Welcome to another issue of Behind the Wall! Today I am with guest Norfolk Seawolves offensive lineman Ananda Adyan! So Ananda, I normally start these interviews off by discussing a players pre-draft experience. Your story is particularly interesting because you are an international prospect. Can you tell me what it was like getting into a predominately American sport in Indonesia?
Adyan: “I think it's always have been a weird experience. On first glance, you don't really expect American Football to be as popular as it is in Indonesia, but clearly there's a growing interest for it. Flag football is just a start, and there's a healthy fanbase here. For me, getting into flag football then was not much of a jump, but more of a lane shift because there's certain things that you have to learn, of course, being a sport that does not necessarily have the same rules or familiarity as other sports in Indonesia, but once you learn the basics, the rest just followed along nicely with proper training and understanding.
That’s incredibly interesting. What was it like learning to play offensive lineman playing flag football?
Adyan: “We're still allowed some semblance of contact football, mostly around our blocking assignments, but other than that, I believe playing from flag football made me learn about versatility, I guess. Being strong physically to be able to get the offense going is important, but playing smart to not let yourself get duked on or incurring penalties on your own is equally as important.”
I’ve noticed that a lot about linemen in our class. A lot of us emphasize the cerebral part of the game. One last question about your background. You were an avid practitioner of taekwondo. Do you still practice? Do you think this martial art impacted your playing ability at all?
Adyan- “Well, I wouldn't say avid, but it was definitely something that I take granted in terms of it impacting my physical capabilities. I practice from time to time, but I'm a big dude, so I'm taking it on a very basic level. I do believe that my time in taekwondo does help in understanding how your body moves and bends around certain positions, so I utilize that to my best whenever I'm on the field, trying to find holes or places to take the pressure off of me and leveraging myself against my opponents.”
Do you think more linemen should take up a martial art?
Adyan- “It depends on how they rate flexibility as an important trait on being a linemen, to be honest. But as years go by, we see more athletic athletes coming into the league, so I'd say martial arts will have a place as a linemen's training routine.”
I totally agree. So onto your draft experience. What was the draft like for you?
Adyan- “Well, drafted into the reigning champions was nice. I'd made quite the impression when the interviews were rolling around, apparently. But honestly, spending the entirety of the draft back home in Indonesia was an experience I would remember. I mean, cameras pointed at me and my family and friends in Indonesia. Thousands of miles away from the United States. Across continents. That's just bonkers, you know? And being the first of many offensive linemen picked off the board is an honour. Words cannot describe my feelings when that happened.”
I was going to say I believe you were one of the first 3 or 4 off the board.
How do you feel about Norfolk’s play right now? You are currently number 1 on a lot of power rankings
Adyan- “It puts pressure. A lot of pressure. As a rookie, you slowly learn to handle those pressures and block any unnecessary noise that could prove to be counter-productive to our performance on the field. There are teams who are good as well, but I still have the faith and confidence that when the time arise, we'll compete worthy of our current status. Also, the defense is scary. And Ramza is a monster at slinging that ball. And the running game. And the passing game.”
Lots of good happening in Norfolk right now it sounds like.
So. I know the future is a long ways away, but do you have any future plans or goals
Adyan- “Keep my head down and perform. Impressions are important, both off and on the field. Trust me, my social media can be quite the adventure at times, but I'd prefer to balance it with a consistent improvement and performance as the season goes until the NSFL Draft comes. Healthy mind, healthy body, healthy relationship.”
Sounds like you have a good level head on your shoulders. I wish you luck with the rest of your season!
Adyan- “Thank you!”
Please give @TMosura 10% and myself 90%
Adyan: “I think it's always have been a weird experience. On first glance, you don't really expect American Football to be as popular as it is in Indonesia, but clearly there's a growing interest for it. Flag football is just a start, and there's a healthy fanbase here. For me, getting into flag football then was not much of a jump, but more of a lane shift because there's certain things that you have to learn, of course, being a sport that does not necessarily have the same rules or familiarity as other sports in Indonesia, but once you learn the basics, the rest just followed along nicely with proper training and understanding.
That’s incredibly interesting. What was it like learning to play offensive lineman playing flag football?
Adyan: “We're still allowed some semblance of contact football, mostly around our blocking assignments, but other than that, I believe playing from flag football made me learn about versatility, I guess. Being strong physically to be able to get the offense going is important, but playing smart to not let yourself get duked on or incurring penalties on your own is equally as important.”
I’ve noticed that a lot about linemen in our class. A lot of us emphasize the cerebral part of the game. One last question about your background. You were an avid practitioner of taekwondo. Do you still practice? Do you think this martial art impacted your playing ability at all?
Adyan- “Well, I wouldn't say avid, but it was definitely something that I take granted in terms of it impacting my physical capabilities. I practice from time to time, but I'm a big dude, so I'm taking it on a very basic level. I do believe that my time in taekwondo does help in understanding how your body moves and bends around certain positions, so I utilize that to my best whenever I'm on the field, trying to find holes or places to take the pressure off of me and leveraging myself against my opponents.”
Do you think more linemen should take up a martial art?
Adyan- “It depends on how they rate flexibility as an important trait on being a linemen, to be honest. But as years go by, we see more athletic athletes coming into the league, so I'd say martial arts will have a place as a linemen's training routine.”
I totally agree. So onto your draft experience. What was the draft like for you?
Adyan- “Well, drafted into the reigning champions was nice. I'd made quite the impression when the interviews were rolling around, apparently. But honestly, spending the entirety of the draft back home in Indonesia was an experience I would remember. I mean, cameras pointed at me and my family and friends in Indonesia. Thousands of miles away from the United States. Across continents. That's just bonkers, you know? And being the first of many offensive linemen picked off the board is an honour. Words cannot describe my feelings when that happened.”
I was going to say I believe you were one of the first 3 or 4 off the board.
How do you feel about Norfolk’s play right now? You are currently number 1 on a lot of power rankings
Adyan- “It puts pressure. A lot of pressure. As a rookie, you slowly learn to handle those pressures and block any unnecessary noise that could prove to be counter-productive to our performance on the field. There are teams who are good as well, but I still have the faith and confidence that when the time arise, we'll compete worthy of our current status. Also, the defense is scary. And Ramza is a monster at slinging that ball. And the running game. And the passing game.”
Lots of good happening in Norfolk right now it sounds like.
So. I know the future is a long ways away, but do you have any future plans or goals
Adyan- “Keep my head down and perform. Impressions are important, both off and on the field. Trust me, my social media can be quite the adventure at times, but I'd prefer to balance it with a consistent improvement and performance as the season goes until the NSFL Draft comes. Healthy mind, healthy body, healthy relationship.”
Sounds like you have a good level head on your shoulders. I wish you luck with the rest of your season!
Adyan- “Thank you!”
Please give @TMosura 10% and myself 90%
Always run the ball if you got the ‘Stall
![[Image: -_Clay_Stallworth.png]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/751250013677682694/761722029627801630/-_Clay_Stallworth.png)
