‘Enjoy exercise to overcome illness,’ says former coach

Choi Tae-woong (48), who coached the Hyundai Capital men’s volleyball team for nine seasons from 2015 until last year, is embarking on a new chapter in life. He’s finally diving into two long-held ambitions: learning to code and studying English. “I’ve always been interested in data,” Choi shared. “I wanted to take the team's data and make it my own.” He attends conversation classes at an adult English institute in Bundang, Seongnam, twice a week.

Restoring his health, worn down from years of coaching, is also a top priority. One of his biggest challenges is what he calls “a battle with his weight.” In the competitive world of sports, Choi often dealt with stress by overeating. His weight was around 80 kilograms during his playing days, and he shot past 100 kilograms. It wasn’t until he was offered a position as a commentator for a sports cable TV channel that he began to take control of his health. “I turned down the offer at first because I’m not great at speaking, but then I saw it as a new challenge,” he explained. “Taking on challenges means you’re alive, so I decided to give it a shot.”

Due to multiple ankle surgeries—five in total—Choi can no longer run. Instead, he focuses on aerobic exercises using rowing machines and other equipment. By carefully managing his diet, he has lowered his weight to the low 90-kilogram range. “The suit pants I had tailored when I weighed 100 kilograms are now loose,” he said. “I’m determined to be in even better shape before the next volleyball season begins.”

This isn’t the first time Choi has overcome a significant health challenge through exercise. In 2010, just before the Guangzhou Asian Games, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. His goal at the time was simple: “I just wanted to stand on the court one more time.” Helping him through that difficult period was his coach at Hyundai Capital, Kim Ho-cheol (currently the coach at IBK Industrial Bank).

Coach Kim tailored Choi’s training to fit his physical condition. “He pushed me so hard that I didn’t have time to think about being sick,” Choi recalled. “By focusing on enjoying the workout, I was able to forget about the pain, at least while I was exercising. If you stay positive and find joy in what you love, you can beat illness,” he added. Choi returned to the court just six months after surgery.

As Hyundai Capital’s coach, Choi led his team to two championships. Now, he has a new goal: to coach the South Korean men’s volleyball team at the Olympics. A former Olympian, having competed in the 2000 Sydney Games, Choi knows firsthand how special the experience is. Since then, however, South Korea’s men’s volleyball team hasn’t qualified for the Olympics in 24 years. “Japan, a country with a similar physique to ours, consistently ranks in the top 10 and regularly competes in the Olympics,” Choi pointed out. “They may be shorter but make up for it with speed and agility. We can do the same.”