Various events were held, including clinics, the 1v1 Strongest King Deciding Match, and parent-child soccer classes, with many players participating!
Please see below for event details and how the day unfolded.
[Saturday, July 2nd: 2v2 Strongest Pair Deciding Match, July Tournament]
The July tournament of the Kashima area's new event, the "2v2 Strongest Pair Deciding Match," which began in April 2022, was held.
This was a two-person tournament played on a 20m x 15m court. Since it was a two-person game, all players had to make decisions on whether to aggressively win the ball or cover on defense, and on offense, there were many 2v2-specific strategies such as dribbling past opponents and breaking through with one-two passes.
The 2v2 Strongest Pair Deciding Match determines a champion pair each month, and at the end of the year, a championship tournament will be held where all the champion pairs gather.
We look forward to many players taking on the challenge!
[Scenes from the day]
[Winning Pair: Haruto Fujita (right in photo) and Hiroto Masago (left in photo)]
[Sunday, July 3rd: 3on3 Tournament for 1st and 2nd Graders]
A 3on3 tournament with 3 players per team was held.
A record high of 7 teams participated this year!
Since it was a 3-person game, all players worked hard on both offense and defense, and their strong desire not to lose was clearly evident.
Especially in front of the goal, there were players throwing themselves to defend and making last-ditch tackles, making it a very heated tournament.
The winning team of this tournament was "Super Tiger."
*Ryota Ushiki, Shunri Nagamine, Kirara Takai, Naoto Suzuki, Ryuki Kimura, Yuzuru Okamura
The winning team received an "Antlers Face Towel" as a prize!
This was the fourth 3on3 tournament for 1st and 2nd graders this year, and with each tournament, the individual skills of the players and the completeness of each team improved, making this tournament particularly exciting to watch!
An August tournament will also be held, so team up with your friends and aim to be the strongest team!
≪August Tournament≫
[Date and Time]
Sunday, August 21st, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
[Scenes from the day]
[Sunday, July 24th: Individual Participation Game Tournament for 1st and 2nd Graders]
An individual participation game tournament for 1st and 2nd graders was held.
In the game tournament, teams were formed among the players who participated on the day, and a winner was decided through a preliminary league and a final knockout stage!
30 players participated on the day, and they were divided into teams of 5 for the matches.
It was very impressive to see how players, even those playing together for the first time, communicated with each other and seriously thought about how to win.
Everyone desperately attacked and defended, and all players grew significantly through this tournament, not only in their soccer skills but also in their mental strength.
[Winning Team]
Kei Saginuma, Amon Owashi, Naomichi Okawa, Kotaro Ishiba, Junki Mizuta
[Scenes from the day]
[Sunday, July 24th: 1v1 Enhancement Clinic for 3rd to 6th Graders]
A 1v1 enhancement clinic for 3rd to 6th graders was held.
The 1v1 enhancement clinic was an event specifically focused on "1v1" and involved training on "offense" and "defense" techniques.
For "offense," players practiced feinting to evade opponents, using cones as stand-ins, and varying their speed.
During the actual 1v1 training with opponents, many players, despite being initially confused by moving opponents unlike static cones, were able to evade them by focusing on the points practiced in training.
For "defense," players trained on how to position their feet to steal the ball and how to close the distance with opponents.
Many players made an effort to approach quickly to get into a distance where they wouldn't be bypassed.
Some players also paid attention to their body orientation to make it easier to steal the ball!
Let's further refine 1v1 skills by utilizing what was learned and the points covered in this training!
[Scenes from the day]
[Saturday, July 30th: Family School for 1st and 2nd Graders]
A family school for 1st and 2nd graders was held on Saturday, July 30th.
A family school is an event where parents also participate and experience the school activities their children are involved in.
On the day, training was conducted on feinting to evade opponents and kicking the ball accurately.
There were scenes where parents, having experienced the training their children usually do, would tell their children, "It's surprisingly difficult," and children would explain to their parents the key points they learned from their coaches.
Through soccer, communication between parents and children increased, making it an event that greatly deepened family bonds!
[Scenes from the day]
[Sunday, July 31st: Parent-Child Soccer Class for Kindergarteners (ages 3-5)]
A parent-child soccer class for kindergarteners was held on Sunday, July 31st.
On the day, participants were divided into 4 teams for a pair-based ball-stealing challenge, as well as stretching, dribbling, and kicking training.
In the ball-stealing challenge, parents and children worked together, devising strategies on how to beat other teams.
During dribbling training, they focused on gentle, precise touches, skillfully avoiding cones and hoops!
Finally, a match was played where children practiced kicking and dribbling while keeping in mind the points from training. Children bravely challenged their parents with dribbling and scored many goals!
Despite the very high temperatures on the day, all participants enjoyed playing soccer!
We will also be holding parent-child events in August, so take this opportunity to deepen your family bonds!!
≪August Event≫: Family School for Kindergarteners
Date and Time: Sunday, August 28th, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
[Scenes from the day]
[Sunday, July 31st: Shot & Goalkeeper Clinic for 3rd to 6th Graders]
A "Shot & GK Clinic" specializing in shooting and goalkeeper techniques was held on Sunday, July 31st.
In the "Shot Clinic," training focused on scoring goals and taking optimal positions with an awareness of the goal.
In the "Goalkeeper Clinic," in addition to basic techniques such as stance, hand shape for catching, and positioning to stop shots, advanced techniques were trained, such as how to approach a shooter, the timing of the approach, and how to defend the goal at close range.
Afterward, the Goalkeeper Clinic and Shot Clinic merged, and shot training and games in various situations were conducted.
In the games, players demonstrated the results of their training, with some scoring goals and others making saves!
Beyond what was practiced in training, there were many instances where players showed a desire for further growth, such as goalkeepers coaching their teammates and players constantly aiming for the goal and repositioning themselves.
Soccer is a sport where one goal can determine the outcome of a match, and both scoring and defending goals are important. Therefore, I hope they continue to focus on this in their future practice and strive to become "game-changing players."
[Scenes from the day]
