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Viral video: Japanese volleyball player slides across court on belly in dramatic apology
The athlete's head-first deep dive was apparently a kind of dogeza, a traditional Japanese form of apology
- PUBLISHED: Tue 3 Feb 2026, 11:17 AM
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One sportsperson has taken the already-famous Japanese politeness to a different level altogether, delivering a dramatic apology at a volleyball game over the weekend.
Volleyball player Yuji Nishida accidentally hit a courtside staff member with the ball while serving at the Japanese SV League All-Star Game on Sunday. Instead of a regular deep bow, per Japanese custom, he launched into a belly-slide across the court to express how sorry he was.
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The female staff member sitting by the court was caught unawares as the ball flew over the net and hit her. She was definitely not prepared for the even more theatrical apology that followed.
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The crowd broke into laughter and applause after Nishida slid across the court, flat on his belly towards the staff member, who seemed embarrassed by his overtly apologetic behaviour and bowed in return.
The video of the encounter has gone viral, with social media users terming it an 'epic apology'.
"If that's how he apologizes, l can't imagine the extents (sic) he'll go to when he proposes," speculated one user on Instagram.
get you a man that will slide across the court and put his whole body on the ground to apologize (unfortunately there's only one yuji nishida in the world and he's already taken) pic.twitter.com/EKHLSL8kTj
— nari ðª (@oikakee) February 1, 2026
Some netizens have also compared the moment to a scene from the Japanese volleyball anime, 'Haikyuu!!'. "Most anime thing that's ever happened in real life," said another netizen.
Nishida is a left-handed volleyball player who serves as the captain of Osaka Bluteon at the club level. His apology act is reportedly a version of the dogeza, a traditional Japanese form of apology and plea.
Dogeza involves kneeling on the ground and bowing touching the forehead to the floor, a gesture typically reserved for showing deep remorse or demonstrating profound respect.
