Chapter 453: China-Japan Judo Exchange

Chapter 453: Hua-Ni Judo Exchange

The Ni team arrived in the imperial capital on the 22nd and settled into the Olympic Village. The judo exchange between the two nations was to be held at a venue in the Olympic Center, lasting for one week.

The Ni delegation brought a sizable contingent this time, with over a hundred athletes alone—national team members, judo veterans, youth training squads—plus coaches and other staff, totaling nearly 200 people. This was the largest overseas exchange in Ni judo history, and the highest in terms of personnel caliber. More than half of Ni's judo luminaries attended, including some long-retired champion athletes.

With the International Judo Federation's reforms, Ni was ousted from the governing list, and European judo was on the rise. All these factors had already made Ni judo feel the crisis, fearing that as Europe gained more say in the modern professionalization of judo, they would lose the substantive strength behind their reputation as the "Land of Judo." Ni judo had been seeking breakthroughs and ways to gain support from more countries.

This Olympics was originally an excellent opportunity, but unexpectedly, the Hua judo team emerged as a spoiler. Although the Hua team's appearance also curbed the rise of the French judo team, and although Ni judo still topped the medal table, discerning eyes knew that Ni had lost its "dominant position" this time.

Once a solitary standout, now with Hua ahead and France behind, Ni had lost its grip in multiple weight classes.

Thus, this time Ni was genuinely "eager to learn," bringing full sincerity and humility, as could be seen from the first two days of the exchange.

Previously, Hua had sent judo athletes to Ni for study and training every year. The process? They could learn something, pick up some techniques and tactics, but very limited. Not to mention core training methods and strategies—even secondary ones were hard to fully grasp. During training, there was clear differential treatment. In short, athletes sent to Ni were uncomfortable, but had no choice—they took what they could.

This time, though not an outright open-handed teaching, at least when Hua raised questions on related content, Ni released about nine out of ten aspects, showing full sincerity in exchange for the core "Meng-style Combat Method" of the Hua judo team. No need to hope for much—getting one or two out of ten would be a win!

But for the first two days, Meng Fan simply didn't show up, making them anxious.

He didn't appear on the third day either.

Though on the third day, after feeling the sincerity, Hua took the Ni delegation to observe the Hua national team's training, and they saw the "Meng-style Combat Method" in action, something felt off. It was definitely the Meng-style method, and most of the training techniques were on display, but as they watched, nothing seemed particularly secretive—much of it could be analyzed from competition videos.

After the third day's exchange, the Ni side certainly gained something, but not much. They all suspected Hua was holding back—no, several layers back!

On the fourth day, Meng Fan finally appeared, and the Ni delegation showed unprecedented enthusiasm and excitement.

During that day's exchange schedule, they saw Meng Fan personally participate in training and temporarily act as a coach for the athletes. The entire Ni delegation was extremely excited and attentive, truly witnessing most of the "Meng-style Combat Method" training techniques in their full glory. They were thrilled during the process, and the sparring sessions and personal guidance Meng Fan gave to a few of their athletes were immensely beneficial and appreciated. But when it ended, they felt a deep frustration!

They finally realized that Meng Fan was not only the creator of the "Meng-style Combat Method" but also its true core. At the same time, they understood just how important he was—they had already thought him crucial, but now knew they had underestimated him—and why he could lead the mixed-gender team to victory.

Meng Fan didn't just contribute that steady point; more importantly, he was a "tactical analyst." With just a few glances, he could clearly see an athlete's technical traits and physical condition, and that was the true core of the "Meng-style Combat Method"!

The so-called "Meng-style Combat Method" wasn't primarily about the techniques themselves; the key was that Meng Fan tailored techniques and tactics based on your technical traits and physical condition—a complete set that best suited you and could elevate your strength by a notch or more!

So, even if the Ni delegation took the entire "Meng-style Combat Method" back home, they couldn't utilize even two-tenths of its potential, because they were one hundred percent sure their country had no tactical analyst with Meng Fan's unique insight!

Before the end, Meng Fan called up two athletes for sparring and guidance, tailoring techniques based on their traits and physiques.

The two athletes selected? Well, they were indeed Ni judo stars, but both were older and absolutely unable to compete in the next Olympics—their physical stamina wouldn't keep up with the intensity four years later. Moreover, they were in the heaviest weight class, meaning no matter how much they improved, they could never surpass Meng Fan in that category.

Yet that was what they admired most!

Those two athletes were already renowned, their strength at a bottleneck with almost no room for improvement. But after Meng Fan's guidance, it was clear their strength had increased by more than a tenth.

A tenth!

For a star-level athlete, even half a step forward was remarkable; a tenth was a terrifying figure!

Frustrating!

Hua had opened up for the Ni delegation to observe, exchange, and learn, but damn it, they just couldn't take it away—what to do!

Still, taking back the techniques and training methods was a gain, at least greater than any previous exchange.

For Hua, this exchange was even more fruitful. Ni had the most advanced scientific training methods, and the open exchange results would greatly boost Hua judo's strength.

In short, this exchange was a win-win.

As for Hua judo's rise, even without this Ni exchange, it was unstoppable; the exchange merely accelerated it.

Of course, the growth of both Hua and Ni judo had another significant meaning: it could curb the rise of European judo, giving the East more say. This would grant greater initiative in future event arrangements and rule reforms, preventing rules from being skewed toward Western physical traits.

Meng Fan appeared for two days during the exchange—the fourth and fifth. He didn't plan to stay for the last two days—the Wrestling, Judo, and Wrestling Center hadn't intended for him to "play the full game" either, cherishing him and fearing he might teach too much out of sincerity. After finishing the fifth day's exchange, Meng Fan didn't return directly to Hangcheng but had to record a show.

The show was recommended by the Wrestling, Judo, and Wrestling Center: CCTV's "Open Class," China's first youth TV public lecture, launched in 2012. Each episode invites a notable figure to share their story and reflections on life. Many guests have appeared, from various fields, including athletes like Deng Yaping, scientists like Yang Zhenning, and entrepreneurs like Ma Ali—Ma Ali's classic quote "I've never touched money" and Xiao Sa's iconic expression originated from this show.

Meng Fan's recording was the first lecture of the latest series "The Power of China," with the theme—also the speech topic—being "My Life Is on Fast Forward."

This theme was decided after Meng Fan agreed to participate, in communication with the show's team. The show proposed it, and Meng Fan found it suitable. As for the speech content, the show encouraged guests to decide for themselves, even allowing improvisation.

(End of chapter)