Meihachi, a Preparatory School Aiming for Koshien “The Moment When Trust Turns into a Strong Bond

He is one step short of his dream. Despite the restrictions placed on him by his school, which is one of the best preparatory schools in Tokyo, there is a man who still earnestly aims to make it to the Koshien National High School Baseball Championship. He is Takafumi Sugihara, manager of the Meio Nakano Hachioji Baseball Club. This documentary follows his struggles and anguish, as well as the physical and mental growth of his students, over a period of 180 days.

Thoroughly Disgusting.”

In the off-season in December, the baseball team at Meio Nakano Hachioji High School rarely practiced actual games. They throw a ball, but only to catch it, and the pitcher throws long balls, but does not go into the bullpen.

It is a tough time for the players as they switch to a menu that emphasizes physical improvement. Furthermore, this winter, manager Takafumi Sugihara has declared that the team will push the players mentally harder than usual under the theme of “completion. What kind of scenery will Sugihara and his students see when they get through the winter?

What kind of scenery will Sugihara and his students see when they get through it all?

In Sugihara’s words, the practice for the Shi Jing was “to do thoroughly what we don’t want to do”. The students were forced to go through mental training and joint responsibility, which they were originally supposed to tackle at the summer camps. What kind of face and attitude would they have at that time? How will they treat their fellow students? It is in difficult times that a person’s true nature comes out. Sugihara also wanted to get to know his students better.

He had the students roll the ball to him and repeatedly catch the ball on the ground. When they did hit a ball, they tossed it and batted for 30 minutes. It was a simple and uninteresting practice, but we reviewed and solidified the basics once again. Like the previous team, if the foundation had been laid, sheet knocking would have been used, but this winter, the main focus was on thickening the core of the team as players. The team has had plenty of time to practice since the winter break began on the 24th, and although they refrained from a four-day, three-night winter training camp starting on the 25th in order to prevent the spread of coronas, they have been further increasing the load on their bodies and minds through daily practice.

Not only did they increase the amount of practice, but they also set clear quotas for the students to complete. For example, during batting time, when the players were divided into two groups for long tees and tee batting, they would swing the bat for 10 sets of 30 swings per minute. Or, they should take one swing every five seconds for 15 minutes without a break.

[Claire] “If you don’t get enough swings for one swing, they won’t know it.

I’m willing to take a break for a little bit.

I want to run away from the pain and fight against my weak self. Everyone swung the bat as hard as they could, their faces contorted. After an hour or so of swinging the bat, they eat a snack and then face themselves again for another hour or so.

Even taking into account the interval between sets, they will have swung the bat 600 to 700 times in an hour. The aim of the program is to let the players know that they are swinging the bat 600 to 700 times in an hour.

Even if you can’t find the time to swing for two hours every day at home, you might be able to make it for 30 minutes while you study. If you have 10 minutes to spend on your cell phone, you can swing the bat 100 times.

To make the rest of your life more fulfilling.

This winter, we handed out “goal-setting sheets” with a space for each person to set and write in a routine to achieve their goals. Even if you decide to swing 100 times every day at home, it is easy to set aside time if you know you can do it in 10 minutes. Because the total practice time is short, Meihachi students must manage their time well. It is also one of the ways to make the most of life.

In addition, each student continued to challenge himself or herself day after day in more than 10 other disciplines, such as tire pulling, hammering down, and other circuit training, as well as American knocking.

A university student, an alumnus of the baseball team, greeted Sugihara, reported on the current situation, and even joined the practice with him to teach at a higher level.

Then came the 28th. On the 28th, the last practice day of the year, the Meihachi Baseball Club’s annual tradition is to launch the baseball team with a shuttle run. Everyone lines up on the third base line and runs 25 meters back and forth in 10 seconds or less, with an interval of 20 seconds, for a set of 10 runs. In 2009, nine sets of this were imposed. Usually, after six or seven sets, some players throw up or collapse, but Sugihara was ruthless with his team, which had been unable to train to overcome their limitations to this point due to the Corona disaster, which had severely restricted their practice. However, this also meant pushing himself to work together with his students.

Of course it was hard, and I couldn’t come back within 10 seconds of the halfway point, but I wanted to show that I was serious too. I think a coach’s job is to motivate the players. If high school students are motivated, their potential for growth can increase tenfold.

But in order to do that, you need to build a relationship of trust with the players, and if you just let them do things top-down, they won’t understand what you say, and it won’t stay with them. I think we can reach our goals because we are both serious about what we do and have the same passion for it.

From the first run, captain Shuya Hosaka jumps out with all his might. There is no thought of pacing himself for the remainder of the race. He goes as far as he can go. His teammates followed.

The Meihachi Baseball Stadium, located on high ground, is covered with frost in winter. When the frost melts, it becomes muddy in some places, making it difficult to run, and fatigue builds up as a result. The students call out to each other and encourage each other. Some students shout cheerfully and clap their hands to inspire the team. Toward the middle of the race, some students start to fall behind the set time.

They are next to their teammates and say, “Go for it! The student pushes back strongly, saying, “I’m not going to let you down. There are seniors who call their juniors to a place where it is easy to run on a relatively good foothold. Some of the students were not able to make it back in the set time, but they ran without skipping a single run, and some of them teased Sugihara, who was out of breath, to liven him up. Each of them is running toward the same goal with their own individuality.

They ran to the end of the race without a single person dropping out.

The students praised each other, gathered in a circle, and cheered each other on, all the while feeling a sense of accomplishment.

The Growing Bond of the Students

Sugihara also completed 90 runs. He collapsed in a corner of the baseball field and looked up to the sky. He looked up at the heavens in a very defenseless pose, which was hard to imagine from the way he usually scolds his players. Then, Hosaka and other students came running up to him. They all smile and express their respect for the coach’s efforts. Sugihara, however, can barely raise his upper body. Hosaka runs to the bench. Hosaka runs to the bench, takes Sugihara’s water bottle from the bench and hands it to him. His expression was the clearest since the new team was launched.

Sugihara felt a clear response. He felt a clear response, which he frankly conveyed to his students.

He told them frankly: “The way they give their all at the last step, at the very last time, is the same every year. That is what makes me most happy. That’s how people’s hearts work. I’ve said a lot of harsh things, and I’ve said a lot of things I don’t like, but when I see them like this, I’m happy. I am so happy that I am moved. It may be a simple interval run.

But there is a lot of energy in casual practice that can move people’s hearts, inspire them, and make them work harder, even within the team. I want you to remember that. Your seniors have worked hard in the same way. So you have a great chance. It is up to you whether you believe in it or not, whether you do it or not. You have a chance to make it to the Koshien, which has never been achieved before.

Let’s be more specific about Koshien, think of it more clearly as something that is right in front of us, believe in it, prepare to make our dreams come true, and be ready to start 2022 with a great deal of determination!

Hi!”

All the voices were beautifully aligned and passed into the sky.

After the students had left for home, Sugihara reaffirmed his resolve.

After all of us ran the whole race, I was so moved at the end. I was moved at the end, not only by the fact that they had done their best, but also by the smiles on their faces, their true faces. I am very happy. We showed them our true selves, and they showed us theirs. We were able to face each other properly. We were able to confirm our intentions. It was a good ending.

The sky was a clear blue without a cloud in the sky, and I could not find anything to obstruct my gaze.

The sky was clear and blue with not a cloud in sight.

The Meihachi Nine restarted on January 6, and although they were able to practice normally until January 19, club activities were banned after January 20 due to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “priority measures to prevent the spread of disease. The club then entered regular examinations with the “Manbou” extended. The players had to wait until March 8 to get together at the Meihachi Baseball Stadium. How will Sugihara and his students compete in the Tokyo Metropolitan High School Spring Baseball Tournament, which opens on April 1?

(To be continued in Part 6)