“Park Jung-ah missing, but not weak”…defending champion warns of hell training, says goal for this year is ‘normal’

“When a coach lowers his goals, the players become weaker.”

Kim Jong-min, 48, the head coach of Korea Expressway Corporation, signed a three-year contract on March 22. The club did not disclose a specific amount, but said it was the “메이저사이트best deal ever. If he completes his contract and stays until 2026, he will have served 10 years, setting a new record for the longest tenure in the women’s game (previously nine years).

The Roadrunners finished atop the championship standings with a ‘reverse sweep’ last season. They won the title again. “I’m not saying I feel good, but I’m thinking about how to build this team,” Kim said.

“I lived in Gimcheon for a long time, and I thought about whether it was right,” she said, “but I chose to re-sign because the team needed me, and I know the team and the players well.” “There is talk of ‘more of the same’ volleyball, but I think it’s a coach’s job to build a team that can win. I will continue to work on maximizing our team’s strengths and minimizing our weaknesses.”

After last season, key players such as Park Jung-ah (Pepper Savings Bank) and Jung Dae-young (GS Caltex) became free agents and left the team. The team was joined by younger players such as Ko Eui-jeong (23), Choi Ga-eun (22), and Park Eun-ji (19).

“There will be difficulties with Go Eui-jeong because she has only been with the team for a few days,” Kim said, “so practice matches are important to minimize that and find her strengths.”

Regarding Park Eun-ji, he said, “I think she has some introverted parts.” “She is a young player and an expected setter. I hope she talks more and stays cheerful.”

The Roadrunners began training in Japan from the 28th of last month until the 9th of this month. “As a coach, the goal is always the highest,” Kim said at the Torei Arena in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, on the first day. “I hate losing the most, so I hope the players will show a lot of competitive spirit.”

On June 6, Incheon’s Samsan World Gymnasium hosted the championship match between Heungkuk Life and Korea Expressway Corporation for the new V-League Women’s Division. Korea Expressway Corporation coach Kim Jong-min watches the game. Incheon=Song Jung-heon 기자[email protected]/2023.04.06/
It’s their first training camp in five years, so there are high expectations. “The players always train in the same environment, so I thought it was essential for them to train in a different environment,” Kim said. “I want them to see and feel the sophistication and skill of the Japanese players. You don’t get better just by repeating training, you have to feel and succeed, and I think ‘seeing’ is important for that.”

Regarding foreign player Vanya Vukiric, he said, “He exceeded my expectations,” adding, “He is positive, integrates quickly, and is willing to learn more. He hasn’t been in Korea for long, but he is very adaptable,” Kim said. “I think training and practice games are very important because she is a young player and hasn’t played a lot of professional games,” Kim said, adding, “There is still a little bit of overlap, but it’s something that will be settled in the training process.”

“I don’t think our team is that weak, and I don’t think we’re that strong, even though we’re missing (Park) Jung-ah and (Jung) Dae-young,” Kim pointed out.

What they lack, they’ll make up for with “hell of a training program. “At the end of the day, it’s about how the players do what I want them to do. There will be a tough training process,” he said, adding, “If I lower my goals, the players will be weaker. As a coach, the goal is always the highest,” he emphasized.