Kaoru Mitoma has burst onto the scene this season. With the ball sticking his feet like he has glue on his feet, he has left defenders befuddled and tumbling over their own legs as he whizzes past them effortlessly. How did a player who not many saw flourishing to this extent take the Premier League by storm? The answer lies in Kaoru Mitoma’s thesis.
Yes, the Japanese, who is now the apple of the eye of Brighton fans and should soon be in demand, improved his game after studying the art of dribbling deeply as a part of his university thesis. Kaoru Mitoma’s thesis made sure he literally is a student of the game!
Here’s a look at the now iconic Kaoru Mitoma’s thesis story, and how it is helping him fly past dizzy defenders.
How many footballers get offered a professional deal by a club but reject it because they deem themselves to be physically not ready?
Kaoru Mitoma did. When offered a deal by J1 side Kawasaki Frontale, a 19-year-old Mitoma rejected it. Instead, he enrolled at the University of Tsukuba. He quickly realised that what he lacked in brawn at that age had to be overcome by training the brain. And what a training it was.
A pure footballer at heart, he quickly dove into the subject of dribbling headfirst. He turned out for his university’s football team and used that education to analyse his dribbling style. He studied what made a good dribbler through new and creative techniques.
“I put cameras on the heads of my teammates to study where and what they were looking at and how their opponents were looking at them.”
Not content with visual footage, he analysed all aspects of what made one a good dribbler. Close control is foremost, but running style also makes an efficient dribbler. He sought out the advice of Satoru Tanigawa, an associate professor at his university and a 110m Olympic hurdler on optimum running styles.
Findings of the Kaoru Mitoma Thesis
Such deep and analytical work was not going to go to waste. His main finding came through his technique of putting cameras on his teammates’ foreheads. In the same interview with the Athletic, he opened up on this finding-
“I learned that the good players weren’t looking at the ball. They would look ahead, trap the ball without looking down at their feet. That was the difference.I am conscious of shifting the opponent’s centre of gravity. If I can move the opponent’s body, I win.”
Mitoma concluded his thesis with a message that, with the benefit of hindsight, is ominous…
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