Basketball Training Experience
   
 

1) Basic Basketball Training

The transformation of the Deaf Women's Basketball Team members from rookie players to players that could represent the country within a short time was only possible because of the strict and solid training by the coaches. We were therefore very fortunate to experience the "three great meals" as so-called in the book about the training. With high anticipations, we arrived at the gymnasium of Oriental Institute of Technology in Pan-chiao District, where Ms. Pi-yun Teng and Ms. Pi-cheng Teng, the basketball team's coaches, greeted us smilingly, thus began our special basketball training with them as our teachers.

Under the lead of Ms. Teng, we experienced the routine training of the Deaf Women's Basketball Team, which included drills such as full-court sprint, dribbling and layup, three-player passing drill, three-player pass layups, etc. It did not take more than 20 minutes before everyone was so exhausted and breathless. Next, we were divided into groups to compete, during which process we realized that basketball is a team sport, hence the importance of cooperation between players.

After this activity, we admire the professional basketball players even more because we realize they train so hard for their success. This is especially true for the Deaf Women's Basketball Team players. They are great examples of people who put in efforts and hard work to accumulate strength. Hope they will achieve good results in the 2017 Turkey Deaflympics!

         
   
     
 
     

 

2) Reflections on the Basketball Training

       
   

Liang-ying’s reflection

I was honored to have the famous Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng as my coaches in the basketball training experience which took place in the gymnasium of Oriental Institute of Technology. Perhaps because I had watched the documentary film about the Deaf Women's Basketball Team, I found the coaches surprisingly familiar when I met them. They were very warm and friendly. But the moment they stepped onto the court to demonstrate the movements, they were as quick and agile as any men. This led me to believe that I can do it too!

When it was our turn, we practiced drills such as suicide running, suicide running with layups, passing with layups, and shooting the baskets. I worked hard on every drill until my face turned red and my body drenched with sweat. Although my movements were awkward due to my unfamiliarity with the sport, I kept on trying under the coaches' continuous encouragement. The special training ended in a game, during which I realized the importance of teamwork between players in a team. Thanks to this experience, I become more aware of the hardships that the Deaf Women's Basketball Team has to go through in the process of training. I also acquire a deeper admiration for their spirit of perseverance.

 

 
 

En-chi’s reflection

On the Sunday that was set up for the interview, I came to the gymnasium of Oriental Institute of Technology in Pan-chiao District full of anticipation in my heart. Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng greeted me with smiles on their face. Behind the smile, however, I can see their confidence and commitment. In basketball training experience after the interview, I found the coaches very energetic rather than stern. However, I also found the suicide running drill of "123321" as tough as it was described in the book "Rookies, Fly Faster", because I was breathless after only two such runs. I was therefore forced to have a little taste of the hardships that the Deaf Women's Basketball Team went through in the trainings and realized how difficult it was to win an international championship.

At the end of the training, all the boys and girls joined together to play a game in a spirit of cooperation and unity. During the game, I was surprised to find that I was good at getting the rebounds. Maybe it was because of my height. "No pain, no gain." Before one could succeed, they have to first put in the hard work. There is no such thing as a free lunch. I think this is true for everything.

 

Hsuan-yun’s reflection

   

"If you see yourself as a crow, you will never become a phoenix." Even if it's just a small movement, it might have to take hundreds of practices before a player could get it right for once. Even if faced with great difficulties, do not give up. Instead, just set a goal and work hard toward it without ever stopping. This experiential learning activity has opened my eyes to the reason behind the success of the Deaf Women's Basketball Team. That is, the players of the team have made relentless efforts in order to achieve their goals despite of the difficulties, thus building the path toward success.

"Believe in the coaches, believe in your teammates and most importantly, believe in yourself." During this activity, I was deeply struck by the fact that basketball is a team sport, instead of an individual show, since it is impossible to win a game simply relying on the skills of a certain person. In this basketball training experience, I felt the motivation behind the players' hard work even if they were exhausted. That was because every movement of an individual player would influence the team as a whole. The success of every game did not only call for excellent individual skills, but rather for good rapport between the team members. I also learned that every success is the result of hard work.

 

Ting-yu’s reflection

   
Today, I interviewed the coaches and learned to play basketball with them. The coaches told us that although the players were often exhausted from the training, they would continue with the hard work in order to achieve their dreams. After sharing these stories with us, we were thrown into intense basketball training. The coaches taught us to shoot, to move and ordered us to practice suicide runs. After only two runs, we were so tired and dizzy and needed a moment to recover. Thanks to this training, I was able to experience the hardships of being a player. The mere thought that they have to go through so many physical trainings every time makes me realize how remarkable they are.

The experience today also reminded me of something that my father likes to say: one has to be "physically, mentally and skillfully" prepared if she/he wants to learn anything well. Applying this statement to Deaf Women’s Basketball Team, their spirit of perseverance is the mental part, their solid efforts in the training for the purpose of improving physical strength is the physical part, and their tacit understanding on the court, their teamwork and relentless efforts are the skill part. Only when one is "physically, mentally and skillfully" prepared could they play to their best and even exceed their limits to complete the tasks and achieve their dream.

 

Yun-jui’s reflection

   
On Sunday afternoon, we interviewed Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng, the famous twin basketball coaches in Taiwan, under whose leadership the Chinese Taipei Deaf Women’s Basketball Team won the champion in the 2014 DIBF Asia Pacific Cup. The coaches shared with us the difficulties they encountered along the way, the hardest of which was the communication with the hearing-impaired players and called for greater love and patience. In addition, they also needed to overcome problems concerning funding and training time, etc. It was really not an easy task!

Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng also let us experience the intense routine training of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team including drill such as "123454321", which was not simply counting numbers, but layups after suicide running. We also practiced three-player passing drill, three-player push pass and layups, etc. It did not take more than 20 minutes before everyone was breathless. However, as the coaches told us, basic movements are the key to the success of a game. That’s why one third of the training time has to be spent on that. They also told me that teamwork is of vital importance to basketball and that I should bear this in mind if I want to be a good basketball player.

 

Yun-han’s reflection

   
We interviewed the famous twin basketball coaches, Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng, under whose guidance the Chinese Taipei Deaf Women’s Basketball Team has transformed itself from a quite weak team to a team so powerful as to win the champion in the 2014 DIBF Asia Pacific Cup and is now ranked as the best team in Asia. The two coaches explained to us patiently the skills of dribbling and layups, basic movements of passing the ball and physical training such as suicide runs. Thanks to the selfless sharing of the coaches, I tried to take in the knowledge as much as I can, and during the process I fully experienced the hardships and efforts of a basketball player.

Ms. Teng told us: "defense" and "physical strength" are the indestructible rules of success in basketball. That’s why the players must spend a lot of time in getting the basic movements right. It was then I realized that behind the fantastic basketball skills of NBA stars, it was built on the basis of solid training. This was also true for the Deaf Women's Basketball Team members. The coaches also emphasized another key point: basketball is a team sport. Only when every player work hard in a down-to-earth manner and cooperate fully with one another could they succeed.

 

 
 

Fu-en’s reflection

It was such an exceptional honor for us to be able to visit the place where the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team is trained at, and undertake a special training by two national coaches, Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng. The experience was just so special! We experienced the devilish training that the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team had spent so much time on and witnessed with our own eyes what they did in these trainings. We practiced such drills as the "123454321" full-court sprint, dribbling and layups, three-player passing drill etc. and played a game in groups. After these practices, I was so exhausted. It was then I realized that they had to work several times harder than average people in order to play in the national team. It’s really admirable!

The most difficult drill in the training was pass and move, which was for a player to pass the ball while running alongside with other players. It was a drill that required great focus and rapport between the team members. The most interesting practice was of course play in groups. Once we began to play, I felt this was not just an experiential activity, but a real game. During the process, I learned not only basketball skills, but also realized that in order to win a basketball game, all the players need to work together and help each other. Teamwork matters more than the basketball skills of individual players. This experience was both rewarding and meaningful. I hope we will get to have other experiences in the future!

 

 
 

Chieh-ting’s reflection

Today, I came to the gymnasium of Oriental Institute of Technology very excitedly, because I was to interview the souls of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team: Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng. Another highlight of the day would be the physical training. During the interview, the coaches answered our questions one by one at great length with smiles on their faces, and shared with us the operations of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team, and their training methods. I was very happy that I managed to obtain some first-hand information in addition to my previous research.

After the interview, Ms. Teng led us to experience the daily physical training routine of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team. First, we played a basketball game. After a hard fight, our team secured 3-1 win. However, the physical training made us so exhausted and out of breath. Hence, I developed a heartfelt admiration for the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team. It required a lot of persistence and team spirit to endure such devilish training. All of us learned a lot from today's activity while having fun.
 
Basketball Torch Team, Taipei Fuhsing Private School, Taiwan © 2016 Cyber Fair
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