IBK’s offseason has been consistent. Luck is also on their side. After addressing the Santana void by adding outside hitter Hwang Min-kyung in free agency immediately after the season, IBK selected Thai national team setter Ponpun Gedpard with the first pick in the first Asian quarter with a 14.2 percent even chance. The bank also selected Brittany Abercrombie with the first pick in the foreign player tryout held in Turkkiye Istanbul. We have a solid roster already. It’s all about the combinations. Coach Kim Ho-cheol, who is leading the training camp in Chungju, was fine-tuning the chemistry of the setters and attackers during a fire drill. The fine adjustments were visible. Whenever they lost focus on a single serve, he would call them out. It was fun, but it required a high level of concentration. The attackers were also asked to calculate the exact point of the ball’s landing. After training, we met with coach Kim Ho-cheol and talked about everything. It was clear that the offseason was well planned. The following is a one-on-one interview with Coach Kim.먹튀검증

There are many differences from this time last year. It feels positive.

“(With a smile) Last year, we didn’t have a complete squad. We started training without confidence. This year, we are lucky. We picked the players we wanted to pick. We have a more reasonable picture than last year.”

Abercrombie (Puerto Rico) and Ponpun (Thailand) play for their national teams. They’ll be late to the party.

“That’s a big concern. We have high hopes for both of them because they were our first picks. Abercrombie was selected in person, and Phonpun was selected based on video. We’re still looking at their game film. They’re both good players, but it’s a little bit of a burden that they’re coming in late.”

3 on adding the only foreign setter.

“If we picked an attacker, we could match him with our existing setters. But this time we have a new setter. She has to fit in with our attackers. Ponpun is a good player, but his best performance came when he combined with Thai attackers. It’s important that our attackers can do that. It’s not a given, but Ponpun will have to adjust to our offense a little bit.”

4: Volleyball players and experts believe that IBK will be a scary team after the third round next season.

“If you think like that, you’re late. And we’ll be sloppy. Even without Ponpun, we have (Kim) Ha-kyung. You have to start with the team completely in place from the opening point, so you don’t loosen up when you’re on a run. If you have to keep pushing after a certain point, the players get tired. Ponpun may not be able to come in as soon as he arrives. Fortunately, Ha Kyung-i is doing well in off-season training. We need to get a firm grip on her from the beginning of the season.”

Hwang Min-kyung’s arrival will help stabilize the team.

“With (Hwang) joining the team, it helps the team mentally more than anything else. The eldest sister leads by example. And she worries about the juniors. She takes good care of herself.”

3 on middle blocker Lim Hye-rim as a compensatory player.

“(Lim) has good hardware. But she’s still a chick. She needs to grow up. She also needs to add mental to her current state. I try to keep the positive things coming. The more I play, the better I get. I’m going to work on my blocking, my serving, everything. We need to build a foundation in this offseason to become a big player.”

3 Kim Hee-jin, the team’s best player, is back at middle blocker. When will she be able to play?

“She accompanied us to Chungju training and is rehabbing separately. (Kim) wants to join the team before the season so that she can play from the first round. Hee-jin herself thinks so. With Hee-jin going to the middle blocker, we have four players: Hee-jin, (Kim) Hyun-jung, (Choi) Jung-min, and (Lim) Hye-rim. We’ll use them appropriately.”

Choi wonders if Jung-min will stay as a middle blocker.

“(Choi) thought about switching to outside hitter in the offseason. However, he has to learn the position from scratch. It can be very stressful for a player. This season, we will try to make him bigger in his existing position.”

Coach Kim Ho-cheol. (C)KOVO

The players’ concentration is good in the Chungju training camp. What kind of effect are you expecting?

“We started our off-season training earlier than other teams. It can be hard on the players physically. Also, training in the same place every day can be boring. We’re trying to change the atmosphere. It’s working well.”

How has the training progressed so far?

“Right now, we’re doing more individual workouts than team workouts. For players who are sick, we emphasize physical fitness. We also go over the technical aspects of volleyball one by one. We adapt as we go along. The most important thing is to get them to make changes on their own.”

4: Self-awareness is the highest level of volleyball.

“In the new season, the setters will be serving the ball faster. The attackers will have to prepare and play at a much faster pace. First of all, you need to have an eye for volleyball, and you need to understand it.”

IBK is looking forward to seeing the finished product.

“My idea from the beginning is ‘speed volleyball’. It’s something that anyone can try. To be more precise, you need to be higher than you are now. That part is directly related to perfection. It has to be based on physical strength.”

How would you summarize the differences between Italian and Korean volleyball?

“First of all, there is a huge difference in physical conditions. Also, Italy has a lot of players with good mentality. They have the mentality that you have to do your part. Volleyball is a team sport, so sometimes you get buried or swept under the rug. But there were a lot of strong players in the team who wanted to improve what they were given. We need to make sure that we can do that as well.”

It’s hard to keep up with the Italian style, or European style of volleyball.

“It is. For us.