Player Association President Nishi-san smiling after his greeting.
Cheers were given by an employee of LIXIL Kyushu Branch.
Umebachi-san and Toyokawa-san returned a cheer of thanks.
And today, the day after the Oita match, was also blessed with clear skies. It was the 10th day of training. The morning practice was divided into two groups, and strength training was conducted indoors. Before the start of training, we received words of encouragement and gifts from the local government officials.
Shoji-san, who joined the team two days ago, headed off to training in good spirits.
We received gifts from the local government officials.
Player Association President Nishi-san gave a thank-you speech.
During the indoor strength training, the players went through multiple menus in sequence, as before. The local government officials and NAKATA C.R.O also observed the training. NAKATA C.R.O spoke to the players and chatted with Sogahata-san and Motoyama-san.
Ueda-san training his upper body.
After completing the indoor menus, the players moved to the field. After warming up with stretching and running, they performed physical training. They completed various types of training, such as exercises pulling rubber tubes, full sprints after continuous jumps, and step work using ladders.
Ueda-san and Shoji-san pairing up for physical training. We are expecting further leaps from these two center backs, who have returned from playing for the Japan national team, this year.
The goalkeepers trained separately. They practiced catching after stepping and long passes.
Group 2, which left the lodging about an hour later than Group 1, also completed the same training. They arrived at the ground around 11 AM and diligently completed the menu, mainly Aoki-san, Takasaki-san, and Yamamura-san.
Aoki-san and youth player Tanaka-san smiling during their cool-down run.
Today, a small cheering squad also came. Local children held up messages saying "Go Kashima Antlers!" and gave us cute cheers. The players, whose faces were tired from the rigorous training, also broke into smiles, and everyone took a commemorative photo with smiles.
Shoji-san was very popular with the children as he showed off his ball control.
Afternoon practice started about 30 minutes later than scheduled. The players arrived at the field after 4 PM and, after warming up with running and stretching, they split into three teams for passing drills. The team that lost possession had to move to a different area and play defense, which is a demanding training requiring not only skill and judgment but also a lot of movement.
Local government officials from the hometown also came to observe the practice.
A passing drill that requires a lot of movement.
After the passing drill, we practiced shooting from crosses. Suzuki Ryuga-san and Ito-san sent many highly accurate passes. The defenders, meanwhile, conducted defensive drills separately with Coach Oiwa. Afternoon practice finished around 6 PM, and it was already completely dark outside.
Suzuki Ryuga-san was sending sharp crosses.
At yesterday's dining hall, fruits provided by Yellow Hat and JA Miyazaki Chuo were served. A birthday cake for Coach Ishii, who celebrated his 48th birthday, was also prepared, making it a luxurious dinner. Today, beef donated by LIXIL was served and enjoyed as teppanyaki. With nutritious meals to power us up, there are only two days left of the camp. It's the final sprint.
Nishi-san: "To win all titles, all players, staff, and supporters must be united. I hope I can contribute to that."
Doi-san: "This year, I think we won't see victory unless we work hard as a team and grow into players who are called up to the national team. I want to build my body firmly so that I can improve by leaps and bounds."
Toyokawa-san: "We will definitely win the title this season. Your support is much appreciated."
Sogahata-san: "We haven't won a title in several years, so this season, I want us to work together as a team to win a title."
■Movie report available here (YouTube)
*Player interviews can be viewed in the Members' Room on the PC site, or via SumaCon (video content viewable only on smartphone versions) on Antlers Mobile.