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