The 8th team: "Despite the lack of facilities, our hearts are at ease."
The 8th team's practice house and hostel has been unveiled. An Itaewon apartment the size of 175 sq metres (1900 sq feet or 58 pyeong), has been converted into a practice house/hostel for the 8th team which operates under temporary KeSPA consignment. There are 4 bedrooms in the apartment, each with 2-3 players staying in them.
Besides Director Joo Hoon, who is married and commutes to the hostel every day, Coach Han and the 9 players of the team live in the hostel to prepare for the upcoming season.
The team's practice schedule is from 10am to 10pm daily. In addition to that, players voluntarily put in extra practice hours. Because they had spent 2 months resting in September and October, the players are eager to squeeze in as much practice time as possible in order to catch up to the rest of the teams.
Besides PCs, the interior of the apartment is largely unfurnished. However, the players expressed that they are grateful to be able to continue gaming and actually feel more at ease now than when they were living under a corporate sponsored team.
Said Jaedong: "Although the current practice house is lacking compared to that of Hwaseung Oz, all the players are committed to practicing zealously" and "as each team's ace player has gathered here, the practice level rises every day so good results can be expected in the coming season."
I was shocked while reading: "There are 4 beds in the apartment, each with 2-3 players staying in them." then realized my mistake. I hope their enthusiasm lasts long. Thanks for photos and article, Ryo.
Based on the picture, it looks like Tyson and Jaedong nearest to camera on the right side and Killer and Jaehoon nearest to camera on the left side. Speed is closest to the coach's desk on the right.
12hrs with more hours put in voluntarily. This is the kind of dedication more Western progamers should emulate. Good to see these player with a team again.
On November 11 2011 23:04 Ryo wrote: Joo Hoon: "Watching Lee Jaedong play, it feels like my eyes have been purified."
That's what I like to hear! ^_^ Thanks for the translations and pics Ryo, these articles are feeding the hype! and BW general has been pretty active lately and that's always a nice sight :D
I actually like how bare it looks. Little clutter, which I find is refreshing for the mind, not to mention the wooden floor boards as well as the large ceiling to floor window that lets all that sun light in. Makes you feel energized, but that's me.
Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
It will also be interesting to see how their ego's react when proleague does start. With each player being the best of their former teams, how will they react to not being sent out every match like they used to expect?
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
Oh wow, look at Coach Hoon with his Castro hat, sitting like a bawss at the throne of his fledgling empire. No wonder Killer wanted the farthest seat xD
Wow, I never knew a progaming house can be so small. I can't imagine spending my days in such a crowded apartment. Are the better-funded progaming houses bigger? Not sure if the environment will affect their play.
On November 12 2011 01:22 baubo wrote: Wow, I never knew a progaming house can be so small. I can't imagine spending my days in such a crowded apartment. Are the better-funded progaming houses bigger? Not sure if the environment will affect their play.
IIRC even the big teams have their players sharing rooms.
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
I think that is more of a problem of having a smaller amount of people to practice with and not the quality of each person. Overall I think we would see a way better Jaedong in ZvP if he was able to practice against Bisu and reach a modest 50%. Winning 50% of his games against the best PvZ player in the history of BW should almost always be more effective practice than against players who cannot come close to pushing Jaedong to his limits.
On November 12 2011 01:22 baubo wrote: Wow, I never knew a progaming house can be so small. I can't imagine spending my days in such a crowded apartment. Are the better-funded progaming houses bigger? Not sure if the environment will affect their play.
Go watch Hyungjoon Becomes a Progamer and Hyungjoon Makes a Game Team.
On November 12 2011 01:22 baubo wrote: Wow, I never knew a progaming house can be so small. I can't imagine spending my days in such a crowded apartment. Are the better-funded progaming houses bigger? Not sure if the environment will affect their play.
IIRC even the big teams have their players sharing rooms.
I knew they shared rooms. I just expected bigger space overall. You know, like a nice dining area, sofas for resting, maybe table tennis, etc. But 175 sq. meter should allow for a living room barely enough for a stack of computers.
On November 12 2011 01:22 baubo wrote: Wow, I never knew a progaming house can be so small. I can't imagine spending my days in such a crowded apartment. Are the better-funded progaming houses bigger? Not sure if the environment will affect their play.
IIRC even the big teams have their players sharing rooms.
I knew they shared rooms. I just expected bigger space overall. You know, like a nice dining area, sofas for resting, maybe table tennis, etc. But 175 sq. meter should allow for a living room barely enough for a stack of computers.
Rental is expensive in Seoul. At the present moment, they have no sponsor at all, so KeSPA is paying for everything.
Edit: T1's apartments aren't any bigger either but the difference is that their practice area is in another building.
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
I think that is more of a problem of having a smaller amount of people to practice with and not the quality of each person. Overall I think we would see a way better Jaedong in ZvP if he was able to practice against Bisu and reach a modest 50%. Winning 50% of his games against the best PvZ player in the history of BW should almost always be more effective practice than against players who cannot come close to pushing Jaedong to his limits.
If having good practice partners was that much of an advantage, everyone on KT would be the godliest vT players ever. Not so. ACE has always suffered from not having enough players to practice effectively, I feel this team will have the same problem until they expand their roster (I guess they will do so when they find a sponsor?)
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
I think that is more of a problem of having a smaller amount of people to practice with and not the quality of each person. Overall I think we would see a way better Jaedong in ZvP if he was able to practice against Bisu and reach a modest 50%. Winning 50% of his games against the best PvZ player in the history of BW should almost always be more effective practice than against players who cannot come close to pushing Jaedong to his limits.
If having good practice partners was that much of an advantage, everyone on KT would be the godliest vT players ever. Not so. ACE has always suffered from not having enough players to practice effectively, I feel this team will have the same problem until they expand their roster (I guess they will do so when they find a sponsor?)
My guess, and hope, is that they have online practice partners who were former B-teamers from the disbanded teams so that when a sponsor picks them up, these players can join Team 8.
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
I think that is more of a problem of having a smaller amount of people to practice with and not the quality of each person. Overall I think we would see a way better Jaedong in ZvP if he was able to practice against Bisu and reach a modest 50%. Winning 50% of his games against the best PvZ player in the history of BW should almost always be more effective practice than against players who cannot come close to pushing Jaedong to his limits.
If having good practice partners was that much of an advantage, everyone on KT would be the godliest vT players ever. Not so. ACE has always suffered from not having enough players to practice effectively, I feel this team will have the same problem until they expand their roster (I guess they will do so when they find a sponsor?)
spot on. Team 8 will most likely have big hardships through the first round, because their understanding of the new maps will probably be less than the others, and they'll be very suspectible of being sniped by cheese and/or weird strategies.
On November 12 2011 01:02 Lavalamp799 wrote: So, are they playing BW full-time still?
Is that a serious question?
Yes, I never followed the BW scene before. I was just wondering since I heard of some BW players playing SC2, but wasn't sure what has come of it lately..
On November 11 2011 21:23 Ryo wrote: Dailyesports:
Curious, are these their study books for school, or some elite BW strategy books?
There's a wide variety of books but most of them are leadership/inspirational books. I also see an economics book, excel 2007 book, and even a book about obama ^^.
On November 12 2011 01:02 Lavalamp799 wrote: So, are they playing BW full-time still?
Is that a serious question?
Yes, I never followed the BW scene before. I was just wondering since I heard of some BW players playing SC2, but wasn't sure what has come of it lately..
They're practicing BW 12+ hours a day, I suspect they have no time to play other games for fun even if they wanted to.
looks cool, tbh. Might not be the same compared to their old houses, but obv they are very greatful to still be able to play and continue their career. gogo JD!
On November 12 2011 01:22 baubo wrote: Wow, I never knew a progaming house can be so small. I can't imagine spending my days in such a crowded apartment. Are the better-funded progaming houses bigger? Not sure if the environment will affect their play.
IIRC even the big teams have their players sharing rooms.
I knew they shared rooms. I just expected bigger space overall. You know, like a nice dining area, sofas for resting, maybe table tennis, etc. But 175 sq. meter should allow for a living room barely enough for a stack of computers.
175 sq meter is huge. That's a luxury sized apartment or a large double story house. That picture is a bit misleading. Believe me, they have enough room. The problem is that the practice space is quite small, but since it's an apartment, that was probably the largest room they could find. There's probably 5 bedrooms/study rooms, a large kitchen, 2 bathrooms and another living room on top of that room.
On November 12 2011 03:56 Release wrote: does this team have a name yet? It's really awkward to keep calling 8th team. Like : "in a few weeks, it will be 8th team vs SKT"
team Pal(meaning 8th in Korean)
I mean team name is "team 8th or pal" whatever you like to call.
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
I think that is more of a problem of having a smaller amount of people to practice with and not the quality of each person. Overall I think we would see a way better Jaedong in ZvP if he was able to practice against Bisu and reach a modest 50%. Winning 50% of his games against the best PvZ player in the history of BW should almost always be more effective practice than against players who cannot come close to pushing Jaedong to his limits.
If having good practice partners was that much of an advantage, everyone on KT would be the godliest vT players ever. Not so. ACE has always suffered from not having enough players to practice effectively, I feel this team will have the same problem until they expand their roster (I guess they will do so when they find a sponsor?)
Valid point, but how many different things do progamers need to practice for there to be a huge advantage with a much larger team? I could see instances where they won't be able to practice a matchup because another player is tied up, but there are still many practice partners out there to train online. Idra himself said the majority of practice time in BW was to maintain mechanics while he was in the CJ house. I don't see Jaedong benefiting more from playing a b-team zerg over Hydra and against a player like Hydra his micro is always going to be pushed to the limit, making the practice valuable as it forces you to get better. Against a player like BaBy Jaedong is going to develop better multi-tasking skills to defend drops and such; he isn't as likely to hone those skills playing Bee.
There is a reason why every foreign organizations are sending many foreigners over to Korea in SC2. The environment and competition are so much better than elsewhere that is does make a huge difference. Pretty much every major successful foreigner has been to Korea to train at one point or another.
On November 12 2011 03:56 Release wrote: does this team have a name yet? It's really awkward to keep calling 8th team. Like : "in a few weeks, it will be 8th team vs SKT"
The name at the moment is "pal" which means 2 things in korean.
1. It means 8 because it is the either team. 2. It means "to sell." Because at some point this team will be sold, they thought it was a clever play on words to name it pal.
On November 12 2011 01:02 Lavalamp799 wrote: So, are they playing BW full-time still?
Is that a serious question?
Thanks Ryo!
On November 12 2011 01:31 setzer wrote:
On November 12 2011 01:13 maximuspita wrote:
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
I think that is more of a problem of having a smaller amount of people to practice with and not the quality of each person. Overall I think we would see a way better Jaedong in ZvP if he was able to practice against Bisu and reach a modest 50%. Winning 50% of his games against the best PvZ player in the history of BW should almost always be more effective practice than against players who cannot come close to pushing Jaedong to his limits.
If having good practice partners was that much of an advantage, everyone on KT would be the godliest vT players ever. Not so. ACE has always suffered from not having enough players to practice effectively, I feel this team will have the same problem until they expand their roster (I guess they will do so when they find a sponsor?)
Valid point, but how many different things do progamers need to practice for there to be a huge advantage with a much larger team? I could see instances where they won't be able to practice a matchup because another player is tied up, but there are still many practice partners out there to train online. Idra himself said the majority of practice time in BW was to maintain mechanics while he was in the CJ house. I don't see Jaedong benefiting more from playing a b-team zerg over Hydra and against a player like Hydra his micro is always going to be pushed to the limit, making the practice valuable as it forces you to get better. Against a player like BaBy Jaedong is going to develop better multi-tasking skills to defend drops and such; he isn't as likely to hone those skills playing Bee.
There is a reason why every foreign organizations are sending many foreigners over to Korea in SC2. The environment and competition are so much better than elsewhere that is does make a huge difference. Pretty much every major successful foreigner has been to Korea to train at one point or another.
When you have 8 players on your team and 6 of them are being sent out for Proleague each match, then the players will not be able to spend as much time practicing for their own match because they'll have to also help their teammates prepare. OSL matches would just complicate things even further. They need to have practice partners/B-teamers so they can prepare properly for their own matchups.
Besides that, I think the idea that top level practice partners help you get better doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Why did Jaedong suck at ZvP when he first emerged if the best player on his team was Anytime? How did he develop godlike ZvZ practicing against ToSky and ShinHwa? Why did FBH suck so hard at TvP when he was on the same team as Stork and Jangbi, and conversely why were they both so amazing at PvT? Why did Flash develop such strong TvT when his best Terran teammates were Sair and Hery?
On November 12 2011 05:13 Betalump wrote: Can anyone tell me what those books are?
From left to right, -------shelf---------- 'Excel 2007: Seeing, Listening and Imitating' Cant read Cant read Cant read 'Can do English: 1' -------shelf---------- 'Ferguson's Leadership' (I think he's a soccer coach) 'Ferguson's Leadership' 'Coaching Training' 'Magical Coaching' (-_-) 'Economic Thinking' 'The 110 Laws of Leadership' 'The Strategist's Leadership' 'Acting upon Leadership: 5 steps of Planning' Dale Carnegie's 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' 'Those who know Psyochology Succeed' 'The Law of Humor' 'Do Serotonin!' (some kind of hormone that governs emotions i guess) 'Exceptional Leaders Move People with Psychology' 'Solution to Communication' (Not sure...can't read) 'Those who Succeed have Exceptional Talent in Speech' -------shelf---------- Cant read Cant read Cant read 'High-five' 'Practicing Anger Management' 'Lee Kun Hee's World' (CEO of Samsung) 'Critical Mass' 'Run as if you would Walk' 'Obama's Story'
On November 12 2011 08:21 marttorn wrote: Time to give Ryo a contributor's star imo. Thank you so much for delivering and translating all these news dude, <3<3<3<3!
Yeah Ryo sure does a good job keeping us updated on whats going on! Thanks!
Btw are the results from the in house ranking out yet? Did Killer won or was it JD?
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
forgot who said it, but he said "if you practice against flash, you forget how to win"
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
forgot who said it, but he said "if you practice against flash, you forget how to win"
On November 12 2011 00:52 setzer wrote: Can't wait to see the development of these players unfold as their practice continues. Playing against the very top of competition every day 12 hours a day has to be better than playing against B-teamers like so many progamers do.
That isn't necessarily true. If you play against someone who is too good, you might discard a valid strategy because that particular player defended it(and the strategy wasn't well developed at the moment). You also get a much smaller subset of styles to practice against.
I am, however, very excited to see this team tear through Proleague!
forgot who said it, but he said "if you practice against flash, you forget how to win"
I believe it was Hoejja.
Is he just trying to scare nal_ra or is he dead serious?
Anyway, the place looks cool and they have widescreens now. Thanks for sharing ryo!