The training has got more intensified from today, 17 May. Both the morning and the afternoon sessions had the duration of two hours as field players worked on “ball control skills” and “defence” while goalkeepers practiced “stopping shots” and “dealing with long balls behind defenders”. All the practice menus are based on the “U-12 National Training Centre 2013” menu and concentrated on making sure how much they do what U-12 players should be able to do and confirming the importance of fundamentals. 

Players also took the logical communication skills training at night. The communication skills program has been included into the JFA Elite Program since its implementation in 2003, with the purpose of helping players to use language more actively and to communicate better. It’s also understood that using language better and thinking more logically will lead to keeping thinking as they play on the pitch. The players at first wondered and were anxious, saying “What is communication skill? What do we do?”, but as they took part in self-introductions and MONDOU-Game to express their opinions and feelings in their own words, their nervousness and shyness turned into fun and enjoyment. The activity in a different setting from the playing field that they are used to also helped them to discover new things about themselves and their teammates and get to know each other better.

Comments

MIYA Asuka （FOOTBALL CLUB FAMILIA U-15）
On the training in the morning
[Things I did well]
●I enjoyed playing and tried not to allow goals.
●I could do my best in the practice and games
●I never gave it up and played until the end.
[Things I didn’t do well]
●During catching drills, I couldn’t relax and I was too tight.
●I couldn’t do much of coaching in the game.
[Things to remember]
●Always enjoy playing football.
●Keep doing what I could do well
●Turn things I didn’t do well into things I did well.

MATSUMOTO Hono（Cerezo Osaka Sakai Girls, Osaka)
On the training in the afternoon
I learned that when I bump into others, I should stay low as if I do a squat and keep looking up so that I can bump effectively. I will keep trying that in games.

NOJIMA　Ayami（Fujieda Junshin SC Junior Youth Blue, Shizuoka)
On the communication skills program,
I am not good at communicating something to others, but in this training I learned the effective use of language. If I put my messages in order, the other person can understand better and can visualize, so I will try doing that during games and in my everyday life.