“My short stamina can actually be my advantage.”

The voice of KB Insurance middle blocker Choi Yo-han (23), who is entering his second season, is full of confidence. She has turned her shortcomings into strengths and is confident that she has much more to prove.안전놀이터

Choi Yo-han, who stands at an impressive 199 centimeters, started playing volleyball as a sophomore in high school. She went on to attend Chungbuk National University and was selected by KB Insurance with the second pick of the fourth round in last year’s rookie draft.

“Before I started playing volleyball, I was far away from sports,” Choi said on the 18th in Donghae, Gangwon-do, where KB Insurance’s training camp is in full swing. I didn’t watch sports on TV, and I just enjoyed playing basketball and soccer with my friends.” “I started later than other players, so I took a lot of training. I didn’t have the basic physical strength to keep up with the training at first, but it was the path I chose and I didn’t want to regret it, so I tried my best,” he recalls.

Choi, who had to undergo ankle surgery after overtraining in high school, has banned the word “quit” from his vocabulary in order to achieve the goals he has set for himself.

So far, she’s on track to achieve her goals. When she started playing volleyball, Choi aimed to go to college, but after enrolling at Chungbuk National University, she adjusted her goal to become a professional. And she’s accomplished that, too.

“Honestly, when I entered the draft, I had mixed feelings about whether I would get drafted by a team, what I would do if I didn’t, and if I did, would I be able to do well,” Choi said. “As the rounds went by, my heart was beating faster and my hands were shaking a lot. When my name was called in the fourth round, I was just so happy.”

The professional stage was a dream come true. But the reality was not so easy. Choi Yo-han showed off her pure offensive power as a starter in the college league, but the barriers she faced in the pros were higher than she expected.

“In the college league, I was very confident in my offense, with a fastball success rate of over 80%. “I thought it would be different in the pros, but it exceeded my expectations,” he said.

“I had a hand injury during the season, so I didn’t have enough time to work with the players, and I think I didn’t show my full potential when I had the chance,” he added.

Choi Yoo-ryun has a good fastball, but is criticized for his poor blocking compared to his height. He attributes his strengths and weaknesses to his short pitches.

“The disadvantage is that I’m not very good at playing because I have a short throwing arm,” Choi said, “but the advantage is that I’ve only been learning for a short period of time, so I think there are many things I haven’t shown yet. The lack of data about me is also a weapon. I think I can play more confidently because my opponents won’t know how to deal with me.”

Choi Yo-han is the eldest of two boys and one girl. Her younger siblings are also following in her footsteps as volleyball players. His younger brother, who is a senior in high school, plays volleyball at the same holy site where Choi Yo-han played. His younger sister, who is in elementary school, is about to transfer to a school in the Seoul metropolitan area that has a volleyball team.

To help all three siblings focus on volleyball, their parents have been a strong support system, especially their mother, who has been following their volleyball games and providing support and encouragement.

“My parents have been very supportive of us,” says Choi. I’m trying my best every moment to become a player who is not ashamed of my parents.”

Last season, Choi played three games in the regular season and scored just two points. Now, he is determined to earn his playing time and not waste it.

“I want to show a lot of improvement from last season, and the reason I didn’t play much was because I wasn’t good enough. I will try to create my own opportunities and if they come, I will definitely make a difference.”