Yu Jiahao: The Spanish league is very fast-paced and the time is very short, so the error tolerance is very small.

October 20th Yu Jiahao recently accepted an interview with Sports Weekly and talked about many topics. Among them, he talked about his life after moving to Spain and the characteristics of the Spanish league.

The original text is as follows:

As a member of the "wave of Chinese male basketball players studying abroad" this summer, Yu Jiahao chose to go to the European League for development. He joined the Bilbao Basketball Club of La Liga and was loaned to Cantabria Club, which is currently in the Spanish Second League. At present, the new season of the Spanish Second Division has begun. Yu Jiahao performed well in his first show, but his data declined in the subsequent games. It can be seen that he is still adapting to the intensity of the Spanish stadium.

When Cantabria visited the Madrid Autonomous Region to challenge the powerful enemy Fuenlabrada in this round of La Liga regular season, Yu Jiahao accepted an exclusive interview with the author. In the interview, he talked about the difference between domestic and European league environments, as well as his changes in mentality after making this choice.

Sports: Hello Yu Jiahao, what was your first impression when you first arrived in Spain? How is it different from what you imagined? What specific difficulties did you encounter in language communication? How did you overcome it?

Yu Jiahao: In fact, I have been to Spain in the past few summers. Whether it is training or trial training, I already know a lot about Spain. I also know a lot about the overall living conditions here. After arriving here, I actually feel that I adapted fairly quickly. In terms of language, I actually think it's okay for basketball, because there are also foreign players from the United States among my teammates, who can communicate in English, and I also learned some simple Spanish after coming here. I feel that I can understand some Spanish, but my speaking skills may need to be improved, and I am slowly learning.

Sports: Can you describe your daily life in Spain? For example, food and accommodation, how to solve the problem of eating? How do you deal with homesickness when you are far away from your hometown and relatives?

Yu Jiahao: In Europe, I can control more time by myself, so even when I am not training, I will often go to the gym that cooperates with the team to practice more, and I will also do spa treatments to relax my body. After arriving abroad, you can control your own time. Whether it is training or life, you need to do many things by yourself. I will also learn how to restore my body, including strengthening myself nutritionally.

In terms of eating, I sometimes go to a cooperative restaurant with my teammates to eat. When I have nothing to do, I will make some food at home. I usually make video calls and chat with my family and friends.

Sports: Is your communication with the team’s coaching staff and teammates smooth? Are you still adaptable to daily training and competition?

Yu Jiahao: It went quite smoothly. I think this team is a good team. From the first day here, the coaching staff and many teammates who have been working in Europe for many years have been helping me integrate into the team. To them, I am a player from a relatively distant country. They also know that I will face some difficulties and will enthusiastically help me. The coaches and teammates have helped me a lot at all levels, not only on and off the court.

Sports: You once mentioned that "the intensity of the Spanish league is much stronger than that of the domestic league, and you are completely out of breath in the first quarter." In what aspects is this intensity reflected?

Yu Jiahao: The schedule here is actually not as tight as in China, so each team is given more time to prepare for the game. Your opponents can also target the personal characteristics of each of your players on the court. Everyone is playing on the bright side because everyone knows what your characteristics are and how to restrict you. Here we not only have to target the opponent, but also find ways to crack it when the opponent understands you and targets you. And the pace of the game here is very fast. Every player has his or her own role, not only the player holding the ball, but also every player running tactics on the court. For players with and without the ball, the opponent will provide physical confrontation. Each team will have scouts to understand your characteristics and target you accordingly.

Sports: What is the biggest difference between playing here and the CBA?

Yu Jiahao: I think it lies in the use of skills and the ability to read the game on the court, because in fact there are many players whose skills cannot be displayed on the court. When playing here, you need to make basic judgments on the opponent's defense and teammates' movements under strong physical confrontation, and it is very important to use correct technical movements. The pace of the game here is very fast and the time is very short, so the error tolerance is very small. You must be focused at all times on the court, make fewer mistakes, and help the team more.