I
t seems like just a few weeks ago, we were welcoming Coach Ricardo Azevedo back to the US after an extended stay in Camogli, Italy where he was preparing players for advancement to the Italian National Teams and pretty much kicking the tails of other more experienced teams.
Well..he’s off again. Next stop CHINA, where Coach Azevedo has accepted the position of Head Coach of the Chinese Mens National Team. His first task will be to prepare for the continental qualifications for the Olympics where he faces Kazakhstan and Japan for the ticket to London next summer.
I was able to catch up with my friend as he was packing to leave and asked him to share a little of his outlook on the Land of Dragons and Emperors.
What a great experience for you- to take a team of good players and work them up to being Olympic contenders. What does the path to London look like? Do you have to qualify?
Its really an honor and a fantastic opportunity. I have already broken down film on their World Championships games and there is some serious talent; 2 centers at 6'6", lefty, veteran goalie. I believe they need some structure and tactical work but they have a lot of potential. I am looking forward to starting the job. As far as the London Olympics, our qualification is in January in Tokyo. The main contenders are Kazakhstan and Japan , both of whom finished ahead of China at this summer World Championship ,but the Chinese team was in till the end in most games ,so I am positive that we can make a run to qualifications and be successful.
We always think of the Chinese as being small but whenever I have seen them, they seem to have huge players. What is the average height and weight of the current team?
I have just received their roster and all pertinent info about 1 hour ago and we have 6 players over 6'5" and average 6'3" about 200lbs, so they are physically strong and fast. At the World Championships, they won all but 4 sprints, so should be fun group to work with.
What type of training will you be doing with the Chinese (how many hours a day)? Does the team get full support from their government?
As far as training, it’s more of less like the USA; between 6 to 8 hours each day, with breaks of course. We have set up common training with Serbia and Australia just to name a few. We are facing a very heavy schedule but contrary of the USA players, the Chinese players are funded 100% by their governing body, so it’s much easier for them not having to worry about rent, food, etc.
Where in China will you be training? Tell usabout the facilities.
Shanghai and Quanjou, the facilities were the ones used for this years World Championships. The facilities are beautiful and very efficient with Weights, video and all the other facilities you need for a world class team.
You already speak several languages and it always impresses the heck out of me when I hear you switch languages in mid sentence. How long do you think it will take to pick up Chinese?
That's a good question , I love languages as it gives me a better knowledge of its people. I have started working on my Mandarin and have the greetings down, now I am working on the water polo language. That's tough , will see.
Is this the first time in the history of water polo that a father will actually be coaching a team that will play against his own son in the Olympics? How does Tony feel about that?
First we have to qualify , so mentally, I am thinking only about Qualification Tournament. London is miles away in my priority list. My wife has asked the same question. I believe this will be the first time . Tony is very excited for me as are all the USA national team members.
I have seen a bit of material about the new SOS program you designed. Tell us a little about that and how players can contact someone to enroll in it?
I have had a lot of success with this training program. The last few years in Camogli , we placed 6 players in the Italian Junior program, including 4
on the youth team that won silver in the European Championships. Water Polo Development in the USA is at an all time low. Everywhere you look, you see faced with walk on coaches, nonexistent coaches certification, no coach training programs and lack of national clinic development are just a few of the problems leading to our disappointing finishes internationally this year. The SOS program is the start of a solution;
S.O.S concentrates on 16 hours of technique and instruction, with players receiving weight belts, shooting bands , wrist bars, water polo balls. Players take all of this equipment back and use it with their own program. SOS includes a coaches component that instruct coaches how to use these new techniques. The main plus of S.O.S is that is designed to complement regular training not substitute for it. Anyone interested in attending an SOS program or hosting one at their own pool can email me at azevedo.ricardo5@gmail.com . It’s very effective and affordable at less than $10 a hour including all equipment.
As always, we at Water Polo Planet wish Coach Azevedo the very best as he heads to China…well, maybe not the best (as in gold) but the best second place to the USA.
