Greetings from a complete noob

  • My story:


    I had never watched VB until the Rio Olympics. I was staying with a Chinese friend over the summer and she wanted to watch the Chinese NT. Needless to say, the dramatic arc for her over those few weeks was pretty intense. I watched a bunch of matches with her and wasn't excited about it all until I saw the Japan v Russia match. It was different. The Japanese team is an ant farm. Tiny, efficient, tireless. I fell in love with them. If I didn't look at the scoreboard I would have thought the Japanese won the match instead of being swept 3-0. I described it as being like watching a slumber party punctuated with violence. The match also had a sense of humor, the Russians respectfully mocking my little ones with smiles that said "What's it going to take to make these kids give up."


    So I can't say I'm a Volleyball fan yet, but I want to consume as much of the Japanese Women's NT as I can. I enjoy watching them play Russia, Brazil, and Serbia. I like a few players on each of those three teams but haven't mustered any interest in watching them play anyone but Japan. I have peculiar requirements when it comes to sports enthusiasm and the JWNT fulfills them all. When they make a successful attack or block their reaction is one of joy, not like a testosterone bomb just went off. I've watched 20 or more matches from 2012-2016 and I have never once seen a player (or their Zen master coach) express frustration, disappointment, or anger at a fellow team mate, or with themselves for that matter. That's important to me. There's one team, who shall remain nameless so I don't offend, whose coach reduced his players to tears, getting in their faces like a Baseball manager does with an umpire. I will never watch that team play again.


    Volleyball seems like a difficult sport to be a fan of, especially for someone like me who's not interested in their native language's team. I don't speak Japanese so I can't get gossipy fan love or the latest news from youtube clips or other fan sites. I'm super bummed that the Rio Olympics matches aren't available. (I did find a CCTV stream of my beloved Japan v Russia match, but it starts near the end of the first set). I guess it's only difficult being a fan if your interests are as narrow as mine. :lol:


    My second favorite match is the Japan v China Quarterfinals from 2012 Olympics. Just wow on that one! I've watched it several times. Other faves are the 2016 Olympic Qualification match with Thailand--another team I'm fond of for their sportsmanship and joy; the 2015 World Grand Prix match with Italy (with one big caveat I won't mention); and the 2013 World Grand Champions Cup match against Russia. They actually won that one :cheesy: . The stream I found had English commentators and you could tell they were impressed and having fun. I think that version of the JWNT is my favorite, even though Araki was absent. I like Miyashita, and I like Arisa Sato a lot, but when I went back and saw the 2012 team's setter and libero ... them's big shoes to fill.


    I, as a Bay Area guy, proudly compare the JWNT to the 2014-2015-2016 Golden State Warriors. They play different and they're the most fun to watch. Charles Barkley called the Warriors "girlie". He's a pud in the way he said it but he's right: the Warriors are the most feminine basketball team (except for Draymond, lol). The JWNT is the most feminine VB team. I love them to death, all 20-30 of them that I've gotten to know from 2012-2016, except Uchiseto maybe ;) .


    I hope there are others here who will enjoy the JWNT with me, and that a JWNT 2017 thread gets started soon so I don't lose interest before things kick off again. I read here they have a new coach, and ... well ... I've said enough for now! :super:

  • Welcome to the site, USF grad school grad (northeast corner of Golden Gate Park). If you want to watch the 2010 Women's World Championship matches which were held in Japan, you'll see where I fell in love with Saori Kimura. Manabe did an incredible job getting them to the semifinals and taking a 2-0 lead against Brazil after a 35-33 2nd set. Sadly the ladies gave up their lead and eventually lost to Brazil in 5. The next day, they had to beat the USA to win bronze, which was their best result in 32 years in any world competition. Again it went 5 sets, but they got the job done.


    2010 semi Brazil Japan highlights


    2010 USA Japan 3rd place highlights -1


    2010 USA Japan 3rd place highlights -2

  • Greetings to Lone Mountain! I used to drive by the campus every day on my way to work.


    Saori is special. She looks exactly the same in those videos as she does today. I'm still learning the ropes but what I like about her is that she seems rock solid as a server and receiver. I wish there were full match HD videos of that 2010 Women's World Championship. 2010-2014 were the golden years from what I can tell. I don't mind at all watching matches where they lose but it is cool if they come out winners against the good teams. It's not so fun to watch them beat Algeria or Great Britain, Cameroon, etc.


    I've been reading here about FIVB trying to grow Volleyball. I wish part of that was a database of matches from around the world in HD with intelligent commentary. I'm a dreamer. :) And I understand I'm a bit of an outlier, tho, being interested in Japan rather than USA. I think I've seen about everything that's watchable from London through Rio involving Japan. It's not much. Big holes, and I have suffered through some bad quality videos. I've tried looking at some of the recent Japan V.Premier League live streams to learn of players I don't know about, but they're bad.


    Thanks for the shout out and the links!

  • sitenoise Welcome to the international volleyball world. :drink:
    I hope you enjoy this forum :)

    thanks! :cheers

  • I still can`t believe Japan lost that game....I wanted Brazil to loose so bad. I`ve watched it hundreds of times and still do. Japan was so close to win :wacko: .


    Ze Roberto said that what brought Brazil back in the game was that 10 minute break. They went to the locker room and came back to the court like they were starting the game from that moment, he said if there were no 10 minute break, Brazil would for sure have lost in 3-0. That game still hunts me :mad: :mad: :mad:



  • Greetings to Lone Mountain! I used to drive by the campus every day on my way to work.


    Saori is special. She looks exactly the same in those videos as she does today. I'm still learning the ropes but what I like about her is that she seems rock solid as a server and receiver. I wish there were full match HD videos of that 2010 Women's World Championship. 2010-2014 were the golden years from what I can tell. I don't mind at all watching matches where they lose but it is cool if they come out winners against the good teams. It's not so fun to watch them beat Algeria or Great Britain, Cameroon, etc.


    I've been reading here about FIVB trying to grow Volleyball. I wish part of that was a database of matches from around the world in HD with intelligent commentary. I'm a dreamer. :) And I understand I'm a bit of an outlier, tho, being interested in Japan rather than USA. I think I've seen about everything that's watchable from London through Rio involving Japan. It's not much. Big holes, and I have suffered through some bad quality videos. I've tried looking at some of the recent Japan V.Premier League live streams to learn of players I don't know about, but they're bad.


    I used my car at times in San Francisco, but there I was the one driving friends. MUNI was so much cheaper.


    Saori is quirky, and reminds me of myself. Even though she has been captain the last couple years, it was a very different type of leadership. Araki and Takeshita were captains before her. After the 15 World Cup, she was about in tears when talking about not making it. She knew it was a young team, and could not kill their spirit. She is very frank and funny with them. In interviews with Koga and Nabeya, they both said that they wanted to play with Saori. She was like a mother hen. It hurt her more that she was not performing as well too. Constantly playing for 12 years without much of a break in this sport is normal, whether we like it or not. At least soccer has like a two month off-season.


    The hard part with growing the game is a combination of money, television and drama. FIVB wants to grow but it means in number of countries. It is why you've seen World League and World Grand Prix expansion from 16 and 12, but look at the prize money. I have a side project that I am working on, which will show the amount of prize money and it will surprise people. As for tv, it is very much a global game and having commentary in English in foreign countries is not easy. That is why for FIVB English broadcasters there is only one commentator. Also the FIVB does not do a good job of putting stats into their matches, let alone explaining to non-normal fans.


    what FIVB does do right is streaming of their tournaments. They do block it in domestic market (local broadcasters have their choice).
    Movies there are a number of choices but be prepared to learn Russian, Polish or Portuguese with some streaming. Block out from Polsat.