From Wednesday 26 to Sunday 30 June, the second course of the Goalkeeper Class B Coach Training Course was held at Teijin Academy Fuji in Susono city, Shizuoka. A total of 21 participants from various categories attended the course including two former members of the Japan National Team, Mr. KAWAGUCHI Yoshikatsu and Mr. NARAZAKI Seigo.

Instructor’s Comment

MAEDA Nobuhiro, Chief Instructor
The course was held during the rainy season and with the typhoon approaching the area, we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to carry out the entire curriculum, but we were fortunate enough to complete the course without any problems. Continuing from our first course, through our lectures and coaching sessions, we went over the essential elements when coaching goalkeepers at the youth categories. Through this course, the participants showed their characters and open-mindedness to heighten their coaching skills. The course also featured both oral and written exams, providing an unordinary experience for the participants and I am sure that everyone was able to realise how much they have improved over the course. I hope that the participants will continue to strive to become a better coach after returning to their teams and I wish them all the best.

Participants’ Comments

Mr. UMEZAWA Kazuhisa (ONCE FC/Kanagawa FA Women's Training Centre)
In order to change the goalkeepers of Japan, a total of 21 participants attended this course, including two former members of the Japan National Team. Among the participants, I was one of the two people who has never played the goalkeeper position. Although I was ignorant in many aspects, it allowed me to take the course with an open mind and learn so many new things. We were also given the opportunity to share different perspectives and coaching methods. During the coaching session, we were asked to coach the goalkeepers within the context of the game, which required us to understand the whole dynamics of the match. The participants actively exchanged their opinions during the discussion sessions and implemented the ideas into the following coaching sessions. We collectively studied up for the written exam on the night before, so I am sure we all passed the test. With the support of the instructors and students who helped us conduct this course, we were able to complete this wonderful course with a very positive mind.

Mr. NAKAMURA Ryuto (Osaka University of Commerce High School)
I am very thankful to be given the opportunity to participate in this Goalkeeper Class B Coach Training Course. Up until this point, I have been utilising my experience to guide my players, but now that I have learned the coaching theories and methods from this course, I can coach with confidence from now on. Through the lectures on coaching theories, I was able to broaden my perspective and managed to deepen my understandings by organising each information. The instructors gave us detailed directions and it allowed us to make the necessary adjustments throughout the coaching sessions. I hope to implement the experience I gained through this course to improve my daily coaching activities and strive to provide better coaching to my players.

Mr. NARAZAKI Seigo (Nagoya Grampus Club Special Fellow)
I was given the opportunity to participate in this Goalkeeper Class B Coach Training Course. I was nervous at first to meet the other participants for the first time, especially knowing that they are all experienced coaches. However, the two instructors, the other participants, and all the students who supported our course, brought a positive vibe to make this a very productive course which allowed me to learn so much in the past five days. Both the lectures and the coaching sessions had many contents to learn and the oral and written exam allowed me to recall my memories from my school days. Besides the coaching course, we held a small get-together on the final night and spent a wonderful time to get to know each other. I hope to utilise my experience as a player and implement what I’ve learned from this course to help the development of youth goalkeepers.