Michal TOP 500

@volley123: What makes Wlazły a world class opposite? What volleyball arguments can back him up? Has he developped satisfying technique? Sure not every world class opposite has surgeon precision like Miljkovic or Pavlov who can lead blockers to deep depression, but still he hasn't developped his skills enough. You might come out with something common nowdays like BIG JUMP. Fine but with his height can it still be considered an advantage over top blockers? Does it really give any chance in more than a single match? You see even bringing it all to simple physical features (which is an absurd by the way) doesn't do the trick. Most of the opposites we consider world class combine really strong physical features with fair technique, the ratio for certain players differs of course. Wlazły isn't that dominant in the first as most people would think and clearly lacks too much of the second key component to consider him as a world class. Besides did he prove himself in a strong league? The fact he led Skra to chamiponship a couple of times in the polish league (which level was lower than it is now by the way) doesn't make him an international star. Did you pay attention to his highball efficiency? You couldn't miss that, if you did the fact it oscillates arround 0 isn't an explaination for you. These kind of situations are the salt of modern volleyball where 1 or 2 digs and further break points decide the score, one of the main factors making an opposite classy. Let the fact Antiga is the one who has to deal with this kind of situations in Skra speak for itself. PlusLiga is surely better than it was and look at him now, his physical abilities are decreasing with age and with skills he managed to develop he isn't that successful on local courts, he doesn't determine the score even there anymore. I don't know what other aspects you can point to make me change my opinion? I'm not trying to bring him down to amateur level, he is fine, for polish standards he used to be superb even, but it made people lose the global scale and go way too far with their remarks.

@HCLT: Good examples. Funny cause I've been thinking about Serbia recently, how efficient their system must be to produce so many talented players regularly in such a small country as you highlighted. I would immediately trade it for our PlusLiga which is a highly overrated commercial product. Of course we might presume Serbia wouldn't give up building a better native league just like that if they had proper financial means, but they have definitely chosen a better investment- truly long-term thinking. Volleyball structures in the countries you mentioned are not an unknown but what about Cuba? There's no way it's just natural predispositions that let them release so many young talents, not at that level.

@Zyta: Thanks for reminding that fact I forgot to mention, I don't want to put everyone into the same category. Kowal seems to be the one trying to break the habit, but I believe there are at least a few other coaches that also try to.

@HCLT: It's simply easier and more convenient for some people to disseminate propaganda making people believe we really have plenty of world class players, but unfortunatelly NT coaches turn out to be amateurs that can't use that, than to build a real foundation with complex coaching in every age category, which could help us produce real world class players maybe. I'm tired of hearing over and over again from our experts that Poland has a problem of richness when it comes to middle blocker position. Funny enough? Don't make me use more of those golden quotes.

@HCLT: You mentioned our biggest problem, that's where everything starts. We don't have good coaches to build the base of the pyramid- youth coaching, then league coaches to continue the process during players senior age. Take some unqualified shamans for coaching players in the beginning of their volleyball path then it's like a chain reaction. Lozano or Anastasi are great coaches but NT is the top of the pyramid. I believe they achieved what they could or even more considering human potential they could use while coaching our NT. As you said volleyball is popular in Poland but people steering it don't really seem to think about building a real volleyball fortress like in Brazil but how to milk the cow called polish volleyball till it's popular and gives money. Back to polish coaches it's not a secret they are lazy, they hardly go abroad for schooling. Have you heard about the situation when during a tournament (Wagner's Memorial as far as I remember) Hugh McCutcheon organized a schooling for polish coaches, guess what? None of them even appeared there. With that policy from PZPS and coaches mentality volleyball can disappear as quick as it appeared here.

@HCLT: It's something different Henrique, you have to keep the graduation. What's mediocre for the Brazilian NT could turn out to be beneficial for the Polish NT just take a look at Vissotto, I know how people look at him in Brazil while in Poland he would automatically turn out to be our salvation between the opposites we have. Besides Rodrigao case is something different, he was considered wooden but once again you have to keep the scale. Możdżonek has coordination problems that can't be solved anymore, someone should think about it when he was a kid. Rodrigao sure had his problems but everyone could see it was possible for him to exceed his arrearage with reading the game or to become an excellent spiker for example. Sure even Możdżonek has some positive things to offer. He has decent block technique, good penetration over the net, but due to his slowness and problems with feeling the game he can be productive as a starter against teams playing predictable volleyball which are minority nowdays. He can be a sub for the setter in front line as hannes mentioned, fine, but nothing more. About Nowakowski- no I didn't expect to see such quality but still I can expect from a professional volleyball player to own some spiking basics, to react and change something during a match. You wanna know what makes fans believe Kurek has something special? A good TV propaganda by his biggest fan (some say lover), our main national journalist (conductor) T.Swędrowski along with some other "experts" (choir) singing psalms about the mighty terminator of polish volleyball combined with some 3rd meter spikes. That does the trick for a fan that simply turns the TV on to watch something every Sunday. You know a lie repeated a hundred of times becomes the truth. @Hannes N'gapeth is a better player, he among Spiridonov and others made a quality step which Kubiak seemed to make abroad, then he came back to Plusliga what didn't have good influence on his performance. I know high frequency of games and so on affects on players performance as well as opponents adaptation to their style, but his individual elements like jump serve consistency decreased so it's not an explaination. People (Polsat) say Kubiak is playing his best season so far in his career what is not true and based on this single match against Ankara, please watch his previous games.

@HCLT: I don't get how anyone can point Możdżonek as a player with spiking potential, that's a pure contradiction, please, the fans should get crazy everytime he manages not to miss... the ball. As for the rest- yes, they do have potential, but potential means nothing if it's permanently hidden. Nowakowski has potential, but he needs to work on his ball control, it's really noticeable when he isn't in his top physical shape, without his maximum leap he gets rebounded easily over and over again, he should watch some classy spikers and see how to use his wrist to put angles instead of desperate over-block hitting manner. Kurek who obviously drives me insane also has potential, he even knows how to release it, almost brilliant! If only he knew how not to lose it when it's really needed... (his ridicolous face expressions don't make things any better). Kubiak was my hope to be someone so important for our NT like the all-arround players you mentioned, smooth in every element, but from my point of view his quality decreased since he came back to Plusliga from Padva. He was more consistent back then.

@raylight: That can make sense only in Poland- a country full of super talented players limited by inefficient evil coaches that don't let them rule the volleyball galaxy. In the real world your argument is very illusory. Four out of five players you mentioned have at least one major flaw that doesn't let your argument about spiking potential become rational. One out of five players you mentioned should change his name to Flaw.

@raylight Yes that's right, they are very powerful, also Glinka is a powerful woman. @Joel That's right, I also don't think copying someone's form may bring good results, I mean you can always take some details, but not a whole form in general. I believe our body generates the most convenient form for us, it will start changing to model with complex training provided though. Besides it would be quite boring to watch every player playing bookish style. Volleyball is a team sport, but has some individual elements, like serve and single block. As for the block I'll leave it at that, but jump serve is definitely attracting my attention as an amateur player too. I'm far from trying to describe my jump serve level at a global scale lol, but yeah, when you do it right any pro could have some hard time receiving those. If you're doing it wrong you can only blame yourself. By the way Celitans makes a proper approach jump serving, how could I miss that...

Yeah, but as a beach player he has to keep them together in line to provide optimum leap on the sand. Hard to say how his indoor approach would look like, it could stay the same or look exactly like the one you pointed in this video/made by indoor players I mentioned. Phil switched to right side since he's teamed up with Rosie. When you watch one of their training videos you'll see him finishing his approach with his right/left foot interchangeably. That's definitely something I've never seen before. Anyway quite messy from me to put Phil between indoor players, though the idea of an inverted approach for a right handed player is there. Chceck Fonteles and Sammelvuo, both jumping off both feet together like beach players should, as far as I remember the second one makes a mini-jump before he really leaps out to hit the ball what makes it look weird. There are exactly as many forms as people playing this sport.

HAIM- Falling

I'm sure you have. Ganev, Celitans, Rivaldo, Dalhausser, Glinka. You had to watch at least one of them. Of course in terms of biomechanics it's wrong, limits your swing and therefore power, putting angles, but that's theory. In practice changing this habit might turn out to be impossible.

Check this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX4FrJhcgJ0

It's a theme from a legendary PC game. I think it should work with trailers/short highlights based on replays, due to it's sublime tone.

@Nightfox I think you really don't know what reliability is about. Besides you are trying to compare Czech and Bulgarian NT, which is still despite of personal problems class above. There are/were many world class players that were doomed with their NT, doesn't matter if they shined or not e.g. Soto, Gomez, Veres, Omrcen. Of course Sokolov has bigger potential than Stokr, still he can't be more reliable during his first club season as a starter. Also pay attention to how Kjeldhor characterized Sokolov, that's quite an important matter. He seems to be one of those players who like to get load of sets, without that he loses his rhythm and efficiency (e.g. Grozer), that's why Stokr is a better choice for Trentino. I think that's mainly why he's not a starter there yet, he wouldn't be able to get that much of attention. That's why Grbic is the best setter he could play with to grind his skills. There will be time he'll have to learn some consistency to play as a starter in Trento (maybe next year).

@raylight As I said before, volleyball is something more than math. Of course spiking efficiency is one of the factors that make you give least chances to your opponent, but still he can respond with the same. You simply can't avoid those crucial moments, not in volleyball. So many examples coming out as we speek, just look at the Serie A semis. Look at Fei, he struggled with himself all the match, but what he did in the 5th set- that's the advantage of experience, simply priceless. Stokr also struggled against Cuneo, but his spike became the turning point of this game.

The progress Sokolov's recently made is a milestep, he still needs time though, doesn't matter how many solo performances he made so far.

Well, Michal, some things are obvious and in those obvious things Stokr is far behind. I am noт talking only about his smaller numbers and so on, I am talking speed. His spikes are slow motion.

I'm talking about reliability and you are pointing some obvious physical features. It's not a secret Sokolov can hit harder, same with Stokr reaching higher. Nevertheless I was talking about overall reliability. Stokr has the main advantage over Sokolov here. Pay attention to their ball control, putting angles in crucial moments, avoiding mistakes. Stokr is not one of those supernatural talents, he came to everything by hard work.

He is very strong, very consistent, rarely makes mistakes

Bingo!

but he has a limit

Everyone has, except for Kaziyski with unlimited spiking. Sorry I had to recall this one.

strangely or not - better arsenal in attack

Better arsenal in attack? Not in it's basic meaning for sure. I suppose you are talking about roll shots or tips in which they both suck.

and is capable of defeating any team alone

Pay attention to the game systems in Trentino and Cuneo. In Trento it's more balanced, usually split between 3 wing spikers. Thel distribution in Cuneo is much different, Grbic always plays a lot with opposites, but still manages to make them avoid hitting against well organized block almost all of the time.

When I pointed Sokolov successes it was not to compare with Stokr's, just to point that he has quality.

Of course he has, that's why this comparison between him and Stokr is possible.

About CL, Sokolov made the stats, because HE pushed his team to the final four, while Stokr didn't. Stokr, Kaziyski, Juantorena didn't do their job helped by the scheme and they landed quickly. Why didn't Stokr won them the golden set? Is he reliable if we can't rely on him to win a set alone? What does "reliable" means depends on the context, my friend

Once again you try to make Sokolov a better opposite than Stokr by pointing this single match over and over again. Stokr had many of those so called solo performances in his career, even though he doesn't have many opportunities to do so because of the game system I mentioned.

My mathematical theory is that more is more. You score more points without losing efficiency - you drammatically lower the chances for your team to be in situation with too many decisive points which you could potentially screw. Just score 30-50 pts and don't care about your fears of breakpoints in tiebreaks, where everyone can crash, like Milijkovic, Giba, Dante and everybody else, because tiebreaks are so random

Great theory, too bad it never meets practice at least in volleyball. It's not football, handball or boxing, doesn't matter how big advantage you make in the beginning you still have to score the last point, can't stay in defence, that's where reliability takes over the control. Of course tie break is sometimes much of a lottery, but keep in mind it's not the only crucial of every match.

Michal, remember when Sokolov scored 12 pts in the two tiebreaks vs Macerata for CL and brought the victory? Was he then less reliable than Stokr? And considering he is much more productive, is the supposed difference in reliability enough to consider staying with Stokr?

I could just ignore it or say: "Hey raylight did you watch yesterday's semi against Trento, tell me what was the result of Sokolov's productiveness when it didn't meet reliability in the most decisive moments of the 5th set." Still I'll stay with the first option this time, so hush-hush (I didn't quote nor reply this one).

except for reception

You are far too generous when it comes to admitting someone's strong points.

/including best spiker with Wijsmans in CL Final Four

Ignoring gets boring so let me reply this time: Stokr was more efficient than Sokolov during last Italian Cup final, same with World CCH in Doha (who cares Sokolov didn't take part in those). Once again you tend to manipulate facts to make yourself comfortable with your thesis. If you still don't know what I mean try to divide/multiply both sides (Czech and Bulgarian) of the equation by the same number. Keep the balance yet remember volleyball is often something more than math.

Stokr. Still more reliable.

Nice to see he's already in good physical shape after the injury, not so happy news for Trentino though.

@Someone that's what I meant, figuratively of course. Don't get me wrong, he was generally efficient during these matches, but in the end his style turned out to be his enemy. Of course luck is something you can't neglect in such important actions, but it can't be the base you can rely on everytime.