Why is Kyoei Gakuen Volleyball "fun"?

Kana Oyama "Beach is not play" 

Of the women's tournament, I particularly liked Kyoei Gakuen, who came in third. First of all, the volleyball was simply fun to watch. I felt that they were practicing a style of volleyball based on world standards, which is the kind of volleyball style we should aim for.

　First of all, the first touch was careful, and in addition to consciously returning the ball slowly and high, the spikers also took a good run and came in at the same tempo while changing slots.

　Compared to boys, girls tend to fix their positions from an early age. At best, this makes it easier for specialists to grow up, but at the other end of the spectrum, it can also be a disadvantage in that they can only do this.

　In such a situation, Kyoei Gakuen is characterized by the concept of positionlessness, where everyone attacks from various positions.

　Kyoei Gakuen has a group of players who are dexterous enough to play a variety of positions, and they have developed their own unique combination volleyball, but in the past, the first touch tended to be low due to the preoccupation with "attacking quickly. However, in this year's Spring Koshien, we made sure that the first touch was high, and the attackers had enough time to make a run.

　This is not a very noticeable play, but I think Kyoei Gakuen proved that the difference in awareness and the results of continuous efforts can make a big difference.

When most people hear the term "fast volleyball," they may think of faster tossing.

　Actually, there is a big misunderstanding there. If you really want to play fast volleyball, the key is how to speed up the time from ball touch to attack.

　Simply put, the higher you can get the ball, the more time you can save. Of course, it is difficult to handle everything at a high position depending on the situation, such as serve receive, return of chance balls, etc., but if you handle the ball with your overhand rather than underhand, you will save that much time. In addition, it is easier to start the next move because you are less likely to lose your stance.

　Ideally, handling with the overhand is more beneficial. However, the momentum and speed of the ball might cause you to lose momentum, or you might lose your dribble. In fact, this was the case when I was still playing.

　However, there was a player who was able to pull off such a play with ease. It was Noai Kinugasa of Kyoei Gakuen.

　Her serve-receive is basically overhand, and she can handle spiked balls with ease. She has a wide defensive range and is fast enough to follow up on balls received by other players. Although Kinugasa plays on the light side, he runs to the opposite left side to connect the ball. "I was impressed by his strong attitude, "I'm going to take care of this ball! I was very impressed by her strong attitude.
The skills and tactics she honed in beach volleyball.

　As a matter of fact, in addition to indoor volleyball, Kinugasa is also an accomplished beach volleyball player who won the Beach Volleyball Japan Junior Women's Championship in August, competing as a pair with setter Mayu Kikuchi. In Japan, there are still very few players who play both indoor volleyball and beach volleyball at the same time.

　However, like Kinugasa and Kikuchi, there are many technical and tactical aspects that can be improved by experiencing both from high school.

　Unlike indoor volleyball, which has six players on the court, beach volleyball has only two players on the same court. In other words, where do you hit your serve and where do your blockers jump? If you don't have specific tactics to share, the game won't work.

　In fact, when I teach volleyball to children, I often use the two-on-two game format. This is because I think it is the best way to get better and practice being able to play any position. As an ace, you not only have to hit, but you also have to be able to lift the toss and receive. Even the setter needs to be able to receive and sometimes even hit.

 Tom Logan, who played for the U.S. national team and also for Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical in Japan when I was an active player, was also a beach volleyball player. He was also a beach volleyball player, and his ball-handling skills, which he had developed through beach volleyball, were so good that I really hated to play against him (laughs).

　Playing volleyball on the sand is not only a great way to improve your volleyball skills, but it is also good for physical training and less stress on your knees and ankles. Through the success of Kinugasa and Kikuchi, I strongly felt that if possible, indoor volleyball players should also experience beach volleyball.

　There are so many good things about beach volleyball, so why hasn't it caught on? I think there are several reasons, but I think there are two major problems.

　The first one is the schedule. Junior high and high school students have many official games, and it is no exaggeration to say that they play almost every week. In addition to the qualifying rounds for national tournaments such as the Inter-High School Tournament and the Spring High School Tournament, there are also tournaments in each prefecture and local block, as well as private high school tournaments, and the list goes on. It's a vicious circle.
Beach volleyball is not a game.

　Another thing is that, unfortunately, there are still instructors who consider beach volleyball, which is played in an open space, as "fun.

　In fact, unlike indoors, playing volleyball in the ocean and sand is open and very fun. It is also true. However, it requires more physical activity and stamina than indoor volleyball, and it is a valuable opportunity to learn various relationships such as serving and blocking, blocking and receiving. There are a number of elements that can be learned from beach volleyball and can be connected to indoor volleyball.

　It may not be easy to put into practice in terms of location, environment, and practice, but I believe that there are things that can be changed little by little with the awareness of the instructors.

　I can only hope that the example of Kyoei Gakuen, which finished second in the Inter-High School, third in the Spring High School, and first in Japan in beach volleyball, will not be taken as a special case, and that new challenges will be taken up for the players in various places! 

#KyoeiGakuen 
#NaoKinugasa 
#MayuKikuchi 
#KanaMurata