Various events, such as parent-child exercise classes and 3-on-3 tournaments, were held, and over 400 players participated!
Please see below for details of the events and how they unfolded.
[Saturday, March 11: Individual Entry Game Tournament for 1st and 2nd Graders]
An individual entry game tournament for 1st and 2nd graders was held at the Kashima Antlers Clubhouse Futsal Court.
In the tournament, the participating players were divided into five teams of five, and a round-robin preliminary league followed by a final tournament was conducted.
Since the teams were formed by players who participated on the day, many players were meeting for the first time. Initially, they struggled with communication and understanding each other's play, but as more matches were played, discussions about tactics and communication during the games increased within each team.
The winning team of this tournament consisted of Yuhi Ohira, Kazushi Ito, Kotaro Ishikawa, Haru Noguchi, and Tsubasa Hashimoto. The winning team was awarded Antlers muffler towels.
Through the event, the players thought about how to win and what kind of communication was necessary, making it an event where significant growth could be observed.
[Tuesday, March 21 (Public Holiday): Parent-Child Exercise Class for New Pre-K Students]
A parent-child exercise class for 2- and 3-year-olds was held at the Kashima Antlers Clubhouse Futsal Court.
On the day, various movements were practiced, such as zigzag running while avoiding cones, and jumping to move between hoops without falling. This was followed by parent-child stretching, cooperative exercises, and soccer training handling the ball with their feet, concluding with a match.
Some participants had just entered kindergarten this year, and many showed interest in their first group activity and various exercises.
Everyone who participated enjoyed various sports, including soccer, making it an event filled with smiles.
[Tuesday, March 21 (Public Holiday): 3-on-3 Tournament for 1st and 2nd Graders]
The final "3-on-3 Tournament for 1st and 2nd Graders" of the 2022 academic year was held at the Kashima Antlers Clubhouse Futsal Court.
This tournament saw the largest number of participating teams, with 12 teams, fitting for the last tournament of the 2022 academic year.
The teams were divided into two groups of six for the preliminary league, and then proceeded to a final tournament, separated into upper and lower brackets based on their standings.
Given that the tournament had been held consistently throughout the year, a very high level of offense and defense was observed.
In offense, there were various plays, such as players dribbling past three opponents to score a goal, or three players skillfully passing the ball to break down the defense and score. In defense, players were seen putting their bodies on the line to protect the goal, or quickly approaching to steal the ball. Throughout offense and defense, various plays demonstrated a year's worth of growth.
The winning team of this tournament was "Super Tiger" (Ruki Kimura, Yuzuru Okamura, Naoto Suzuki, Shunri Nagamine, Ryota Ushiki), who won for the first time in three tournaments.
The winning team was awarded "Antlers Team Bus Plush Pillows" as a prize.
Through the 3-on-3 tournament, the players showed growth both physically and mentally, in terms of their skills and their competitive spirit!
The tournament will continue in the 2023 academic year, so please aim for victory and challenge yourselves!
[Wednesday, March 22: Man-to-Man Enhancement School for 3rd to 6th Graders]
A "Man-to-Man Enhancement School" was held at the Kashima Antlers Clubhouse Futsal Court for 3rd to 6th graders.
During the warm-up, we practiced keeping the ball by bumping into opponents without touching the ball as much as possible.
We focused on the center of gravity and getting our body between the ball and the opponent.
Next, we practiced 1-on-1 situations with an opponent behind us.
Since the opponent was behind, we focused on the body usage for ball retention, as practiced in the warm-up, and how to hide the ball. We also considered the direction of turns and how to aim for the goal based on the opponent's position when attacking.
Defensive players showed plays like depriving the offense of freedom by devising how to approach and maintain distance.
As the intensity increased, some players' steps became heavier, but many players showed a fighting spirit until the end.
"Continuity is power." We will hold this event again, so please join us.
[Friday, March 24: Defense School for 3rd to 6th Graders]
A defense school was held for elementary school students from 3rd to 6th grade.
The training focused mainly on the theme of "numerical disadvantage."
The players struggled to defend and steal the ball effectively in numerically disadvantaged situations, often failing to dispossess the offense.
When the coach advised them to "try to steal the ball while cutting off the passing lanes of players without the ball," the players started to engage with the opponent and attempt to win the ball.
As they got used to it, they started winning the ball more often, and the offensive players also began to engage in more tactical play to avoid being dispossessed, gradually raising the level of play.
In the final man-to-man training session, they demonstrated excellent ball-winning attitudes, applying what they had learned and successfully winning the ball even in numerically disadvantaged situations.
We will hold another defense school next time, so please invite many friends and join us.
[Tuesday, March 28: Shot School by Kashima Antlers Junior Coach Narumi & Goalkeeper School by Coach Kato]
A "Shot School" by Kashima Antlers Junior Coach Narumi and a "Goalkeeper School" by Coach Kato were held for elementary school students in 3rd and 4th grade.
In the Shot School, the training focused on "control to shot."
First, we practiced controlling passes.
We focused on various aspects such as the receiving position, looking up before receiving the pass, and the position of control to set up the next play.
In the next training session, we practiced shooting in various situations. This included receiving a pass from the coach, dribbling past a cone with the first touch to shoot, and turning to shoot quickly after receiving a pass with our back to the goal.
Coach Narumi provided detailed guidance on striking precise shots with the instep and aiming for specific courses.
In the Goalkeeper School, we practiced the basics of goalkeeping, such as stance, catching shots coming straight at them, and managing the distance from the shooter.
Coach Kato thoroughly instructed on maintaining proper posture and creating a "hand wall" to prevent goals.
The players who received instruction from the junior coaches actively challenged themselves with difficult techniques to acquire new skills!
We will continue to hold schools conducted by junior coaches, so we look forward to your participation!
[Tuesday, March 28: Shot and Goalkeeper School for 1st and 2nd Graders]
A "Shot and Goalkeeper School" for 1st and 2nd graders was held at the Kashima Antlers Futsal Court.
The shot school focused on the theme of "kicking to the intended target." First, we practiced passing face-to-face in pairs and kicking from a hand-held position. By being mindful of the angle of the foot, the position and orientation of the non-kicking foot, and kicking the center of the ball, they were able to kick as intended.
The goalkeeper school trained on stance against shots and positioning.
By learning the stance against shots, they were able to make good preparations and stop shots.
In positioning training, they focused on standing on the line connecting the shooter and the center of the goal. By standing on this line, the distance to both sides became equal, and the number of shots saved increased.
After completing the key training points in both the shot school and goalkeeper school, they joined forces for shooting practice with an actual goalkeeper.
Because they had practiced kicking to the intended target initially, many players became more conscious of the shot's course, and some were able to shoot to spots beyond the goalkeeper's reach.
The goalkeepers sometimes conceded goals because they struggled to position themselves effectively against moving opponents. However, by observing the center of the goal and the posts on both sides to take optimal positions, the number of shots they saved increased.
In soccer, a sport where a single point can determine the outcome of a match, both scoring goals and stopping shots are crucial.
Having received specialized instruction, we hope they will become players who can lead their teams to victory in future matches!
[Wednesday, March 29: Game School for 3rd to 6th Graders]
A "Game School" for elementary school students from 3rd to 6th grade was held at the Kashima Antlers Futsal Court.
At the game school, we conducted training on the techniques necessary for actual matches. The theme this time was "positioning towards the goal."
For warm-up, we played keep-away. To keep the ball moving, the support of surrounding players is essential, and we warmed up while always being mindful of involving multiple people.
During training, we emphasized aiming for the goal as the top priority. To achieve this, we explained that the support of surrounding players, as practiced in the warm-up, would be necessary, thereby creating consistency in the training.
Initially, many children seemed to be struggling, unsure of where to position themselves, but as the training progressed, more children became confident in their play. The coaches also agreed that consistency is important, so we hope to continue holding such events in the future.
[Wednesday, March 29: Kids & 1st-3rd Graders Soccer Class in Namegata]
A "Soccer Class" for kids and elementary school students from 1st to 3rd grade was held at the Namegata City Aso Sports Ground Futsal Court.
In the kids' soccer class, they first ran without bumping into cones or friends and jumped over cone bars.
Next, they practiced dribbling without hitting the cones. By considering the strength of their touch on the ball and which part of their foot to use to dribble to the desired position, they gradually improved their dribbling.
In the soccer class for 1st to 3rd graders, training was conducted with the theme of "beating opponents."
First, they practiced dribbling past cones.
Key points included the distance at which to begin dribbling past an opponent and how to use feints.
Next, they conducted man-to-man training with an actual defender.
With a defender present, they became more aware of ball touches and spacing with the opponent.
Both soccer classes concluded with a match.
Many players focused on challenging themselves with what they had learned in training, and many acquired skills while enjoying the game!
The Kashima Antlers School Namegata campus is held every Wednesday at the Namegata City Aso Multipurpose Ground! Free trials are also available, so please join us!
[Friday, March 31: Kashima Antlers Kids Soccer Class in Hokota]
A kids' soccer class for preschoolers (ages 3-5) was held at Hokota Athletic Park.
On the day, seven friends joined to play soccer. They actively challenged themselves with running, dribbling, and shooting practice. The highlight was the final match, where everyone chased a single ball and tried their best.
