In 2006, Italian Giovanni Guidetti took over from South Korean Hee Wan Lee, who had been coach since 1999. Under Guidetti, the team practices up to seven hours a day. 

Progress has been slow but steady. After finishing 11th at the 2006 World Championship, Germany qualified for the 2008 and 2009 World Grand Prix (they missed the event in 2006 and 2007). 

They failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after losing in the semifinals to world champions Russia. 

Since that disappointment, however, the team has improved. 

In 2009, they qualified for the 2010 World Championship and defeated the Netherlands, Azerbaijan and Slovenia. Led by captain Christiane Fürst, Germany managed their best finish at the Grand Prix since 2002, ending up in third place. They also reached the semifinals at the European Championship. Unfortunately, they were unable to earn a medal. 

After slipping to 15th in the World Rankings following the 2010 Grand Prix, Germany climbed back to 10th place. 

For 2011, they will compete in the European Championship and the Grand Prix as they eye a spot at next year’s Olympic Games in London.

Giovanni Guidetti has been Germany's coach since 2006, when the Italian took over from Lee Hee Wan. At 37, Guidetti is an old hand at the coaching business. At the age of 23, he was already head coach of Italian second division club Spezzano, whom he steered into the top division in 1997. For that, he was named Coach of the Year in Italy. Guidetti continued to be successful at club level and also worked as assistant coach for the Italian women’s team. The team qualified for the 2010 World Championship in Japan and finished a creditable seventh. At the 2009 World Grand Prix, the German women won the bronze medal.