The final day, finals and departure (day 15)

All good things somewhere end. We had a Sunday with our captain Jeff still struggeling with his health. While taking a rest after breakfast, he was on his way for some tests in the hospital. Still with fever, almost fainting and not able to attend the final day. 

I went to the venue with an exiting short cotytrip by scooter with my friends from the organisation.

Hong Kong and Australia made an interesting match for bronze. With a strong start Australia took the lead, but failed to score whilst refusing to move and to play the ball. Hong Kong stayed calm and took their shots. Australia lost the game, leaving a fresh and agile moving Asian squad for bronze.

The final between China and Chinese Taipei started with a lot of pressure and scores in the first attacks.

Also here the team with the best start finally did not cope with the momentum of the game, failed to get rid of the pressure and stopped scoring. The yellow squad from the organising country won this final match of the tournament fully deserved.

Af the official closing ceremony of the Asian and Oceania U23 Championships8 players were selected in the All-Star team. Two players were announced as MVP, and of course the medals and the cup was being given to the best thre teams of the tournament.

Time to say goodbye, nowadays selfie time. It was about 5.30 pm that we arrived back at the hotel. A taxi was already waiting for me to bring me to the airport. There I will meet with the staff and the Philippine team, they fly back to Manila an our after I start my trip to Amsterdam.

One time more to say thank you organisation, city of Hsinchu, Korfball Association of Chinese Taipei, the IKF, KNKV and all the volunteers who participated to make this tournament an event not easy to forget.

Xièxiè Hsinchu!

India to play at last (day 14)

Oh, it is just like I have been through in various previous championships, the team performance should work to their maximum perfomance at the end of the tournament. We had some good days, with maybe the first half against Macau as the top.

Still between basket and korf, but the ball starts to be a known friend. Various action seem to be chaotic but are all based on the restriction the rules apply to the game. Players start to grow during our daily training sessions. We have to play, gain experience, but I am so glad we started this roadtrip.

Breakfast - relax - team meeting and departure to the venue. Players are exited, to give their last day some glance with a new chance against India. No nerves, just fun.

And we started without our main scoring player and captain Jeff, some fever left him at his hotel room. But we knew that other players would step up and the team by the hand.

A good start with iron Tyron brought a quick 2-0 lead. India though was the beter team. More forced our defenders to go backwards. Through 10 running in shots and deflicting penalty shots India took a deserved 14-7 half-time lead.

The second half we started to focus on our scoring and we managed to score a record 17 points.

We finished 6th just one spot behind the second biggest (korfball) nation, proud to showed our pride, the tiger cubs just delivered its first growl. We are going to release this animal back and it will grow up and growl again. Will it ever be the king of the Asian forest......? Time will tell.

Of course party, selfies and happy faces, Jeff has to be proud that captain Jessel took so much care of the team today.

Thank you staff for bringing this team to the Championships.

Tomorrow we have the final two matches to decide the medals. Tonight a goodbye to Hsinchu by night. Sunday evening I fly back to Amsterdam. 

Friday, day 13 - team makes history!

As a coach it is always a little demanding when the last days of the tournament the players do not follow the team anymore. When during a day off a couple of half-injured players have an off-day. Blasters, painful legs, back, necks. A breakfast story tells always the truth.

Being on time unfortunately half of the team forgot when we planned a teammeeting just before our departure to the morning training.

We had a good session this morning,used a little more the triangle, but still the passing and posession of the ball is painful. Can hardly believe we wouldn't do better when starting from scratch Monday two weeks ago.

The same ritual, going back by shuttlebus, lunch relax, even time for a 45 minute powernap. Macau China, here we come.

We started very well defensively, we controlled the defence and tried to bring the ball diep into our attack. Unfortunately our first attack had difficulties sticking to the game plan. It is so easy to linger around and play the basketkorf as we did at home. More structure, less chaos and bases on passing.

We made a strong rubpn but after a solid 6-2 we ended the first half with a one-point lead.

Compliments during the break. Girls of Philippines did a great defending job. The guys intercepted almost every first shot. Second half more focus to the structure and build-up of our attack.

The team started the second half wonderful, we extended our lead to a six point lead at 12-6. Then we slowely fell back, maybe the nerves appearred when the first victory in The short history of Philippine korfball started to become reality.

A happy end, we did not give away the 14-12 lead and Saturday August 1, 2015 the team will meet India again to fight for place nr 5. Didn't we play Macau China for the second time as well here in Hsinchu.

Team celebrates and takes an early rest. Another step in korfball!

A day off (day 12)

What to do during a day off, specially if you haven't yet played your biggest game.

Players from the team decided to take it easy, some went to the movies, other went to Taipei to visit some of the amazing sightseeings. A couple just stayed at the hotel and took an extra rest.

I decided to go for a visit to the countryside. Together with our volunteers and the team Indonesia went by train to Neiwan, a small touristic town in the Hills of Hsinchu, appoximately 1 hour traveling.

The town has two streets to buy streetfood and souvenirs, and it has a well known old pedestrian bridge. Actually the gateway to various hiking paths into the mountains.

Whilst taking pictures on the riverside we felt the first raindrops. Most of the teammembers were keen on taking the first train home. Together with one of the Volunteers we started a hike into the deep rainy forest of Chinese Taipei.

After a couple of hours we entered the town agsin. Bought some souvenirs and something to eat end we left by train again, heading to Hsinchu again.

A beautiful day, finally some green after days of concrete.

Players came back and now a good sleep to start making history in the last part of the tournament

Playing China (day 11)

We are closely nearing the end of the tourament. One day before our rest day, we play number one of group B, China. Probably before the tournament many would have tipped Australia on top of this group. But been somewhere closer to the team of China, it is very good to see what development this team has been through. Tall players, sharp shooting and using the full area. Well, that is what the Philippine team encountered on the Wednesday during this tournament.

Being WWF Global tiger day today, some of the players whished to make a surprise today. It wasn't part of the gameplan. Our plan was again to let most of the players take their shots without defending pressure. We should focus on a control, low ball pace and high movement.

Unfortunately we moved again mostly in the direction of the korf. We missed the timing and we were more or less focussed on one person. We used only the first pass to the feed and did not use anthird dimension. We refused to use the passing, the area behind the korf, well actually we forgot mainly all we trained last week. Once we want to be sharp and square at the decisive part of this Asia and Oceania Championships, we should go back to basics. Back to playing around the korf, use our triangle, our passing, moving without the ball only to create a chance....

We started promissing with a halftime score of 18-4. At the end we scored a little bit more, we ended this game with 13 scores and kept China under 35 scores. Once we start to aim for 20+ scores and keep our oponent under 25, we will think about gaining points. Well see what will hapen the rest of the week.

Third game day, Chinese Taipei (day 10)

The days start to get there normal rhytm again. Morning a breakfast, early. Good, good choices but different from the Eurpean one.

Departure at 8.30 am to the sport hall and game venue, just a 10 minute drive.

Arrival, warm up, exercise, shooting, maybe a short line of some tactics, explaining the rules and what that means to the gameplan.

Finish training, shurttle bus, hotel, rest, lunch and than again departure to the hall.

Today the match against Chinese Taipei. Our goal was to fully use the shot clock, get some time when intercepting the ball. Leaving the oponent to shoot without a glance of the defender. 

That finally worked out. We had many attacks, even some interceptions and the end the Taipei players were scorimg aľost 60% of there shots and we had to be afraid of another harsh loss.

In the end we manage to score 13 and conceive less than 50. Our goal was targeted. Players and staff happy and prud. No words from me.

Again back to the hotel, some discussions with the staff. Video analysis with the team and the evening just a walk to explore Hsinchu nightlife again!

Tomorrow we play China to qualify for the World Cup. In 4-5 years this would be the decisive day.

Go Philippines!

Matchday, to show what we are up to (day 8)

Finally, after months of preparation and weeks of training, a couple of days practise with the team and 24 hours of Hsinchu time, Sunday 26 July 2015 the Philippine korfball team played their first match. Oponent Hong Kong, venue Howad Stadium.

Players of course were very exited to be able to show their skills. The staff probably was more focussed on a good result. The warming-up, the team chat, the line-up and of course the referee who started at 3.20 pm local time the maiden game of this young squad.

First attaks were nervously finished by defended shots but once the team lost their final bits of pressure, they started to score.

 It was player number 10 Jae Keenan Yap who scored the first official goal. To be followed by nine more this match. Hopefully the coming years the team will score more and more and focus as well on the defence. hong Kong won the first match on this tournement by 36-10. Captain Jef Denzell Go was top scorer with 5 goals.