The V-League that evolved after Kim Yeon-kyung?

"Ponpun is the best setter in the V-League. There is no need to worry about it."

Volleyball is called "setter play." It is a key position that serves as the spine of the team.

The team should be able to communicate with the entire team and post matching tosses for each striker. The team also needs speed to cover all sides of the court and skills to handle balls. It is the most difficult position to obtain and replace.

Ahead of this season, IBK Industrial Bank coach Kim Ho-chul picked Thai setter Pon-Pun in the Asian quarter draft.

He is the best setter in Asia, as he has been proven by crushing the Korean national team several times in international competitions. However, there was also a question whether he would easily adjust to the V-League, which is accustomed to fast volleyball. Another problem was that due to the schedule of the Asian Games, he had little time to work together right before the opening of the season.

Some even recommended Mega Director of General Affairs and Wipawi Hyundai Construction. However, Coach Kim Ho-cheol was not swayed. He was greedy like a legendary setter, and he had confidence to refine it to fit the V-League.

"I struggled in the beginning of the season. My hands and feet were not compatible with each other from time to time. I could also see Ponfun look frustrated. His first-round performance was two wins and four losses. Only Korea Expressway Corporation and Pepper Savings Bank won. In the second round, he advanced one step further with three wins and three losses. Chung Kwan-jang was added.

In the third round, the team was reborn as a strong team. It suffered a come-from-behind loss to Heungkuk Life Insurance after a close full set match, but won all five other teams to record five wins and one loss.

Before Ponfun, Korean volleyball had recruited a world-renowned setter. He is Blado Petkovic from Serbia, who played for Woori Capital in the men's 2009-2010 season. He was 1 meter tall and owned a bullet-like toss. Then Woori Capital coach Kim Nam-seong, who grew tall setters such as Bang Ji-seop and Jin Chang-wook during his time at Sungkyunkwan University, made a bold choice.

The result was a failure. Blado's distrust of indigenous players only grew, and he was helpless against other team's tall strikers, including Gavin Schmidt then Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, who was over 2 meters tall. Ultimately, he was kicked out during the season, and Woori Capital failed to play spring volleyball.

Ponfun is the first foreign setter in 14 years to play in Korean volleyball. He cautiously brought up the topic to coach Kim Ho-cheol, whom he met early in the season. However, he expressed confidence, saying, "Don't worry, I will get used to it soon."

2009-2010 season blado and then us capital players.

At that time, Ahn Jun-chan was a striker who showed "best chemistry" with Blado at Woori Capital. He was famous for jumping on "one, two, three" instead of "one, two, three." He is also a member of the coaching staff under coach Kim Ho-cheol.

His collaboration with major strikers such as Zupo Abercrombie, Pyo Seung-ju, and Hwang Min-kyung is now on track. However, Coach Kim Ho-cheol met after winning the match against Hyundai Engineering and Construction on Sunday, saying, "His teamwork is not perfect yet. Sometimes he feels frustrated. Then his cheeks lose control and dance. He still has room to do better."

The volleyball community said that if all seven teams were ranked first, it would have been a predicted success. However, many say that it was possible because Kim Ho-cheol is familiar with world volleyball since his playing days.

Some say that Korean volleyball has changed its attitude toward the world stage since Kim Yeon-koung. The V-League was once called the Galapagos. Foreign players who were superstars overseas were often crushed by "V-League optimization" players, who were freed from receiving and focused only on offense.

Now, however, foreign coaches have been recruited one after another, and foreign players are widely utilized. Tyce Korea Electric Power Corporation, who has been playing in the V-League for five consecutive seasons, said, "In the past, foreign players were asked to score 40 to 50 points each game. These days, it is definitely different. Korean volleyball has evolved."

The Industrial Bank of Korea, which was devastated by the "survey of defiance" during the 2021-2022 season. Coach Kim Ho-chul, who was appointed as a "firefighter," has already transformed his team into a healthy one. 메이저 토토사이트

Now, he is looking to a higher level. Expectations for a season-long competition, such as "Ponpoon is the favorite if he adapts well to the V-League," are now being realized. How far can he go with Ponpoon.