We will not let what we saw in Germany end as a one-time experience. We will share the new perspectives gained locally with our players, discuss them among our coaches, and incorporate them into the daily routine at Antlers. Next, other staff members will head out to see the world. It is precisely because we have encountered different developmental methods that we have come to see what we have always cherished—and what we can add moving forward. To turn the experience born from our partnership with Borussia Mönchengladbach into a club asset. In this final installment of a four-part series, we look beyond, connecting the world with Kashima. (Part 4 of 4)
We will not let what we gained in Germany end with one person's experience.
The U-15 tour to Germany, made possible by our partnership with Borussia Mönchengladbach, may only truly prove its value once the players and staff return to Kashima.
There are things we saw on the ground. Things we felt. Perspectives newly acquired in each of our respective roles. We bring these back, share them, test them, and reflect once more. How do we cycle these experiences gained abroad into the daily life at Antlers?
Yoshiki Shinohara, manager of Kashima Youth, reflects on this tour, saying, "There were many takeaways."
He is not intending to simply transplant the different approaches he saw at Gladbach directly into Antlers. While keeping what we have always valued as our core, he intends to add these newly learned methods as a form of stimulation, if they are necessary for the players right in front of him.
"I believe a coach's role is to help players do what they couldn't do before. Even if it’s not for the whole session, if we can incorporate such drills for just 20 minutes a week and increase what they can do, it builds the children’s confidence. After all, it's all football."
What is important is not simply recreating the training seen in Germany, but the fact that knowing a different way has increased the options available to our coaches.
And if only the coaches who went abroad hold those options, it will not become an asset for the entire academy.
"I need to convey this effectively to the children and to the coaches who didn't go to Germany this time. We need to discuss practice menus and have them watch how we do things. I hope that by doing so, our values will blend in new ways."
By repeatedly sharing in this way, the experience gained by one coach abroad will gradually spread throughout the academy.
The things brought back by the staff who participated in this tour also varied.
Even when observing the same development scene, a manager and a goalkeeper coach look at different things. A conditioning staff member sees yet another landscape.
Everyone does not need to bring back the same answer. People in different positions viewing the world from their own perspectives and bringing those experiences together is what builds new viewpoints for the club.
This cycle is not limited to just the pitch.
Saki Sato, who joined the tour from the business side, found herself in the position of "being hosted" by Gladbach, which led her to think about how Antlers should host people from abroad in the future.
"This time, we were the ones going and having things done for us, but we were able to experience firsthand what difficulties we faced when interacting and coaching with people from overseas, and what kind of support we would have been happy to receive."
In a place where language and culture are different, what are the struggles? What actions make people happy? Even outside of the training itself, there were hints on how to welcome players and staff from overseas.
Going from Kashima to overseas. Welcoming from overseas to Kashima.
If we leverage this partnership, there is potential for the flow of people to expand beyond a single direction. We are looking at the potential growth brought by the partnership, such as inviting overseas clubs to Kashima, Antlers going abroad for exchanges, and even school-related projects.
And what Sato is hoping for is not just that the same people go abroad repeatedly.
"If staff can go in rotation, and bring back things that can actually be utilized, I think it will be a great learning opportunity for the club."
One person sees, brings it back, and shares. Next, another person sees the world. As experiences accumulate this way, overseas tours will no longer be just an experience for the players and staff who participated.
So, as more people see different parts of the world, what will remain for Antlers' development?
What Academy Manager Shuto Suzuki felt strongly about during this tour was that there are different approaches even for the same objective of developing players.
Suzuki perceives the European development he saw this time and the Brazilian development that Antlers has long been influenced by as follows:
"This is just my impression, but in Europe, it feels like they develop the head—the intelligence—first, and among those, players with physical ability become professionals. In Brazil, it’s about the individual, 1-on-1, and winning the battle against the opponent right in front of you. Within that, players with intelligence become professionals."
It is not that the goals are completely different.
It is about what they choose to develop first and what they prioritize to reach that point. The order and the approach are different.
"In Brazil, you can't survive if you lose the battle in front of you, so you have to think about 'how to win' right there. I felt that the order and approach there are different from Germany."
For Suzuki, this was not a question of "which one to choose."
In fact, after talking with the staff at Gladbach, he found there were "parts that weren't so different" from what Antlers is already working on. On the other hand, there were differences in training approaches and the environment surrounding the players.
By seeing the world, you see what is different from you. At the same time, you also see what is the same.
That is why, rather than making one external method the "correct answer," we can think about what we value while being aware of the differences.
For Shinohara, too, touching upon different development in Germany didn't change what he is aiming for.
"What I want to achieve hasn't changed, but I feel it's okay to change the way I get there."
Instead of easily changing the image of the player we aim for, he is increasing the methods to help those players improve.
He has touched upon football in various countries, including Brazil and elsewhere in Asia. This time, the experience in Germany was added to that.
"Even if you have cognitive awareness, I truly feel that Brazilians have incredible individuality, a sense of 'this technique is amazing,' and if that’s missing, it’s meaningless. But I also think that even if you have that, if it doesn't fit the situation, it’s completely meaningless."
It is not one or the other. Each time he sees different football in the world, the things that seemed separate start to connect within Shinohara.
"Because of that, I was able to see the great aspects of both. Then, what am I? When it comes to that, Antlers puts a lot of work into technique, and we have a culture that teaches it. My feeling is that I have deepened my understanding of football while maintaining those high standards."
It is precisely because you go outside that you can see your own standing. There is no need to abandon the environment that has pursued the technical skills inherent to Antlers at a high standard. We just need to add the new perspectives found in the world to it.
Seeing the world doesn't mean you find the answers. Rather, it increases the questions.
How do you communicate with the players? What kind of stimulation do you provide? What do you change, and what do you keep?
We bring those questions back, test them in the field, and share them with colleagues. And then, we look at the world again. This tour, born from the partnership with Borussia Mönchengladbach, is the beginning of such a cycle.
By knowing the world, we get to know Antlers. The new perspectives gained there go back to the daily life in Kashima. By going back and forth between the world and Kashima, Antlers' development will continue to be refined.
