Second day of play (day 9)

We start to feel a little bit more stressed today. India arrived and we will play them esrly. Our first loss of calories was during the morning session. We trained to creare more movement without the ball and once receiving always be able to take a shot, maybe the most difficult in korfball but we aim for the highest. We have to improve our passing, get easy on controling the ball while catching, more consiousness on where the korf is positioned once aiming for the shot.

So many actions together while we still are not comfortable with our own defending skills. In theory we know to aim for the ball and give the oponent only difficult shots. But what is theory when you practise this for the first time?

The match versus India started quite well, we had some good shots, were able to intercept but we lacked ability to obtain the ball within the fist two shots.

India had more control and through both long distance shots and running in shots they finally succeeded to score 42. But the scoreboard of the Philippines stopped at a decent 16 goals.

In the evening we had a short chat on the gameplan, tactics and the rest of the tournament schedule. 

A good rest and up to meet the best team of the tournament, the home nation of Taiwan. We just grab a bite with some of the volunteers at the nightmarket to see the country when it is dark.... Well dark, lot's of light and lot's of scooters..

Arrival in Hsinchu (day 7)

A new day and just spending a night at the airport as a teambuilding activity, all sleeping well and 9.00 our hostess Sam welcomed us at the enterence where five small shuttles arrived on time for a 60 km ride to the city of Hsinchu. 

Arrived at the hotel, checked in and had a good teamchat. We got some food, took,a rest and prepared ourselves for the training session.

Getting ready for the match we just wanted players to get used to the court. Some shooting, drills with both moves but also use the various position on both division. Luckily the team from Macau China wanted to play a short pratice match. Twice ten minutes and all players took a chance to show their oncourt skills. We had many shots, rebounds from any place on the court. We are going to focus a little bit more of the quality of our first shot and a more secure passing, but most of all we are going to enjoy.

Adjustments are going to be made in the time schedule, we want to use as much rest as possible, just enjoy it. Together we the staff and the players we had a teammeeting about our goals, focus. Train like it is a match, play the match like it is a training, and we know what we were able to acchieve back home. If you prepare all situations you can expect, we will never be surprised when something hapens. Believe in yourself and try to cross your boundaries. Playing safe and full on control is not going to make a champion out of you.... By playing at the edge, you are going to make mistakes but widen your playground!

We are ready, Sunday we welcome you!

Traveling day (day 6)

No korfball today, just a sad goodbye to the dorm and its owners. Mia, the Wushu coach showed me some more sites at the campus and we visited the small but beautiful museum in the main building. 

Still nice to see that it takes no effort to wake up at 5 am and start you day early here. A complete different shift of daylife and nothing to do with the jetlag. Probably due to the fact that I traveled from Saturday afternoon till Monday morning kept me save regarding a lag in my biocycle this time.

Between 9.00 and 11.00 I attended the Wushu classes and saw some really mouthopening moves, still impressed by this part of Asian culture.

After a traditional lunch, I sad goodbye to my dorm-parents, the Wushu coach and I wait till the other players arrive. The faculty members finish their last papers before leaving the Philippines and not come back till the start of the new University year in August. So there is a nice kind of pressure in the air. More than finishing their work, I hope the players arrive on time for our bus drive to the airport. At 8.45 pm we leave, arriving two hours later to the city of Taipei. Still very curious what our team effort is compared to the other countries present at the Asia and Oceania U23 Championships. The players are exited, the staff is exited and actually I also do feel exitement although also a little bit sad leaving this country without even being able to visit the countryside. We'll see probably next time....

Another day at the office (day 5)

Thursday, our last sessions today before we leave on Friday to the tournament. Well, what a day it was. We practiced our very first set-up, some specific drills for rebound, assist and shot and we paid attention to the rules. Implementing Philippine style play to our tournament gameplan. 

And I was surprised, surprised by the amount of scores, male, female, short, long, static and dynamic. We all had again great fun, scoring Lucky Luke style, loading our pistols and just the ballhandling was great. Will it be enough for the tournament? In seven days we'll know. More important than the tournament results was the assessment of coaching, the real basic goal of the game (score and its preventing by various means). Morning session, than grab a snack (Philippinian style - I am still scared by the duckling egg.... team I promise to eat one.....) and take some rest. 

Than I had a eye-opening experience at the Wushi training, talk later about this, but the silent power, the slow power, the control and the agility is still striving me. Would that be nice to implement in the schedule. I am looking forward to gain some more taste of Wushi on the Friday morning practice.

Before our second training of the day, we had a hour of video. We watched the 2013 final Fortuna - PKC and talk about the various way of playing, the timelapse of the game, the tactic plan, the referee and about where both teams were gaining and losing,  So many moments " what if...."

The afternoon training was about personal assessment, we took ten series of ten different shots, an exercise I practiced at many clubs and teams before. When I tell you that they scored between 20 and 60 with an average of 45 out of 100 shots, than some of the basic skills are really present. So we're talking about 720 scores in a 1,5 hour period. The players took different talisman to use the spiritual power of experience. And they loved it. I actually have to tell you that I really appreciate  the fact that before the training these players come together as a team, pray for a good and injury-free hour of practice, and they start their warming-up session together with a ball per person.

When the session was over, we spoke about the plan, the hours (almost 20 hours of korfball in less than 5 days) and what we learned, what we gained and what we missed. After that we took some photos and we went for a final diner with the staff into town. And still every minute in a car is a wonderful experience. The trafic is so chaotic and maybe only due to the fact that the speed is low, I have not noticed many accidents.

The meal was again great, Philippinean Lumpia, Nasi and Sushi are familiar to my Dutch food expercience, but many more fantastic things I have tasted the last days. Of course fruit and vegetables are between my favourites, the fish is often very good, maybe only the pork and amount of salt I have to get used to.

Tomorrow I will pack my stuff, have a Wushi training and will visit the University before I travel with the team to the airport. I am looking forward although I will miss the crazyness of Manila city. Say one time more so many thanks to the staff of the UST, especially sir Rodrigo Jr Sambuang and also special thanks to the wonderful Mrs. and Mr. Madura for the use of the Dormitory near the University with more than 160 female athletes in volleyball, tennis, swim, basketball, football and track & field. And maybe thanks NLKorfbal for the T-shirts, I am sure we have to collect some money and send a box of orange ones again to the Philippines, they liked the shirt Riko!

Traffic as usual (day 4)

Korfball, that's what in the end brought me here, Starting at 7 am, playing for almost 4 hours korfball a day and an extra hour of video and presentation. Counting the hours I have spend with the players I may not forget the lunch and snack time. It is surprising me still, the variety of different taste, spices and flavours. Even colours are different to what I've been managing the last years at home. Something else what strikes me is the traffic. Many of you are probably familiar to youtube video's of traffic in Italy, Egypt, India and China, well never a dull moment during a 5-minute trip to the University. 

Today the owners of the dormitory invited sir Rod and me to the famous Harber view restaurant, a pittoresque old school fish restaurant near the Embassy of the United States of America, of course with a beautiful view on the harbour and the connected bay. Just less than ten miles away from the University and dormitory, still not a single moment without a curious situation on the road. Trafficlights, pedestrians, scooters, motorbikes, dogs, trolleys, busses and minivans were confirming the unequivalent law chaos theory. So many moment I thought that the space between two cares was not enough for a person to pass, but still small motorcabs were shortening their route to a new client. Together with the afternoon rain from the monsoon, loud horns, sellers of different products at cross junctions the chaos was complete. On our way to the bay we visited the former Spanish site of the old part of Manila with traces of the colonial period of the 17th and 18th century. The fish was very good though! But what about the korfball.....

Every joiurnay stats with a first step, that's why we focussed the last days on some principles, together with the staff we gave the players some ingredients and although every lunch they brought me the most amazing meals (I cannot wait for the duckling...), I am still very curious what they cook themselves in korfball. They eager to soak all the information, they try repetitavely single steps and parts of the game, they improve their passing and are more and more efficient with their chances. Everybody at the Faculty is eager to gain some points at the Championships, that would really be a hughe boost for the development of korfball in the country, trying to be part of the Curriculum in the educational system would be priceless. 

I very much hope that the players will be inspired by the things we acchieve during the tournament and that they would have as many laughs as during the last sessions. Once they are on the court, their attitude is of courage and sportmanship, if that's enough to fulfil the ambition...... time will tell.

Thursday we have the last sessions in Manila, Friday we leave for the Championships

Progress in training (day 3)

 I have to get used to the local weather conditions. Waking up at 3 am, getting a cold shower and try to absorb the heat, well it's good that days near the equator are short and getting to bed early is easy when you're tired.

So one very very positive this (please listen carefully High School students in Bennekom) - morning session of training at 7 am. Beautiful weather conditions and players who arrived on time are already practising theire distance shot. Our track & field coach Maria prepares a short warming up, 15 minutes, some dynamic stretching, core, balance all very much focussed on the korfball moves. We added some ball handling to this session and I am sure we're able to make a good show once we add music and synchronity. During the break we talked about a couple of dance moves so I hope in 2-3 years we can write a new capitol on game preparation :)

In the 7 am session the team focussed more on korfball skills, using every posibility to score as many of your attempts. Being free to involve whatever kind of move. A mixture between European style korfball and the Asian style. Players are free to explore their abilities. We had fun and worked hard. Scoring more than 50 goals in a 64 minute match surprised me the most. Of course together with coach sir Rod and Robin we studied our gameplan, always counting the risk and the award factor.

During the break in the morning the players surprised me again with some local food. Fresh coconut and dim sum, in the evening lovely followed by "halo-halo" (mixed-fruit dessert with macapuno, nata de coco and fresh cantaloupe, evaporated milk and shaved ice).

During lunch we dicussed some video's watching games of The Netherlands, Czech Republic, PKC Papendrecht, AKC Blaw Wit, DVO Bennekom and De Meeuwen. Surprisingly players were able to recognise different style and choises. The goal of the afternoon game was preserving the ball using more long passing and prevent ball loss on short basketball like passing. Despite the roof outdoor, we were facing some short and heavy showers and thunder, limiting the match on two division but perfectly giving half of the players some resting time. More focussing on quality shots and a lower pace of the ball. We were happy to see the blue team defeating the red team by one point. Although the last shot near the red korf was temting to go in, we missed our second overtime and the players could follow their captain on their cooling down. This time with a shooting competition where the Philippine girls defeated their male counterparts!!!

Tired but with a good laugh at the end the players finished their second day of training. We know we would prefer to take the last 4-5 days prior to the tournament in a resting phase, but the presence of the staff, some additional assessments and the overwhealming enthousiasm of the players makes it a very nice oportunity to stay active for another two days before we leave to the tournament on Friday.

Kami ay nasasabik; hindi namin mahintay.

First contact with korfballl (day 2)

  After a pleasent flight from Taipei to Manila I arrived on Monday morning 4am at my final destination. A warm welcome from sir Rod and his Philippine korfball friends.

A short travel from the airport to meet my accommodation for the coming days. A 7-floor dorm for athletes from the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest University of Asia, established in 1611 by Bishop Miguel de Benavides O.P. 

A short night, beautiful breakfast with a view on the skyline of Manila and tour at the UST campus by the President of the Philippine Korfball Association sir Rodrigo I. Sambuang jr. A very impressive block in probably the nicest and oldest part of the Manila suburbs between Padre Noval street, Espana Boulevard and the Arsenio H. Lascom Avenue. The site, with a Plaza Mayor, the Parade ground (recently visited by the Pope in January),  Arch of the Centuries, the Fountain of wisedom and Fountain of Knowledge, the Museum, the botanical garden and last but not least the Quadricentennial Square and buidling, a landmark commemorating the 400th year history of the University, housing the Institute of Physical education and Athletics. 

I am sure even the biggest club in the Netherlands would love to have a sporting facility like this, a beautiful playinground with almost 5000 seat, home of the most successful college basketball team of the Philippines "The Growling Tigers".

After the tour I met the Faculty collegues, including the most memorable Fr. Ermito G. De Sagon, O.P. Director/Regent. After the lunch we finally got started. I met the staff and the team, 16 young and very enthousiastic athletes, and three staff members completing sir Rod.

The training facility was an outdoor roofed pitch, for those familiar with venue of the World Games in Colombia, a perfect place to train when the temperature is above 30C.

The first training session we played various games, one on one, two on two and double triple. This session was a good way for the local trainers to show the capacity of the group. We had a lot of fun, went in to the rules and interpretation of the game and the players showed their individual technical skills.

We were companioned by a local shower and many bats catching itchy insect who were joining the training as well. To get used directly to the local style of food, players invited me for a bite. Rice with a variety of skewers and meat/fishballs, beatiful dips and a good suburbian streetlife brought me finally to my room again. 10 am, time to lock the entry hall of the Dormitary, safety first, good night.