In the group stage of the 2023 Women's Volleyball Club World Cup, the Tianjin women's volleyball team defeated the local Brazilian Minas with a score of 3:0 to win the first game. Throughout the game, Yao Di played well, not only with speed, strength and height of the ball, but also with an extremely stable ability to grasp the rhythm of the pass, and played an important contribution. Tianjin has three players who score more than double figures, demonstrating the strength of the squad. After the game, Yuan Xinyue, the captain of the Chinese women's volleyball team, praised Yao Di's passing skills after playing abroad.
Regarding Yao Di's passing speed, in fact, this needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Each player has a different pace of pace, so does the way they handle the ball and adjust their attack. For example, Yao Di's pass to Vargas is more about stability than speed, because Europe's strong receiver is more demanding of Gao Li's pass. Therefore, Yao Di cannot simply be regarded as a player with a slower passing speed.
In the first game of this year's Club World Cup, Yao Di was responsible for the heavy responsibility, and Yang Yi was weak in attack as a response, in this context, Yao Di effectively made up for Yang Yi's lack of offense by passing the back fly ball in the No. 2 position many times. Yuan Xinyue and Wang Yuanyuan's offense is not slow and weak, on the other hand, Wang Yizhu's strong attack strength is relatively inferior, so Yao Di deliberately accelerated the speed of the No. 4 position to open the ball flat to increase Wang Yizhu's smash chances. As for Li Yingying's slash smash near the net, Yao Di's pass was more accurate. Therefore, evaluating a player needs to be considered holistically, and its value cannot be negated because of the speed of his passing.
It is worth mentioning that Yao Di did not just hand over all the adjustments to Li Yingying, she also passed to Wang Yizhu many times for the back three attacks in the duel with Brazilian Minas. Especially in the key round, in the face of risk, Yao Di decisively chose to score a second smash. After years of training for the national team, as well as the baptism of major events such as the Olympic Games, the World Cup, and the World Championships, Yao Di's passing skills have reached perfection.
Compared with this, Ding Xia's current situation is impressive. Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, she was already showing signs of exhaustion. In the China-Japan field test match on the eve of the Olympic Games, the World League and the group stage of the Olympic Games, Ding Xia's performance was surprising. In this regard, Lang Ping reminded loudly on the sidelines: "Ding Xia, your passing has made the attacker unable to keep up!" After Cai Bin took over the women's volleyball team, Ding Xia's performance in the World League and Olympic Qualifying Tournament was still weak, and it was difficult to play a key role in turning the tables, and some people even said that her performance was far inferior to Xu Xiaoting. In addition, Ding Xia's originally proud jump passing technique has gradually lost its former brilliance.
In China, the Tianjin women's volleyball team enjoys a high reputation in China, and has participated in many Club World Cup competitions in a row, becoming one of the top teams in China. Yao Di, a setter who performed well, managed to win a slight victory against Brazilian Minas. In addition, in the domestic league setter rankings, Yao Di's ranking has always remained in the top three, and Diao Linyu is now quite difficult to enter the top ten. However, it is undoubtedly confusing that such a good setter failed to make the national team. Can't you make it to the national team just because you're a little slower?
In the tactical system of the mainland women's volleyball team, the coordination of a pass and offense has always been the key. If the pass is not in place, the attacking team can only be forced to take emergency changes, and at this time, the pursuit of extreme speed will not help. Therefore, there is no need to put too much emphasis on speed, fast is fast, and stable is stable. As for Yao Di, can she win the favor of the national team with her stable performance?
First of all, let's make it clear that in volleyball, speed and consistency go hand in hand. Speed is an advantage when attacking, while consistency is key when passing and defending. When encountering a powerful jump like Boskovic's, the first pass is not in place, and the attacking team can only be forced to make emergency changes. At this time, the pursuit of extreme speed will not help. Therefore, in terms of tactical arrangement, we must flexibly adjust according to the actual situation, not only to give full play to the advantages of speed, but also to ensure stability.
As for Yao Di, she has a fast and steady performance in passing. Whether it is for excellent attackers such as Zhu Ting and Li Yingying, or secondary attackers such as Gong Xiangyu, Yuan Xinyue, and Wang Yuanyuan, Yao Di can pass fast and stable balls. So, why is she not suitable for the national team?
Here, we would like to mention that as the coach of the national team, Cai Bin certainly has the right to make his own choice. But whether stability should be neglected in the pursuit of speed? From a tactical point of view, speed and consistency are two indispensable aspects of the game. Excessive pursuit of speed can lead to a decrease in consistency, which can affect the overall performance of the game. And a player like Yao Di, although he may be slightly inferior in speed, has a clear advantage in stability.
On the other hand, the selection criteria for the national team are not only speed, but also tactical literacy, teamwork and other factors. Yao Di's consistency in passing is one of her strengths. In the game, a consistent pass can provide the attacker with better offensive opportunities, which can improve the scoring efficiency. Moreover, when defending on the counter-attack, a steady pass can also ensure that the team can organize the attack quickly and do not give the opponent a chance to breathe.
Some people may say that Yao Di's speed is relatively slow, which will affect the threat when attacking. However, we need to understand that speed is not the only determining factor in volleyball. Tactical use, player coordination and individual skills are equally important. Yao Di's advantage in passing stability is the key to her ability to make up for her lack of speed.
In short, for Yao Di, we can't judge her value just from her speed. In volleyball, speed and consistency go hand in hand. Yao Di's advantage in passing stability is a strong support for her to become a national team player. As the coach of the national team, Cai Bin should comprehensively consider all factors when selecting players, and give full play to the characteristics of each player, so as to create a stronger women's volleyball team.
In future competitions, we look forward to seeing Yao Di's performance in the national team. I believe that under the guidance of Cai Bin, she can give full play to her advantages and continue to contribute to the glory of the mainland women's volleyball team. At the same time, it is also expected that the national team will find a tactical system that is more suitable for the development of the team in terms of the balance of speed and stability, so that the women's volleyball team will shine again on the world stage.
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