Tokyo (Japan)

As I did at the end of the Women World Cup today, just before leaving Japan, I’ll give an evaluation about the teams that participated at the 2007 Men’s World Cup.

Below you can see the final standings and, on the right, my personal judgment on the teams’ performances.

+ means that they played BETTER than I expected

= means that they played EXACTLY as I expected

- means that they played WORSE than I expected


* During the 2007 World Cup, I didn’t see any match of Spain, Puerto Rico and Egypt because I was following the other Group. Therefore, my judgment on this three teams, relies only on the results and few images I have watched in television.

Of course, if anyone of you disagree with my opinion, be so kind to send your reasons by e-mail (mailto Andrea Zorzi)

Yesterday, as soon as Brazil got the qualification to the next Olympic Games winning with Russia, I wrote my opinion about this amazing and extraordinary teams (CLIC HERE).

Today I focus on the other three teams that fought until the end to earn the remaining two berths to Beijing.


BULGARIA

After eight years, Bulgaria comes back to the Olympic Games. They have participated at this 2007 World Cup thanks to a Wild Card and they exploited this opportunity at best.
Against Argentina, they easily won showing their usual skills in serving and attacking. Now, they have to improve their approach to the game enhancing their consistency and enthusiasm avoiding any lapsing concentration. If they will succeed, they could actually be considered one of the favorite teams in the next Olympic Games.

And to explain which is the feeling of Bulgarians fans I publish an e-mail I received yesterday.


…I just want to share my opinion about the Bulgarian team performance and the Bulgarian people perception of it. For me personally, this team is an inspiration for all the people who are fighting here everyday to achieve their goal. Yes, we are a small country and that is why such a team make us very proud of them!
When the guys won the third place in the 2006 World Championship, there was a special ceremony, where they were awarded by the President of Bulgaria. But I think the best reward was the hall, standing up and making noise trying to express their gratitude! I will never forget that evening, nor the guys' faces.
Yes, the audience, the people, the national anthem....all of this might add even more pressure, especially on the young players, but this is how a great player is growing up - most of all as a national fighter, a real lion. And I think this is the difference between our Football and our Volleyball - the Volleyball players are far from the money making machines brains and that is why we love them and support them, no matter whether they are losing or winning.
…about the interview with Matey Kaziyski! We are almost at the same age....and one more time I would say that he, the guys, the team, the spirit are an example and an inspiration for all the young people in our developing country!

A Bulgarian Volleyball fan


Russia

Before the match they were unconfident after two defeats in a row. During the fourth set, when US team was leading 2-1 sets, they were unquestionably scared. At that point, one more time the serve was the Russian key to the victory.
They got the qualification to Beijing, but they played by far under their possibilities. They seem unable to play balancing the different fundamentals and lost, when a rally lasts more than the time necessary to pass, set and hit.
In Russia, the FIVB motto “Keep the ball flying” is totally unknown.
The Russian coach Alekno risks to be sacked because of the poor Russian performances as a team, though he leaded his team to the second place in this World Cup.
They will play the Olympic Games but if they want to fight for the gold medal, they have to change their path quickly.


U.S.A.

I have a high respect for the US Volleyball team. As I have already written many times, McCutcheon’s team is standard talented, but their remarkable ability to take advantage of any situation make them a model to follow. They are patient when necessary, fully motivated in digging and never give up. During the match, you’ll never see an American player with a discouraged expression. Until the very last point, they are thoroughly focused on the game and when they leave the court, as happened today after the defeat with Russia, they can be displeased but without any regret.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Tomorrow I’ll fly back to Italy and FOLLOW ME will stop until the next International tournament, but before leaving, I have prepared a surprise for all of you.

See you tomorrow.

Tokyo (Japan)

In the first commentary I posted for 2007 Men’s World Cup, I promised you that I would have written more about Ricardo missing.

The first unanswered question was:

Brazil, the dominator of the Volleyball world since 2002, has to face a great loss. The Brazilian setter, after an harsh argument with Bernardinho was excluded from the team. Will South American squad be able to overcome the significant absence of their setter?


The obvious answer is yes.

The Brazilians overcame fantastically the former captain’s absence, keeping on playing an extraordinary Volleyball distinguished by their typical amazing enthusiasm.
Today overwhelming the Russian team, they could very likely win the 2007 World Cup. Brazilians performed once more exciting, fast and funny Volleyball.
They still are, by far, the strongest team in the World.



To better understand what happen within the South Americans team and how they are managing the situation, take a look at the interview with Gustavo posted today (CLIC HERE).

Afterward I was still interested to hear the Bernardinho’s opinion, so I asked him four questions.

Obviously, the first was concerning Ricardo.

“What hurts me more is that this story seems a fight between me and Ricardo and everybody is waiting for the winner. Almost all the Brazilian media prefer describing this situation as a duel between Ricardo and me. They consider a such battle more interesting for the audience than telling the truth.
I think that I have failed as group leader because of the lost of Ricardo. I still would have liked very much working with him but it wasn’t possible. Eight years ago, when nobody were trusting in him, I betted on Ricardo and now I feel this as a personal defeat. "

How can a winning team last?

"I don’t know exactly but I hope seven or eight years. Out team was born long time ago and we have to replace many important players like Nalbert or Giovane. We built a strong team sharing the same values, manners and starting every time from scratch.
Everybody has to respect the moral principles and no one can consider himself more important than the team. After the 2004 Olympic games gold medal it was really tough to start again, but we succeeded.
After the first very important victories, the biggest problem was to overcome the changing environment around the team.
If the players change their attitude loosing the firm discipline the winning squads suddenly disappear."

Nothing new in these Bernardinho’s words, but do try to maintain, as they are doing, the same approach after 5 years of winning streak!

Your son become the second setter of Brazilian National team after Ricardo left.

"I feel a weird emotion, a mix of joy and suffering. It would have been easier not to call him, avoiding any nepotism (favoritism shown to relatives) charge.
Renan Dal Zotto, a very close friend of mine, now coaching in Italy, suggested me to undress the father role off and to act only as a coach. But ultimately, the most important thing is the team approval: they wouldn’t have ever accepted Bruno, my son, if he hadn’t deserved."

Will you coach forever?

"My little daughter asked me the same question few days ago during the train travel coming to Tokyo. My wife answered first: “yes, your father will coach forever!”
I think that I’ll quit with National team after the 2008 Olympic Games but I’ll keep coaching a club as long as possible."


I have nothing else to add.
It’s better to watch the Brazilians playing, supporting each other, hugging, celebrating each point to understand the authentic meaning of team spirit.

My warmest congratulations to you all. Once more you have been the best.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Tokyo (Japan)

The technical Volleyball language divides the court in 6 different areas.

In Italy we call the six areas as follows:

P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 – P5 – P6.


On the right you can see where the different positions are.


The letter P belongs to “Palleggiatore” which in Italian means setter. When a team is in P1, means that, at the beginning of the rally, the setter has to be in that specific position. The numbering from P1 to P6 follow the anticlockwise rotation.


Today, I discovered that the only country that doesn’t use this system is the United States. They follow the clockwise numeration. They also start numbering from our P1 called R1 (Rotation 1) but then, our P6 is their R2 and so on.

I introduced this information to better explain the tendency of Khamuttskikh (the Russian setter) in P3 and P6.
The Bulgarian statisticians found that in those two rotations, Khamuttskikh has a clear tendency to set many times Quick (a front row attack) or Pipe (a back row attack).

Although the Bulgarian block was very watchful of Russian quick attacks, the two Russian middle blockers, Alexander Volkov and Alexey Kuleshov, scored 21 points in total: the first killed 12 attacks, 1 block and 1 ace and the second 9 attacks and 3 blocks.
This is a good achievement, especially comparing with the 13 Bulgarian points won by the two middle blockers Evgeni Ivanov and Krasimir Gaydarski.

But the Bulgarian swing hitters Kaziyski, Aleksiev, Nikolov and Konstantinov, who replaced Aleksiev during the fourth set to exploit his passing skills better, played better than Russian side attacker.

Moreover, the Bulgaria setter Zhekov seemed more confident than in the previous matches. In the last two days, Martin Stoev (the coach) and Konstantinov (the captain) talked long with the setter, convincing him the all the Bulgarian team players trust in his skill. This is exactly what the young setter needs: feeling the team supporting him.

Last but not least, I think that Salparov, the libero, performance was outstanding. I’m not supported by the statistics (he finished with a poor 41% positive passing average) but in the fifth set he succeeded to “save” many very quick services. Actually, the average is low but in this case the numbers don’t say the deep truth.

During the press conference after the match, Poltavskiy, the Russian opposite hitter, blamed himself for the defeat. He scored 20 points finishing with 49% of kill attack average (so and so!).

Immediately afterwards, the coach Alekno upheld his spiker, saying that a player never can be considered responsible for a team defeat.

As a matter of fact, Bulgarian planned blocking Poltavskiy leaving a slight space on the line. Many times Khamuttskikh set a little short to the right of the net, that means that the ball doesn’t arrive close to the antenna and hitting along the line is impossible. The result is that Poltavskiy seems responsible for many errors but the responsibility has to be shared with the setter.

And now I beg your pardon, because two days ago I betted on Russia and I was wrong: when I’ll stop to stake it will be always too late.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Okayama, (Japan)

Below you can see the first four teams in the 2007 World Cup standing updated after eight matches.
On the right, the next three matches for the four team that, in my opinion, still have chances to get the three Olympic berths.

 

 

 

 

*In case of tie matches won and lost by two or more teams, the Points Ratio instead of the Sets Ratio, will be applied to establish the final ranking.

This decision was taken by FIVB Board of Administration in April-May 2005. The main aim was avoiding the possibility of choosing the favorite opponent managing the result of the matches. In the past it happened a very few times in tournaments with quarter final, semis and final. Controlling the Points Ratio it is almost impossible because each point, from the first match to the last, could be decisive.
For this reason, the best teams play every matches very resolutely, also against the much-weaker teams, trying to get the best Point Ratio.


Only statistics fans have to look at the next table.

After 8 matches only 1 point separates Bulgaria from USA (watch Point difference)
As said, the Ratio Point will be applied for the final Ranking but it’s necessary to look at the fourth decimal numbers to untie the two teams.



Watching the standing, Russia seems to have many opportunities to earn the qualification, although the next three matches (BUL, BRA, USA) are tougher than those in other teams calendar. Until now, Russians played in the “weaker” group and, from now on, they have to face the strongest squads.

Living in the same hotel with the teams and spending much time with them, I try to share with you their emotions.

How do Russian players feel just two days before the crucial match with Bulgaria? Or who is more worried?

Let’s start from the most settled teams:

As usual, Brazil is playing the tournament with a great strength of mind. After the defeat with USA, they got back their winning pace, turning to be the favorite team to win the 2007 World Cup. In the video interview with Gustavo that I’ll post the day after tomorrow, the wonderful Brazilian middle blocker said that his dream is to win another gold medal in Beijing Olympic Games. I believe that he and his team mates are enough confident to be there!

USA swept away Australia in the last match playing once more a very consistent game. They don’t show any hints of worries, even after the unpredictable defeats in the First Round with Porto Rico and Spain.
This morning, just before the match, I met Marv Dunphy who is in Japan as USA team manager.

But please don’t forget that:

...in 1984, Marv Dunphy was selected by USA Volleyball to coach the USA Men's National Team through 1988. During Dunphy's four year, the American squad maintained a No. 1 world ranking and compiled an impressive overall record of 197-31. Additionally, the team won nearly every major international tournament, including the 1985 World Cup, the 1986 World Championships, the 1987 Pan American Games, and the 1988 Olympic Gold Medal in Seoul. Then he agreed to act as an assistant coach at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and again during the 2004 Olympics in Greece. Furthermore in 1994, coach Dunphy was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame!

I asked him how they feel and which are their hopes for the last crucial match with Russia. He looked at me surprised and said: “the match with Russia? We are thinking only at this match with Australia.”

These are the usual words that any coach and player often repeat but said by him are utterly trustworthy.

And now is the turn of the more nervous teams.

Russia and Bulgaria are living similar emotions, even if Russia is still unbeaten and Bulgaria record is 6-2 (won-lost). Both squads are unpredictable, both are excellent in serving, attacking and blocking but lack of team organization.
The next match, Friday 30TH Nov in Tokyo, will be “the match” for them.

If Russia will win, Alenkno’s players could likely celebrate the qualification, whilst Bulgaria could rely only on the US team results.
Moreover, Martin Stoev (BUL coach) is deeply concerned because in Bulgaria hardly anyone can remember the last victory with Russia. Last year Bulgarians won a friendly match but then, in the official tournaments, they were ever overpowered.

Such a doubt is unbearable, thus I asked Stanislav Shevchenko, the Russian Volleyball Federation Vice president. “The last Russian defeat with Bulgaria I remember was when I was still a player, more or less 12 years ago” he said

But from Bulgaria side, Ilian Kaziyski, Matey Kaziyski’s father, told me that actually the last victory dates back to 10 July 2003 during the World league in Madrid (BUL-RUS 3-1).

The odds are for Russia and I’m really surprise by the worry of Russian players. Probably the memory of the shocking defeat in the European Championship Final with Spain is still too close.

No one asked me but, if I should forecast the winner, I would stake on Russia.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Okayama (Japan)

Have you ever heard anything about the “electrician syndrome” in Volleyball?

This is a funny story that Julio Velasco (Argentinean coach) uses to tell during his team building lessons for managers. I learned this anecdote only a few months ago, tough Julio Velasco has been my coach for eight years (from 1989 to 1996).

These are the Velasco’s words: “As soon as I arrived in Italy, I found out that the Italian setters were the best experts in passing. After the end of each rally, they looked at receivers explaining how the perfect pass should have been. As well, the spikers were the best experts in setting. They gave very detailed indications about the right position of the set. Then, as if not enough, the attackers showed, doubtless, which had been the setters’ mistake.
So, when the spikers made an error they blamed the setters and in turn, the setters accused the receivers for the faults. The unlucky passers could not charge the opponents servers: it would have been ridiculous.
Thereafter, they pointed the finger to a bright light at the bottom of the gym, shielding their eyes, requesting an electrician to turn off the annoying lamp!”

Here’s why it is called “electrician syndrome”.

Today, following the Italian peculiarity and relying on my long career as opposite spiker, I’ll focus on the setters’ skills of four teams: Russia, Brazil, USA and Bulgaria.



Vadim Khamuttskikh
(Russia today is his 38th birthday).

Since the eighties, when the former Soviet Union lost the World Volleyball leadership conquered by USA, Russians keep searching the “great setter”. They are persuaded that the main reason of many defeats depends on the lack of an adequate setter.
I disagree. I believe that Khamuttskikh improved very much during his long career. He is a good setter, probably not as stunning as others, but his emotional approach, his setting skills and tactical running are fine. Vadim is able to set center quick attack even with imperfect passing, denying the old wide spread opinion that Russian rely on their amazing powerful attacking slow and high ball.
But, until this team doesn’t win a major tournament, everybody will continue to think that Russia is wasting great opportunities because of his setter!



Andrey Zhekov
(Bulgaria 27 years old)

“He is the best setter we have” behind this sentence there are many concealed implications. The most dangerous is that Bulgarians don’t trust totally on their setter. Many times during the matches, I recognize the typical look of players that are blaming the setter for their errors. Andrey is physically talented, very good in serving and blocking*. He has to improve the quick set and mostly the tactical running of the matches. Too often he loses the thread of the game, but he needs the full involvement of his team mates and his coach to succeed.

*Be doubtful when a setter is introduced as a good server or blocker. First of all, a setter has to be a skilled setter. Look at his technical wholeness only afterwards.



Marcelo Elgarten nicknamed “Marcelinho”
(Brazil 33 years old)

The Brazilian victories reached since 2003 and the missing of Ricardo, deserve a separate examination that I’ll give in the next days.

The biggest question at the beginning of the 2007 Men’s World Cup was: will Brazil be able to stay on the top without Ricardo?

Yes, they are still the best and, by now, they overcome the absence of Ricardo.
Marcelinho, used to be a back up setter, is playing an excellent tournament. The Brazilian amazing velocity is still their hallmark. The Brazilian spiker Dante’s enhanced his performances exploiting the habits to play in the same club (Panathinakos Athens) with Marcelinho. But the replacing setter promptly spread the right rhythm also to the other Brazilian players. As ever, they play with a great intensity in all the fundamentals, getting over any possible risk and digging even better.



Lloy Ball
(USA 35 years old)

Usually observing a setter we look carefully at his hands waiting for a soft and natural touch. These are two crucial characteristics, but a great setter needs also fast and powerful legs. A setter can set in perfect balance avoiding the inaccurate setting while running only if he is rapid. Lloy Ball is probably one the most rapid setter I have ever seen. He belongs to the North American school distinguished by very efficient setters, totally focused on making easier each action. Lloy moves fast, with the arms slightly uplifted ready to set. Everything seems easy looking at him, that’s why he is one of the best setters of the World.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Okayama, (Japan)

I’m living pleasant and exciting days in Japan following the 2007 World Cup, but the waking up is “quite early”.
Waking up at 6.30 each day could be considered absolutely common or not depending on the individual lifestyle, but for me is definitely “quite early”.

In the morning, I usually spend almost one hour eating breakfast and reading the English newspapers available in Japan.
It’s impossible comparing the crazy Italian attention for the Sport (we have three different newspapers that write only about sport or better about soccer!) but also in Japanese tabloids there are many Sport news.
Every morning, I find information about Volleyball, Baseball, Ice-skating (three Japanese athletes are among the World’s top six) and even Sumo. It is a competitive contact sport born in Japan and still very popular here, being the only country where is practiced professionally.

Obviously, the soccer is omnipresent and, just reading a commentary about the European Championship qualification failure of England, I was concerned.

Probably you know that 28th Nov in Italy, one of the European Prequalification Volleyball tournament to Beijing 2008, will start.
Italian team has to win this competition (other participants are Montenegro, Croatia, Holland, Romania and Greece) to qualify for the next tournament (in Turkey in January) when only one Olympics berth will be available. Actually, the road to Beijing is very long and tough.

Here, almost every day a lot of people ask me: “What’s going on with the Italian team?”

Now I answer quoting from the soccer commentary that hit me.

…hubris turned to humiliation…
…English talents were over-rated, the system unimaginative, the time for England to learn rather than preach was nigh…
…no Croatians will start in England team…
…super motivated players...
..the integrity of the sport was again enhanced by a team that has nothing to win but honor going all the way for that prize….
…nothing new there. Since time immemorial, the faithless committeemen have breakfasted on scapegoats* for their own failing…
…until the teaching of grass root skills is revised, England would fail to reach, never mind win, international tournaments..

*The word is more widely used as a metaphor, referring to someone who is blamed for misfortunes, generally as a way of distracting attention from the real causes.



If you replace England with Italy as well as Croatians with the next Italian’s opponents, you’ll comprehend my fears.

I’m really worried that “azzurri” will play with too self confidence taking for granted an Italian superiority.
For many years the National team and the clubs were the best in the World, but in the sport every day you have to start from scratch.
I hope that the recent defeats are a opportunity to go back to the top.
The economic stability of Italian Volleyball system, might have affected the enthusiastic attitude necessary to win in a very competitive environment as Europe. Moreover, a few Italian athletes played abroad, missing the opportunity to better understand the privileges that Italy offers.

About the “scapegoat” I ought an explanation.

I have never believed Giampaolo Montali (the former Italian coach) as an innocent scapegoat. He has his own responsibility about the running mistakes done in the last years.
However, the sacking decision taken by the Italian Federation after the sixth place in the European Championship, is hurried and late.
Since the last year, the warning sign of the wearing relation between the coach and the team were recognizable. In those days nobody took any decision, waiting for the coming events.
Hiding the truth, utterly ran out the team spirit and now we are still preaching rather than learning.

And now I promise you that tomorrow, I’ll focus again on the technical commentaries on the 2007 World Cup matches, leaving my concerns about Italian Volleyball future on the back burner for now.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Hiroshima (Japan)

After five days of interesting matches, we can say that Russia, Brazil, USA, Bulgaria and also the surprising Puerto Rico remain the only teams with any chances to get the three Olympic berths.

In the next Round (in Fukuoka and Okayama) I believe that we’ll reduce further the group from five to four.

Today, while we are waiting for the crucial matches, I’ll write a commentary about a general matter.

How is changing the international Men Volleyball scenario?

I don’t want to focus too much on specific teams conditions as the Brazilian setter Ricardo absence or the up and down performances of other teams. I prefer to explore what happened in the last few years in the Volleyball World.

1) Behind Brazil, the World Volleyball dominator since 2002, the balance among the teams grew up. Nowadays, more squads than in the past could achieve important victories.

2) The physical power and strength become more and more important than of technical skills.

3)  Many countries are following similar systems, partly losing the characteristics that distinguished the old Volleyball schools.

4) Last but very important, the statistic analysis became a priority.

Simplifying, we can identify three areas in Volleyball:

1) the individual technical skill development
2) the physical preparation
3) the tactical and statistic progress

The first area enhanced fairly. The modern players have to face attacks faster and more powerful and they increased their individual skills mainly in digging and passing.
The attacking (much faster) and blocking improvements depend mostly on the better physical conditions than technical enhancements.

The physical conditioning is the area that advanced more. In the last years the physical trainers got a leading role in the teams. The athletes’ performances are much better than ten or fifteen year ago. The players jump higher, spike faster and move quicker.

The statistic studies became very meticulous analyzing in depth each rallies. In every match, all players have a full report about the opponents’ characteristics and averages. The match strategies are settled on the huge amount of information available. Constantly, several scout men scan the individual characteristics, the teams preferences and the rotations peculiarities of the other teams.

I believe that the second and third areas developed much more than the first because it’s easier to plan exactly the physical conditioning progress and statistic expansion. The trainers can rely on tested techniques and they don’t risk to waste too much time. Same for statisticians, they deal with numbers and, at most, they risk some sleepless nights.

Otherwise, discovering new systems and methods to enhance the individual technical skills is very difficult and risky. The progresses are not immediately recognizable and could take longer time than expected. The skills growth isn’t a straight line but an irregular and unpredictable bet.

Bye ye andrea zorzi

Hiroshima (Japan)

“It’s incredible what the sport can teach us. It’s a very important lesson even for me. For instance, now I’m sharing the same room with my assistant coach (N. Ben Younes). He is a very faithful Muslim and I’m Buddhist. Many times we are praying together. He takes his carpet and prays in one room side while I’m praying in the other side in front of the “Gonzon”. I respect him and whenever he ask me about Buddhism I try to explain. Other times he explicates me some point of his religion and we are happy. We never found one point in contrast.”

This is a short excerpt taken by the longer video interview with Antonio Giacobbe, Italian coach who, since 2000, is coaching the Tunisian National Team.

We started the dialogue talking about the Volleyball but soon after, we were involved in different sport values.

Is the sport really an opportunity to break down the barriers among the men?

Might be, but more often than not, athletes, coaches and the whole team group, are utterly focused only on victory or defeat, losing the opportunity to better know each other.

Usually, Volleyball teams (including players. coach, statisticians, doctors etc.) are about twenty people. For such a group isn’t necessary rely on the local people except for organizing issues. Often, they rebuild abroad, the environment which they are used to. These groups move every time together, eating at the same table or just taking jointly a walk outside. They don’t need to learn words in different languages nor eat local food. Many times, in these international tournament, the only personal interactions are among the players who play or played in the same foreign Club League. In that case, the athletes, who performed abroad, were alone and they needed to be supported. Thus they learned different languages, habits and cultures.

What a pity losing such interesting chances.
Sharing experiences as much as possible with foreign athletes doesn’t mean wasting time and for sure, doesn’t decrease the performance level. Otherwise, being too “professional” (misunderstanding the right professional approach) cuts down the wonderful opportunities that the Sport gives us.

And keep talking about how Volleyball helped me to grow up with wider openness, let me tell you a helpful story of my career.

Julio Velasco, the Argentinean coach who coached Italian team from 1989 to 1996 in the first meeting with us, established that it wouldn’t have been possible taking with us Italian food during the international tour anymore. As you probably know, we Italians love our food more than anything . Before Velasco arriving, we were used to have a huge bag filled up with “Spaghetti and Parmigiano Reggiano.” Immediately after that change, our reaction was very negative and we were complaining saying that a “healthy” food was necessary to play at our best.
But Velasco didn’t change his mind and his answer was very simple: “It isn’t a matter of better or worse food. If you cannot easily change your food habit without grave sufferings, how you could overcome bigger difficulties as the opponents strength or abilities?”

Please don’t think that eating foreigner food make teams stronger but, whenever and wherever, the adaptation skill is crucial.

I fully understood the true advantages of sport career only after my retirement in 1998. Taking part at the tournaments as reporter, I had to switch the usual approach and it helped me to thoroughly appreciate the Volleyball environment.
Nowadays being a journalist and writing stories, I would like to help players and fans avoiding any wasting of such unique opportunity.


Why Russia won: the replacing Russian line up showed a shocking supremacy. Korean players were rightfully concerned about their health because of the Russian attack power and speed.

Why Australia won: one more time Australia was involved in a wonderful match but in this game, the Tunisian team acted as leading actor. North Africans players have excellent skills but they lack the necessary consistency. They won a breathtaking second set (37-35) and unreasonably, they lost the third game after leading 24-19 After the match, Antonio Giacobbe didn’t give any hint of comprehensible regret, if I were in his shoes, I'd got mad!

Why Japan won: 9 aces for Japan and only one for Argentina. All Japanese players served with an excellent relation between winning services and mistakes. The surprising and welcomed victory, for the enthusiastic Japanese fans, rely in this fundamental.

P.S. Tomorrow I’ll post the full video interview with Antonio Giacobbe, the Tunisian coach.

P.S.2 I received many e-mail asking for the possibility to translate in English the video interview published in Spanish. I cannot manage the translation due to the lacking of time. If any Blog visitors would be so kind to help me, I really appreciate. Let me know by e-mail.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Saitama (Japan)

A few days ago, I promised you a detailed opinion about Japan Men’s Volleyball team.
After the very bad Japanese defeat against Australia, I try to articulate my opinion starting from two episodes.

*However my view doesn’t depend only on today’s match.

In the last eighteen years, in Japan I attended many Press Conferences after the matches as players and also as reporter.
Each time, Japanese journalists ask very specific questions. They are eager to understand the different tactical or technical reasons, comprehending thoroughly the small distinctions .
“Why that player makes two little hops just before receiving and then he passes with the right foot in front. Or why that spiker gives a weird glimpse on left and then he hits on right.” - just the same for tactical  questions - “did the coach plan the tactic of the match evaluating the attacking average on rotation P3?”.
Those usually are the media’s too detailed queries.
Many times the “Gaijin” coaches (in Japanese Gaijin means foreigner) look at each other astonished. They cannot answer because they don’t consider crucial nor significant those small details.

The second memory belongs to soccer.

In the 2002 World Soccer Championship host in Japan and Korea, Arthur Antunes Coimbra (better known as Zico, the former Brazilian footballer) coached Japanese soccer team. During every training his players kept asking what they had to do: “where we have to go when our team mates are there, how we have to kick if the ball is bouncing” and so on.
Worn out by too many questions, once he screamed: “quit questioning and play soccer!”
The reaction was a long lasting silence and many shocked expressions.
All the players simultaneously said: “what does ‘play’ mean? We must know exactly what we have to do, playing doesn’t mean nothing!”

…and now let me quote from the book “The Japanese mind” (2002 p. 132)

"…when we look at traditional Japanese arts, all of them seem highly formal. All of them have their formal patterns which are learnt by watching and imitating the teacher and they all have their own complicated rules and conventions which must be learnt.
Moreover, in many modern sports and hobbies in Japan, we find exactly the same attitude. This way of learning, which emphasizes rules, technique and imitation, has long been highly suitable for the quick assimilation and adaptation of foreign elements from China and the West into Japanese culture."

Needn’t to say that Japanese adaptation and imitating talents are remarkable. Those skills were very useful in economic and industrial growth but in all the sports (Volleyball included), Japanese cannot just follow the teacher or the master. Improvisation (avoiding any unnecessary exaggeration) is an essential value in any sport competitions.
Furthermore, the lack of improvisation isn’t the only reason of the second class Japanese Volleyball level. I think that Japanese coaches fail to identify properly the most important skills to improve.

Japanese players have fine fundamentals technique playing at certain level, but those skills drop quickly when facing teams physically stronger.
Japanese National teams can rely on an excellent dig and a fair reception but their blocking, attacking and setting systems are inappropriate.
They never succeed making a well structured block. Moreover, the opponent quick attacks (mainly in the middle of the net) take advantage of the missing cooperation among the three front row players.
In attack they continue to set high and slow ball much easier to block for other teams. Though their setter have a good setting touch, they don’t achieve a coherent distribution based on adversaries weak points.

Last but not least, I didn’t see any relevant changes in Japanese game system since many years.
This is the biggest problem, because if they don’t find the right way to enhance their performances as soon as possible, they risk to dissipate the wonderful Japanese fans enthusiasm.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

Saitama (Japan)

Before the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Doug Beal, the US Volleyball coach, chose an unusual way to improve their skills. During a very cold winter, they went for 22 days in the Utah mountains. In those conditions they discovered what “team spirit” means.
“Someone among the best Volleyball players was very bad in such unusual circumstances, otherwise less talented athletes were more experienced” – said Beal – “thus the Volleyball “stars” had to rely on the “weaker” mates, realizing that everybody is important and has a proper function.”

I warmly invite you to watch the video interview with Doug Beal (CLIC HERE) posted today in this blog.


Also Australia hosted Olympic Games (Sydney 2000) but “Aussie” didn’t send the player into the mountains.
Australia is the country where everyone primarily plays cricket. Then, they play rugby if they live in Sydney or Brisbane and Australian football if they dwell in Melbourne and Adelaide.
The Volleyball arrived in the “Down Under” country in 1930s through YMCA (a world-wide social movement with a special emphasis on community development and sport activities).
The Volleyball spread quickly in the colleges and, in 1963, the Australian Volleyball federation was created. The Polish Joe Hiller was the first national team coach and he exploited the Volleyball knowledge of the Eastern Europe emigrants living in Australia.

In 1996, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra became the centre of Volleyball development where the best players trained together for the Olympic Games.
Stelio De Rocco, the Canadian coach that in those days led the Australian team, phoned the editor of an Italian Volleyball monthly magazine. He would have liked to send the Australian players abroad. Performing in the foreign clubs would have been the best and the fastest way to get better, due to the few chances to play competitive games in Australia.
De Rocco received the names of several sport agents from the Italian editor and soon after, almost all the athlete found an agreement with European club.
By now, 30 Australian Volleyball players play all around the Europe. Furthermore, each year the Junior team spends January and February touring through Sweden, France, Slovakia and Italy, playing as many matches as possible.

Two different ways in two different periods: Doug Beal kept the group together for long training period relying on the high competitive spirit of his group.
To say the truth, at that time there weren’t many well developed National Leagues, so US Volleyball had to improve training between them. Nowadays, as a matter of fact, also North American National team has many players spread around the world.

Australian chose the other way: athletes enhance their skills playing in different teams and then, they share the improvement. The coach becomes a collector of improved skills and have to settle at best the different abilities. Like in a puzzle, it is necessary to be patient and recognize the puzzle pieces as soon as possible.


Why Russia won: Today Alekno (Russian Coach) changed 4 players in the line up because in this long tournament saving energy will be crucial. The Russian team doesn’t have any problem, they kept serving and attacking powerfully. Also today no hint of smile among the Russian players!

Why Argentina won: The experience of Milinkovic (Argentinian opposite) and some Tunisian mistakes in the end of third and fourth set were the key to victory. As ever in Volleyball the team making less mistakes have more chances to win.

Bye bye andrea zorzi