Former Rakuten player Tomohiro Tsuchiya acquired qualification as a kids coordination trainer after retiring from active duty
In the second career, we draw out the potential of children. Tomohiro Tsuchiya, who used to play for Rakuten as a pitcher, now runs a baseball school and a children’s school to improve athletic ability in Sendai. What he emphasizes in his guidance is “coordination training,” which increases movement variations for the future. Training originated in Germany, which is said to be useful in all sports, is expected to lead to technical improvements in all aspects of baseball, including pitching, batting, defense, and base running.
Tsuchiya, who played for Rakuten until 2013, studied coaching while playing as a batting pitcher after retiring. While learning about his body building, care, and training methods, he was interested in coordination training. He has been certified as a personal trainer and a children’s coordination trainer by NESTA, a certification body for trainers and instructors established in the United States, and started ‘Tsuchiya Class’ in October last year.
In the classroom, we also teach baseball techniques and support physical development, but the biggest feature is that we focus on coordination training. We have put together a training menu for kindergarteners to elementary school students, who are said to be in the golden age when their athletic ability grows, so that they can move their bodies as they imagine. There was a reason Tsuchiya didn’t make the classroom specializing in baseball.
“Children today have far fewer opportunities to exercise than in the past. If you know how to move your body, you can improve your athletic ability. I wanted it to be part of my life.”
