Thread by @vbnippon_ENG

[ENG - rough trans]

Yuji Nishida - Volleyball Magazine
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Article: vbm.link/56854/
Published: June 28, 2021

@volleyball1301
#西田有志
#YujiNishida

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National team ace Yuji Nishida on his recovery and his enthusiasm for the Olympics: "I'm almost out of pain, and I want to leave a solid result as one of the 12 Japanese volleyball players, not as one of the 12 from VNL."

Yuji Nishida, the southpaw ace of the Japanese men's team, gave his last interview before the Olympics online and talked about his recovery from the leg injury he suffered in a red and white match on May 8, his thoughts on the Olympics, and his serve, which is his trademark.

Regarding his injury, he said, "I'm recovering well. I have almost no pain. The condition of my injury is very good. I was only able to play at the end of the tournament, but I was able to play a good match for the first time in about a month, and my condition was relatively (+)

(+) better than what I thought it would be. Considering that I was coming off an injury, I think I was able to do well."

[ Unofficially selected as one of the 12 participants in the Olympics ]

On being selected as one of the 12 players to compete in the Olympics again, (+)

(+) he said, "I want to be aware that I'm not just one of the 12 from the VNL, but one of the 12 volleyball players. There are many things that are required of me. I want to fight with the thoughts and feelings of many people on my shoulders. Many of the people who were there (+)

(+) when I first joined the national team have changed, and since the World Cup, we have a new team. I had some complications in my mind, but I want to think carefully about the fact that I was chosen as one of the 12, and clear up what I have to do, and then go to the Olympics.

[ New young players came in ]

There were three players for whom this tournament was their first senior national team game, and as for them, he carefully said:

"The momentum was really amazing to watch from the outside. Their skills are definitely better than mine. How can (+)

(+) we manage a team like that when the age of the players is much younger than usual? I was allowed to do things freely because of the seniors, so the key is how to create that kind of atmosphere in the team. I'm sure there will be some hard times, so we'll have to (+)

(+) figure out how to help each other out."

[ Thoughts on Kunihiro Shimizu ]

Kunihiro Shimizu, who was also selected as the Opposite as one of the 12 members, was an athlete that Nishida had dreamed of competing in the Olympics after watching the Beijing Olympics when he (+)

(+) was in elementary school. Because of Nishida's injury, he often watched Shimizu from the outside in the VNL. Once again, what did he think about his senior, Shimizu?

"I had an image of him as a powerful player, but watching from outside this tournament, I saw that he had (+)

(+) many ways of making decisions, feints, pushes, and block-outs. I thought about how it's not just about power. It is possible to decide on a high set with those various types of techniques. There was a desire to hit the ball hard and make a shot, but now I'm learning to do (+)

(+) more than that again. I'm very happy to be able to see such things up close, and I want to make those skills my own." he said, seeing the back of veteran Shimizu, who was no longer just a powerful player, he felt the desire to get even better.

[ About Nishida's trademark, serve ]

In addition, Nishida's serve is his trademark, as he won the serve award at the 2019 World Cup.

"For me, the serve is a single play that can change the flow of the game. We must take good care of it. Other countries also break with serve (+)

(+) and transition from block defense is the way to go. How much of that can Japan do? I need to increase the effectiveness rate of my serve as well as my own. The most important point is the toss. Toss up the ball in good condition and hit the course between people. (+)

(+) I've been working on it for the past year, but it's been pushed back."

[ The goal is, of course, the gold medal, and the first game against Venezuela is the key ]

When asked about his goal for the Olympics, Nishida said, (+)

(+) "I guess it's the same for every athlete in every sport: a gold medal. I don't care how unrealistic it is, but that's what I want. Japan's first game will be against Venezuela, but he said, "This is the first Olympics for many of the players, including myself, (+)

(+) and I'm sure there will be a lot of pressure, but if we can win against Venezuela, we can get into the flow. If we can win firmly, it will lead to the results after that," he said, setting the goal of getting a win in the first game initially.

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