With better infrastructure and advanced coaching, we can become much better players: Hyderabad Black Hawks' John Joseph EJ
Feb 12, 2022
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 12 : The Hyderabad Black Hawks are all set to take on the Chennai Blitz in the tenth match of the Prime Volleyball League here at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday. The Black Hawks, who have lost their previous two matches against Ahmedabad Defenders and Bengaluru Torpedoes respectively, will be looking to make a strong comeback.
Speaking ahead of their match against Chennai, John Joseph EJ said, "It's unfortunate that we have lost two matches in a row. We are focusing on executing our plans properly in our next match. We will make sure that we don't repeat our mistakes in our upcoming matches. We have to improve on our blocking. If we improve our blocking, then we'll surely win."
When asked about the challenges he has faced in his volleyball career, the Middle Blocker said, "We don't have enough infrastructure for volleyball in India. With advanced coaching and equipment such as service machines and attacking machines, we can become much better players. We need to have longer coaching camps as well."
The Chennai Blitz will also be looking to record their first victory in the season when they go up against the Black Hawks on Sunday. Speaking ahead of their match, Kanagaraj said, "We have a really good team. We are not concerned about the results in our first two matches. We have lost because of making unforced errors in the games. We still have four matches to play and we will definitely do well in our next match against Hyderabad Black Hawks. We are among the best teams in the competition. We will rectify our mistakes and do better in the coming games."
When asked about his journey in volleyball, the 33-year-old said, "I started playing volleyball in the sixth standard in my school. We faced a lot of financial issues as a family when I was growing up, but my school volleyball coach Mr Johnson supported me a lot. He ensured that everyone in the school team was provided with shoes and playing kits. The coach also gave us money for food and protein drinks on match days. After learning the basic techniques in school, I took big strides in my volleyball career."
