Posted (July.20.2020)
In 2010, Yuki Nagasato made history by winning the Champions League with 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, becoming the first Asian woman to achieve this feat. The following year, in 2011, she won the World Cup with the Japanese national team. In 2012, she also achieved a runner-up position at the London Olympics.
Having become Japan’s ace in both name and reality, Nagasato went on to win the Bundesliga's top scorer award, reaching what seemed to be the pinnacle of women’s football at the age of 25.
However──.
She was still a work in progress. After moving to England in 2013, and then returning to Germany in 2014, she sought new opportunities in 2017 with the Chicago Red Stars in the United States. Throughout this period, Nagasato faced struggles and challenges.
In 2016, despite aiming for an Olympic gold medal with the Japanese national team, Japan faced an unexpected defeat in the final Asian qualifiers. Both personally and as a team, she was on the verge of losing sight of her goals, but when she began playing in the United States, she discovered a new purpose.
“The process of getting better has been incredibly enjoyable and has become a joy for me. I found the purpose and fulfillment in playing football.”
Improving personal skills. Finding satisfaction in that process. Even past the age of 30, continuing to get better. By facing not goals like “winning” or “top scorer,” but focusing on “personal level-up,” Nagasato evolved as a person. The person who provided this opportunity was her personal coach, Tetsuo Nakanishi.
She had been receiving his guidance since 2012, but it was around 2017 that she truly began to experience the joy of improvement and felt more strongly than ever about the importance of individual skills. Now, at 33 years old, Nagasato is still a work in progress.
So, what is this personal skill that has propelled her forward? How has she evolved under Nakanishi’s guidance? What has she been thinking about and how has she been living day by day? Through the words of N14 Nakanishi Method practitioners, we delve into the essence of her journey.
How did Yuki Nagasato master the N14 Nakanishi Method?
—When did you first meet Tetsuo Nakanishi?
Yuki Nagasato: It was around the end of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I was invited to Tetsuo's radio show. After that, we didn’t stay in touch much, but after we won the World Cup in 2011, I received a message from him. Then the next year, he sent me another message like, “If you take your supporting foot off the ground, the ball will stop more easily” (laughs). He said, “If you do this, the ball will stop dead.” That’s when I started trying out his theories.
—So at first, you were just exchanging messages?
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, that’s right. Then from around 2012, we began training together.
—What was it like when you first trained with him?
Yuki Nagasato: The first time, I trained with (Takefusa) Kubo. It wasn’t just about the "support foot release" shot, but also about creating the basic posture. Like placing one foot on top of the ball and switching legs without changing the height of your center of gravity—weight transfer with the ball as the axis. There was also a lot of focus on dribbling, such as how to handle and dodge with the ball, and lateral weight shifts.
—Was it about how to use your body?
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, it was about moving your center of balance. And whatever the movement, it was about how you can move while keeping your joints bent. For example, side-stepping endlessly while keeping the squat position with your hips open, like sumo wrestlers sliding their feet. At first, there were a lot of ball exercises, but over the years, the training shifted more towards non-ball exercises (laughs).
—Had you ever paid attention to the movement of your center of gravity before?
Yuki Nagasato: No, I had never given it any thought. I never had any coach teach me how to stop the ball, how to take a quality shot, or how to efficiently transfer my body weight into the ball. It was a shock to me. But at the time, I didn’t have the foundational physical structure to execute Tetsuo’s theories, so I struggled.
—Foundational structure?
Yuki Nagasato: You can’t do it unless you have a high level of control over your own body. I wasn’t very skilled in that regard. I don’t think I was able to do it well at first.
—When I covered your training after your 2011 victory, I was amazed. Your movements were already different from others. Your posture was incredible, and your center of gravity was solid. I wondered, "Why is she so different?"
Yuki Nagasato: At that time, I didn’t think my posture was good. But with Tetsuo’s coaching and raising my center of gravity, my posture improved. Tetsuo often says it’s like being pulled up from space, right?
—Yes, we were also taught that. When I look at your posture, I get that exact impression.
Yuki Nagasato: What you’re told during training becomes something you’re conscious of in everyday life. So, even when walking, I’m always mindful of being pulled from space, and since my pinky and ring fingers connect to my shoulder blades, I even hold shopping bags with those fingers (laughs). Tetsuo emphasized connecting the entire body, and he gave me exercises for that, like a prescription. He can quickly pinpoint areas where the body isn’t connecting properly. Then, when he tells me, “Try kicking the ball like this,” the disconnected parts of my body get corrected.
—Not many coaches talk about posture by referencing fingers.
Yuki Nagasato: I agree (laughs). The most common topics are the eyes and breathing. And a few years ago, I was told to always keep my tongue against the roof of my mouth. I’ve been living like that ever since, even while sleeping. It naturally allows you to breathe through your nose, which changes the feeling in your body.
—Did you ever wonder if such things would really make a difference?
Yuki Nagasato: Oh, at first, I was constantly wondering that (laughs). I’m the type of person who needs to understand things, either mentally or physically, or I reject them. So while continuing training, I made sure to read every book Tetsuo recommended. Once I had a certain level of knowledge, the concepts behind his words started to click, and my understanding of the training improved.
—Those books are quite complex, right?
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, books about things like the "gut," Musashi Miyamoto, or even books on ear pulling (laughs). Pulling your ears helps connect your whole body and makes nasal breathing easier. He also uses anatomical terms sometimes, so knowing the parts of the body makes it easier to understand. He often talks about concepts similar to the "meridians" from Eastern medicine, so I studied that too.
—That's in the realm of human anatomy.
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, but doing that made me really interested in my own body. Naturally, I started studying it more, and every time I came back to Japan for training, my ability to adjust improved. I could immediately apply what I was told, because I already had an image in my mind of what to do.
—So now, when your shot doesn’t go into the target or isn’t properly struck, you can identify the cause yourself?
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, I can. I can also find points for correction when I train with other players.
When you can stop the ball, the world you see changes
—In goal-scoring situations, focusing too much on “I have to score!” can cause your body to stiffen. Instead, expressing the form without thinking about scoring becomes key for shooting. As a forward, what was your impression when you were taught that?
Yuki Nagasato: Almost 100% of the time, if I fail, that's the reason, and conversely, when I succeed, it's usually when I’m not thinking about anything. Instead of thinking, “I want to score,” my body reacts automatically. The key isn’t to try to bring that out in a match, but to keep yourself in that state as much as possible during practice and daily life, so it becomes a habit. For me, if I don’t make it a foundational part of my routine, it won’t come out during the match.
—When you talk about “habitualizing a state of not thinking,” are you suppressing emotions in everyday life?
Yuki Nagasato: No, that’s separate. Actually, since I moved to the U.S., my emotions have been coming out in a good way. I don't get caught up in mistakes, and I work on eliminating negative emotions. When things don’t go my way or I make a mistake, I try not to dwell on it in everyday life. I focus on improving the speed of switching my mindset. My challenge was that I often sought perfection, so I had to work on not worrying about mistakes. This process of not worrying about them is what eliminates those “negative” emotions.
—You don’t let negative things faze you.
Yuki Nagasato: I switch my mindset right away.
—That way of thinking applies not only to athletes but to any way of living, right?
Yuki Nagasato: I believe it’s enough for me to internalize only successful experiences. I can ignore failures.
—Wait, you don’t need to reflect on failures?
Yuki Nagasato: No, because while it’s good to learn from failures, if you know how to succeed, you don’t need to look back at failures. I keep doing something until I succeed, and I take even the smallest success and try to verbalize the feeling. I write down why the play succeeded, noting things like my emotions, body movement, and the situation, and I verbalize everything in my notebook.
—That’s impressive! You even do this during training?
Yuki Nagasato: It’s mostly for things that happen during matches, since the situations are different in training.
—You’ve been a forward, and naturally, I think you have an inherent awareness of “wanting to score.” But during shooting situations, the form and mindset you learned from Nakanishi seem to come into play.
Yuki Nagasato: Actually, lately, I’ve been playing more in midfield (laughs). I’ve been making more last passes, but since the shooting mindset can be applied to passing, I naturally started using Tetsuo’s teachings.
—It applies to everything.
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, it does. Whether it’s stopping the ball, making a pass, dribbling, or shooting—it applies to all of it. What Tetsuo taught me gave me a lot more composure, and it widened the range of my techniques, allowing me to have more options. That’s why I feel like my soccer skills have improved dramatically. I used to rely on sheer effort and emotional play, but now I feel like I’m actually good at it (laughs).
—Your switch to midfield might have something to do with that shift, right?
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, I can now make plays I could never have done before.
—What kind of plays are those?
Yuki Nagasato: Like in a one-on-one situation on the wing, I can now beat my opponent down the line, or I can make accurate long through passes. Also, my last pass has become a lot more precise. When I was a forward, I was good at one-touch finishes, and now that I’m in midfield, I’ve developed the ability to make those kinds of plays. My first touch has also improved a lot, so I don’t lose the ball anymore. As soon as I stop the ball, I’m already in an advantageous position, which I think helps me make the most of my teammates.
—You can really feel the difference when you stop the ball cleanly.
Yuki Nagasato: I can stop almost any ball now. In America, where tempo is important, there are a lot of rough passes, but I’ve become able to stop them. If you can’t stop it, your teammates or coach will blame the receiver (me). My ability to stop the ball has definitely improved.
—Stopping the ball is a fundamental skill, right?
Yuki Nagasato: If you can’t stop the ball, you can’t dribble or pass, so it’s the most important thing. And once you can stop the ball, the world you see changes.
—If players can watch their own play, verbalize it, and correct it, they can get really good. That’s something you’re embodying.
Yuki Nagasato: In the beginning, I think I asked Tetsuo a lot of questions, even after moving to Europe and the U.S. But recently, during the season, I barely ask him anything. I can analyze myself now, and there’s nothing I don’t understand when it comes to correcting things. Also, last year, I stopped thinking so much during the season and stopped verbalizing things. When I did that, my performance improved. On the pitch, what’s most important is how not to think.
—That seems to contradict the idea of "thinking while playing" that’s commonly talked about. Is that the next level?
Yuki Nagasato: I tend to overanalyze, like when something stands out to me, I’ll analyze it more than 10 times what it deserves, even if 10 is the maximum. I think so much that it hinders my play, so I decided to stop thinking about it completely. I only think during the offseason and preseason. During that time, I focus on changing what I want to improve by incorporating it into my daily life and creating new habits. I think about it, consciously work on corrections, and decide what to focus on. During the season, I rely on that sensation and just play.
—It’s like you have your own personal coach inside you now.
Yuki Nagasato: But I still get hints from Tetsuo. Without incorporating new perspectives, I can’t get to the next step. I get hints, identify my next challenge, and work towards getting closer to the image of how I want to play.
Does it have to start at early age? Can adults still improve their individual skills?
—What are you focusing on right now?
Yuki Nagasato: For example, in terms of shooting, the challenge is how to create those situations in matches. This also depends on the team's situation, but sometimes I can’t receive the ball in positions where I can make something happen.
—Players are the ones who execute the skills, but the design that leads to that execution is part of the coach’s job, isn’t it? What do you expect from your coach?
Yuki Nagasato: Last year I played in midfield, but this year I’m back as a forward. The amazing striker we had up front transferred, and we don’t have anyone to replace them. However, there are times when the ball doesn’t come to me very often...
—You have to break through on your own to get into shooting positions.
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, that’s true. Normally, even if you have some freedom, the framework is built by the coach. I believe that without certain rules and limits, you can’t increase the level of freedom. I like to play freely, but without organization, it’s difficult to showcase individual skills.
—I heard from Takuhiro Nakai, who’s part of Real Madrid’s youth team, that their team practices focus entirely on tactics. So, he felt it was necessary to train with a personal coach to improve individual skills.
Yuki Nagasato: I personally believe that team practices should originally be about improving skills. Ideally, practice should help raise not only technical skills but also physical abilities. But most of the time, that’s not the case. You can’t focus solely on yourself during team practice; you have to think about your teammates too. That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to create personal practice time outside of team training. Not all coaches are able to cover everything, so improving your skills in team practice alone isn’t easy.
—At what age should this kind of training begin?
Yuki Nagasato: It’s easier to acquire skills when your body isn’t stiff, so starting when you’re young makes sense. As you get older, your body stiffens, and creating a relaxed state becomes much harder without intense focus. When I first tried to loosen my body, I had to be so aware of each part that I almost experienced brain fatigue. It took me about three years to reach that state. But even after turning 30, you can still improve.
—You have incredible control over your body, don’t you?
Yuki Nagasato: I’m still not fully in control. That’s why I sometimes think if I had started earlier, I could’ve been even better at soccer. But now, I’m really enjoying the process of improving, and it’s become my source of joy. Finding my purpose in playing soccer and living has been a huge realization.
—Even players who have had long careers and are believed to have reached a certain level still have room to grow.
Yuki Nagasato: If I hadn’t discovered this, I might have quit soccer earlier. Athletes are usually motivated by external goals—wanting to be the top scorer, win championships, leave a legacy, and succeed. Once you achieve those goals, you might start questioning why you’re still playing soccer. I finally found that my purpose is in pursuing this growth, and since I stopped making results my goal, I’ve found it much easier to live, and I’ve been able to enjoy soccer from the bottom of my heart.
—There was a time when you thought about quitting?
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, around the time the 2015 World Cup ended, I was feeling uncertain. Then we lost in the Rio Olympics qualifiers, and I wasn’t sure what to do. But I still had games and contracts left, so I continued for about a year and a half in that state.
—You were still training during that time, right?
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, I enjoyed the training itself, but I was frustrated and impatient because I couldn’t create those moments in matches. It was a time when I hadn’t yet found a purpose within myself.
N14 Nakaniishi Method isn’t perfect. It will continue to evolve.
—What kind of person is Tetsuo Nakaniishi as a personal coach?
Yuki Nagasato: What kind of person... Sometimes, it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking—he’s quirky in a good way, and kind of a pain, also in a good way (laughs). I mean this in the best possible sense (laughs).
—Yes (laughs).
Yuki Nagasato: But honestly, I think Tetsuo probably finds me a pain too (laughs). He’s been coaching me for about seven years now, and our relationship has evolved. There’s a trust between us, and he approaches me with a full understanding of my personality. His approach is different depending on whether I succeed or fail. When I succeed, he praises me a lot, but since I’m not used to being praised, I sometimes don’t know how to react.
—But no one dislikes being praised.
Yuki Nagasato: Exactly. He understands the instinctive aspects of people really well. That’s why I notice how he adjusts the way he speaks and the words he uses depending on the person. Sometimes I train with him and other players, and I can feel the difference. Of course, there are also times when I compliment Tetsuo too (laughs).
—(Laughs). But his compliments don’t feel forced or fake, right? It feels like he’s genuinely invested in his coaching.
Yuki Nagasato: That’s exactly it. Also, even if he knows more than what he’s sharing with me, if he’s not fully confident in something, he won’t say it. But when I ask, “Is this what you mean?” he’ll explain something he hadn’t mentioned before. It’s like the more I learn, the more he pulls from his vast knowledge. When there’s something he’s not sure about, he seems to confirm it through the player’s performance.
—So, it’s validated when the player successfully executes the play.
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, exactly. That’s why I need to help solidify his theory through my performance (laughs).
—Do you ever doubt the N14 Nakaniishi Method?
Yuki Nagasato: Not at all. Whether it's Tetsuo or anyone else, I only pay attention to their personality, knowledge, and credibility. I’ve never had any concerns about what Tetsuo is confident in.
—It’s important for a coach and player to understand each other as people when learning individual skills.
Yuki Nagasato: Yes, that’s really important. Tetsuo’s method isn’t perfect. Or rather, it’s always evolving. That’s why I can keep evolving too. This season, because of the COVID-19 situation, we had fewer games, and I ended up finishing the season without really identifying new challenges due to injuries. But I’m going to keep playing for a while longer.
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