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Coach with 'great commander syndrome' becomes immersed in coding

Coach with 'great commander syndrome' becomes immersed in coding

Posted January. 29, 2024 07:46,   

Updated January. 29, 2024 07:46

한국어

When professional sports coaches are dismissed, they often opt for overseas training, claiming they'll "fill in what they're lacking" and return stronger. Yet, it's uncertain how beneficial it is to return after living as a 'bystander' in a foreign-speaking place. Perhaps a more candid reason is the need for time and space to restore pride bruised during the dismissal process. In other words, they embark on a journey to heal from "great commander syndrome."

In the realm of professional volleyball, former Hyundai Capital coach Choi Tae-woong suffered from it most severely. The initial diagnosis of his character came from none other than reporter Hwang Gyu-in, known for his work on 'At Gwanghwamun.' Proudly boasting that I know his "great commander syndrome" that well, I recently met with him after he had secluded himself for over a month following his dismissal on Dec. 21 of last year. I asked him how he was managing his "great commander syndrome."

Knowing that he tends to choose unconventional paths, I expected him not to bring up stories of overseas training. Yet, I was surprised when he revealed, "I'm learning how to code," Choi elaborated. "Even during my coaching tenure, I dedicated spare moments to studying coding. Now, with ample time on my hands, I aim to delve deeper into it and integrate coding skills into volleyball strategy planning."

Upon hearing this story, I recalled his habit of solving middle school math workbooks since his appointment in 2015. "Redoing math might aid in data analysis," he explained with a chuckle. “It's embarrassing and awkward, but fortunately, we had a front desk employee who was good at math, so I learned by bothering them diligently.”

Drawing from this analysis, he diverged from conventional strategies. While other teams utilized two players in the Libero position, a defensive specialist role was typically filled by one or developed a distinct 'one-point serve specialist' deployed as a closing pitcher for each set. Intriguingly, this innovative tactic has now evolved into the 'new normal' in professional volleyball. It means that his tactics proved successful. Under Choi's guidance, Hyundai Capital, the 'second-place team of all time,' clinched championship trophies twice.

The problem was that the fixation on what others don't do bred toxicity. As a result, he couldn't evade the logic prevalent in the world of professional sports: "There are only coaches who have already been sacked and those who will be sacked in the future." The fact that Hyundai Capital, last season's runner-up team, was barely avoiding last place as the season approached a turning point was reason enough for his dismissal. Despite his tenure yielding only four wins (13 losses), the team embarked on a remarkable 5-game winning streak immediately following his departure. To deny any correlation between these outcomes and his “syndrome” would be disingenuous.

In my decade-long tenure covering sports, I've observed a recurring pattern: not all leaders afflicted with this syndrome evolve into great commanders, but all great commanders exhibit signs of this syndrome. Success hinges on effectively managing these symptoms; those who do ascend to mastery, while those who falter remain trapped by the syndrome's grip. I ponder whether former director Choi's coding pursuit could render his syndrome more manageable.