Amir Ghafour Lauds Former Iran Coach Julio Velasco

“I’ve learned a lot from different coaches, players, friends and even the spectators. They all can teach you something that can positively affect the way you play. But if I were to choose just one in volleyball, I would absolutely choose the great Julio Velasco, because he taught us valuable lessons that helped me both in my career and in my personal life,” Ghafour said in an interview with FIVB.org.

“He helped us change the way we see and play the game. One lesson that he would repeat again and again and that changed our outlook on volleyball was that all big players make mistakes. What is important is that you learn from those mistakes and do not make them again, because if you do then that is a bigger mistake,” he added.

“From last year’s performance to the present, we’ve seen our team grow and become better and better. We were well-organized in play this year.”

Ghafour’s success can be attributed to hours of hard work in training and learning from some of the best coaches in the sport.

“As you grow older you evolve as a player. You gain more experience from playing, and working with different coaches provides you learning on a number of techniques in training. I was inexperienced and immature as a young player but you gain more experience as time goes by and you add better techniques that help you perform better on the court,” Ghafour concluded.