Philippine volleyball needs new system, says Iraq coach

Team Philippines PLDT Home TVolution's first international stint in years proved to be a learning experience. ROY DOMINGO
Iraq’s South Gas Sports Club mentor Khalaf Abdul Sa Alaa offered words of encouragement to Team Philippines PLDT Home TVolution after the nine-day Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championships held in Pasay City.

Sa Alaa and his Iraq crew reinforced by imports Metodi Aleksandaron Amaniev of Bulgaria, Hungary’s Arpad Baroti, and Macedonian Aleksandar Itaftov twice defeated the Power Pinoys in the 15th edition of the annual club tournament organized by Sports Core and supported by the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF).

“You already have a good coach, a good set of players, venues, and crowd support. What the Philippines needs is a new training system,” said Sa Alaa after his club’s final match opposite Chinese Taipei in the ranking round.

South Gas Sports Club’s seven-year mentor even suggested that PVF officials should hire a professional foreign coach to help with the country’s grassroots development program.

“The foreign coach can bring in new ideas and approaches to the game. Players should also start young, around nine to 10 years old,” said Sa Alaa.



He added that the Power Pinoys, which finished seventh in the annual club tournament, offensive, and defensive plays were already outdated. “It has been the same problem for the Philippines the whole tournament, only a single blocker. A middle blocker should also be there.”

“They also have the same position with their attacks. This is how the Philippine team played 20 years ago. They should offer variations of their combination plays,” said Sa Alaa, who also coaches in the Arab League and in a semi-professional league in Iraq.

Sa Alaa said that volleyball is the third most popular sport in Iraq next to football and basketball. “A few more years and we will be number two. We receive $1.5 million annually from the government and our National Olympic Committee that helps us train and develop new players.”

Iran won its 10th overall title after club team Matin Varamin—behind the all-around plays of tournament most valuable player Shahram Mahmoudi, and the defense of top two blockers Mohammad Mousavi and Mostafa Sharifat, and best libero Said Saad Sulaiman—defeated Qatar’s Al Rayyan, 19-25, 25-17, 26-24, 25-16, in the finals.

Maxim Samarin of Kazakhstan’s Kondensat Zhaikmunay and Al Rayyan import Cristian Savani (open spikers), Vitaliy Vorivodin of Kazakhstan (opposite spiker), and China’s Li Runming (setter) were the other individual awardees.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bishop Hagemoen challenges pilgrims to be Prophets of the New Millennium

Image
SASKATOON — As Catholic youth gear up for the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Bishop Mark Hagemoen urged those who participated in the Mount Carmel Pilgrimage Site to embrace their role as prophets of the new millennium. On the Day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel feast, hundreds of pilgrims gathered at the Mount Carmel Pilgrimage site on Sunday, July 16, to participate in the annual liturgical services, and the day commenced with the recitation of the rosary and Marian hymns, culminating in a concelebrated mass led by Bishop Hagemoen. Bishop Mark Hagemoen During his homily, Bishop Hagemoen echoed the words of Pope Francis, calling on the pilgrims to embrace their prophetic calling and spread God's word to all. He emphasized that each individual, through baptism, has received the gift of Messianic prophecy, becoming a prophet themselves. "The pope says, ‘Each of us, brothers and sisters, is a prophet. In fact, with baptism, let us all receive the gift of the Messian
Read more

Papal visit hopes to repair relationship with Indigenous Peoples

Image
SASKATOON — The Vatican has released the official itinerary of Pope Francis with the pontiff heading straight to Edmonton to make his first visit to Canada to meet with Indigenous Peoples, especially residential school survivors. The Holy Father will leave Rome on July 24, Thursday, at 9:00 a.m. local time and will arrive at the Edmonton International Airport for the official welcome at 11:20 a.m. the same day. Rome is eight hours ahead of Alberta, which follows mountain daylight time. The theme of the papal visit is “Walking Together” which will focus on reconciliation and healing the strained relationship between the Catholic church and Indigenous Peoples, especially the survivors of the abuses caused by attending the Canadian residential school system. Pope Francis’ six-day trip is a combination of public and private events and meetings, especially with Indigenous Peoples. The visit comes after a few months when a historic meeting between First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegates in
Read more

A letter to Tatay

SASKATOON—My father died in February 2018, more than a month after our last vacation in the Philippines where we get to spend Christmas and New Year with our family and friends. I have no idea that would be the last time we would see Tatay alive, the last time he would see my family and spend time with two (Macky and Nathan) of his more than 10 grandchildren, and the last time I would speak to him in person and my last time to mano before heading to the airport the early morning of Jan. 9, 2018. He died while we were back on Saipan, thousands of kilometres away east of the Philippines; while I was busy covering House and Senate sessions at the CNMI Legislature or busy hounding the governor about a local or federal issue, and while I was working on an island surrounded by the ocean in the Western Pacific. I haven't mentioned this to anyone—and I'm not sure if Nanay or my sister who was then taking care of him remembers this—but I got furious at him when we talked on the ph
Read more