There can be no change without details. At this point, the only weapon of the Korean women’s volleyball team is detailed volleyball.
Korea currently has a 0-3 shutout loss in all four matches in the first week of the 2023 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL). Ranked 15th out of 16 teams participating in VNL. Croatia also lost all 4 games 0-3, and is at the bottom of the goal loss ratio, behind South Korea.
The FIVB rankings also fell. They lost ranking points by losing to Turkey (-2.85), Canada (-7.13), USA (-1.05), and Thailand (-6.05). Korea currently ranks 26th with a ranking point of 132.05. In front of Korea are 15th place Thailand, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Czech Republic, Mexico, France, Ukraine, Argentina, Slovenia and Peru. Of course, it is ironic that there is no change in the ranking points of teams that do not participate in the tournament, but the current state of Korean women’s volleyball is clearly revealed.
Ahead of this tournament, coach Cesar emphasized speed. This is how the Asian team survives on the international stage. Since you have no choice but to be pushed in terms of height and power, you must overcome your weaknesses with speed. Detailed volleyball is required in order to display the appropriate speed as a weapon that suits the team or player. Japan, which is still strong, and Thailand, which is showing rapid growth overtaking Korea after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, are the driving force behind high international competitiveness. Based on solid basic skills, the ups and downs were reduced while maintaining the continuity of tactics and team color. Because of this, no matter which player is put in, the difference in power is not large.
Korea is wandering around after the retirement of veteran players such as Kim Yeon-kyung, Kim Su-ji, and Yang Hyo-jin. The main gun was not clearly visible, and the overall height was lowered. As the effective blocking decreases, it is not easy to defend. In the process of scoring, the defense, connection, and attack are all shaken. In order for Korea to show a better look right now, detailed volleyball is needed. Korean V-League coaches often say, “You have to put your heart into each ball.” This means that sophisticated play is needed to create more complete scoring opportunities.
Commissioner Jang So-yeon, who was in charge of this VNL commentary, also said in a phone call with The Spike on the 7th, “Korean women’s volleyball has a height inferiority. Difficulties follow at critical moments, as there is not even a clear ace. In the first week of this week, he showed uneasiness by allowing a reversal while failing to score 1 or 2 points in a situation where he was leading by a large score difference. Players need to concentrate, team play that helps each other, and sophisticated volleyball are needed,” he said.
Commissioner Jang continued, “If we want to be competitive, we must not lose out in sophistication, but in fact, even this is not easy. Sophistication begins with solid fundamentals. You can’t suddenly get better at basic skills. However, we need to do sophisticated plays such as attack cover, connection, rebound play, and net play. Even now, the players are working hard, but I think it will be a better second week if they focus more.”
The average height of the players included in Korea’s 14-man roster for the first week is 181cm. It is higher than Japan’s 175 cm. Nonetheless, Japan recorded 11 blocks against the average height of 188cm Dominican Republic with an effective serve and precise volleyball, and won a set score 3-1. Japan and Thailand recorded 3 wins and 1 loss and 2 wins and 2 losses in the first week, respectively, and were ranked 6th and 8th in the tournament.
Korea also showed a 5-13 inferiority in team blocking in the head-to-head match against Thailand, and was pushed back in Digg and offense. In the 4 games in the 1st week, all of the counterattacks lost their precision and made mistakes one after another. It was easy to lose the flow while giving up goals easily.
After spending the first week in Antalya, Turkey, Korea moved to Brasilia, Brazil. From the 16th, they will face off against Brazil, Japan, Croatia and Germany in turn. Croatia is the only team among Korea’s opponents with a lower FIVB ranking than Korea. Croatia also fell to 30th place in the rankings as they recorded 4 consecutive losses in this tournament.안전놀이터
In the end, Korea’s goal is to advance to the Olympic finals for the fourth time in a row. The Olympic qualifiers will be held in September this year. If a ticket to the finals is not obtained here, whether or not to go to Paris will be determined according to the FIVB ranking. The walls of the world have become higher, and the reality is not easy. Nevertheless, we run again for a ‘better tomorrow’.