Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:18 pm Post subject: Congrat Flo and Patti
I really enjoyed watching them play in Berlin. What impressed me the most is the way they set and how regular they are at having the bag in the right window for an easy spike. (Not so much in final but very impressive in semi)
To me they define a new standard that other team will have to match in order to have a chance to win. Their play is so simple and effective that it start to look like volleyball where every serve reception are turned into a perfect attack that only a block could stop. I find that in their semifinal against JF and Ben, they played so perfectly that Ben and JF actually had to go for the block (they were simply not digging much). Probably for the fact that the sets of the germans are so predictable, Ben and JF were able to amount 4 blocks in 2 games. Yet it was not enough to change the course of the game.
Anyway, i think i'll check old video of Green Cup and Worlds they wan.
Another interesting team i watched for the way they recieve serves, is Iani and Thomas. When Thomas recieve, Iani is always a bit further back. I think he is the only one to play like that and by doing so he never gets his back facing the net to set his partner. He mostly set from the back court and it probly enable him to choose more easily which side he want to set to, which is much harder when the setter is midway between the net and the serve reciever.
Ah new ideas... That will make a few new things to try in the park.
Yeah I haven't seen Patti and Flo play in person for the longest time. But what I've seen on video is that it's always bump-set-spike. Hardly any spiking in 2, and they don't end up scrambling much at all. They both set equally well so that helps the cause. Although I'm hardly as good, I'm a fan of not spiking until the third shot too. You can always improve on a set lol, and I find that when people dig a spike that is done in 2, the spiking team isn't all that ready defensively. As in the bumper is like 'wtf i thought my partner was going to set me' rather than focusing on defense.
Patti and Flo almost remind me of the martin-martin combo, with a few more toe spikes! Not cool! :p
Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 302 Location: Portland, OR, USA
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 5:43 pm Post subject:
I agree with Martin that these guys have set a new standard.
They have not radically changed any part of the game, it is still (for the most part) old school sweeps, knives, and slap-downs but THEY DIG EVERYTHING!
They are not roll-spiking on every play, or jousting and blocking, they are simply and casually digging the best spikes any team throws at them.
I would pay money to take a digging class from them.
They sure are great digger and the same could be said about any of the four teams in that made the semis but digging usually happenned after a not so good set.
If you compare with international level volleyball, if you take away the blockers, most smashes from the right distance from the net are sure winners at least 95% of the time. The further the set is away from the net though, better are the chances for the defense to make the dig. Same with footbag. The teams that are the most consistant in their set will win most of the time because the chances to dig a spike from a good window are slim, even for the best diggers. I find Manu and Pt didn't lose because they were lesser spikers or diggers, they lost because of a much boring part of the game; bumping and setting.
I actually started myself to mimiked Patty and Flo setting. I try to use less my inside kick and avoid having my back to the net to set, make the play toward the net as simple as possible.
Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 336 Location: Oakland, CA, USA
Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject:
Yeah Big props to Flo and Patti, These guys are machines!
They played well enough to win. I have watched the match myself and honestly the level wasn't the highest that any of us are capable of playing. I know myself the huge crowd got to me in the first game.
It would be sweet if Chris Young can run some stats on the match to see the real explanation of how it went at least by the numbers.
Yeah both teams had their shaky moments, Pt in the first and Flo in the second. I haven't watched back the third game on video but from memory, it seems pretty pretty solid on both side.
Since there's no video out yet of the worlds final, i watched the final of the green cup of 2008 with both the same teams. I noticed a lot of similarities, all four use pretty much one leg/kick to recieve serve/bump, set and spike. I didn't think that Flo was such a one kick player (outside right) as the others. Funny i had this idea that he used both side equally.
One thing different i observed watching the whole final, is the way both teams build their attack from serve reception. Flo and Patty likes to recieve and kick the bag in the middle of their partner's quadrant, which makes it very easy for the setter to set straight toward the net from his position.
With PT and Manu, the pattern is not so obvious but they tend to make the first bump high near the center line or in the same quadrant (as the reciever) which seems to create confusion as to where the final set will go (if there's a set). There's also the possibility of the setter being in the way of the spiker because the set could go on both end or in the middle.
With Patty and Flo, when they make their bump across (sideway) it simply open up the center for the spiker, the setter then is completly out of the way. and generally there's no doubt as to where the set will go.
I'd like to watch back Flo and Patty semi-final game against JF and Ben as well. From what i remember, they were flawless the whole match.
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Berlin, Germany
Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 5:43 pm Post subject:
I totally agree with PT. The four of us definitely did not play to our fullest potential in the final.
I can't remember the last time I served out that often and I did not feel like "I was in the game" until the end of the third game. Nevertheless, I did feel very comfortable setting throughout the entire game.
I have to admit that the crowd got to me as well. It was very impressive playing in front of so many people and made it tough sometimes to focus.
As far as I recall both teams played on a way higher level in each of their semi-finals.
As for Flo's and my game I do believe that our setting is our biggest strength. And every good set makes the spike much easier. We know exactly where to set in whatever situation. I remember that on our way to Worlds in 2001 we went through every possible situation throughout a game and how to set in what window depending of the position of both players. By now I pretty much know exactly where Flo is standing without even looking.
I think in the end it comes down to the fact that we were fortunate enough to be able to play together throughout all these years. We know our strenghts and weaknesses and we are able to adjust to it.
Thank you guys for all the kind words. I (we) really appreciate it
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
