Dindin Santiago-Manabat, do Akari Chargers. -FOTO PVL
MANILA, Filipinas – Dindin Santiago-Manabat elogiou a dedicação e o profissionalismo de seu cunhado Taka Minowa, que agora supervisiona o treinamento do Akari após ser nomeado diretor de operações de vôlei dos Chargers e Nxled Chameleons em 2024 Temporada da Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
Manabat começou a trabalhar com o marido de sua irmã mais nova, Jaja Santiago, já que o técnico japonês vem compartilhando suas contribuições para a formação dos Chargers, que ainda não anunciaram seu técnico interino após a demissão do mentor brasileiro Jorge Souza de Brito.
“É como se não houvesse cunhado. Ele conversa comigo se precisar corrigir alguma coisa comigo, se tiver algum problema nos meus movimentos ele vai co-corrigir. Eu realmente o admiro como treinador, quando estou em quadra não o vejo como meu cunhado”, disse Manabat após o treino de Akari no FilOil EcoOil Center na sexta-feira. “Porque estou de mãos dadas com todos os treinadores japoneses, claro, com ele.”
(Ele não me dá nenhum tratamento especial, mesmo sendo meu cunhado. Ele fala comigo quando precisa me corrigir ou quando estou fazendo algo errado, ele me corrige. Eu realmente o admiro como treinador … Não o vejo como meu cunhado. Tenho admiração por todos os treinadores japoneses e, claro, por ele.)
Manabat, que jogou na V.League do Japão pelo Toray Arrows e Kurobe Aquafairies em 2018 e 2019, respectivamente, disse que os Chargers estão aprendendo muito com Minowa, pois ele tem tornado o voleibol mais fácil e simples para o time.
“Na verdade, é demais [ko pang natututunan kasi napapasimple niya yung galaw and yung explanation napapaeasy niya na yun,” she said. “So far, ok naman yung tinetraining namin. Si coach Taka is malaking tulong para sa amin… Wala na siyang ibang daan daan, kung ano yung inexplain niya napapasimple niya na lahat mapapa-oo niya.”
(Actually, I’ve been learning a lot from him because he makes things simpler and makes it easier when he explains it. So far, our training has been good. Coach Taka is a big help to us. He just makes things easier for us.)
Taka Minowa. –PVL PHOTO
Minowa, who has been observing Akari’s training for the past two weeks, believes the Chargers have the potential to rise in the PVL this season. That’s why he has been sharing the points of improvement he can share with the team while juggling his duties as director and coach for Nxled.
“If someone compares Akari and Nxled, it’s totally different. Akari has a lot of potential so I’m just observing. If I’m seeing some wrong I just try to fix and I just try to talk with their players because I need to hear what is the program in Akari and what we need to improve as a team,” Minowa said.
The 30-year-old Manabat, who transferred to Akari last year after ending her seven-year stint with Chery Tiggo, is grateful to have fellow veteran and champion players on her side as Grethcel Soltones joined the Chargers, while former Creamline middle blocker Ced Domingo is set to join the team after her stint in Thailand with Nakhon Ratchasima — Manabat’s former team.
“Siguro nabawasan yung pressure kasi alam mo sa sarili mo na may backup ka like mga veteran na rin. May mga bata pero alam namin na may matutunan pa kami sa isa’t isa yun nga si Gretch alam naman natin na galing champion team, si Ced Domingo galing champion team may matututunan at matututunan talaga kami,” she said.
(I guess it eases up the pressure knowing there are other veterans on our team. We have young players as well, we have a lot to learn from each other and Gretch and Ced are both coming from champion teams so we’re going to learn a lot from one another.)
The 6-foot-2 spiker hopes to live up to the expectations this season after achieving their best finish in the second All-Filipino Conference with a 5-6 record.
“Sana ma-run through lang namin yung lahat ng itinuturo sa amin and lahat ng experiences namin last conference. Maipasok namin yung mga good this time, ang kulang lang naman namin is jelling kasi every conference may pumapasok. Ngayon siguro yung expectation ko is mapulido namin yung galaw namin na parang tinginan pa lang alam na yung gagawin,” Manabat said.
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(I hope we’re able to apply everything taught to us and all the experiences from last conference. We lack jelling before because every conference we have players coming in. But now, I expect us to know how each player moves on the court.)
