St. Mary’s International School (SMIS) middle school volleyball players faced a vulnerability in athletic training during their 2025 volleyball season, revealing how a single mistake can transform competitive times into self-destructive risks. On March 22, eighth-grader Shoma Mitsuyoshi rolled his ankle during the warmups for the team’s season opener at Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ), when an improperly executed spiking drill turned into a sudden moment of risk. What began as a routine drill transformed into a moment of unexpected risk. It also exposed critical gaps in sports training amongst the young—a reminder that a slight moment of carelessness can foil an athlete’s entire season and challenge the balance between performance and safety.
What began as a normal pre-game warmup turned into a tragedy for the young athlete. The warmup was going well; the volleyball players settled into the rhythm of the spiking drill. But as Shoma got ready for the spike, the setter tossed with improper technique, tossing the ball too close to the net. Many would have asked for another toss from the setter, Shoma, unaware of the potential consequences, jumped towards the ball, crashing into the net. The net, being made out of strings, absorbed the shock and did not cause harm. However, due to the imbalance caused by the collision with the net, it compromised his landing. The pain immediately came, and he had to sit out for his safety and the immense pain. Fortunately, nothing was broken or fractured internally, but it cost him the chance to play in the game. After this painful and cruel accident, Shoma was not able to play sports for more than a week and walked around with crutches. He had been unable to walk properly and limped, relying on his healthy leg for traveling. This had disrupted his athletic progression.
But Shoma’s injury was just the beginning of a bigger picture of risk that would reveal many flaws. On March 24, Sido Akiyama, also in the 8th grade of SMIS and Shoma’s teammate, landed on his teammate’s feet while trying to block. He was practicing in the SMIS gym while practicing with the team when he rolled his ankle on his friend’s feet on the other side of the net when he came back down from the block. This came unexpectedly, catching teammates and coaches off guard. Although this scared the surrounding players, his injury was not as severe as Shoma’s. He was able to sit out for around a week before he fully recovered. Although the injury was not as bad, it still negatively impacted his game and his mentality. Sitting out in practices and having an injury was both tiring for Shoma and Sido. This led to many teammates worried about blocking and jumping around the net, including the team coach. The coach had even stopped our team from blocking until they had learned how to block properly. The coach, being experienced with volleyball as a player herself, knew about the dangers of improper technique, especially around the net.
These incidents worried many in the community, especially the volleyball team. Up until then, no one had been injured playing volleyball, but two players got injured, both in a short period. Their injuries serve as a warning to athletes. Firstly, athletes must know when to give up and when to give up for their safety. In an interview, Shoma had expressed his regret by saying, “I really should’ve given up on that. It was stupid of me.” This applies to all sports, not only volleyball. His interview highlights the importance of having a sense of when to spike and when to give up for the player’s own safety. These vulnerabilities extended beyond individual incidents, revealing critical gaps in athletic training and risk management.
Specifically in volleyball, players must always be wary around the net during practice and games. Sido’s injury emphasized how seemingly minor errors can transform standard movements into potential season-ending risks. When he blocked, he jumped forward, causing his feet to land on the feet of a player on the other side of the court. Normally, blocks are meant to be executed with a jump upwards, not jumping forward. Coach Ipek, a former player of the Turkish national volleyball team and the coach of the middle school team, had said in her interview, “I stopped my players from blocking during practices and in games. I do not want them to get injured, so I only let the people I approve block.” The past two incidents have prompted her to force players to stop, changing her approach to the players’ safety. According to bangkokhospital.com, ankle injuries are the most common injury in the sport and are around 32% of all injuries, and out of the 32%, most come from spiking and blocking. It happens when “players jump up and land on an opponent’s foot who overstepped the line or a teammate’s foot, causing an ankle sprain.” These statistics show us how ankle injuries around the net are common and happen a lot, which means players should be extra careful when playing. Sido stated during an interview that he was not careful and didn’t perform the block with proper technique. “I was not careful enough, and I also blocked with improper technique, and it took me a couple of weeks to recover. It affected my volleyball career.” His experience serves as a warning to volleyball players to be alert to keep their bodies safe and away from danger.
Beyond physical pain and the immediate consequences the players faced, the injuries dig deeper, creating lasting wounds in the athletes’ minds. In both Shoma and Sido’s interviews, they mentioned that their injuries had impacted their mindset and motivation within volleyball, holding them back. Shoma explained that he experienced a lack of motivation to go to practice during and after recovering from his ankle sprain. This can set back players from improving their skills and carrying on with their passion for the sport. Sido had similarly expressed his experience with coping with his injury. Like Shoma, he had gone through a period of demotivation but also felt fear of being around the net again. According to nebraskamed.com, it is very common for injured athletes to feel sad and hopeless, and also feel anxiety and fear of reinjury. This information, alongside Shoma and Sido’s perspective, reveals the cruel reality of sports: injuries can traumatize athletes. Fortunately for Shoma and Sido, they were able to recover quickly and get back to practicing and playing in games, contributing to the team. The support from friends and teammates was also a contributing factor to their recovery.
These injuries, though they might only be in the field of volleyball, emphasize to all athletes that players must be cautious and always think about their safety. If not, injuries could hold them back from achieving goals and negatively impact their mentality. Although the two had been able to get back on track in a short period, it does not mean that they did not go through a hard time. Their stories, interviews, and hardships with their injuries forewarn athletes with a cruel but true fact: injuries can delay or even ruin the progress of something athletes have built on and spent months on.