Short characterization RUSSIA

General remarks

Serve

In team ranking “best servers” Russia is in 3rd place with 34 aces and 1.13 average by set.
2 players are in the top 10 ranking of servers in the tournament: Andrey Kolesnik (5th) and Dmitry Kovalev (7th).
Most of the players use the jump float serve, others use jump spin serve.
Sometimes power-service, tactical strategy is adapted to the opponent.
Objective is to disturb the opponents Complex 1 play or score a direct point.

Reception

Russia is the best receiving team in ranking: 243 exc., 26 faults, eff. 41.25 %.
2 players are in the Top 3 “best receivers”: Shchadilov 47.64% en Kabeshov 42.50%.
In reception formation 3 players and when setter is in front sometimes only 2 (+1).
In the case of (jump-)floats the starting position of the players is roughly 3.5 to 4 meters from the net.
Russia nearly always applies overhand reception in the case of (jump-) floats.
In the case of jump serve by opponent: impulse control or punch technique is often used. When the ball is played the position is low and the arms move downward (sometimes to the floor) or sideward.
On jump serve: higher passing to setter.

Set/Attack - Complex I and Complex II

In team ranking Russia is no. 2 in setting with only 7 faults in the whole championship.
Dmitry Kovalev is 2nd best setter in players ranking.
Effective steps from starting position to target; pivot on right or left foot.
Adjustment by short steps from target to playing position.
Variable distribution of the sets, mainly with short movement impulse (active wrist and finger actions).
Nearly always jump setting and take-off and landing with both feet.
Setter makes contact with the ball as high as possible above and slightly in front of eyelevel.
Follow through: arms, hands and fingers follow through in the direction of the target.
Secure simply structured quick attacks; quick sets to the middle player.
Outside-attackers and back row-attacker are in the last step of the approach when setter touches the ball.
The best spiker of the tournament in players ranking is Leonid Shchadilov, 188 attempts, 26 faults and succ.% 50.53.
Backcourt attack variation by the outside hitter (“pipe”) and the opposite is in combination with net position where quick attack is played.
In rally play: a variable set-distribution with a trend towards „quick outside attack from position 4“.
Underhand setting is sometimes applied when the ball is below waist height.
Quick and precise sets from all the positions on the court.

Block and defense

In team ranking Russia is no. 1 in blocking and has the best kill blockers of the tournament: 129 kill blocks in 420 attempts, 4.30 team average by set!
Best blocker in individual ranking is Igor Filippov, 1.47 average by set.
High level of cooperation and synchrony and good organization of blocking.
Fast, strong and skilled middle blockers; effective blocking as well as securing tactical tip balls (2^nd phase block action).
Step arrangement of block varies between “turn and run” and “side steps”.
Middle blockers move hands outside the shoulder line in order to close the outside block.
Tactical adaptation of blocking based on statistics and tactical analysis of opponent.
In team ranking of “best diggers” Russia is on 8^th place of the top 8 teams.
Libero Aleksey Kabeshov is the best libero of the tournament: 172 excellents of 318 attempts, applying a lot of “beach digs” and “run through techniques”. He permanently keeps his position 5 and moves very well with quick reaction time forward/forward inside to reinforce blocking actions.