My Volleyball Training

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert Jan Ctvrtlik (born July 8, 1963 in Long Beach, California) is an American volleyball player, Olympic gold medalist, businessman and member of the International Olympic Committee. Ctvrtlik is a 1985 graduate of Pepperdine University.

Playing career

Playing for Pepperdine, Ctvrtlik was the Most Valuable Player in NCAA volleyball in 1985. He also played for California State University, Long Beach in 1983-1984, where he earned all-league honors. In 1982-1983, he was a member of the Long Beach City College Vikings Men’s Volleyball team, playing under Viking’s head coach Gary Jacobson, where he and longtime friend and doubles partner, Allan Treffry, won the volleyball championship for the State of California. They would eventually be ranked number one in the United States. Ctvrtlik earned all league honors and was awarded the most valuable player in the state championship tournament.

Ctvrtlik subsequently played a year for the California State University at Long Beach, under 49’s coach Ray Ratelle. After one year, he transferred to Pepperdine University, to play his final collegiate year under the leadership and guidance of coaching legend Marv Dunphy, winning both the NCAA Title and personally, the NCAA’s coveted Most Valuable Player Award.

After a successful college volleyball career, Bob followed his Pepperdine coach, Marv Dunphy, to the United States national team where Ctvrtlik quickly earned a starting position. In the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, Ctvrtlik, playing opposite of volleyball legend, Karch Kiraly, earned a gold medal by defeating the Soviet Union in the finals. For several years, Ctvrtlik played professionally in Europe, including winning the well-respected Euro-professional league championship. He returned to the United States Olympic team in preparation for the 1992 Summer Olympics during which time he was awarded the most valuable player in the world on two separate occasions. Competing as team captain in Barcelona, he became one of the colorful “bald eagles” as all of the U.S. men’s team players shaved their heads in protest of alleged officiating misconduct. The U.S. team defeated Cuba in the consolation match to take home the bronze medal.

After the Barcelona games, Ctvrtlik returned to Europe to play in the Italian professional league. He would return to once again join the U.S. national team in preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Ctvrtlik is credited with improving the team’s world ranking from 15th to 4th within a mere 10 months of his return. Ctvrtlik was again awarded the Best Player in the World honor in 1995 but the U.S. men’s team would finish a disappointing 7th in the Atlanta Olympics.

Throughout his Olympic years, Ctvrtlik also maintained a highly successful beach career, being one of the top stars on the professional 4-man circuit. He also earned the coveted “AAA” beach rating on numerous occasions while playing on the two-man circuit.

As of early 2008, Ctvrtlik has maintained his status as a high ranking member of the International Olympic Committee and businessman. He retired from Volleyball after the 1996 Olympic games, and resides with family in Southern California.

After volleyball

In 1996, Ctvrtlik was elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athlete’s Commission and then re-elected for an eight-year term at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was appointed to the IOC in 1999. He was a founding board member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and served on the IOC Reform Committee.

Ctvrtlik’s business concerns include real estate rehabilitation projects as President of Green Street Properties, LLC in Huntington Beach, California, and import-exports, via his company, the Ciram Corporation.

Ctvrtlik is the third son of Josef Ctvrtlik (deceased) and Margaret Ctvrtlik. His brothers Jeffrey and David reside in the Long Beach area. Ctvrtlik and his wife Cosette, along with his three children Josef, Eric and Matthew, reside on Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California. Ctvrtlik is an avid skier, basketball player and tennis player.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andrea Zorzi (Noale, 29th July 1965) is a former volleyball player, nowadays is a Tv commentator in Italy.
He played for all his career in Italy and he retired early (he was only 33 years old)
He won the FIVB Award as the best player in 1991. He also won twice the MVP Award in the World League (1990,1991)

National Team

Zorzi has been one of the most important player for his national team until 1996, year of the Olympics debacle, and he played 325 games with the Italian Team that earned various nicknames such as “Phenoms Generation” “Team Of The Century”, and he can say that he won every single international tournament but the Olympics.

A Champion’s Numbers

In the regular season of the Italian League he played 213 games scoring 6.116 points, fifth in the scoring chart of all-time, but all the people ahead of him have played many more games than him (Luca Cantagalli 392, Lorenzo Bernardi 373, Andrea Giani 408 and Michele Pasinato 280). So looking at the average between points/games he’s in first place (28+ points per game)

In the Serie A1 Playoff Zorzi has played 59 matches, and he has scored 1.704 points (amazing average of 28.88 points/game), second of all time behind Lorenzo Bernardi (1952 points in 105 games, average of 18.59 points/game)

Adding Regular Season and Playoffs scorings, Andrea Zorzi has scored 7.820 points in 272 games, third all-time scorer.

Looking at the best all-time servers in the Italian League history, Andrea Zorzi is 3rd in number of winning servings (Aces) with 386, Playoffs wise he scored 90 Aces, so the total is an astounding 476, third in all-time Ace scorers behind Luca Cantagalli and the legendary Andrea Sartoretti.

He’s now playing in Veterans Italian Volleyball Team, and is one of the main announcers of Sky Tv.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andrea Giani (born April 22, 1970 in Naples) is an Italian coach and retired volleyball player who scored notable successes in the 1990s, winning three World Championships with his national team. He is 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) tall.

Since his very first years, the young Andrea showed exceptional physical features. Giani’s father, Dario, was a rower who had taken part in the 1964 Summer Olympics for Italy. After having trained with the father, now a rowing coach, Andrea tried for brief period as a football player, in 1985 the 14 year old Giani began his career as a volleyball player in the local team of Sabaudia, in the Southern Latium, where he lived. Soon news about his qualities spread and attracted attention from the two main volleyball club of Italy of the period: Panini Modena and Santal (later Maxicono) Parma.

Giani was chosen to play for the latter, initially with the junior team under Gian Paolo Montali as coach. Giani’s first final for scudetto in the Parma’s major team was in 1987. Parma was defeated, as well as in the following seasons. Giani won in 1990 his first scudetto: it was to be followed by four more. In the meantime, in 1998, Giani had scored against Finland his first cap for the Italian national team: his career with the Azzurri colours ended in 2005 after a total of 474 caps (record), becoming one of the most renowned players in Italy and in the world for his excellent technical and jumping capabilities. With Italy Giani won three world titles in a row (1990, 1994 and 1998) and four European (1993, 1995, 1999, 2003), and many others. He won three medals at the Olympic Games but his team never won the gold medal, even though Italy was generally considered the top favourites.

During his career Giani became renowned for his polyvalence: starting as a middle blocker, he turned into an equally effective power attacker and passer. Coach Bebeto, who trained him in Parma and in the national team, declared: “he is a manna for every coach”. Giani is considered one of the best blocker of 1990s for his capability to stay in the air far longer than the other players.

After having quit the national team, Giani played for Cimone Modena until 2008, taking the reins of the team as manager starting from season 2007-2008. His nickname is Giangio.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Kiraly (born November 3, 1960 in Jackson, Michigan) is an American volleyball player who is the only person to have won Olympic gold medals in both the indoor and beach versions of the sport.

Kiraly started for the UCLA Bruins volleyball team from 1979 through 1982. He was named All America all four years.While playing in UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion under coach Al Scates, he led UCLA to three NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championships in 1979 (undefeated season), 1981, and 1982 (undefeated season). Over the four years under Kiraly, UCLA won 129 matches and lost only 5.

Kiraly won Most Outstanding Player in 1981 and 1982. He was inducted into UCLA’s Hall of Fame in 1993

At UCLA, Kiraly studied Biochemistry and graduated cum laude in June 1983 with a 3.34 cumulative GPA.

1988 Olympics

Kiraly was popularly called the “Thunderball in Volleyball. He went on to become a fixture on the national team through much of the 1980s as a passer/outside hitter in the “two-man” or “swing hitter” serve reception system created by Doug Beal in 1983. Team USA would win Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988 with Kiraly. He was team captain for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, wearing #15, and was also named by FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) as the top player in the world in 1986 and 1988.

After the 1988 Olympics, he retired from the national team. After a stint of club volleyball in Italy with Steve Timmons (Il Messaggero of Ravenna), he returned to the U.S. to play beach volleyball full time. Kiraly has won a record 148 professional beach volleyball titles, and partnered with Kent Steffes to win the first men’s Olympic beach volleyball tournament in 1996. Even in his mid-40s, he continued to compete effectively against far younger players; his early-2000s partnership with Mike Lambert revitalized his career. Kiraly’s most recent win came in August 2005, when he and Lambert won an AVP tournament in Huntington Beach, California. He has won over $3 million in beach volleyball, also a record.

AVP

In 2002, at the age of 42, Kiraly began training with Mike Rangel, a noted fitness coach and founder of Southern California-based PlyoCity. Kiraly went on to record another 6 AVP tournament victories, two with partner Brent Doble in 2002 and 2003, and four with Lambert in 2004 and 2005.

In 2006, Kiraly partnered with Larry Witt. In 2007, Kiraly partnered with Kevin Wong.

Karch retired from the AVP tour at the end of the 2007 season, but as of 2008 still works as a broadcaster for ESPN in addition to continuing color commentary for AVP on NBC broadcasts. Kiraly served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Beach Volleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/