Welcome to the third installment of our in-depth exploration into Japanese football. In this edition, we delve into how young players are nurtured within the country's dynamic system, tracing the pathway from prestigious university programs—like those at Meiji University—to the professional arena. We examine the innovative training methodologies, tactical fluidity, and scouting insights that set the stage for nurturing world-class talent in Japan.
Japanese Football - How Are Young Players Nurtured?
A smart scout knows his way around coaching methodology. While looking at players, a scout should analyze training methods and link skills to particular methods while on the go. This can help identify certain niche skills used during a game.
In this article, we’ll start with the case study of players being brought up through a system in Japanese University Football.
Meiji University is widely known to be one of the top universities to go to, in terms of a football pathway upon graduation.
FC Tokyo’s Relationship with Meiji University
The J-League side FC Tokyo have adopted players from the Meiji University more often than other teams have. But the big question is, why?
Many of their players are part of a fluid 4-4-2 system which can sometimes look like a 4-3-3. Although different to FC Tokyo’s current daring 3-4-3, it gives the young players a good preparation on what to expect regarding instructions and seasoning as a crucial cog in the works of a team oriented in togetherness, hard work, and cohesion.
Players such as Kanta Doi, Kosuke Shirai, Takahiro Koh can play multiple roles at the same time, juggling responsibility and in turn, being effective off the ball.
Meiji University emphasizes strong team work and having a selfless mind when it comes to creating chances for your teammates to shine, while also exploiting space in a tactical way rather than only playing on the ball.
In Meiji’s matches, you can often see the shape of the team being held consistently especially on the defence - fluid pressing allows one side to sit deeper, rest and potentially scan the pitch, but the other incites high pressing.
A lot of total football is also practiced with the switching of positions, full-backs inverting to drive forwards - a lot of this also happens during FC Tokyo games with Kosuke Shirai at one point recording the fastest run in the J-League this season.
There is a name for the training of players off-the-ball and the ability to become effective even when not in the midst of the action on the field.
The “ekkono method” applies not only to coaching but also scouting; players who scan the field, are smart off the ball, body language, and communication are all values which need to be met.
The word “ekkono” is not of any particular origin, despite sounding Greek or Estonian - but it has been adopted by big teams such as Paris-Saint Germain in their coaching ethics to produce smart players.
A scout should be well-versed in theories of football such as the ekkono method to be able to effectively identify what type of player they’re dealing with, and how they may improve.
Japanese Football - How Are Young Players Nurtured?
A smart scout knows his way around coaching methodology. While looking at players, a scout should analyze training methods and link skills to particular methods while on the go. This can help identify certain niche skills used during a game.
In this article, we’ll start with the case study of players being brought up through a system in Japanese University Football.
Meiji University is widely known to be one of the top universities to go to, in terms of a football pathway upon graduation.
FC Tokyo’s Relationship with Meiji University
The J-League side FC Tokyo have adopted players from the Meiji University more often than other teams have. But the big question is, why?
Many of their players are part of a fluid 4-4-2 system which can sometimes look like a 4-3-3. Although different to FC Tokyo’s current daring 3-4-3, it gives the young players a good preparation on what to expect regarding instructions and seasoning as a crucial cog in the works of a team oriented in togetherness, hard work, and cohesion.
Players such as Kanta Doi, Kosuke Shirai, Takahiro Koh can play multiple roles at the same time, juggling responsibility and in turn, being effective off the ball.
Meiji University emphasizes strong team work and having a selfless mind when it comes to creating chances for your teammates to shine, while also exploiting space in a tactical way rather than only playing on the ball.
In Meiji’s matches, you can often see the shape of the team being held consistently especially on the defence - fluid pressing allows one side to sit deeper, rest and potentially scan the pitch, but the other incites high pressing.
A lot of total football is also practiced with the switching of positions, full-backs inverting to drive forwards - a lot of this also happens during FC Tokyo games with Kosuke Shirai at one point recording the fastest run in the J-League this season.
There is a name for the training of players off-the-ball and the ability to become effective even when not in the midst of the action on the field.
The “ekkono method” applies not only to coaching but also scouting; players who scan the field, are smart off the ball, body language, and communication are all values which need to be met.
The word “ekkono” is not of any particular origin, despite sounding Greek or Estonian - but it has been adopted by big teams such as Paris-Saint Germain in their coaching ethics to produce smart players.
A scout should be well-versed in theories of football such as the ekkono method to be able to effectively identify what type of player they’re dealing with, and how they may improve.