Major events in 2023:
VNL (May 30 - July 16): no thread yet
Olympic Qualifiers (September 16 - 24) -- Draw comes out on 2022 December 19: 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Asian Games (Sept 29 - October 7): no thread yet
Leagues:
CVL (Nov 10 - Jan 17): Chinese Female Superleague 2022/2023 (with 2022 Chinese National Championship)
Italian (regular season: Oct 23 - Apr 9): Italy - Serie A1 2022/23
The head coach of China, Cai Bin, is exactly where he belongs in this picture.
Display MoreMajor events in 2023:
VNL (May 30 - July 16)
Olympic Qualifiers (September 16 - 24) -- Draw comes out on 2022 December 19
Asian Games (Sept 29 - October 7)
The head coach of China, Cai Bin, is exactly where he belongs in this picture.
He was there....he's the one who took the photo. And it's a pretty good shot so at least he's good at something 
He was there....he's the one that took the photo. And it's a pretty good shot so at least he's good at something
He should be permanently quarantined in Shanghai.
I have arrived, my fellow Chinatown peeps 
Man, I can't wait for next year's international tournaments. It feels like it all ended so quickly this year.
When's the CVL starting? Are any of the players going to play outside of China?
I have arrived, my fellow Chinatown peeps
Man, I can't wait for next year's international tournaments. It feels like it all ended so quickly this year.
When's the CVL starting? Are any of the players going to play outside of China?
CVL starts Nov 10, Zhu is playing in Italian league, LYY is rumored to go abroad for the second half of Turkish league.
CVL starts Nov 10, Zhu is playing in Italian league, LYY is rumored to go abroad for the second half of Turkish league.
It'll be interesting to watch her play again, although I won't be staying for the 2:30AM matches 
Guess I'll keep my VBTV subscription for another month
I hope the rumours are true and LYY does go abroad 
I have arrived, my fellow Chinatown peeps
Man, I can't wait for next year's international tournaments. It feels like it all ended so quickly this year.
When's the CVL starting? Are any of the players going to play outside of China?
we also have a CVL thread:
Chinese Female Superleague 2022/2023 (with 2022 Chinese National Championship)
Swing by when you’re free
He was there....he's the one who took the photo. And it's a pretty good shot so at least he's good at something
He should be permanently quarantined in Shanghai.
Bet you he was here. Or Jiangsu.
Bet you he was here. Or Jiangsu.
Problem is we could be talking about it, but if the people who hired him don’t do anything we could be stuck with him till Paris 2024 (if we get that far with him in charge !)
Ditto for his situation in Jiangsu....Compare this with the bosses at Tianjin....didn’t take them long to get Chen Youquan replaced, when they ended up runner-up to Beijing in 2018/19 iirc...
and what about Lai Yawen as head coach? I dont know why she retired as asistant but as she was so long in NT wouldn´t she be a good choice?
Display MoreThoughts on the team going into 2023:
OH: not worried. Would like to see Zhuang Yushan, Wang Yifan and hope they can fight for 3rd/4th outside with Wang Yunlu. (nothing against Wu Mengjie, just feel she's a little fragile...)
OPP: 6 years and still no backup for Gong... I don't really see Zhou Yetong getting to that level, and the entire playing style will have to change.
L: not worried about Wang Mengjie, hope <certain fans> don't start any nonsense
S: I still think it should be Ding Xia and Yao Di. Not opposed to a new setter. MB: players need to rotate more, and coaching philosophy needs to change. can Yan Ni join the coaching staff?
head coach: Would like to see An Jiajie instead. he wasn't a complete idiot in the 2017 VNL or WGCC...
Additional thoughts: A Better Training System
(You can skip this essay if you want LOL)
We have a lot of solid players at the moment, but as always, it's important to think forward. One contribution of Lang Ping's that still lasts until now, in my humble opinion, is the players she nurtured from youth, such as Li Ying Ying, Yuan Xin Yue, and others.
Good players take time to bloom and realise their potential, and while it is possible to improve in a short period of time (just as Wang Yun Lu did between VNL and WC), it's not very reliable or effective because real people are not like anime players: they need to gradually improve and have a strong foundation of skills before they can really become a consistent and healthy monster on court. Granted you will have star exceptions like Zhu Ting, but those come once in a generation, and we can't wait for a superstar to come out of nowhere.
Hence, statistically, we shouldn't aim to create ONE monster player, but a whole roster of STRONG players. And ideally, to do that, we should condition our seniors to protect their fitness and health while looking at the potential of our youngsters and nuturing them to reach their highest potential possible.
All of these things take time, and imo, the CVL and NT body should really consider investing in a strong training system that focuses on both current and future, potential players. Whatever training philosophy they have, they should consider reassessing and revamping it. If certain issues keep occurring (you see players constantly taping themselves up, the swinging techniques, the jump landings that are very worrisome), it's time to look deep into yourself to know what is REALLY the problem. Focus on CONSISTENCY, LONGEVITY, and TEAM SPIRIT.
When we're in the moment, when our faces are right at the canvas of the painting, it's easy to say that if we change this player to another player, we'll have a better defense. It's also easy to say that if we change this coach to another coach, we'll have better strategies. But ultimately, it's not only the INDIVIDUAL PARTS themselves that cause the problem, it's the SYNERGY of the WHOLE SYSTEM that makes the true difference.
While there is no international competition, the focus of the NT should be on improving the big picture. This is, in my humblest opinion, probably one of the subtle reasons why the NT under Lang Ping was successful (although I give benefit of the doubt because we don't know the entire inner workings of the NT and its coaching team etc).
1) Better strength and conditioning programmes for the athletes that focus on consistent, gradual improvements to improve the overall fitness and longevity of the players
2) Better scouting system that looks for REAL potential based on ACTUAL results (I can't stress enough how detrimental the behind-the-scenes politicking can be...)
3) A training philosophy that is consistent, adaptive, and wholistic - see every aspect as connected to one big picture instead of seeing each aspects in isolation with others
4) Have a good mix of experienced, senior players and young, new players - the juniors can learn from the seniors' experience and guidance and act as good back-up players in case of injuries and etc
5) Let players go outside of China and play in different leagues, with their different styles and systems - very good learning experience for them and you reap plenty of advantages.
My thoughts are kind of jumbled up but I hope this kind of made sense. Thank you for reading to the end of this essay
P/S: Cai Bin still has to go. He has shown inflexibility and a lack of ability to adapt effectively during sets, with some questionable strategies. After watching the team play for two international competitions, I still can't grasp his coaching style or "philosophy" (if he has a cohesive one)
Stumbled upon some old Yang Fangxu highlights and even with her injured leg her athleticism was a step ahead than Chen Peiyan currently. Both are lefties, but Yang could receive, her defense was better, block/attack height was higher, and even her arm swing was faster.
Waiting for someone to offer support for Gong so she can have rest days and not have to play through injury. 
One contribution of Lang Ping's that still lasts until now, in my humble opinion, is the players she nurtured from youth, such as Li Ying Ying, Yuan Xin Yue, and others.
I think one of Lang Ping's legacies is the fitting in tall players while keeping Chinese NT style specifically their abilities in reception and back-row defense. But now all we care about is height height height without regard to technical abilities or talent.
Stumbled upon some old Yang Fangxu highlights and even with her injured leg her athleticism was a step ahead than Chen Peiyan currently. Both are lefties, but Yang could receive, her defense was better, block/attack height was higher, and even her arm swing was faster.
Sadly, she's banished from the NT after that doping incident that was internally discovered. Technically she's unbanned, but ... the return is not happening.
I think one of Lang Ping's legacies is the fitting in tall players while keeping Chinese NT style specifically their abilities in reception and back-row defense. But now all we care about is height height height without regard to technical abilities or talent.
Sadly, she's banished from the NT after that doping incident that was internally discovered. Technically she's unbanned, but ... the return is not happening.
Tall OH Han Wenya (Henan) wondering why she wasn't invited. 
It was probably hard to accept that she could no longer keep that the same level due to injuries and so doping was the only way to continue playing, but unfortunately it left an ugly impression on her career.
@cai bin if you're still here in 2023 (hopefully not), lets try to see some of this in the national team ok?
and don't forget this one. 
王音迪 is also very good ...
Wang Yindi..
Clip is rather long....jump to 1:20 and 1:30 to see what she is capable of, at just 16 y.o.
