the art and heart of ball hitting | hpud is also up : July 31 2024

here i am again with another olympics story; it wasn't supposed to be one but i was bound by the circumstance.
it rained!
i was about to do a nightwalker series but it rained.
so what should i do?
my feet were getting itchy for a walk, i had to comply.

of i went to the gym for a leisure walk, it was not one of those with high inclines.
on a very comfortable slope but at a slightly faster pace for balance, i started walking while flipping through the tv channels.
i saw one showing the olympics, on a more popular sport, men's volleyball.
of course it has japan playing or why would they even bother to show it on tv if not.

as it was a popular sport, i know a bit more of the rules.
two teams of 6 receives a ball at most three times on their court, making sure it does not land on the ground, but sends it over a net to the opponents' court in a way that it lands on their ground.
if a ball lands on your court, or lands outside of the court with your teammate touching last, your opponent takes a point.
the first team to win three game sets wins the game.
each game set is a race to at least 25 with at least 2 points advantage, or it goes over until you get a 2 points advantage.
the 5th and final set on the other hand is a shorter race to 15, still with the same 2 point advantage rule.
when i was younger, i knew that players are allowed to use their arms to hit the ball; it was only recently that i knew that using the feet was also valid.
this is the oversimplified rules explanation by yours truly.

i am pretty sure that i have an entry regarding the rise in popularity of men's volleyball in japan.
that was very evident in this game, there was a huge japanese crowd in the audience even in paris.
that gives a lot of support to the players, but that can also mean a lot of pressure on their shoulders.
japan was ranked 2 in the world, the stakes are high for sure.

this is japan's 2nd qualifier game, they have lost against germany.
today is a fight against argentina, bronze medalist in the previous olympics, and they know they have to win.
no wonder every point they took generates a huge reaction.

captain ishikawa-san after landing a spike

^{teammate takahashi-san approving}

^{what a difference in reaction getting a point on a close match}

^{sekita-san after successfully blocking}

^{the same player, getting over benches to get the ball}

yes, a ball remains in play until it touches the ground.
so there were lots of times where players dive hard just to keep the ball alive.
they also even go the extra mile of running over benches trying to keep the ball up.
the picture above was a brave attempt, but it failed.
but that was enough to send the right message, japan was willing to fight for every ball.

by this time, i have completed my hour long treadmill but the game was still on.
i ran home and continued from our own small tv set.
each game set took 30 minutes on average, each team was determined to win.

^{nishida-san and his amazing spike}

^{onodera-san with a massive block}

players on the benches with the loudest cheers every points earned

the team hug

japan won 3 to 1 against argentina.
they have succeeded this time.
and the fans loved it as much as each team member did.
argentina i'm sure is a formidable team and japan must have let out a huge relief.
but the next game is against another formidable team, usa.
one more hurdle until the semis.

as you may have noticed, i am also rooting for team japan.
i am in japan after all, and there was no entry from the philippines.
but volleyball has been gaining a steady traction in the philippines, so i am pretty sure that one day we will also compete in the olympics.
and when that day comes, i will be the happiest.

as always, AMPING KAUNAY!

ooops, not so fast.
today is the first, time to assess our progress.

for these past months, i have been really active in actifit; i was even glad to take part in more competitions.
i don't win, i do not have the best step counts out there; but, i'm just glad to participate and even interact with the "active" community in hive.
walking benefits my health too so that is already a win for me.
and with that came a steady account growth!