The month of June started with a hike at Longquan mountain, just outside of Chengdu.
The mountain, which ended up being more of a glorified hill, was peaceful and provided excellent vantages of the Sichuan countryside.
It was a nice first hike to get my feet wet, but there are a number of more rigorous treks further out in the province that I have planned for future months.
Continue reading “KARL BARKLEY’S CHINA BASKETBALL ADVENTURES: June 2018”
This month I welcomed a new roommate to Chengdu (Nathan) and said goodbye to two others (Zeb and Tyler). Before the latter could return home to Queen and country, Nathan and I made sure to give them a proper English send off.
First, we joined in on Chengdu’s British Day celebrations. The festivities coincided with the Royal Wedding and included great food, a few games of Tug-of-War, and a friendly water balloon fight.
Later that week we all went to the China v. England U19 soccer game. Although England ended up losing the game on a late breakaway goal, the matchup felt like a poetic ending to Tyler and Zeb’s time in China.
Continue reading “KARL BARKLEY’S PSB CHINA BASKETBALL ADVENTURES: May 2018”
Chinese basketball fans have long been a target audience for the NBA.
In the late eighties, the league sent VHS highlight tapes to Chinese state media (CCTV) to broadcast to free of charge.
Now fans can stream the Finals on almost any device, without a single yuan (元) leaving their pocket.
This accessibility to content is a hallmark of the league’s strategy in China and has fueled Chinese basketball fans’ love for the game. But, the NBA understands that it has to do more than let people watch – it has to teach them how to play.
The league took a large step towards this goal in 2014 when it launched a comprehensive program in cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Education.
Continue reading “NBA ACADEMIES & THE GROWTH OF CHINESE BASKETBALL”
April is in the books and with it a lot of new developments for myself and my PSB China basketball adventures. I continued working with students at Golden Apple Middle School (金苹果中学), and began a number of new classes around Chengdu.
When I was not working I sampled more of the local Sichuan cuisine, visited Beijing with my roommates, and started taking Mandarin Chinese lessons.
The month started out well with an office outing to a traditional Sichuan Hot Pot (四川火锅) restaurant. The meal is famous for a simultaneously spicy and numbing sensation caused by the local Sichuan peppercorn.
It is a bizarre feeling, but the flavor wins out and leaves you wanting to try more. The outing was a hit with our group and seemed just as enjoyable for the amused restaurant goers seated nearby watching us deal with the heat.
Continue reading “KARL BARKLEY’S CHINA BASKETBALL ADVENTURES: April 2018”
In the United States it is commonplace for a basketball player to have a variety of coaches over the course of their career.
Recreational, AAU, and school coaches each bring unique styles or techniques that, in combination, foster a deeper understanding of the game.
In China, the majority of youth basketball players do not get a comparable level of exposure to different coaching methods.
Instead, they often encounter basketball as a part of their school PE curriculum, where drills rarely venture beyond the development of basic skills like dribbling and passing.
As a result, the potential benefits of training with specialized basketball coaches, particularly those from other countries, can be profound.
Here are 3 reasons why youth basketball coaches are needed in China!
Continue reading “3 REASONS WHY YOUTH BASKETBALL COACHES ARE NEEDED IN CHINA”