit 2013 ununterbrochen betreut hat, bevor er sich 2022 für das Intermezzo in Asien entschied.

Eigentlich war Pa­trick zu diesem Zeitpunkt der Überzeugung, eine Pause zu benötigen. Japan war das erklärte Ziel für das Sabbatjahr, weil er bis dato 15 Jahre seines Lebens dort verbracht hatte. Das Sabbatical unter Freunden zu verbringen war eine einladende Vorstellung.

Als sich jedoch herumsprach, dass der dreimalige „Trainer des Jahres“ in der Bundesliga zurückkehren würde, flatterten ihm die ersten Angebote auf den Tisch. Der fünffache Vater zögerte und überlegte, unterschrieb aber dann bei jenem Verein, der vor mehr als 30 Jahren seine erste Station im Profibasketball gewesen war.

1991 stand Patrick nach Abschluss seiner College-Zeit an der Stanford University vor der Entscheidung, seine Spielerkarriere in Europa oder in Japan fortzusetzen. In Europa erwarteten die Klubs kompletten Fokus auf den Sport. Das war dem zu diesem Zeitpunkt 23-Jährigen aber zu eindimensional. Er ging nach Japan und büffelte in seinen ersten beiden Jahren täglich acht Stunden Japanisch, sodass ihn schon bald das Fernsehen als Kommentator für NBA-Spiele anwarb.

„Wir sind befreundet“

Die nordamerikanische Profiliga ist heute das große Vorbild für den japanischen Basketball. „Es geht in erster Linie um Unterhaltung. Japan kopiert die amerikanische Marketingmaschine“, sagt Patrick, der diese Entwicklung kritisch sieht. Er kann dem europäischen Ansatz, das Spiel anstelle des Rahmenprogramms in den Vordergrund zu stellen, deutlich mehr abgewinnen.

Interviews und die Erstellung von Youtube- oder Tiktok-Videos seien gefühlt wichtiger als das Training, sagt er. In den vergangenen Jahren ist der Hype massiv gewachsen. Profibasketball war in Japan noch nie populärer. Alle Spiele sind ausverkauft, sogar bei öffentlichen Trainings füllen Fans die Hallen.

READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Externer Inhalt von Youtube

Um externe Inhalte anzuzeigen, ist Ihre widerrufliche Zustimmung nötig. Dabei können personenbezogene Daten von Drittplattformen (ggf. USA) verarbeitet werden. Weitere Informationen .

A lot of money is paid, which also attracts former NBA players or the German world champion Johannes Thiemann, who signed with the Gunma Crane Thunders in July. The basis is high school basketball, which has been the most important sport for young people for decades.

Although John Patrick was also successful in his second term in Japan, he was drawn back to Germany: “I was happy in Japan, where I saw many old friends again. But now I’m happy to be back with my family.” In any case, only one year was planned, which was then followed by another year. During his time in Japan, the coach always remained involved in Ludwigsburg by helping with player selection or acting as a contact person for his former assistant and successor Josh King (“We are friends”).

Found his personal happiness

Now he is back and coaching his sons Johannes and Jacob again. Although there were two more trainers instead of a planned sabbatical, Patrick believes that he was able to recharge his batteries: “In Japan you don’t get so exhausted, there is less pressure.” Japan is also always present in Ludwigsburg. With Kenji Sato, who was coach of the year in his home country, “JP” lured an assistant from the Far East to Swabia.

Patrick’s current focus is entirely on his old and new tasks, but further involvement in Japan is fundamentally not ruled out. Just not in the short term, as the coach emphasizes. The country will always have a special place in his heart. After all, he also found his personal happiness there. His German wife Alexandra grew up in Japan and Patrick met her during his language courses.

The author is a two-time coach of the year in Germany.

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SPORTS

Rafael Nadal Announces Retirement: A Tribute to His Legendary Career and Impact on Tennis

Published

19 mins ago

on

October 10, 2024

By

The 38-year-old tennis icon has been injured during the final stages of his career, but played doubles with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz during last summer’s Olympics in Paris.

Now the career ends – but the plan is that this will only happen after the Davis Cup finals, which take place between November 19 and 24 in Málaga. Spain is there in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands.

In a video on X, Nadal says the following about the decision:

In life, everything has a beginning and an end.

– The truth is that there have been some difficult years, especially the last two. I don’t feel like I’ve been able to play without restrictions.

– It is obviously a difficult decision, which took me time to arrive at. But in life everything has a beginning and an end, and I feel this is the right time to end a career that has been long and so much more successful than I could have ever imagined.

Rafael Nadal has long, along with players like Swiss Roger Federer and Serbian Novak Djokovic, dominated tennis. The Spaniard has a total of 92 ATP titles to his credit.

Two of tennis’ giants in the 21st century: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Photo: Lionel Cironneau/AP

– I feel so lucky for all the things I have been able to experience, he states.

The 38-year-old missed almost all of 2023 due to hip problems. This year, the Spaniard has only been in one of four grand slam tournaments, and then (in the French Championships) it was an exit in the first round.

So Nadal’s plan is to complete his career in just over a month, in Spain in particular.

– I am very much looking forward to my last tournament being the Davis Cup, and to being able to represent my country, he says. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

– It feels like the circle is closing, because one of my first big moments as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004 (where a teenage Nadal defeated the American Andy Roddick).

An 18-year-old Rafael Nadal celebrates the Davis Cup title, in December 2004. Photo: Jasper Juinen/AP

Facts.Rafael Nadal

Born: 3 June 1986 (age 38), in Manacor.

Became a professional: 2001.

Grand slam-facit: 14 titles in the French Championships (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022), four titles in the US Open (2010, 2013, 2017, 2018). 9), two titles at Wimbledon (2008, 2010) and two titles at the Australian Open (2009, 2010).

Total ATP titles: 92, of which 63 on gravel.

Current: Announced on Thursday that he is ending his career.

(TT).

Show more