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6/24/2019 4:13 pm  #1


Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10


Nippon Pro Blockball League


Hello! My name is Franco, and I’m the creator of the fictional sport of Blockball. I was a lurker at the SFF forums for a very long time, and even tried to make this league there, but life issues made it harder to continue. Now I'm at better position and I'm starting again here in AHS. I hope you enjoy this project as much I do.

Current year: 2056 --> 2057
Current teams:





What’s Blockball?

Blockball is a quick team sport who combines abilities from many sports like handball and volleyball, and it's mostly played in Japan. The game is simple: Players hit a spherical rubber ball with shield-like protectors called Blockers to make passes and shots. The objective is to score on the rival net, located on the opposite side of the rectangular field. A full game of blockball consist in three periods of twenty minutes.



The blockball court is 36 x 18 meters. It has four main divisions or lines to regulate the off-sides. All plays start in the service point, where the Setter makes the first pass. The defense can only use half of the field. The ball must be always in play, and it’s only allowed to bounce on the floor five consecutive times. After that, the play is over, and the ball is given to the setter of the previously defending team.

Basic rules of Blockball

  • A match consists of three periods of 20 minutes, with two 15-minute intermission.
  • Each team has a goalie and six outfielders in the court.
  • Each team consists of minimum 14 players: Seven regulars and seven benched.
  • All the passes and goals must be done with the blockers.
  • The goalie and the setter are the only players with unrestricted permission to hold the ball with their hands.
  • If the ball is in no possession and bounces five times, the play is declared over. This is called a flooring.
  • All players can touch the ball in case of pre-floor (lost ball who touched the floor less than five times)
  • The goalkeeper is the only player allowed to touch the goalie area. 
  • A forward can jump into the area when attacking, but must make contact with the ball before their feet touches the goalie zone. Once in the floor, the player has 5 seconds to leave the zone.
  • Goalkeepers are not allowed out of the goal area.
  • Hitting a player with the blocker is strictly forbidden.


Players and Equipment

The standard blockball game has 7 players for each team in the court; One goalie and six outfield players in very specific positions. By the rules, a team must have at least fourteen players on the official roster: Seven in the field and one bench player for each position played by a regular. Teams are allowed to change six players per game, and players who left the game can come back if their coach wants it.



The player special equipment consists in blockball blockers and a helmet. In blockball exist three kinds of blockers: The offensive blocker, who consist in vambrace-like forearm guards, the defensive blocker, who resembles a common shield, and the setter blocker, a circular shield attached to the hand, very similar to Toss-and-Catch paddles. The game is extremely quick, and players were prone to head and eye injuries. To solve the issue, the use of a helmet with visor or cage, like ice hockey helmets, was introduced.

The ball is 8.5 inches of diameter and made of rubber. The ball can be white, optical yellow, or red, depending of the uniforms used by the teams and the court coloring. The colors of the uniforms aren't defined as home and road, so lots of games are displayed with teams wearing colorful jerseys.

That's it for now. Next update: History of the sport and league!

Nakamura Cup Champions List

2056 - Hokkaido Rangers

Last edited by Nark24 (8/10/2019 3:37 pm)

 

6/24/2019 8:45 pm  #2


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

This is VERY intriguing. I love the concept and the combination of so many sports, this sounds like something I would definitely play if it were real. Can't wait to see whats next!



 

6/25/2019 12:07 am  #3


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

Color me intrigued! I believe I've got an idea on the gameplay but I'm struggling to find a comparison to the game ball. Can you describe it further or compare it to something else? Sounds like a fun sport!

Excellent league logo. Looking forward to seeing more!



AHS Admin. Creator of the THLPUCHWHA: Redux and Retroliga.
 

6/25/2019 8:24 pm  #4


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

Always interested in a Japan-based series. Super pumped to see how this goes!

 

6/25/2019 10:08 pm  #5


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

Steelman wrote:

Color me intrigued! I believe I've got an idea on the gameplay but I'm struggling to find a comparison to the game ball. Can you describe it further or compare it to something else? Sounds like a fun sport!

Excellent league logo. Looking forward to seeing more!

Right! I imagine it like a dodgeball ball. I actually had to correct the size, now is completely correct.

Ok, so let's talk about some sport history. I took a lot of inspiration from Japan's High School Summer Koshien. What a tournament! If you have never seen a japanese high school baseball game, I strongly recommend you to do it. It's a whole new experience

History of the Sport 

This sport was created in the year 2040 in Inagakuen Public High School, as a way to relax from school club activities. Many of those players then practiced the game in parks and streets, gaining attention from other high schoolers. Those external players did spread the word about the game, and new teams were founded in different schools. Ironic was that at the end of the year, Inagakuen created a blockball club, due to popularity. For instance, some sport magazines called it the “Viral Sport”, as students started to upload on the internet how they made the shields and also uploaded videos of them playing. The first blockball rules were set by Nakamura Goro, PE teacher and first referee of the sport. With those rules, Saitama Prefecture high schools started to play against each other. Many students from other activities, like volleyball, basketball and track clubs also joined blockball teams, searching for something new, or an opportunity to play in a first string team. 

That first year was huge for Saitama players. The sport was widely recognized in the prefecture, and team captains decided to officializate the sport with the help of physical education teachers. The game was now an official high school sport in Saitama. 

Tokyo, Hokkaido and Kanagawa were the next prefectures to adopt Blockball as a high school official sport. From Tokyo, the sport started to develop in full force, as some players were students who came from other prefectures. The internet was the main tool to spread Blockball News, as high schoolers called it. The player base grew dramatically in the summer, as non local students played with people in their native prefectures. By the fourth year, Blockball was widespread across Japan. 

The next two years were all about creating strong teams. Prefectural Blockball Federations started local tournaments, and schools started to make programs to be prepared for them. In 2046, All Prefectural Federations created the High School Blockball Association, and with it, a new national tournament: The Nationals of Blockball.


The Sukai (スカイ) Flag


To reach the Nationals, each team must win their prefectural Single-elimination tournament first. The Nationals are also a single-elimination tournament. The winning team will receive a prize in money, a  commemorative plaque, and the symbol of the Champion: The Sukai (スカイ) Flag. The flag will be guarded by the winning team until the opening ceremony of the next championship, where the winning team captain must give the flag back. 

Ten years have passed since the creation of the HBSA and the Nationals of Blockball, and Japan already had the National Blockball Committee and the Blockball Players Alliance. Both entities collaborated to make the next step into history: Eight prefectures were selected to host the first professional teams of the sport, creating the Nippon Professional Blockball League. Players from all generations and cities rejoiced upon the opportunity to play in professional level. The race over the first Nakamura Cup just started.

Next Update: NPBL Map and our first two teams!

     Thread Starter
 

6/29/2019 11:45 pm  #6


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

Hi again, everyone! Today I'm going to present the first two of eight teams for the NPBL Inaugural season. Let's start.




Tokyo, 2055 -- National Blockball Committee and the Blockball Players Alliance started to contact HBSA players to join the first professional blockball league in the world. That year was all about creating strong rosters, and still unknown teams were silently working hard towards the launch of the league in 2056. In late 2055, the NBC and BPA released their first club identities, with a full list of selected prefectures. Hopes were set high among fans of the sport, who already cheered for their favorites even without the official release of all the uniforms.

By the standards, each team must have two uniforms: One for home or principal kit, and one clash kit. As the official logo, teams display their respective Prefectural Symbol. The first two teams who revealed their uniforms were Chiba Thunder and Saitama Cyborgs



When Chiba Thunder was presented to the press, the most used word was "Speed". The team worked towards a quick, offensive strategy. Will the Thunder stay strong with their work, or will they have many problems in their road to the first Nakamura Cup Playoffs?




With a circuit-inspired uniform, Saitama Cyborgs approach is also highly offensive, but unlike the Thunder, their plays are oriented to full strength and power. Will this strategy be enough, or will they need more than strong hits?

Next Up: A bird and the forest.

Last edited by Nark24 (6/30/2019 5:55 pm)

     Thread Starter
 

6/30/2019 6:11 pm  #7


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

A bird and the forest



When the team administration asked their fans about what they wanted for the team, the main answer was "Give us something unique". Inspired by "Cosmo Clock 21", a giant colorful Ferris Wheel in Yokohama city, the team decided to go with a bright uniform with neon touches. They released their identity and uniforms to the press in the most japanese way: A big, pink fluffy flamingo called Takeo jumped into the room wearing their principal uniform. Of course, we all love Takeo the flamingo.




In a very different approach, Hokkaido Rangers presented their uniforms to the press one week later than Kanagawa. The name seeks to represent the vast lands and forests of Hokkaido area. The team also wears a simple HR logo in their uniforms, the star representing Hokkaido as a single region. "We wanted a very classical, serious look to go with our controlled playstyle, and I think we got it" Told Hokkaido's team president, Hirayama Yuu, to the press.

Next Up: Past vs Present.

 

Last edited by Nark24 (7/01/2019 1:59 pm)

     Thread Starter
 

6/30/2019 7:17 pm  #8


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

Looking great so far! I'm loving the Miami-style Kanagawa, but all four teams look great so far!

 

6/30/2019 11:34 pm  #9


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

All solid looks and identities! The Flamingos are utterly fantastic. The circuit board jerseys for the Cyborgs are a nice touch too. I'm a Texas Rangers fan in baseball so I'm leaning torward the traditional look of Hokkaido, but I'll wait to see more teams.



AHS Admin. Creator of the THLPUCHWHA: Redux and Retroliga.
 

7/01/2019 1:58 pm  #10


Re: Nippon Pro Blockball League - Season 1: Weeks 9-10

Past vs Present




The first team to be named after direct Japanese culture was Niigata. The idea with their kits was to symbolize the japanese armor. Both jerseys have little sublimated patterns, wanting to recreate the look Dō and Kusazuri, parts of the traditional Japanese armor.




Tokyo was bold with the press. Head coach Fuke Kazuo explained the press the ambitious program for the new team; Be the quickest, most aggressive team on the wooden boards. They wanted action in the most explosive way possible. "Our name reflect that. I know Chiba promised the same last week. We don't surrender". The rivalry was on wheels.

Next Up: Ranged vs close.

     Thread Starter
 

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