INTERVIEW

The Path to Winning the Imperial Cup
Yoshitaka Shinohara, Manager of Kashima Antlers Junior Youth

In the 2023 season, Kashima Junior Youth finished third in the Japan Club Youth Championship and went on to win the Imperial Cup in winter. It was a year filled with countless experiences, including the resumption of their tour to Brazil. We trace the path to their Imperial Cup victory and explore the coaching philosophy of Yoshitaka Shinohara, who developed the players during their formative middle school years and led them to the glory of becoming champions of Japan.

The Process of “Communicating Your Own Will and Giving It a Try”

―Before the top team’s home opener this season (Matchday 2 of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League against Cerezo Osaka) on March 2, a victory celebration for the Imperial Cup JFA 35th All Japan U-15 Football Championship was held. What were your thoughts as you watched it?

“Looking back, a send-off ceremony for the Imperial Cup was held last year before the top team’s final home match of the season (Matchday 34 of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League against Yokohama FC). At that time, captain Daigo Hirajima declared, “We’re going to win it.” In other words, they communicated their determination to those around them, achieved their goal, and were able to report back in the same place. The players looked very dependable.”

―It was truly a victory that “lived up to their word.”

“I believe it is important to first state your own will. Communicate it to those around you, and then make the right decision on your own, even when you don’t know whether it is the right one at that moment. I believe that process is important for achieving results. Of course, you may hesitate or feel anxious about getting the result. But I believe that having the process of “communicating your own will to those around you and giving it a try” actually enables you to achieve results. If many fans and supporters are interested in that process and want to support these players, that would be wonderful for me too. When the players headed toward the stands where the fans and supporters were during the victory celebration and the Antlers Call echoed, I was truly delighted. The third-year middle school players from the 2023 squad have each moved on to the next stage, but if they continue to follow the process of “communicating their own will to those around them and giving it a try” while adding their own arrangements, they will surely achieve something again. It would be even better if they could accomplish that with the top team in a few years.”

―What kind of group was the 2023 team, led by captain Hirajima and the third-year players?

“From the time the new team was formed, it was a very cohesive group. The players were working hard, and I could see their potential for growth. However, I also had the impression that they were lacking in some areas required in football, including technique. So, the first thing I thought about was how to develop their abilities over the course of a year. At this time last year, we conceded six goals in the Kanto League opener. Although I felt we lacked strength, I also felt there was plenty of room for growth. I thought that if we took the time to work with the players, the team would grow as well, and that is where we started.”

―What made you feel they had room for growth?

“I believed that if I taught the players “individual tactics” as something separate from technique, they would definitely improve. As for the third-year players, the technical skills they had built up since their first and second years were outstanding. However, no matter how excellent your technique is, if you dribble in a high-risk area where you might lose the ball, you will lose it. I had the impression that they lacked a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the plays they chose during football matches. I was confident that if I could clearly explain and organize those points to further motivate them, I could develop the players’ abilities even more.”

Daigo Hirajima, who served as captain in the 2023 season. He realized his own will by communicating it to those around him.

When to use the skills he had acquired

―“Individual tactics” are also important, then.

“As a club called Antlers, we have a major goal of developing individual players and nurturing them to become regular members of the top team in the future. With that in mind, we are all working together to develop their individual skills, with the coaches and I sharing the responsibilities. However, even if their technical skills improve through training, the players need to develop the ability to judge when and where to use them. For example, even if you can use the inside, outside, and heel kick, and have excellent ball-handling skills while dribbling, if you beat an opponent with a single touch, you can play freely in the next phase. I want them to think about what kind of play is effective when facing an opponent. I believe it is important to understand what kind of play to choose in each situation and what the advantages are.”

―I see.

“For example, even if you actively go to win the ball in the attacking area, if there are more opposing players there and you are at a disadvantage, you may leave an advantageous space for the opponent and be easily beaten. I believe that carefully applying these points to each individual player is what “individual tactics” are all about.”

―What did you keep in mind when coaching them to develop individual tactics?

“First of all, I interpret that both “hard work” and “intelligence” are equally important when playing for Antlers. The third-year players were already hard workers, so I thought that if they could also develop intelligence like individual tactics, they would become even more passionate about football. I made a conscious effort to communicate in a positive way that would encourage that mindset. I think that is probably why the players accepted it so readily. Perhaps if I had communicated in a way that felt like I was forcing things on them as a manager, I might have made them feel uncomfortable, or they might have thought, “What’s wrong with you?” just because of the way I spoke. But I was able to give them positive encouragement, such as “If we do this, we’ll get closer to winning” and “It’ll be exciting,” and it was great that the players agreed with me. I made it a priority to communicate and approach them in a way that made them believe it was “what is necessary to win.”

―You seem to place a lot of importance on approaching each player individually.

“It is true that I may approach each player individually more often. Players come from different backgrounds, and the timing of their growth varies. I make an effort to communicate with each player as much as possible so that they can develop. Even with individual tactics, there are players I think it is better to speak firmly to, and players I think it is better to take a little more time with to help them understand. I hope that by changing my approach for each person, everyone will feel, “That’s right, let’s do our best!””

Manager Shinohara placed importance on a positive atmosphere and encouraged the players’ growth.

The manager is ultimately in a position to support the players.

―When did this coaching begin to yield results?

“In terms of timing, it was probably around June. We had the Kanto tournament of the Club Youth Championship, and although we beat Kawasaki Frontale U-15 Ikuta 3-2 in the quarterfinals, I felt around that time that things were starting to take shape. The players had been putting in the effort to absorb and acquire what they had been taught. Seeing them like that, I went into the national tournament (Japan Club Youth Football Championship) in August thinking, “This will be fine.” During the Hiroshima tour before the tournament, what I had taught them had really taken hold, and we were able to play a very cohesive game. I feel that they grew spontaneously.”

―They also achieved a strong third-place finish in the 38th Japan Club Youth Football Championship (U-15).

“It is wonderful that the players worked hard and made it to the top of the national tournament. However, when we played FC Tama in the semifinals, I personally felt the difficulty of managing from the bench. At the national tournament semifinals, there are supporters in the stands, and the match venue is larger, so there is also a distance between the bench and the pitch. Because of that, I often felt that my voice was difficult to get to the pitch. Up until the quarterfinals, the bench was right next to the pitch, so my voice could reach the players, and the distance to the other staff was also close, so we were in a situation where we could communicate closely. As the stage of competition rises, the match venue becomes a stadium with an athletics track, and if I step forward to give instructions to the players, it conversely becomes difficult to communicate with the other staff. But beside me, the FC Tama players were making their own choices in play and communicating. After the loss, I was painfully aware that my voice would be harder to hear at this level, and I also began to think that we might not be able to win as long as I was giving instructions as the manager.”

He painfully realized the difficulty of coaching during the Japan Club Youth Championship semifinals held in Hokkaido.

―How did you change your coaching method for the next tournament?

“First, I left the choices in play to the players, and for the decisions they made, I made it a point to ask them, “How was that?” and “What were you thinking when you did that?” Even if the result of their choice was not good, I would say, “Next time, you could try this,” or “The result didn’t follow, but the decision was good.” From the summer onward, I changed my coaching in that direction.”

―Did you feel a change in the players as a result?

“From that point on, I feel that the players’ awareness that “matches are made by yourselves” became stronger. On the other hand, the manager is ultimately in a position to support the players. In that process, of course, there are times when you win and times when you lose, but we shared the mindset in the team of “everyone does what needs to be done, and when the 80 minutes of the match are over, we will make what we have done the right answer.” It is important to play with that attitude, and if you lose as a result, you practice thinking that you still lack ability. Then, you decide what to do and what needs to be done again by yourselves. Once you decide, you work on it together without hesitation or wavering. I think that becoming part of that cycle was also one of the ways the players changed.”

―And that led to the Imperial Cup victory.

“Of course, that process also included the tour to Brazil, and I think there were parts where we were further encouraged to grow by being culture-shocked by the skills and individual tactics of the Brazilian players. However, because the things we needed to work on had become clear, the team already had a foundation where the players themselves would work on them spontaneously. Even if I didn’t say anything, the players would come to the ground and practice on their own, and the content of that independent practice was also carefully focused on the match. For example, instead of placing cones and practicing dribbling, the players were thinking about and executing practice on their own that day, that day, with the awareness of an opponent. Seeing that, I felt that “things will get even better from now on.” In that process, I have always taken the approach of finding what I could do as a manager and communicating something if there was something that needed to be said. Through that process, we were able to reach the Imperial Cup final.”

―It seems it was a change that led even further beyond the result of winning the Imperial Cup.

“That’s right. If the players were unable to do anything without someone in a position like mine as a manager, then perhaps they would not have been able to grow greatly as individuals in the first place. At that time, because I changed my way of thinking, the players changed too, and their abilities grew beyond that. However, they already had the ability to work toward something, so I also chose that approach because I thought it would be fine if the players did it spontaneously. From then on, while accumulating the work of asking them “How was that?” about the things they had decided for themselves, I may have also been supporting them as a supporter (laughs).”

He changed the way he approached the players and stood at the top in the Imperial Cup, the culmination of their efforts.