From August 5 (Tue) to 7 (Thu), we held the "Futsal Skill Up Summer Clinic" for 3rd and 4th grade elementary students at Kodaira Citizen's General Gymnasium!
[Day 1]
We started with a meeting! We reviewed the schedule for the three days, the clinic's goals, and the promises.
The Futsal Skill-Up Summer Clinic aims to develop hybrid players who can excel in soccer as well through futsal-specific training!
The topic on the first day was "Transition Attack."
They prepared using slides and videos, and while surprised by the unique techniques and tactics of futsal, they engaged seriously. Also, the GK course meeting was held as is, deepening the FP players' understanding of GK.
We moved to the gymnasium and started training. We repeatedly practiced the quick transitions unique to futsal. In the final game, although the players were initially confused by the futsal rules for the first time (substitution method, back-pass rule), every player adapted quickly, resulting in a very good match.
In the reflection meeting, we filled out the booklet with "things we could do," "things we couldn't do," and "what is necessary to be able to do them." Some players struggled to put their thoughts into words, but with the support of the coaches, we were able to complete it successfully.
[Day 2]
From Day 2, training runs through the whole day, morning and afternoon!
The topic for the morning is "Transition Defense."
The situations are the same as yesterday, but since the focus has switched between offense and defense in this training, we reviewed using yesterday’s practice footage as well.
Since the players had trained on transition attacks yesterday, their switching was quick, making it a very good training session.
In the final match, there were very good offensive and defensive plays during the transition phases, resulting in a higher-quality game compared to the first day.
After the training ended, we returned to the locker room, held a review meeting, and each participant filled out their booklet.
We challenged them to fill it out concretely using the "5W1H" method.
After the lunch break, we held another meeting to reaffirm our attitude towards training!
The afternoon topic was "Press Avoidance." We started by practicing press avoidance without any DF and gradually moved closer to a game-like format. Also, press avoidance involves a significant role for the GK, and everyone trained with a strong sense of unity.
In the final match, there were many futsal-like plays, such as scenes where the players applied the press avoidance they had trained, and it was evident from their play that their understanding deepened over the two days!
【Day 3】
On the final day, many players showed growth off the court as well, such as greeting others on their own and carrying their own belongings.
The morning topic was "Positional Defense." After training on when, where, who, and how to take the ball, we held a review meeting and prepared for the training match held in the afternoon.
After the break, we reviewed what we had done so far, and finally listened to "You'll Never Walk Alone" to boost morale for the match.
The opponent in the training match was a team of school students attending the "Futsal Class" at the FC Tokyo Soccer & Futsal School!
The clinic participants demonstrated what they had trained over the three days on the court, while the school team also showcased the results of their regular training, resulting in a closely contested and intense match!
The training match concluded, leading into the closing of the three-day event.
At the certificate awarding ceremony, each participant received their certificate from the coach and gave a speech sharing their thoughts and gratitude from the three days.
It was impressive to see them, despite being nervous, expressing their appreciation to their families.
At the end, we watched a video reflecting on the three days.
At the end, there was a message from Kento HASHIMOTO, which brought out voices of surprise and joy!
Three days of training specialized in futsal and a challenge of "independence" off the court.
I feel they have grown greatly not only in their play but also in their actions and mindset.
We look forward to seeing you even stronger somewhere again!
