umbrella #3

今月９日に開幕される甲子園に関する記事です。高校野球を含め、日本の青少年野球界では、コーチの仕組み、勝ちへのこだわりなど独自の考え方があるようです。

今回は、“umbrella”を取り上げます。この単語の「傘」という意味は、ほとんどの方が英語学習の割と早い段階で習得すると思いますが、『ジーニアス英和辞典　第４版（大修館書店）』によると、「包括、統括、統合する物」という意味があることが分かりました。記事の中では“the umbrella high school sports governing body”とあったので、高野連のことを指すのではないかと思います。

In Japan, youth- or university-level baseball coaches do not have to be certified. Connections, outstanding backgrounds as players and alumni status carry considerable weight when it comes to appointing coaches, not sports science credentials. It is up to the individual coach whether to keep up with the latest research or to interact with other coaches, sports scientists and educators for the sake of their own professional development.

Especially in high school baseball, intuition and “feeling” are often valued over research. High school baseball has its own governing body outside of the umbrella high school sports governing body.

Baseball (hardball) also does not belong to the Japan Sport Association (JASA), which offers training to coaches in 50 sports and a high-performance certification program in 29 of these, including in swimming, softball and gymnastics.

Within this uncertified system of coaching, there are also no set rules to ensure baseball players’ long-term development. Saito, the former ace pitcher for Waseda Jitsugyo High School who became known as the “handkerchief prince” at the 2006 Koshien, threw a staggering 948 pitches over 68 innings in the two-week tournament. Tomohiro Anraku of Saibi High School pitched 772 in the 2013 Spring Invitational. Without any pitch count rules, such massive figures are common.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/08/04/voices/dark-side-koshien-dream/#.U-CrfON_uSo

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20100803/1280842143
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20130106/1357400316

名門校ともなれば、部員数もかなり多いため、レギュラー枠を手に入れるのは容易なことではありません。高校球児の熱い夏を、見届けたいと思います。（Starlight）