Image- I also really liked the Chinese poet LiBai’s “Quiet Night Thoughts” that I learned throughout my first years spent here in China with a former student.
Our daily health is strongly correlated with exercise—sports and activities that keep us fit. Over the hundreds of activities in the sports field, Tennis has been a sport of high popularity over recent decades, as we follow the greatest tennis players of every region of the world. As the majority of our population’s attention is attracted by the intense matches of the world-famous athletes, the coaches behind their outstanding performance has been a great factor. I have interviewed a Japanese tennis and fitness coach, Hikaru Sakida, currently working behind the training of the Chinese national tennis team to find out the story behind his dedication into coaching for a foreign country of his liking.
Tennis and fitness by heart:
Backing up to the origin of Sakida’s journey in China, he was first touched with his tennis career during school life. The man first found a job after graduation, yet it was not something of his favor: “I quit that job to do what I love: begin focusing on fitness and tennis training and becoming a coach” Sakida expressed with passion, “Tennis coaches fill the numerous tennis courts of Japan; thus, I wanted to be a different one—a fitness coach who plays tennis.” He always held a passion and love for tennis, as playing it has also brought Sakida satisfaction and happiness. This mindset in his heart set his firm path, as coming to China became a complement to his career.
At last starting from the age of 16, Sakida began working as a coach, since it is not as demanding for a young man while also a job that involves a great part of his interests.
Variation in Students:
Continuing on his career, Sakida has been engaged with both Japanese and Chinese students from the time he embarked on this road. He also shared an interesting view upon his coaching experiences over the two countries: “Students that I have taught between China and Japan have contrasting personalities, where Japanese children tend to be smaller in shape and Chinese students are bolder and advanced in coordination. The Chinese enjoy taking private classes for study to gain a more targeted learning, whereas the Japanese feel more motivation within a group class.” These varied customs of Sakida’s students has also contributed to his experience as a coach, improving his coaching abilities as well. Moreover, he has also importance of how the contrasting cultures of Japan and China was reflected through a simple sport, as Sakida has learned the value of each group of students he has been with. That being said, the coach claimed that he, personally, enjoys coaching classes consisting of 4-6 students.
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In addition to his own favor, he has also realized an essential part of each individual student: “I also hold the value that no matter from what country, students are all my students. They all can be the one shining out of others, as long as they are willing to communicate and learn with me, improving together.”
Greatness within numerous struggles: Life in the beginning
Life in China could contrast greatly as that of living in Japan, for Sakida too, in some aspects. Transferring life to China beginning 2014, the majority of locals accepted foreigners directly, so it wasn’t as difficult for a man like him. Everyone was offering help, and experiences where Sakida was insulted or mistreated were only few. However, changes in terms of daily customs has been a challenge in his life, where Japanese citizens have a greatly contrasting way of living than the Chinese. When Sakida was firs exposed to life in Beijing, Chinese habits were completely a new stage for him, with numerous difficulties in terms of language. Unease did find its way through him as a Japanese too. The man unfamiliar to the new country told of his struggles, “Taxi drivers avoid the short route when carrying me, and even worse, I was once let out of a taxi because of my Japanese identity. People also gave e fake money in exchange, even at the bank.” With turbulent first years in China, Sakida did strike obstacles in addition to the smooth acceptance.
Along the same lines, communication habits has also been a struggle to Sakida for quite a while. Sakida first mentioned how he has a high respect towards the quality of the Japanese; contrastingly, the cultural and personal quality of each individual in China varies, so communicating with some people of a relatively lower quality has been an mental obstacle to him at first. Altogether, the Chinese culture may not value a social distance when communicating as much as the Japanese culture, which has brought some tensions of struggles among Sakida when speaking with some locals. He explained for this reason, “Because the majority of my values were mainly developed throughout my life in Japan, the tendency to be respectful of everyone’s communicating space sets a gap between the way the Chinese do.”
Despite difficulties that lighted some discomfort, Sakida addressed that most people he encountered accepted and enjoyed spending time with him, therefore the man decided to stay in Beijing since then.
Those aside him:
Tracking back to Sakida’s first times in China, challenges did accompany him, but as well as people support.
When I asked Sakida about this topic, he shared an individual that contributed to much of his success: “I attempted in creating my own company in 2014-2015, beginning to find myself into independent life in Beijing; yet as a new foreigner, I had no idea how. One major support was from a Chinese consultant of mine—with him covering for organizing my files, handling visas, and going through formalities.” This became big step forward into Sakida’s own tennis career, and thus his success had a great correlation with his amazing consultant.
Furthermore, the coach also adjusted deeper into this Chinese community within eight years of arrival. As he fulfilled his personal relationship within a Chinese woman, this has greatly improved Sakida’s Chinese skills as well as increased his knowledge of the Chinese culture. He claimed how gaining the chance to get in contact with a greater variety of the Chinese was an inseparable part to it.
Student as a teacher:
“Within my early times in Beijing, I had a student who was willing to teach me about this culture and Chinese, which I am more than grateful of. Though I struggled to thoroughly organize my responses, every advice he offered back gave me a great chance to improve. As I used my tennis abilities to improve his playing skills, he did so as well giving me great support in Chinese.” Reflected Sakida, explaining how his former student played an significant role in his growth as a citizen in China.
The strike of the pandemic:
The COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years has set a big influence on the lives of tennis players, as well as coaches like Sakida. Numerous tennis courts have been at a force closure due to the crisis.
Sakida told of the influence on himself: “The Chinese regulations on the current issue has left me the only Japanese tennis coach of our organization in China, as before there were four. As a result, the benefit to me has been the stableness of my current job, which is why I see my future in this country too.” Though there can be an increasing difficulty in life in this current day and age in China, it also led to a benefit in Sakida’s job as a coach too.
Simultaneously, about his personal life, Sakida had also taken time to visit and see the beauties of this fascinating country of varied cultures the years before. From the warriors of Xi’an to the gorgeous views of Lijiang to the dim sum of Guangdong, he stated that his knowledge of these cultures deep inside China’s roots have grown, greater over recent years as well.
Why Beijing? Beginning my career as a fitness coach in Tokyo, I came to Beijing alongside the cooperation between my former organization in Japan and a tennis team in Beijing. Currently, I train with tennis players in Beijing as their coach, focusing on the development of junior tennis players in the Chinese national team.