Interview by Shinji Ishibashi CEO Coerver Coaching Asia Pacific with Norio Sasaki Head Coach Japan Women’s World Cup Champion
Shinji Ishibashi (SI): Once again, congratulations for winning the World Cup.
Norio Sasaki (NS): Thank you very much.
SI: I already told you this but thank you very much once again for giving Japan smiles and energy, which have been lacking since the great earthquake. We asked for your time today because all of the Coerver Coaches around the world, who I meet and contact from time to time, want to know how you managed to win the World Cup and how you organized the World Cup winning team. Again, we want to hear your opinion on the method of how to increase the number of girls playing in Japan since only 2% of the 17,000 students that attend the Coerver School in Japan every week are girls. For you information, about 50% of Coerver students in the USA and about 40% in Australia, New Zealand, and Northern Europe are girls. We want to hear your professional opinion on this.
NS: Alright, please feel free to ask anything. First of all, 2% means that there is still potential for the growth of the girl population. In the past, people figured it was strange for girls to play soccer, but ever since Nadeshiko Japan won the World Cup, people are impressed when girls play soccer. We can observe that Japan’s feeling towards Women’s Soccer is changing.
SI: This is great news. Alright, I will ask you a couple questions. 10 years ago China and USA dominated Women’s Soccer, what are the main reasons Japan has now become a leader?.
NS: In short, good technical skills. Out of the 16 participants of the World Cup, Nadeshiko Japan’s average height and weight were the lowest. Therefore I decided that challenging opponents with power and speed is unfavorable, so we focused on organized defense and offense, frequently using passes and dribbling with individual technical skills as a foundation. Qualitatively speaking, it was similar to the Men’s Soccer. There are several technical players in China and USA, but they somewhat pushed forward using power and speed, and were still able to make it to the top 4 playing this sort of soccer. The main reason Japan won was because we fought using good technical skills instead of power and speed. However, the Western countries figured out the importance of technical skills and accuracy for Women’s Soccer and the reason why Nadeshiko Japan won, so they will adjust accordingly from now on. From that perspective, the Coerver Coaching Method is already highly valued, but I believe it will be valued even more now not only in Japan but also globally.
SI: Former USA national star player Kristine Lilly, who won the World Cup twice and holds the world record of being the most capped soccer player, attended Coerver Coaching in her youth days and recently became the global ambassador of Coerver. She will arrive in Japan in 2012, so we plan to ask her to support our Coerver Girls Project. It will be nice if the JFA and Nadeshiko Japan could collaborate with her during her stay in Japan.
NS: That is interesting to know, and Lilly is a famous player so I know about her. It will be nice if we can do something together.
SI: The World Cup win was probably the greatest soccer event so far in Japanese soccer history. What can this do for Women’s Soccer in Japan? Again, how can we encourage more girls to play soccer in Japan?.
NS: Currently, there are only 37,000 women players that are enrolled in the JFA. We must work hard to increase the number of women players by carrying out various programs, and I believe the World Cup win affected the impression and attitude towards Women’s Soccer, so we must continue to take various approaches to maintain the positive impression and attitude. When Nadeshiko Japan was 4th in the Beijing Olympic, we regretted not being able to do better, so this time we want the Coerver Coaching Schools all over Japan to help popularize Women’s Soccer. Unfortunately, the environment for the middle school generation to play soccer is poor, so I believe the JFA must construct an environment where women can continue to play soccer. This will take time, but we must move forward step by step. Anyhow, we must create an environment where girls can start playing soccer and increase their interaction with soccer.
SI: Coerver will be glad to cooperate, so let us, along with the Women’s Section of the JFA, discuss this matter separately next time.
NS: Yes we should.
SI: Previously, you attended the JFA course presented by Alfred Galustian, co-founder of Coerver Coaching. What was your impression of that?.
NS: I remember it clearly. There were a lot of rich content and it was wonderful. Even now, I use what I learned from Alfred sometimes.
SI: Alfred signed contracts with the English Premier League and the Australian FA to coach technical skills. Similar to what we did in the past, we plan to host a course for the JFA Coaching Staff after next spring, so if this happens, please participate. Again, it will be wonderful if the Nadeshiko Japan players can help instruct.
NS: That is a great idea. If it happens, please contact me with the details.
SI: What are the strongest Women’s Teams in the world, and what qualities do you admire in them?
NS: I believe it is the USA. They not only have power and speed, but have the technical skills now to pass the ball around well, and the depth of the squad particularly is the strongest feature. In Japan’s case, if the current Nadeshiko Japan players move on, the strength of the squad will decrease. But in USA’s case, the development of young players is remarkable that if someone gets injured, the depth of the squad is great that there are still several high quality players that can replace them. France is the next strongest. In addition to high individual qualities, they have solid tactics which make them a fearful team. Similarly, I believe England and Sweden are excellent teams as well.
SI: How is coaching women different from coaching men?.
NS: I communicate with players naturally, and gender does not matter to me when I coach. Generally speaking, when men coach women, men dislike and get tired of acting superior to women, so being conscious about gender is taboo. Even when a situation arises when both parties do not understand each other, the problem can be solved if you talk it out. I am repeating myself, but I communicate with players naturally without being conscious of gender.
SI: Your smile when forming a circle with the players before the World Cup Final penalty shoot-out was impressive. That natural smile probably occurred because of your natural approach to the players, and that smile reassured me that you managed an excellent team.
NS: Thank you very much.
SI: In Coerver Coaching, technique is the foundation that we build all other parts of the game on. Is this a good way of thinking? Again, what do you like about the Coerver Coaching Curriculum and what benefits does it have for players?.
NS: I think it is brilliant to focus on individual skills development. Without good skills, you cannot create a good team. Even though you have an image, without skills you cannot turn it into reality. I endorse the Coerver Coaching Curriculum and philosophy, and I believe is important.
SI: Sawa san was your captain. What are the qualities a captain should have?.
NS: Good skill and strong mentality. There are many characteristics a captain should have, but in Sawa san’s case, she had all of these characteristics and was the symbol of Japanese Women’s Soccer. I appointed her captain since she was one of the few players that can lead other players. She was already a wonderful player, but when I appointed her captain, she got even better.
SI: Congratulations on your wonderful contribution not only on Japanese Soccer, but uplifting the Japanese people in a very difficult year. I would also like to convey the congratulation messages from the Coerver Coaches around the world. Good luck in the London Olympics and thank you very much for your precious time.
NS: Thank you very much and I will do my best in London. Please give my kind regards to all of the Coerver Coaches around the world.
SI: Lastly, I recall Mr. Shunichiro Okano, former JFA president, saying that he never forgot adidas’s support during the expedition to Europe when the JFA and Japanese National Team were weak in the past. We, Coerver Coaching, also had the support of adidas from the real beginning when we were still a small company and our grassroots program still not prominent. I would like to take this time to give my appreciation to adidas.
NS: I also feel the same way as a member of the JFA.
