INTERVIEW

Honda: After the end of my playing career, I still wanted to be involved in promoting women’s soccer. After retiring, I joined the Japan Football Association and worked from an office supporting women’s soccer. But I felt being on the field suited me better. OKAYAMA YUNOGO BELLE approached me in 2001 about becoming the team’s coach. In contrast to the promotional activities I’d been doing to teach children the joy of soccer, I now found myself in the world of competition. A coach’s role comes with great responsibilities and decision-making power. So I continue to feel rewarded because I can realize the soccer I envision.

Nishii: Initially it was our company (Medical Sports Meister) that was involved with the team. We had multiple trainers looking after the athletes. Before Ms. Honda, I imagined soccer practice and physical training would be handled separately. But she understood the work of the medical staff and had a clear mandate to deliver the kind of soccer she wanted.

Honda: At that time, I accompanied the team once a week and on games. Later I got more opportunities to work with the team. This was because many of the players had to start by strengthening their bodies as athletes, and because, given the limited number of players, the team couldn’t afford them frequently withdrawing to the sidelines, which meant they had to undergo training to prevent injuries as well.

In modern sports, teaching players how to assess their condition and how to use their bodies is as important as teaching them the sport [soccer] itself. In various areas, there are many things that have been scientifically proven, and getting the help of people with scientific expertise in body mechanics is integral to this. Even in the men’s J. LEAGUE, physical coaches and trainers are commonplace. Conditioning keeps becoming more important.

Nishii: I accepted, happily (laughs)! For starters, I spent about a week with the team when they traveled to Japan. It was the first time for me to work with many foreign athletes. I used a body composition analyzer called InBody to collect data, and I found they had less body fat and more muscle than I expected, which differs from Japanese athletes. When it came to treatment, I was confused from time to time. I didn’t know whether the issue had to do with expression or differences in perception, but they either said “ouch” or “okay.” There was nothing in between.

I went to Uzbekistan three times for about three weeks each time. There I helped with training and recovery. The idea was that for about a week I would help an injured player recover to the point they could train, then I’d work on strength training for the player for the remaining two weeks. Since the conditions of the ground and shoes differed from those in Japan, a common tendency was for inflammation following training that required agility, like quick reversals in direction. I helped them strengthen their muscles while using the treatment device, which reduced swelling and sprains.

Nishii: The players from Uzbekistan were extremely sensitive. They were sensitive to stimuli not just from injuries but from acupressure, so I thought it would help to use an ultrasound treatment device, since it doesn’t cause irritation. The same goes for Japanese athletes, but there are cases where they feel pain or fear when undergoing exercise therapy that involves their body being touched and moved, which makes them averse. In cases like that, they used to avoid treatment and continue to play through pain or take longer to recover. Physical therapy with an ultrasound treatment device cuts the time needed to get back on the pitch.

Uzbekistan players tend to complain more about abnormalities and pain when there’s a noticeable change in appearance, like swelling associated with sprains. But after using the device for 10 minutes and cooling the affected area, then repeating this process, the pain and swelling would subside. The players realized they were recovering. At first, some players felt using the device was a hassle. But after experiencing the effects, they began to use it on a daily basis. Since the device provides quantitative data, it also lets me treat the athletes from afar, even when I’m not in Uzbekistan. Ms. Honda would tell me about a player’s condition and I would tell her what the settings should be. We used the device with the players so often they learned the Japanese word for ultrasound, “cho-onpa” (laughs).

Honda: I’ve signed a contract with J.LEAGUE’s Júbilo IWATA, and I’m coaching BONITA under a secondment arrangement. IWATA hasn’t been active in women’s soccer, but they suggested I should become involved in promoting it. The establishment of the WE League as a professional league in 2021 led to men’s clubs like Omiya and Hiroshima creating women’s teams. Moves like that significantly boosted the visibility of women’s soccer. I want to boost the appeal of the city of Iwata by promoting women’s soccer while fostering good relationships between Júbilo IWATA and SHIZUOKA SSU BONITA.