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Japan Style - the waterpolo you like, Omoto: "We prepare for the Olympics by improving our game"

  Pubblicato il 27 Dic 2120  12:52
Julio Velasco, one of the greatest coaches in the history of sport, a few years ago told how the Japanese, in volleyball, were the inventors of "the fast", one of the most effective attack schemes ever, which consists in blowing up the hitter without, however, serving him the ball thus deceiving the opponent's block. "Japanese stuff", they commented in Europe, "Imagine if a Latin player can jump without hitting the ball". Now the "fast" is the most used offensive solution in the world: from the youth categories, to the first teams, to the major national selections. A little bit of what is happening in water polo with the Japanese men's national team which, despite the 11th place finish in the world ranking of Gwangju, has garnered support, winning applause, from professionals and fans of world water polo. An innovative style of play, which best suits the physical and athletic characteristics of its players; strong pressing in defense - often done in advance and on the favorite shoulder of one's opponent -, fast restarts and a dynamic, intense pace, made up of entrances but also of good tactical readings. The main architect of this change that has led many Japanese players to be courted by the European teams is called Yoji Omoto, head coach of the Japanese national team. Technical commissioner from 2001 to 2006, he returned to the helm of the red and white selection in 2012, winning silver at the Asian Games, two golds at the Asian Swimming Championship and Asian Waterpolo Championships and two excellent placings in the World League, fourth and sixth place. Certainly the most prestigious result was the qualification for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016; a participation that has been missing for over thirty years and which, in the summer of 2021, will return to seeing the Japanese players already qualified for the Tokyo Games as the host country.

Japan national team has grown a lot. Congratulations for all that you done in this years. How was this growth possible? And what aspect did you focus on?
"The goal-shaped ball game is supposed to be aimed at scoring a goal, but water polo now is a sport that is not interesting to watch because it seems to intend to get only exclusions by supplying a pass to the center forward. Also, compared to other sports, even though the movement is slower in the water, the rules that are tolerant of grabbing each other inhibit the appeal of ball games: 'speed' and 'imagination'.
The only way for a small player like a Japanese to compete equally with a large player is to avoid contact as much as possible and compete at a high speed, and it is more interesting to watch 'Fast Water Polo'. Avoiding contact leads to fair play as a result, so it can contribute greatly to the spread of this sport. My focus is on time. One foul is the same as giving the opponent 3 seconds to attack, so never make unnecessary fouls. In addition, early attacks from the counter aimed at by Japan will increase the number of attacks per game, which is faster and more interesting".

How is it going the trainings with National Team in this period?
"We can't go on an overseas expedition anymore, so we have training camps in Japan about 10 days a month.Other than that, they practice at each player's club".

How has Coronavirus conditioned the training of Japan during the stop of last season?
"Not going on an overseas expedition is a big disadvantage for strengthening, as the weak point for the Japanese national team is lack of  tough official game experiences with powerful foreign teams. Last year, I felt a great deal of satisfaction after two consecutive months of fighting in six European countries, so this year's situation is very disappointing".
 
Everyone hopes that Tokyo could be host Olympic Games next july. There what are sensations about this?
"The Olympics should be held. Although there may be restrictions on the number of spectators and travel restrictions, I think the tournament can be made great because the Japanese has a good national character who follows the rules and does their jobs accurately".

How will be to play olympics at home?
"Water polo is still a minor sport in Japan. It is a great honor to be able to participate in the Olympics in our own country, so I would lile to make the most of it".

Many japanese players now are playing in Europe, the continent in which waterpolo is more developed. What is your opinion about?
"There are no professional leagues in Japan, so I want players to move overseas more and more and more. There are many excellent players with good speed in Japan, but I still feel that the evaluation is very low".  

How, in your opinion, Coronavirus will change the future of waterpolo?
"Covid-19 will eventually settle down, but I think we should take this opportunity to review the rules. For example, you will be excluded if you grab the opponent face-to-face, or like basketball, limit the amount of time you can stay at the center area where we have the most contact. Water polo is the only ball game we can stay for a long time in front of the goal. It should be changed".
 
Gianluca Leo

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