On 21 to 22 and 28 to 29 of June, a training course was held for Class 1 and Women Class 1 Referees in Ebina, Kanagawa.
In this training, the second physical fitness test was held. The participants were serious about this test since all Class 1 and Women Class 1 Referees are required to pass. The training also covered Laws of the Game for 2014/2015, how to adjust your physical condition for summer season, and football match fixing which has been a big issue for a while.
At the categorical training sessions, they had a reflection of the first half season and preparation for the second half season.

Comments from Instructors

HIROSHIMA Yoshikazu, Top Referee Instructor
The very hot weather has been challenging for referees over recent years, we included a lecture about “conditioning”.
Regarding the match fixing issue, which has been selected as a training topic twice before, it was a good opportunity again for us to be careful about this issue since this is becoming a threat to us more than we expect. Referees participated in each training session with serious attitude and overall it was beneficial training.

FUKANO Etsuko, Manager of Women’s Department
The purposes of this second Training was to do the physical fitness test which is held semi-annually for the Class 1 and Women Class 1 Referees, and to check the Laws of the Game since this is usually amended around this time of year.
I could see good results of the physical fitness test which expresses that all the Women Class 1 Referees had prepared well for the test. At the sprint test, they tried to record their best time and they also made good groups to finish the interval running.
At the accompanying training sessions for Women Class 1 Referees, we covered “preparation for the very hot season”, “video analysis”, and “logical thinking”. Each one was raised as necessary a topic to know and I expect the training sessions will be helpful for referees to perform very well at Nadeshiko League, Challenge League, and other All Japan Competitions which are heating-up.
Personally, it was my first training after being selected as the Manager of Referee Committee of Women’s Department. Looking at the Women Class 1 Referees’ serious attitude to the training and the physical fitness test has motivated me again to devote myself to work for them.

YAMAGISHI Takashi Referee Fitness Instructor
In this training, the participant referees did the physical fitness test which is planned twice a year. Referees have to pass this test to work in the football matches. Fortunately, the weather was not too hot on the test day. Referee Fitness Instructors prepared the environment very well for the participant referees to maximise their fitness abilities in the test.
In the Regional Referee Fitness Instructor Training, which was held in this occasion, I could see the participants grow more mature, especially through preparing the physical fitness test together and that made me notice the importance of this training. We will prepare well for the beneficial training for the future.

Comments by Referees

TAKABE Yosuke, Class 1 Referee (Osaka)
In the session divided into responsible categories,  the training was started by reviewing the first half of season.  Topics include reminding the situation likely to misjudge offside, the importance of awareness (the positioning of main referee, if an assistant referee can see main referee) for relationship between main referee and assistant referee, when the players confronting is this the situation I can stop them confronting, where should the main referee take position and which area I should be watching out, etc. I realized again it needs “good preparation” for judging whatever situation.
Also, I learned three things at “Conditioning Lesson” – how to overcome summer time. Three things I learned were – drink (preventing a heat attack, cool down (cryo), protect (care). The instructor taught me there are differences in the contents of drink for before the game; middle of the game and after the game, it is important to find the drink suitable for you with right amount and right timing. I should take much care about how I can make recovery, hoping to survive hot summer without getting out of condition.
Finally, J-League being considered safe haven for a game fixing but I realized “the threat of fixing” is not something happening far away after listening to the overseas situation of the game fixing. To prevent these things happen to me, all the referees should be on alert and never let others to take advantage of your weakness might be resulted from doing wrong thing in everyday life; I will take every care and take a right action as a man.

OTSUBO Yoshikazu, Class 1 Referee (Kanagawa)
Out of the games I whistled, I picked up the scenes of which I felt I needed to improve and review it in a discussion.
Most importantly, I should give an extra care to high-tensioned players.
It was impressive to listen to the instructor’s word “Always challenge and make judgment honestly as you see it”.
Making a good preparation, I always would like to take a challenge.
I hope to implement what I learned in this training for upcoming games.

IMAIZUMI Nami, Women Class 1 Referee (Fukushima prefecture)
It was a very productive training for second half of the season because I could exchanging positive ideas in limited time of training in two-day and overnight stay. Making most of the things we learned at the training, I am determined to overcome the upcoming hard-fighting games with every one of us.

KUSADOKORO Kazue, Women Class 1 Referee (Gunmma Prefecutre)
A referee job which requires teamwork. We could run together in the training, calling each other, running in heart-warming atmosphere and running into goal with hand in hand.
You can’t avoid doing a referee in a hot weather, I learned the importance of preparing to get used to the climate condition on the pitch. As the amount of water cotent is different for a man and woman, I felt it is vital to know your body and prepare yourself taking the basic knowledge into consideration. I am going to prepare daily for blowing the whistle in a good condition no matter how hot it gets in the upcoming games.

SASAKI Risa, Women Class 1 Referee (Kyoto)
When judging an offside, there is a situation likely to make a wrong offside call because the view from an assistant referee is different when the attacking side player is close to him or far from him. This is resulted from watching the point in question by pinpoint and seized in illusion. I am going to figure out how to make an accurate judgment by taking a look at the whole pitch, not only one point, for reducing illusion.
Regarding a conditioning in summer season, I learned many things I didn’t know before such as the drink contents should be different before, middle and after the game and the method of recovery. As we experience intense heat in recent years, there was an occasion I couldn’t maintain a good performance in the game even though I prepared beforehand. I learned to reduce the risk of getting caught in heat stroke if you take hypotonic drink at right timing. I am going to work on to ensure the safety and performance of the player by adjusting the timing of taking a drink for maintaining my performance.