TIANJIN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- In her volleyball career as a player, Li Ying has rarely been in the limelight, despite earning national team selection and winning six league championships and two National Games titles with Tianjin. Standing under 1.8 meters, her stature largely defined her career ceiling.

A versatile player, Li contributed as a spiker, middle blocker, and opposite hitter, providing critical support for Tianjin. She retired in 2017 after the 13th National Games in Tianjin at age 29. "Before those games I suffered a serious injury, which further strengthened my resolve to retire," she recalled.

Li considered staying as a coach - a common path for retirees - but reconsidered. "In the long run, female coaches have less development space than male ones, who have advantages in terms of physical fitness and training effectiveness," she explained.

With limited options outside volleyball, Tianjin Medical University invited her to promote the sport as a physical education teacher. She learned teaching fundamentals, including lesson planning.

"Transitioning from an athlete to a teacher is indeed very challenging," Li admitted. "But I can overcome the difficulties. This is the nature and professional quality of an athlete."

Her efforts paid off: she led the university team to local prominence and organized faculty leagues, energizing campus volleyball. "My school provides a platform to showcase my abilities and gives me the freedom to do more meaningful and valuable things beyond the campus," Li added.

She expanded her impact by consulting at a youth volleyball training center, integrating physical and technical coaching. "Without a good body and physical fitness, the players' technical movements and improvement space will be limited," she said.

While Tianjin is striving to develop volleyball in its schools, there is an apparent shortage of eligible coaches due to the lack of adequate coach training system and certification programs. Addressing this, Li partners with institutions to train coaches sustainably.

Eight years post-retirement, Li remains deeply involved in volleyball. Her latest goal is nurturing Olympic-caliber talent through a recruitment drive offering bonuses and residency incentives.

"My vision is to create a system for nurturing volleyball talents who can become future champions," Li said. Enditem

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