Volleyball training in Japan and Austria

First, in Japan more time is invested into training. For instance, Japanese club members meet four times per week to practice, while in Austria they only meet two to three times. Furthermore, in Japan each training session takes three hours, whereas in Austria it only lasts for two hours.

Second, due to cultural customs the attitude towards training differs. For example, in Japan all club members try to participate in every practice session. Even if the are sick or hurt, they come and support the other members’ exercise. In contrast, in Austria members might skip their training when they are busy with work or studying. Additionally, in Japan teammates sometimes come late because they have classes they cannot skip. Still, they undoubtedly show up and join the practice. Whereas in Austria, if a member cannot manage to arrive at the practice starting time, they most likely skip the whole practice.

Lastly, the goals of practice in both countries contrast. While in Japan, the target is to hit the ball as hard as you can, in Austria the focus is on tactical play. Austrian exercises vary from session to session to achieve as many possible attack styles as possible. Furthermore, in Japan due to a fixed training schedule, where everybody does the same exercises, players practice the basics of all field positions. On the other hand, the training for Austrian players focuses mainly on improving their individual strength in their assigned position.