The youngest, who was allowed to take MRIs, will lead V4 and change the status of Korea sports training. "It's rewarding when an injured player plays for a long time." [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Yong-il (60), LG Twins' first-team senior training coach, is said to have elevated his status in the Korean sports training part.

When coach Kim Yong-il joined MBC Blue Dragon, the predecessor of the LG Twins, as the youngest trainer in 1989, the training part did not receive much attention compared to its role. It has only been more than 20 years since the term training coach became common. Coach Kim Yong-il met with reporters ahead of the opening game of Jamsil between LG and KT on the 28th of last month and said, "When I first came in, the trainers did really trivial things first. In the past, if I wanted to take a magnetic resonance imaging (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), I could write a report and take it with the stamp of the general manager."

Thirty-seven years later, the training part has the same status as field coaches who directly hit the pengo and nurture players. With the development of sports science, physical training methods have developed, and the risk of injury has increased in the process of challenging the limits of the body.

In the process, the importance of relieving fatigue and resting also increased. Coach Kim Yong-il said, "Now, as times change, the players' ransom is tens of billions of won. As it became important for them to play healthy even when they got older, players and clubs were also a little more interested in injury prevention management training and conditioning. In the meantime, the view of us has changed a lot compared to the past, he said.

LG was the representative team that worked hard on the training part. LG went through a dark period after winning its second championship in 1994, the peak of exciting baseball. He paid attention to the training part while going through trial and error to win the championship. Meanwhile, as coach Kim Yong-il, who has passed through the Hyundai Unicorns, Samsung Lions, and LA Dodgers, returned in 2020, LG also began to be on the track of a strong team in earnest.

In particular, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), who took office in 2023, consistently highlighted the role of the training part. Mentioned the importance of the training part in squad management and proved the words through two wins. And in this year's opening game, coach Kim Yong-il took the first pitch as the representative of the training part.

Coach Kim Yong-il said, "The opening game is such a meaningful day that I hope I don't do it when the first pitch was mentioned." In fact, it means a lot to me that I won four times in one team (1990, 1994, 2023, 2025)." He added, "There have been times when LG has been called the dark age, so I was most moved to win in 2023."

Even when he first joined the baseball team, who was archery until college, there was no manual on what exactly the trainer should do. However, due to the efforts of coach Kim Yong-il and numerous trainers, training parts are now heavily involved in not only managing before and after the game but also in making season plans for each player.

Coach Kim Yong-il thanked, "LG is a team that treats training parts on par with other coaches," and added, "The way to measure players' fatigue is not just the number of balls, the number of consecutive throws, and the speed limit. We comprehensively judge how many times players play with 80% power per game and what the batting speed is like at every turn. "I feel that the treatment of us has improved because each player has this data part and I talk about it with the coach," he explained.

Players who have overcome injuries and performed well and their appreciation are rewarding and proud of the training part. Coach Kim Yong-il cited Cha Dong-cheol (63), head coach of the baseball team at the Korea National University of Golf Science and Technology, Bong Jung-geun (46), pitcher coach for SSG Landers Futures, and Lim Chan-kyu (34) as the most memorable players.

Coach Kim, in particular, said of Lim Chan-kyu, "He is a player who suffered from shoulder injuries. I know that there are many evaluations that Lim Chan-gyu speaks so well and is active that he is like a jerk. However, he recalled, "Even on my days off during the season, I never missed any reinforcement exercises and training."

Unlike the increasing importance of rest and recovery, there are still players who easily pass the reinforcement exercise. In response, Coach Kim said, "The reinforcement exercise makes the joints of the performing structures a little healthier, so that they can play a good auxiliary role. Reinforcement exercise is essential to facilitate joint movement and increase the stability of muscles in areas with a lot of rotation.

In that sense, Lim Chan-gyu was a player who set an example for others. Coach Kim said, "If you ask me whether training comes first or reinforcement exercise comes first, it is right that reinforcement exercise comes first. Just as I always warm up and train my body before exercising, I can't tell you the importance of reinforcement exercise," he stressed.

"There's nothing like creating an environment where the players do themselves, not dragging them (forcibly) and making them do it. In that sense, it is most rewarding for us to continue to have players like Lim Chan-kyu."

Even now, nearly 40 years after entering the baseball world, the best thing to hear from coach Kim was, "Thanks to you, I had a good season without any injuries." Coach Kim said, "If (Im) Chan-kyu and the injured players stay without problems for a season, there is nothing that rewarding and appreciating. When the players said, "Thanks to the coach, I played well for a season without any major injuries," I'm also proud."

It's not just the players who show their gratitude. Coach Kim also briefly joined the U.S. Major League as a sports trainer. He is also steadily stamping on the Korean national baseball team as a representative training coach. As he raised the importance and status of the training part, another path opened for juniors who abandoned their dream of becoming players.

Coach Kim responded, "Technical coaching is important in sports, but in today's era, the role of injury management and training, which are the basis of good performance, has also grown. Our work is not exposed much externally, but I think it definitely plays a big role in the development and performance of the players."

He said, "There is definitely a feeling and reward that the players we manage feel when they do well and continue their career for a long time. So, even if it's hard, I hope our juniors will prepare well and work together on this side in the future," he said.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.