July 8, 2008
The Difference Between Japanese and New Zealand Soccer!
Dylan playing for the New Zealand Central United Team at the 2007 Nike Cup World Finals in England.
In the months that I have been in Japan so far I have found out a lot about the differences between NZ and Japanese soccer. There are many differences and ups and downs about the two as they are completely different. The main differences are the speed of the Japanese game, the competition in the trainings and the games every day and weekend.
New Zealand style of soccer is a lot different to Japanese as the game as it is a lot slower and you have a lot more time on the ball to think. In Japan whenever you get the ball you are pressured so you have to think before you get the ball. The fitness of the other Japanese players as well keeps the game fast for the full game as Japanese football relies a lot on fitness. If you are not fit enough then it is a lot harder to get the ball which makes it a lot harder to play well.
As you probably know there are around 127 million people living in Japan so there are so many people playing soccer. In New Zealand there is only 4 million people which makes it hard for there to be much competition. New Zealand has a unique style of playing, but it is not developed enough yet to be able to compete at a world-class level. As there are so many people in Japan it makes the competition level a lot harder which makes improving much easier compared to New Zealand since in Japan you are playing at a high level every day plus on weekends.
Dylan in his Seiritsu dorm room!
There are many differences between Japanese and NZ soccer, advantages and disadvantages. Both have a unique style and for the last 8 years I have been learning about the NZ style. Now it is time for me to move on to learning about a new advanced way to improve my soccer level.
Dylan Windust