FIVB World Cup 2019 - Sept. 14 to 29, Japan

  • The Chinese commentators said something like


    Shinnabe has the best reception. But China won't try to serve a single ball to her.


    The Japanese have a strange passing system. It's the front row spiker + opposite + libero. They want to free the back row spiker for the pipe attack. Why not free up position 4, I have no clue

    Wow! I can't believe I got it right :)


    Sincere question: What or how would freeing up 4 change the situation?

  • Wow! I can't believe I got it right :)


    Sincere question: What or how would freeing up 4 change the situation?

    I think freeing up the 4 opens up a lot of possible attacking options in that zone (drop, tip, other spiking techniques). It’s so weird since Japan employs this receiving OPP system. Why not allow the opp to be ready for the pipe instead? Or is their opp not a potent attacker? Ishii doesnt pass well enough considering she’s an OH.

  • I think freeing up the 4 opens up a lot of possible attacking options in that zone (drop, tip, other spiking techniques). It’s so weird since Japan employs this receiving OPP system. Why not allow the opp to be ready for the pipe instead? Or is their opp not a potent attacker? Ishii doesnt pass well enough considering she’s an OH.

    Ishii is a solid and reliable passer. Has been for years. She tanked a few too many in the China match. Shit happens. I'll bet Japan's "Server Contact Points" average in this tournament is High 80s, especially if you leave out the China Match. It was an anomaly.


    edit: according the FIVB stats, Yuki Ishii is at #5, with five errors this tournament so far. But stats lie all the time. Seems like she made five against China. (maybe she did)


    OP Risa Shinnabe is not a pipe attacker, at all. When she's out, the others could be but I think they stick to that system.


    I think this "To Free up p4, or not to free up p4" is above my pay grade. Volleyball is like 2nd graders playing soccer, to me. Everybody chases the ball around until someone finally kicks it :white:

  • I have no hope for the current Japan NT. I'm just waiting for Coach Aihara and his U20 squad to take over after Tokyo 2020.

    I'm not as down on the current team, but I'm board for other part

  • When I started watching volleyball I remember thinking: "Why don't they let that one girl pass more? She's better than the others". I was thinking of 2nd contact as the "pass".


    A Hisamitsu player impressed me. So I googled her. It said: "Position - Setter". So I googled that. Been smooth sailing ever since.

  • Ishii, Kurogo, Koga or maybe Nagaoka are enough for them. These girls are as tall as Gabi, Drussyl, and maybe Garay. They just have to use middle more considering that they have the best receivers.


    Maybe Yamada, the other youth MB and Araki are enough MB attackers for them. They just need uber reliable libero and a possible replacement of Shinnabe.

  • Ishii, Kurogo, Koga or maybe Nagaoka are enough for them

    Nagaoka's been out with injury 2 1/2 years or thereabouts. Now Kurogo is out. That's a blow. Japan is playing well this tournament regardless of the obituary tone :thumbup: They killed it with DOM. RUS was a good fight, so was Korea but they lost. CMR was CMR and China was China. Who knows how the rest of the tournament will go? Especially if Kurogo comes back.


    I still think the USA Bench beats them, though. We'll move on after that.

  • Ishii, Kurogo, Koga or maybe Nagaoka are enough for them. These girls are as tall as Gabi, Drussyl, and maybe Garay. They just have to use middle more considering that they have the best receivers.


    Maybe Yamada, the other youth MB and Araki are enough MB attackers for them. They just need uber reliable libero and a possible replacement of Shinnabe.

    Shinnabe is the best receiver for Japan and contribute a lot in passing and defense. Nagaoka doesn't really receive so it will be vulnerable for Japan if Koga or the other OHs has to pass.

  • CHN has always had a mixed passing system as far as i remember, i.e. in london, zhang lei received serve. all CHN OPP have to receive serve, that’s why they don’t have the typical OPP that are dominant attackers (and can’t do anything else).

  • Shinnabe is the best receiver for Japan and contribute a lot in passing and defense. Nagaoka doesn't really receive so it will be vulnerable for Japan if Koga or the other OHs has to pass.

    They could hide Nagaoka on reception without penalty, I think. Japan has good receivers coming out their butt. What they need is a gun. Nagaoka and Kurogo are really the closest they have to a gun and they're both out with injury (although it's been over two years since we've seen Nagaoka--beyond a brief appearance at something over the summer).

  • CHN has always had a mixed passing system as far as i remember, i.e. in london, zhang lei received serve. all CHN OPP have to receive serve, that’s why they don’t have the typical OPP that are dominant attackers (and can’t do anything else).

    And waaaaay back in 2004 the middles passed

  • CHN has always had a mixed passing system as far as i remember, i.e. in london, zhang lei received serve. all CHN OPP have to receive serve, that’s why they don’t have the typical OPP that are dominant attackers (and can’t do anything else).

    You again back to the old era, at least pre-Lang Ping. Lang won't accept any OPP w/o receiving serves and other capabilities. That is not the Lang's system.


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

  • They could hide Nagaoka on reception without penalty, I think. Japan has good receivers coming out their butt. What they need is a gun. Nagaoka and Kurogo are really the closest they have to a gun and they're both out with injury (although it's been over two years since we've seen Nagaoka--beyond a brief appearance at something over the summer).

    She did play in world champs last year.