"Do not be nervous!" Is NG. Mental training to demonstrate power in games practiced by Sun Rockers Shibuya and Yunari Sugiura who experienced the world
Sun Rockers Shibuya who fought in the eastern part of the fierce battle in the 2017-18 season and missed the B League Championship advancement. Even so, he ended the regular season with three consecutive victories, and won a momentum for next season. Among such teams, there is one promising player who is expected to represent Japan in the future. Yusei Sugiura, a small forward (SF) with a height of 196 cm. In January of last year, he became a specially designated strengthening player from the third year of college, which is unusual in professional sports, and was the first to experience the B League stage. In December of the same year, he signed a full-scale contract and played games as a professional, showing steady growth. In the first part of this interview, we looked back on the journey so far and asked about the mental training that we are practicing to get the best performance in the game.
Principal Sato
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2018/08/23
-First of all, please tell us what made you start playing basketball.
Sugiura:Actually, I didn't want to play basketball originally.
When I was in elementary school, I played soccer and swam, but after reading the popular baseball manga "Major" at the time, I decided that I wanted to start playing baseball.
However, my mother and older sister played basketball, and many of my relatives were involved in basketball, so I wasn't able to play baseball.
It was like, "Basketball is okay?" (laughs)
Also, I was a little overweight at the time and was starting to gain weight, so I decided to take up basketball as a way to get some exercise and lose weight.
I started playing seriously when I joined a club in junior high school.
-You come from a basketball family, don't you? I imagine you were reluctant at first, but what made you start taking basketball seriously?
SugiuraFirst of all, the school I went to, Umegaoka Junior High School in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, had a high level of basketball, so I was the only beginner on the basketball team.
As I was surrounded by only talented people, at first I thought "I don't want to do this..." and found it difficult to be in the club.
However, when I graduated from elementary school, I was 180 cm tall, and by the time I was in my third year of junior high school, I had grown to 190 cm, so I was really tall compared to the people around me.
Even though I was inferior to the others in terms of technique, I had the advantage of being tall. So from the fall of my first year, I gradually got more opportunities to play in games, and I started to enjoy basketball.
I felt like I was improving my skills by actually playing in matches. I was happy to feel like I was improving, so I gradually started to take basketball more seriously.
--It must be a special joy to be able to play in a match! How has it been since you entered high school?
Sugiura:For high school, I entered Fukuoka University Ohori High School, a prestigious basketball school in Fukuoka.
In terms of achievements, I made it to the top 8 in the Inter-High School Championships and placed 4th in the Winter Cup in my first year, and in my third year I made it to the top 4 in the Inter-High School Championships and came in runner-up in the National Sports Festival and the Winter Cup.
In addition, I was called up to the Japan U-16 national team in 2011, and then played for the Japan U-18 national team in 2013.
He also became good friends with Baba Yudai (ALBA Tokyo), who was also selected for the national team at the U-16 and U-18 levels, and they remain close friends even today.
-You played together with Baba at Tsukuba University, right?
Sugiura：That's right. The reason I entered Tsukuba University was because I was talking to Baba about wanting to play at the same university (laughs).
-I see (laughs). After entering Tsukuba University, you continued to play an active role, winning three consecutive Intercollegiate Championships, and in January 2017, you joined the B League's Sunrockers Shibuya as a special designated training player. Looking back now, how did you feel about the difference between professional and amateur?
Sugiura:The biggest difference I noticed was that every team had foreign players on it.
When playing against them in a match, I felt their physical strength, and when interacting with them as teammates, I realized how difficult it is to communicate with them.
I had never played with foreign players before, so that was the biggest confusion for me.
Also, the age range of the players on the team was wide, including not only foreign players but also Japanese players, so I felt I needed to give more thought to how to communicate with players who were much older than me.
That's because at university, the biggest age difference between a first-year student and a fourth-year student is only three years, so once you get used to each other, you can start treating each other like friends regardless of seniority.
But that's not the case in the professional world of adults.
-It's true that when you first enter the workforce, it's hard to communicate with your seniors. So, what did you gain from actually experiencing the professional world?
Sugiura: I was able to get an idea of what the professional world is like.
I was only there for three months, so it felt like time just flew by while I was running around (laughs).
But looking back now, I think it was a big help that I got to experience how difficult it is to be a professional while I was still a university student.
-If you're going to go pro, it's better to experience that world as soon as possible. In December of the same year, you signed a contract with the Sunrockers again and played. How was it compared to the last time when you didn't know the pro world?
Sugiura:This was my first full-fledged participation as a B Leaguer, so I finally had the feeling that I was part of the team.
However, although I played in 23 games in the 2017-18 season, I didn't feel like I was able to contribute much to the team...
I feel like I have become a part of the team, so last season's results were disappointing.
-If you had to name one challenge, what would it be?
Sugiura：Especially defense. Of course, I still have a lot to improve in other skills too, so I need to improve overall.
However, I don't have any room to spare before that. It's still my first year, but I want to be able to play confidently and with confidence during games as soon as possible.
-I see, thank you. You participated in the Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei in July as a member of the Japanese national team, right? How did you feel competing against teams from around the world?
Sugiura:As a team, we really felt the gap between us and the rest of the world.
There are many different players and playing styles differ depending on the country, so it was difficult to deal with that.
However, the biggest difference I felt when comparing them to our team was the sense of responsibility and pride they felt as they fought for their country.
I felt this throughout the game, but I played with the awareness that we were representing the country in which I grew up, and therefore we absolutely could not afford to lose.
It seems like we just didn't have enough of that kind of strong feeling.
-The Jones Cup was mainly made up of young players. I think you played with many B.League players on the national team, so were you inspired by them?
Sugiura:Yes, it was definitely a huge inspiration.
Since we are close in age, I really didn't want to lose.
There were also some players I didn't know about during my college days, and I was surprised to see how talented they were.
I realized that there are many promising players of my generation in the B League that I don't know about, so I feel like I have to work even harder.
- The presence of players of your generation is a big factor. You have played on the world stage many times, including the U-16 and U-18 selections and now the Jones Cup. Do you feel that you have grown mentally?
Sugiura：I still have a long way to go. Before that, I'm the type of person who easily loses my mental health.
This has nothing to do with basketball, but if I fail at something, I immediately get depressed and think, "Ah, no good..." (laughs).
So when I was in college, I took psychology classes and often asked my professors about the mental health of people like that.
-Is that so? You studied psychology at university, and have you put it into practice in any way?
Sugiura: Yes, there is. First of all, everyone gets nervous, right?
I think that when you find yourself in that situation, some people will try different things to avoid getting nervous, or tell themselves, "Don't get nervous! Don't get nervous!"
However, what I do is the opposite.
When I notice that I'm feeling nervous, I try to tell myself in my head, "Oh, I'm feeling nervous right now."
If you are so nervous that you don't realize it, it's proof that you are not calm, so it's important to first recognize that you are nervous.
Besides, tension isn't something that can be relieved quickly, and if you are only concerned with eliminating tension, you won't be able to perform well in the end.
So, when I realize that I'm nervous at first, I try to be more open-minded in a positive way and tell myself, "I hope I can do well despite being nervous."
How can I bring out the best in my performance when I'm in a tense mental state? I think that's the way to think about it.
Text/Photos/Sato Shusho
Interview cooperation: Sunrockers Shibuya
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