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