posted Feb 6, 2008

The comment regarding the Brazilian team and the whole height debate is spot on. I'd rather have a short guy who can jump than a monster that struggles to control his legs (Peter Crouch)..... Although if you can get a guy that 6'7 that can jump then I'm all for it!

As for the perfect serve Sir_David_Healy_9 I find the chicken wing never fails to impress

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posted Feb 6, 2008

Why thank you Papi, can u give me a step by step on how to perform it as it would vastly improve my game

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posted Feb 7, 2008

I love sport and watch as much as possible, and read a lot about what’s going on and what’s new in sport.
Of course at this moment our volleyball is quite weak, since unfortunately such an interesting and popular sport all over the world doesn’t have any tradition in England.
But, since quite some time already, many other countries discovered the importance of sport, not only as a mean for social integration, but as one of the most important industries of the world, generating annually more then US$ 400 billions, and employing about 100 million people, from the box office clerk to the player, from the reporter to the sports materials industries, from the coach to the engineer and the workers at the construction of stadiums and sport installations. Besides chauffeurs, hotel employees, doctors, sport managers, etc.
Each weekend an average of 600 million TV spectators follow different kind of sports, and it’s this popular interest that makes the source of publicity that keeps on the TV cameras.
The Olympic Games in Sydney, in 2000, had the participation of 200 countries, 30 thousand journalists, and 214 TV nets. There were audience peaks with one billion spectators.
Now, going back to the British Volleyball, I would like to mention a very important example. In the Pan-American Games, in 1959, Cuba ended 32nd among 44 competitors. In the Olympic Games in Germany, in 1972 they ended 4th, only behind USA, Soviet Union and East Germany. Only 13 years latter. More information can be found in the book “National Sports Policies”, an International Handbook, from Laurence Chalip, Greenwood Press, 1984.
I mentioned all this to make clear that nowadays any sport can only be successful if it’s administrated with a real professional mentality, including an infrastructure that any serious business organization needs.
Therefore the workers, in this case the volleyball players, have to get everything necessary to produce their best results, but, in change, they have to be totally committed and work very hard, with discipline and determination. If not, they will have to be fired, just like any other worker in any serious business. And everything necessary means not only decent accommodations, but also a decent financial aid, good coaches, the best training material, good physical, medical, psychological and nutritional support, etc.
After all, we cannot forget that these players won’t have time to study or to make any other kind of living, they will work many weekends, they will be far from their families and friends for long periods, and they will have very little time for amusement or to go out at night. Besides, not forgetting the possibilities of injuries, so common in high level volleyball
In this way, and only in this way, I believe that England, following the example from Cuba in all sports, will be able to have a decent and honourable participation in the 2012 volleyball games, and who knows, be in conditions to fight for medal in 2016 or 2020.

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posted Feb 8, 2008

No disagree. If they didn't already have a team and were only recruiting tall guys, then yes. But they are not, the tall ones are supplementing the existing squad.

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posted Feb 10, 2008

I am a keen volleyball player, and play at a reasonable standard for someone born and brought up in the uk. However I honestly cannot see Team GB being at all successful in the 2012 Olympics. We need to invest this money into developing the game at a younger level.

I was part of the england set up until the age of 18 and I can honestly say that although everyone involved was very enthusiastic, the facilities were terrible. We slept on the floor in the sports hall we played in, which could get terribly cold at night, the food was very cheap and simple and the portions were very small considering we were growing teenagers playing sport for 6 to 8 hours per day. and although there was no other options because there is so little money in the sport in the UK, now there is money there we need to bring kids in to the sport believing that they can either make a living from the sport and be successful with their national team. this is not going to happen with these guys who are living in Holland at the moment. we simply don't have enough very talented people playing the sport in this country at the moment. If we can encourage these natural sportsman who would become top football players in the current set up to take up volleyball then we can begin to be successful in the future.

There is nothing I want more than to have a successful national volleyball team, but at the moment this is not likely.

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posted Feb 23, 2008

Dave Smith - I agree lets get behind our boys and girls.

The boys in Holland are far from pampered, from the tv clips and what my friend says its a total dump. Something comfortable and practical is all the lads need, they dont need(or want for that matter) sky or a pool table or anything. These guys eat,sleep and live VB 24/7.

Who are these tall guys that are supplementing the existing squad? All the players in the 1st squad and 2nd Squad(UK based) are existing players. No players from Sporting Giants have joined any of the teams.

mattchauntry - I agree with you in regards to looking at other sports for talent BUT the average height of a football player is under 6 foot and just because you skilled with you feet doesnt mean you are with your hands, so you would have to look at sports that have a similar skill set to VB ie handball, basketball, etc.Also why would a 'top' footballer as you put it want to quit the game they love and get paid very handsomely for?

Just some food for thought

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posted Feb 23, 2008

Dan Hunter for England 2012!!!

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posted Feb 23, 2008

Well I'd rather have money pumped into volleyball than the ridiculous sport called handball that bores me to death with how stupid it seems.

Take all the funding from handball and give it to the volleyball guys.

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posted Feb 27, 2008

Peter Smith

The Sporting Giants are still going through the talent assessment phases. A decision will be made as to who, if anyone, progresses fairly soon. My son is part of this program at the moment and it has benefited him in so many ways.

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posted Apr 3, 2009

I will give each person that has posted on this thread £1000 pounds if we win a medal in 2012/2016/2020 - Fact

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