Women's World Grand Prix 2017


  • With a serious coach like Guidetti or Lang Ping it would be a rain of gold medals every single year in every single tournament. USA never had so many world class and high level players all together and he managed to reach a worse result than Lang Ping in Beijing, where she made a real miracle with Haneef, Metcalf, Kim Glass, Nicole Davis around few world class players like Logan Tom.



    i don't agree that the USA has right now the best players they ever had before... i think the 2012 london team was pretty close to being the favorites but we all saw how they crumbled in the final.


    speaking of guidetti, doesn't he look like some scary chicken, with that gaunt face, deep-set eyes and crooked nose?????


  • This is what I'm rooting for. It's not crazy. You don't have to be tall or jump high to beat a big lumbering clod to open space. I will dream on! :super:


    i think you want to live in a world where height doesn't matter, but i don't think that's reality ... the days in which a short team can be in the top tier are probably past us. yes, JPN and THA can still beat a tall team but i doubt they can win a gold medal at the olympics anymore... PER (silver) in 1988 was probably the last time it happened.


    do you expect that to happen in basketball????

  • i think you want to live in a world where height doesn't matter, but i don't think that's reality ... the days in which a short team can be in the top tier are probably past us. yes, JPN and THA can still beat a tall team but i doubt they can win a gold medal at the olympics anymore... PER (silver) in 1988 was probably the last time it happened.


    do you expect that to happen in basketball????


    You're probably right but it has happened in basketball so that's what gives me hope. Small ball is more fun to watch for me.

  • Don't forget the Japanese NT won the Olympic gold medal by beating the Soviet (tall players) in 1976. I agree that it won't be easy for the "shorter" players team to win gold medals. But it's possible. I think the strategy is they need to be very dynamic and win the 3 sets strait as fast as possible. Because shorter players need to jump higher and they get tired much faster. So they need to win the game before they get tired.

  • Don't forget the Japanese NT won the Olympic gold medal by beating the Soviet (tall players) in 1976. I agree that it won't be easy for the "shorter" players team to win gold medals. But it's possible. I think the strategy is they need to be very dynamic and win the 3 sets strait as fast as possible. Because shorter players need to jump higher and they get tired much faster. So they need to win the game before they get tired.


    You've just said it ,,, it was back in 1976! Plus, Russian players weren't that tall back then...

  • Don't forget the Japanese NT won the Olympic gold medal by beating the Soviet (tall players) in 1976. I agree that it won't be easy for the "shorter" players team to win gold medals. But it's possible. I think the strategy is they need to be very dynamic and win the 3 sets strait as fast as possible. Because shorter players need to jump higher and they get tired much faster. So they need to win the game before they get tired.


    I believe it's the other way around. Japan holds the advantage to go five sets because those bigger bodies consume a lot more energy to be moved around. That is my experience watching as well. I've never seen the Japanese looking tired, and their defensive game makes their opponents work harder (especially than their opponents are used to against other teams).


    Can small beat tall? It comes down to talent. Imagine adding Nootsara and Pleumjit to the Japanese team.

  • Teams will get used to Japan and Thailand speed.


    Especially the taller teams.


    This is just the start of the pre-olympic season so there's no need to talk about how Japan can beat other teams...


    Techniques are learned...tactics can be decoded or encrypted but at the end of the day...Volleyball is all about attacking and defending... which is so much inclined with height and speed.


    Whoever gets to most out of system situations will always be in trouble and that's the reason serve-receive is so important in women's game because there are only few female pin hitters with decent defense who can actually kill the ball out of system in the women's game.


    With the serve evolving to power again... It's going to get hard for those teams who were designed to play in system... So right now... Everyone has to do better... and learn to be much more fundamentally sound in the coming years so they can compete with little fails.

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney


  • I believe it's the other way around. Japan holds the advantage to go five sets because those bigger bodies consume a lot more energy to be moved around. That is my experience watching as well. I've never seen the Japanese looking tired, and their defensive game makes their opponents work harder (especially than their opponents are used to against other teams).


    Can small beat tall? It comes down to talent. Imagine adding Nootsara and Pleumjit to the Japanese team.


    I think the possibility of jumping and diving around that much can be more exhausting for smaller teams than the taller teams.

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • Okay, so I'm a naive volleyball virgin. Like someone who sits at a professional poker table and hopes for good cards.

  • Okay, so I'm a naive volleyball virgin. Like someone who sits at a professional poker table and hopes for good cards.


    I think the beauty of Japan is that they will always be underdogs and underdogs will always pull out a surprises in order to win.


    The days of Japan as the dominant volleyball nation is basically over but I want to be surprised by them. lol


    Japan invented so much innovations that many teams are enjoying today and in sports especially volleyball.. It's just harder to be more experimental and keep winning when you are a short team and other teams are catching up to you in terms of technique.


    Imo. Japan needs to catch up with the physicality of the other nations but unfortunately height doesn't grow like trees so maybe... they have to wait for their golden generation like Brazil with the likes of Sheilla,Paula,Mari,Fabiana,Jaque,Fabi,Sassa,Thaisa et al... I think time will come for that once again unless they can invent a leaping technique that can bring you to 400cm spiking height. :dance6:

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • The thing is, the very best players aren't just tall, they are skilled and quick as well. IMO Rasic is probably the best MB in the world right now. She is obviously tall, but that is not the only reason she is the best. As well as being tall, she is also pretty quick at getting into position to block or attack and she also can read the opponents' setter well to get into the right position.


    My point is that the speed advantage of the smaller teams is just not as big an advantage as the height advantage that the top 5 or so teams in the world have. Tall players can train to be quicker, develop their technique and understand the game better, but small players can never be tall

  • You've just said it ,,, it was back in 1976! Plus, Russian players weren't that tall back then...


    I'm pretty sure the Soviet players (most are Russians) were relatively taller than players from other teams, especially if we compare to the Japanese players.

  • as i said, i think PER in 1988 was the last time a short team was really at the top... i didn't watch VB back then, but i'm pretty sure the peruvians were much shorter than the soviets and other teams.


    btw, too bad CUB boycotted 1988 olympics, i wonder how high were they ranked in the world at the time.

  • squad of the Polish national team final tournament


    S: Marlena Pleśnierowicz, Joanna Wołosz.


    W: Monika Bociek, Małgorzata Jasek, Berenika Tomsia.


    M: Klaudia Alagierska, Zuzanna Efimienko-Młotkowska, Agnieszka Kąkolewska.


    R: Roksana Brzóska, Martyna Grajber, Patrycja Polak, Malwina Smarzek.


    L: Aleksandra Krzos, Agata Witkowska.

  • as i said, i think PER in 1988 was the last time a short team was really at the top... i didn't watch VB back then, but i'm pretty sure the peruvians were much shorter than the soviets and other teams.


    btw, too bad CUB boycotted 1988 olympics, i wonder how high were they ranked in the world at the time.


    I believe Cuba was a top contender and very likely would have ended in the top 3 at 1988 Olympics.
    Mireya Luis and Magaly Carbajal were young but strong players.


    As for Peru, yes, indeed they were a bunch of short players but with the great help of their middle Perez (1.94m) who during those years dominated at the net against any opponent.
    I watched the gold medal game from those olympic games, and don't believe how Peru who was leading 2-0 and 12-6 in the third set managed to lose the gold medal against a good but not great Soviet Union team. :aww:

  • Exhibition Match: Four national team captains vs Hong Kong Airline women's volleyball team


    :rolll: That's some fast paced action. The team captains aren't allowed to jump :lol:


    I love after that (I believe) Zhu Ting spike, they sort of pantomime the traditional huddle in the middle and share love and joy with your team mates :dance6: