“How can a team change like this in six months?”
Korea University, which has changed dramatically both inside and outside the university baseball community, has been praised for its recent advancement. Having suffered a slump in recent years, Korea reached the final round of the U-League King of Kings this year, and on July 27, the team beat Yonsei University 3-0 in a regular match, which determines one-year farming for Korea University’s athletic department.
At the center of Korea University’s baseball team, Kim Ji-hoon (51), who took the helm this year, is at the center of the team that has changed dramatically. Kim was appointed as the 10th manager of Korea University’s baseball team following his predecessor Gil Hong-kyu in March. Kim has a lot of experience in the professional baseball community. A former catcher, Kim graduated from Shinil High School and Korea University one after another and started his professional career at Samsung in 1998. When he was active, he mainly played backup roles. After retiring from active duty in 2004, he worked as a battery coach and a scout team leader at KIA from the following year to gain on-the-job experience. After serving as a battery coach at Sangmu Baseball Team in 2020, he served as a battery coach for Doosan’s first team in 2021. In 2023, he left his professional club and worked as a coach at Songwon University.
Manager Kim faced an unexpected opportunity in February this year. Korea University President Kim Dong-won has chosen Kim as its new head coach. Kim is considered the right person to revive the baseball team that is in deep recession. As Kim has been a pro scout for a long time, he has a high understanding of high school and amateur baseball, and he has high expectations for transfer of various know-how from professional teams.
After much consideration, Kim accepted the offer. “I had experience as a scout and coach in a professional league, but I had a lot of worries because the coach was in a different position. I met with Kim and the athletic director and challenged myself to become a coach for the revival of my alma mater’s baseball team, which is in a recession. I really wanted to repay those who gave me a new opportunity with grades,” Kim recalled in a recent interview with the Munhwa Ilbo.
Kim is cited as an example that reminds us of the importance of field leaders. The first thing Kim noted after taking office was that the players’ faces were not bright. I thought we should change the expressions of the players first. We judged that only when the players’ faces were bright, we would be able to find the glory of the baseball team again. We minimized interference with the players, entrusted the management to the coaches, and listened carefully to the opinions rather than instructing the players. Of course, he didn’t yell at them too much. “The center of the baseball team is not the manager but the player. In order for both the team and the individual players to develop, the players must find motivation themselves. It is the manager’s role to induce that,” Kim stressed.
There is also a prime example of Kim’s managerial philosophy. Ahead of the recent regular game against Yonsei University, the team let pitchers and batters know only one thing. The reason was simple: “Don’t try to throw low,” to pitchers and “Throw away low balls,” to batters. After all, the game is up to the players. I tried to relieve the pressure on the players, and this advice had a good impact on the players.
In baseball, various situations are created, and the flow is reversed in an instant depending on a small strategic strategy. Coach Kim incorporated plans into his team through customized training. He continued to create completely different styles by selecting starting players according to individual players’ individual characteristics and conditions. The focus is on biomarkers. Four-year colleges are at risk in amateur baseball these days. Most high school baseball players prefer professional nominations. If a player fails to receive a professional nomination after graduation from a high school, he or she chooses a two-year college that can challenge to be nominated again two years later, rather than a four-year college. This is why two-year colleges are now dominating the university league. 메이저놀이터
Kim was also well aware that his skills are relatively inferior to those of two-year college players. That is why he took out the card with the help of “state-of-the-art science.” As soon as he took the helm, he rushed to Kookmin University’s team of professors Lee Ki-kwang, dubbed Korea’s No. 1 sports biomarker, for help. “In recent baseball, players have been enhanced by combining them with a scientific training program based on the theory of biomecanics. The era of guiding players with sense in the past has ended, and in professional baseball, they set the direction of coaching through accurate diagnosis with the help of scientific equipment. Now, biomarkers are like baseball counselors inseparable from baseball,” Kim said.
When Kim projected strategic tactics and sports science that he had in mind to young players, the team garnered great results. Kim heaved a sigh of relief after the recent friendly match with Korea. The match was his most sincere and thorough victory since taking the helm. It was the first time in seven years that Korea University defeated Yonsei University in a regular match. “I have been sleeping with my legs stretched out for the first time in a long time,” Kim said. “All the players provided generous support starting from the president. I never thought that I would lose no matter how strong the team I was when I was active, and I have never trained like that. The DNA of victory is being engraved on the players again. The reputation of Korea University’s baseball team has improved even more recently, which is truly a valuable achievement.”
