Currently, what Mitsutaka Nakamura emphasizes at his soccer school is technique. However, it is not just about technical skills. He is trying to teach children the "technique to stop being afraid of the ball."(Part 2 of 3)

 

——What do you emphasize most while coaching at the school now?

Dribbling. I think it takes the most time to become good at it. I’ve been working on that myself for a long time. In the end, you want to run away because you’re scared of holding the ball. But if you have the sense that you "definitely won't get it taken away," it becomes much more fun.

 

——The word "fear" is very striking.

Everyone finds one-on-one situations scary. You might get the ball taken away, or you might fail. But soccer is essentially a collection of one-on-one situations. If you're afraid of that, there's no point. So first, I want to create a feeling of "not being scared." It's scary because you can't handle the ball freely. So the conversation is, "Then let's learn how to handle it freely."

 

——Specifically, what kind of things are you teaching them?

I’ve been talking a lot about "timing/distance" (ma-ai) lately. For example, I tell them, "Understand for yourself at what distance an opponent feels scary to you."

 

——Do children understand the concept of "ma-ai"?

I don't think they understand all of it. But some kids get it to some extent. "Up to here, I'm not scared. But if they get within this distance, I have to react." I tell them to develop that sense. I say, "The moment they enter that distance is the signal that you have to leave your territory." That way, they become able to "wait" for the moment the opponent enters.

 

——Does the "timing to dodge" emerge from that?

Exactly. You don't need fancy feints. In the end, you just need to watch the timing of the opponent approaching and dodge them. In actual game-style practice, some kids have started aiming for that. Some kids can tell, "Oh, they're waiting."

 

——When you were an active player, you often talked about "looking," too.

People often say "look," but it’s meaningless if you don’t know what to look at or why you’re looking. Everyone looks at different things. That’s why I specifically tell them, "You should look here." If you just say "look," kids don't understand.

 

——Your approach to trapping is also impressive.

Even for the same trap, everything changes depending on where the opponent is. Why did you stop it there? Why did you face forward? I explain these things while doing it. There’s no point in just stopping the ball. What matters is how you stop it within a given situation.

 

——Do you also emphasize showing them through your own play?

Both. Just showing them doesn't convey it, and words alone aren't enough. Even if I show them, they’ll just end up thinking, "Oh, that’s amazing!" I believe it’s meaningless unless I explain why I performed that play.

 

——What do you feel when you look at today's kids?

They’re good. Definitely better than in our generation. But many kids are afraid of one-on-one situations. It’s like they become the ones being used... I feel like many kids try to use those around them before doing anything themselves. So first, I want them to be able to handle the ball freely.

 

——What is your current training content like?

I’ve made it quite complex. I place many cones, and I have them switch from fine touches to sudden bursts of speed so it doesn't end as a single action. It feels like I’m having them continue various movements. I’m doing this because I want to provide more complex stimuli than before.

 

——Is your own past experience influencing this as well?

Hugely. When I was in middle school, we would line up cones from one end of the pitch to the other and dribble through them. If the ball hit a cone and was even slightly off, we had to start over. I did that kind of practice all the time. At first, it would fall apart, but they’d tell me, "This is your current skill level." From there, it felt like I kept practicing and building it up.

 

——Do you feel like you are outputting those past experiences now?

Yes. I even contacted the coach who taught me back then. I asked, "What kind of drills were we doing?" After all, it’s my foundation. At the time, I didn't understand the meaning, but now I realize, "Oh, that’s what this was for."

 

——Technique isn't acquired immediately, is it?

I don’t think they need to be able to do it now. I tell the kids, "It's fine to be the worst right now." Technique often suddenly appears six months or a year later. So for now, I think "knowing" is what’s important.

 

——What kind of players do you want these children to become?

Players who can do something themselves, rather than just being used by others. Ultimately, the players who are having the most fun themselves are the ones who are interesting to watch.