Ho Fung College (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen)

21/05/2020

Diversification leads to unlimited possibilities

Ho Fung College has always encouraged teachers and students to strive for all-round development in order to balance students’ academic and extracurricular activities. This year, Mike Li Chun-yin, a teacher who is also responsible for the school football team, and Issac Lau Yiu-pak, an full-time coach, joined the JC School Football Development Scheme in the hopes of understanding the overseas training format so that they might achieve a breakthrough in their traditional training methods and revitalise their way of football training. This could benefit all of the students and players.

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  Mike (second from right), an old boy from Ho Fung College who is now a teacher, and Issac (first from left), an outsourced coach, are bringing the JC School Football Development Scheme to the school to let the students enjoy an overseas training model.

Give up the old ways and welcome in the new

A graduate of Ho Fung College, Mike was very enthusiastic about football when he was young. Although he suffered a serious ligament injury, he still kept his love for football alive; and after he recovered, he participated in football activities from time to time. He doesn’t claim to be an official coach because he has not obtained any coaching certificates. The trainings he observed and hosted previously were all run the same way. It wasn’t until last year when he joined the overseas football school programme that things began to change. Mike said: “Local training patterns are solid and basic. Coaches follow a pre-set format during training and the players achieve a certain standard. The European training methods have no such guidelines. They have more room, and their training methods are less restrictive. The players are allowed more freedom to play with the ball.”

Issac, who holds an AFC C License and Fustal Coaching License, also believes that the local training pattern is skewed towards being more traditional. He said: “Many coaches use formal training methods because they have fewer coaches and more players. As a result, most of the players end up with the same style and mentality but not enough diversity.” Mike and Issac believe that the overseas training style incorporates more creativity and flexibility, which benefits individual training and the growth of young players.

East and west models offer totally different experiences

Through attending the scheme’s theoretical and practical sessions, Mike and Issac were able to try the overseas training methods, and this led Mike to confess that he had had a breakthrough on his coaching attitudes and techniques. “OB (Christopher O’Brien, Manchester United Soccer Schools Hong Kong Head Coach) hosted the class, and it was fun and I really enjoyed it,” Mike explained. “Even if we made a mistake, he just laughed and let it go. He let us relax and enjoy the session. His way is worth emulating.”

Issac added: “Most of the local teachers and coaches focus on detecting and correcting players’ mistakes. But OB did it the other way around – he showed his appreciation for what the players were doing well. This helped to build their confidence.” What they both learnt from the scheme was to make good use of the football. The ball could be used to create a variety of training exercises, which could be more effective than their usual methods.

Never ending encouragement gives students the confidence to face challenges

Form 2 student Kwok Tsz-yin attended the inter-school friendly matches. He frankly admitted that he was happy to meet the players from other schools. “The pitch is small, and even the goal is small. But the pace is fast and exciting. I can learn from other players and see more.” He also expressed that OB encourages him when he faces challenges in training or during matches. “OB gives appropriate encouragement at the right time. This has improved my self-confidence and motivated me to do better.” He added that Mike and Issac are good teachers and coaches. They also provide counselling from time to time to let him understand his strengths and weaknesses so that he could see what the problems are and improve.

Extracurricular activities reveal potential

Siu Chi-sun, the principal of Ho Fung College, supports the diversified development of students and encourages Form 1 students to participate in a sport and take up a musical instrument, whether it be football or basketball or even rock music. “Academics are only part of students’ lives. Joining a team sport such as football enables them to learn to communicate and collaborate with others, as well as cultivate team spirit which might useful after their school days are over. They can take a break from their busy lives and train their bodies through playing sports.”

Principal Siu also shared that his eldest son is a graduate of Ho Fung College, and that he developed an interest in basketball by joining the school team. Out of school for more than three years, his son still enjoys playing basketball with his friends from time to time. In addition to the advantages gained by the students, Principal Siu revealed that the Scheme is also a good opportunity for both teachers to further their studies. “The Scheme is hosted by a senior overseas coach,” he explained. “Our teachers and coaches can therefore learn a new method of training, while increasing their knowledge and broadening their horizons. This shows how effective “train the trainers” can be, and I hope that they will learn the training techniques and will know how to train the players properly.”

Finding the best way to draw on strengths and weaknesses

Having learnt the overseas football training method and philosophy, Mike and Issac feel that their horizons have been broadened. Although it was difficult to adopt the whole training system, they are able to apply some of the methods to their daily training. Issac said: “Resource allocation is always an issue. In Hong Kong, a coach always trains a group of 20 players. But overseas, six to seven coaches take care of one group of players. And they have sufficient equipment for training. With reference to the Scheme, we make use of the space we have at school by setting up for several interesting training zones. Students can also show their talent and creativity. From our point of view, that achieves something!”

Mike adopts OB’s way and mentality of training as his foundation and then modifies according to local students’ characteristics to come up with his own way of training. “My method of training is relaxed and fun. I show appreciation to those who perform well, while correcting those who make mistakes privately to allow them to face their weaknesses in a positive manner. Some Hong Kong students will be spoiled if you show them too much appreciation. We need to strike a balance.”

The two teachers hope that through the programme’s teaching methods and philosophy, the students of Ho Fung College can discover their purpose in football or other pursuits, and have a better handle on their own life goals. “The path of being a student or a player should not be determined by the coach. Let them think about what kind of person and player they want to be. As teachers, we should help them to move towards their goals.”