INTERVIEW

Sugiura: When I was in elementary school, I went along with my mother and saw her play in a PTA volleyball game. A junior high school student who’d been above me in elementary school was there. She asked what I planned to do in junior high school. I was playing basketball at the time, but the junior high school was strong in volleyball, so I joined the volleyball club because I wanted to compete at a higher, more serious level. In my third year of junior high, I participated in the JOC Junior Olympic Cup as part of the team representing Aichi Prefecture, and that experience made me want to compete at a high level in high school as well. I went on to Okazaki Gakuen High School, which competed regularly in the Spring High (All Japan High-School Championship held each spring), and took part in the Spring High, the Inter-High (All Japan High School Athletic Federation tournament), and the Kokutai (National Sports Festival of Japan). Then I enrolled in Aichi Gakuin University and played in the league’s first division.

Sugiura: In Latin, ligare means to connect, and as this name suggests, our team is built on the notion of community service for local people and the people who support the team. Everyone on our team is independent, ambitious, and individualistic. Head Coach Arisa Sato, who also plays on the team, helps bring out these traits even more. She tells us what we’re free to do, but also what we have to do, then gives us the opportunity to say what we think. So it’s an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their views. Even opinions from those who aren’t team regulars are respected, which helps us function as a team and inspires us to play an active role within the team.

Sugiura: My job is supporting children with disabilities at an after-school facility. My main responsibility is picking up the children from their school, either a special school for children with disabilities or a regular elementary school, and I help them with their homework and complete the other activities planned for them that day at the facility. At around 6:00 p.m., I start doing stretches, and then practice until about 9:00 p.m. I basically have one day off a week, but sometimes when there’s a league or tournament game on my off day, I can’t take that day off. I try to maintain a good balance by doing things to recharge when I’m not working so I can focus when I’m practicing. I like hot springs, and Miyagi Prefecture has a lot of them, so I’ve been to Naruko, Akiu, and Togatta. Additionally, depending on gymnasium conditions, sometimes we can’t practice together, so at such times we practice or train individually, working on things we need to strengthen.

Komatsu: A lot depends on the team’s schedule, but I check on their performance during practice, both on weekdays and weekends, and work on their conditioning, which involves treatment and training, outside of practice time. The players work on weekdays, so I use all the time slots when they don’t have practice to go out and treat patients. I’m also an instructor at the vocational school I used to attend.

Komatsu: I believe treatment equipment really improves player conditioning. In fact, we’ve had no major injuries this season. I also feel the home treatment equipment has had a positive impact on their day-to-day health management and their sleep.

The players use shortwave therapy device when they’re on the road. Each of them uses the device in turn for 20 minutes before bed. The small microcurrent therapy device is used to treat the minor injuries that always crop up or in emergencies. In addition, the EMS device is used for initial rehab before returning to practice or if the muscles can’t contract. Applying the device while training makes it possible to actually use the muscles. Last season, they used microcurrent therapy to accelerate healing and EMS to stimulate muscle activity. Middle blockers often experience shoulder pain, and they’re lifting their arms all the time, so they use microcurrent on painful areas and EMS to boost performance around the shoulder blades.

Komatsu: Ms. Sugiura has a hard time building muscle even though she eats and trains. So we’ve loaned her treatment equipment to help with her digestion and nutrient absorption. InBody measurements show positive results for the last two to three months. The effect isn’t immediate, but there’s been a measurable increase in muscle mass.

I first encountered the shortwave therapy device at the beginning of last season, and I remember thinking right away it was an absolute must for our team, as it warms the body from the core, so I’m glad we introduced it.

Sugiura: I apply it for two 30-minute sessions before going to bed. If I don’t have time, I do just one 30-minute session. Before, when it got cold, I couldn’t sleep unless I warmed my bed up beforehand with a hot water bottle. Since I started using the shortwave therapy device, my whole body feels warmer, and it’s easier to fall asleep.

The device warms me up really quickly. It’s a great way to warm up before bed during the winter or cold snaps. I recommend it especially to women. It’s fantastic for maintaining your health.

Komatsu: An athlete’s body is his or her instrument. But a surprisingly number of athletes don’t know how to stay in tiptop physical condition. In a way, that’s not surprising, since they don’t know how their bodies work. But if they don’t know why they’re feeling good or bad, it makes it that much harder to achieve their peak performance. Or, if they do achieve it, they find that level of performance hard to maintain. So after listening carefully to the players to find out what’s bothering them, I do what I can to ensure they don’t over-rely on one specific therapy, and try to get them to notice the changes the treatment equipment promotes. Once they’ve tried in several times, the players find what they need to do at a given moment and find their own approach to conditioning.

Being injured or not in optimal condition doesn’t feel great. But it’s actually a great time to turn your weaknesses into strengths. Of course, players will feel really down in the dumps, but learning to focus on the why helps them take the next step for body, mind, and outlook. My hope is that gaining this kind of self-awareness will give them the capacity to understand what they need to do.