Japan Women's NT 2022

  • She's also main receiver and a solid defender, but didn't see that here. She's gotta get over the confidence hump. Manabe's not playing her because he thinks she's cute. Starting the tournament, and the QF was a big ask tho

    I mean, being in the national team as a university player might be intimidating at first since everyone else came from the pro league, but she did perform well enough to prove that she's the potential. I'm not sure why she's not seeing that potential in herself, but yea once she gets Mayu's kind of confidence back then, she'll be good


    Agreed, putting her in QF for 2 sets was crucial but she held up well. She should take this confidence and amp up for WC :super:

  • All in all, yesterday was a good match that showed the spirit of the Japanese NT. Sure, some of the players like Koga, Kojima, Inoue (and maybe Yamada?) did perform lower than their usual, but it happens. It also showed the potential and grit of other players, like Shimamura, Yoshino Sato, Hayashi, Matsui, Ogawa.


    For such a new team where not many of them have international experience, they did well enough to reach QF. It was a lot to ask for them to beat Brazil, especially when their conditions weren't great from Week 3. Hopefully they take this experience and build some confidence, reflect a little on things to improve and consider, and we see a stronger, more cohesive, and consistent team in the WC :super:

  • What does not sit well with me was the match was winnable but it’s like Manabe decided otherwise. The entire set 4 was a testament to that. Sato held up well and i love her run in the 4th set but i dont get how she merited starting in the 2nd set and retain in the 3rd set without doing much. It should have been Koga and Ishikawa after Inoue was taken off the court.

  • I mean, being in the national team as a university player might be intimidating at first since everyone else came from the pro league, but she did perform well enough to prove that she's the potential. I'm not sure why she's not seeing that potential in herself, but yea once she gets Mayu's kind of confidence back then, she'll be good


    Agreed, putting her in QF for 2 sets was crucial but she held up well. She should take this confidence and amp up for WC :super:

    I think she's doing fine, but she's got to ditch the loser face on errors :hit:


    It's not like she's just a "school kid" tho :) She plays for one of the best Uni's in the country, been a starter since she entered and they've made podium in every tournament she's played with them


    I think she rounded a corner with her first successful Pipe Attack today. I'm sure it was fun for her and a confidence builder. She does that a lot with Tsukuba


    Manabe has seen her play and knows her skill set. Serve and Back Attack were probably the biggest selling points for Manabe, given his stated game plan


    When I look at her swing it looks like the template Japan NT swing, for better or worse. Her hand and wrist motions are a lot like Koga, so she has that finesse angle -- the downside is a lack of a Frantti/Gabi/Herbotts (pick your poison) follow through and violence for more power


    I have no idea if Manabe is playing her with "I want to give this girl experience so she'll be up for WCh", in mind but that seems very unlikely to me. VNL QF doesn't make any sense to that. She's got to be showing him something in practice he likes

  • other than araki, japan never had elite-level middles.


    the most important problem of this team is setters. 2 setters were terrible in the finals.


    team japan had takeshita for very long time and miyashita's first years were very good. since the last quad, all setters are super mediocre. i thought manabe will change it but nothing has changed.


    i said it before, being obsessed with local v league performances is not correct. their opponents don't play like japan.


    it's time to bring miyashita back.

  • From what I remember Manabe has an unconventional view of middles as he did with that failed "hybrid" experiment before Rio so I don't expect any changes when it comes to their middles. They need to focus on a more powerful OPP. They have no stable OPP in this team since the last coach. Koga isn't enough to overcome everything. Without a good OPP this team will not survive the odds of having taller opponents. They can always come close but never win.

  • Here's another take of the Italian coach on why Japan did awesome at the beginning then flopped at the finals;

    2022 VNL WOMEN'S
    GOOD-BYE ASIA: BIOLOGY AT ITS FINEST (Post 1430)

    Let's go back to my prediction after week 1 of the Women's VNL:
    "It's absolutely amazing the way Japan & Thailand dominate the League but, admiration aside, this is not gonna last. When the best will show up and height and most of all muscles will count above all, the usual suspects will be on top."

    Brazil, Italy, Türkiye & the "surprise", Serbia, are in the semis: good-bye, Asia ... hey, what's up, Europe!

    I had explained, that day, what the trick was: Japan & Thailand had the strategic intelligence of organizing their internal calendar according to the International one.

    Japan ended its League (as always) in March, and Thailand did even better leaving plenty space to the preparation of the SEA Games, then dominated as usual.

    More! Thailand used the SEA Games to prepare and "put minutes" in the legs of a new revamped National Team.

    When VNL started, all the Teams that later reached the Finals were incomplete, as the European Leagues, National and CEV, were just finished and Top Players are still human and in need of rest.

    Japan & Thailand were quick in moves and thought process, and that always wins against "tall and slow".
    Shoots & combinations had the best on Teams that were still preparing, incomplete in Rosters, the VNL campaign.

    Japan & Thailand were destined to stop their adventure when things got heated, at the final rush.

    We had signs of what my prediction was all about with the Rising Sun's heroins: 8-0 after 2 weeks ... 8-4 at third.
    Enough was enough!
    Gasoline was running low but not only.

    Japanese and Thais were accumulating muscular stress playing at double speed while the others were building strength & endurance.

    More! There is a cultural issue involved that I had kept into consideration.

  • I don't think it's their setters or middles. Well I mean yes it's their middles but Japan under Manabe is not about to change how they use their short MBs. Their middles will stick with their quicks and their setters will have to be the 2nd libero. They do need a really good attacker badly. Hayashi took on Ishikawa's role as scorer last season but when she has to dig score block dig score dive dig score block and the only non-receiving OH doesn't even help that's when they start to fall behind.

  • I agree with their setters though. they weren't spectacular, specially during the 3rd week. they didn't adjust when Manabe changed the line up a bit.

  • In what way did they not adjust? Did you miss how Seki had to adjust her toss to Airi? or are you only talking about Matsui?

    yes. but Airi is the odd one out. there were times the toss on their hitters were right on the opponent's blockers. That and fatigue I think, caught up with them.

  • the main scorer doesn't necessarily have to be an opp, they can get an OH as long as they're capable of outscoring the other outsides. offense should be their focus.

  • Speaking of good opposite. Why in the world they did not invite valdes? She is a Japanese citizen and a very reliable opposite, playing like a foreign player in JVL. If Japan really want to improve and have a good placement in world championship and Olympic. They need to stop being patriotic and bring all players they can weather half Japanese or just naturalize player. I read somewhere and I am sure you read this about Santiago. I saw her highlights and very promising player and very tall.

  • They can bring more!

    Sorry for any confusion. I did not mean "they already have a certain number of half-japanese players, they do not need more" but instead i meant "since they already have half-japanese players, there must be other reasons the players you mentioned are not selected".

  • Speaking of good opposite. Why in the world they did not invite valdes? She is a Japanese citizen and a very reliable opposite, playing like a foreign player in JVL. If Japan really want to improve and have a good placement in world championship and Olympic. They need to stop being patriotic and bring all players they can weather half Japanese or just naturalize player. I read somewhere and I am sure you read this about Santiago. I saw her highlights and very promising player and very tall.

    I wouldn't mind seeing Valdes or Jaja invited to a wide roster to see if they can cut the mustard


    Can you show me a source that shows Valdes and Jaja had Japanese citizenship 2 years ago (isn't that what it takes?) that would let them qualify to the NT