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How Kaoru Mitoma got his university thesis in dribbling

By grey whitebloom | jun 7, 2023, 11:16 pm gmt+1.

40 Premier League players have attempted more dribbles than Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma this season. 21 have completed more. Yet, no one in England's top tier can claim to have spent more time agonising over the intricate details of the devilish art of dribbling.

The raw totals of Mitoma's take-ons can be misleading given his gradual introduction into Brighton's first team. Among individuals with more than a smattering of minutes, only two Premier League players average more successful dribbles per 90 than Brighton's chief weaver.

Chelsea 's Trevoh Chalobah, Arsenal 's Ben White and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold are just some on the ever-growing list of defenders to have been bamboozled by Mitoma's fancy footwork which he honed in university study halls. Here's everything you need to know about a graduation thesis the Premier League's full backs may fancy glancing at.

Table Of Contents

Where did kaoru mitoma get his university thesis, what were the findings from kaoru mitoma's thesis, how has kaoru mitoma put his thesis into practice, kaoru mitoma's 2022/23 season so far.

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Aged 19, Mitoma turned down a professional contract from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale after eight years in the club’s academy. Mitoma deemed that he “wasn’t ready physically” and so enrolled at the University of Tsukuba, an hour and a half south, to learn even more about his own body with a degree in physical education.

While playing for the university side - which is a higher standard in Japan compared to its equivalent in much of Europe - Mitoma set about analysing his dribbling and what made a good dribbler.

“It was the easiest subject for me to choose because I love football and dribbling is what I love to do,” he explained to The Athletic . “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.”

In his continuing search for improvement, Mitoma pulled upon all of the expertise he could find. According to the Japanese outlet NumberWeb , Mitoma was fascinated by diet practices and even sought out Tsukuba’s associate professor Satoru Tanigawa, a 110m hurdler for Japan at the Sydney and Athens Olympics, to give him tips on his running style.

“I learned that the good players weren’t looking at the ball," Mitoma revealed. "They would look ahead, trap the ball without looking down at their feet. That was the difference. I was one of the better dribblers at that time, but not exceptional.”

Putting aside the limited sample size of his study, Mitoma went on to explain: “I am conscious of shifting the opponent's centre of gravity. If I can move the opponent's body, I win."

By the end of his research, Mitoma concluded: “The power of my characteristic dribbling has doubled."

In his first season after leaving university, Mitoma rattled in 13 goals for his boyhood side Kawasaki Frontale. This was a significant shock for all involved considering that Mitoma had mustered just seven goals in the Kanto University Division 1 League the previous year. The then-22-year-old became just the fifth rookie to hit double digits in J-League history - on top of a league-high 12 assists.

18 months after handing in his thesis, Mitoma penned a contract with Brighton for just €3m.

Mitoma isn’t mentally parsing through his findings amid the fury of a Premier League match. As he explained after finding the net against Everton in January following a weaving run: “It was instinct, rather than a thought process.”

However, after all that study, Mitoma's instinct is influenced by his thesis - much to the detriment of the Premier League's defenders.

Mitoma's profile grew thanks to some super sub appearances at the winter World Cup as Japan pulled off upsets against Spain and Germany.

He has enjoyed a much more prominent role in Roberto De Zerbi's starting XI since the Premier League's resumption, scoring against both Arsenal and Everton before running the show in Brighton's 3-0 victory over Liverpool.

Mitoma then scored a belter from distance against Leicester before netting the winner in the FA Cup clash with Liverpool.

It just gets better every time you watch it 😮‍💨 @OfficialBHAFC #EmiratesFACup 3 pic.twitter.com/QYyDc2OiVu — Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 29, 2023

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Professor Mitoma

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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.

Kaoru Mitoma thesis- The background story

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.

Insights of Kaoru Mitoma’s thesis on dribbling (from Japanese article/interview) pic.twitter.com/0ZldvFBnGI — ⚖️🇶🇦 (@WholeLottaEM) January 18, 2023

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.

In an interview with The Athletic , Mitoma explained,

“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 reading for defenders who were about to face him. He wrote-

“The power of my characteristic dribbling has doubled.”

Effects on his game

Needless to say, Mitoma has exploded at every level since his thesis. After finishing his course at the university, he felt he was ready to take on the challenge of the Japanese league.

Signed by the same club whose advances he rebuffed earlier, Kawasaki Frontale, Mitoma took the J1 League by storm.

He struck 13 goals and laid on 12 assists in the season in his debut season, breaking numerous records in the process. That one season was enough to convince Brighton that Mitoma was a diamond in the rough who could be carved into something special. However, Mitoma spent another season in J1 League after which he was finally signed by Brighton, who loaned him to Union Saint-Gilloise .

Kaoru Mitoma's dribbling creates CHANCES 😬 #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/SuNelrDHwf — Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 23, 2023

Mitoma mania was by now up and running. His slick dribbling skills and ability to know when to release the ball blew away opponents. He had nine goal contributions in just 1,187 minutes of football, a very good figure for a player playing his first season in Europe.

Deemed ready for the rigours of the Premier League after the loan, the rest is history. As the Japanese superstar continues making defenders look silly, Kaoru Mitoma’s thesis on dribbling has achieved cult status.

*This article is sponsored by Fastrack , which brings you the best sports watches in funky, trendy, and cool designs.

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Mitoma's dribbling thesis leaves Wolves in pieces: Moment of the Weekend

• Anirudh Menon

14 minutes into the game, the score reads 0-0. Wolverhampton Wanderers , fresh off utterly dominating Manchester United (even if they lost that one ) are keeping Brighton & Hove Albion at arm's length; and comfortably so. Which is when Pervis Estupinan gently prods the ball forward to Kaoru Mitoma .

Mitoma isn't your regular footballer. At 18, instead of turning professional, he went to college -- the University of Tsukuba -- to major in physical education and settle into senior football via their amateur college league. To get the degree, though, he needed to submit a thesis. The topic he chose for it? Dribbling.

A translation of Mitoma's thesis on information processing of the attacking side in 1v1 football situations pic.twitter.com/wXY5wy5bQQ - Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) February 4, 2023

Eyes up, frame upright, he receives the ball down the left touchline just past the halfway line, heels kissing the white paint. In front of him is Nelson Semedo , who's coming off a brilliant display against Alejandro Garnacho (and later Jadon Sancho ) at Old Trafford. He's confident and he's got his body position exactly the way they teach in fullback defense 101: split stance, body open towards the touchline, showing the winger down the outside. Take me on down the line, it suggests, go on then... perfect for a defender as rapid as Semedo is. Well, almost perfect.

Speaking to ESPN last season, Mitoma had explained his thought process when it comes to dribbling: "First, I look at the opponent's centre of gravity, posture, body movement, then I think about my options."

Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma says his evolution into a star winger in the Premier League has nothing to do with his university project.

Semedo's posture is just a bit too overcommitted to showing him down the line, the centre of gravity not quite where it should be. After the initial couple of touches to assess Semedo's body movement, Mitoma jags sharply inside. That's enough to throw the fullback off-balance, and by the time he recovers, Mitoma's past him.

An attempted shoulder pullback from Semedo makes Mitoma lean back a touch, but momentum is the Japanese forward's friend now. He screams forward, racing toward the Wolves box. Semedo chases, but quick as he is, he has no chance now. The pursuing Joao Gomes , even less so.

Craig Dawson is ahead of Mitoma, but he's caught in two minds - to cover the left flank, where in the space Semedo should have occupied, now lurks Brighton's Julio Encisco - or to step back into the middle and cut off Mitoma. By the time he realises Mitoma's going for goal, it's too late. He knows it too, and shouts furiously at the pacier Max Kilman to cover.

In that same ESPN interview, Mitoma had said that the whole thesis-in-dribbling bit had been way too exaggerated. "I can say that the thesis has almost nothing to do with my current play style. I chose the theme because it would be easy to write about. I simply wanted to finish my degree." Which is fair enough, but it's hard not to get carried away by the quick feet and the even quicker decision making Mitoma displays on occasion. Like this one.

Kilman reads the situation and closes down the straight route. Mitoma, fast as he's going, has seen this, and already recalibrated. One touch of his right boot, and ball and man are going past Kilman like he isn't even there.

Desperate, he pulls Mitoma back, tugging on that right shoulder again, making Mitoma lean back again... but this time he uses that to his advantage. Already leaning back, he 'Thierry Henrys' one into the bottom far corner. Just the way he loves doing it.

An old teammate of his from Union Saint-Gilloise, Christian Burgess, told Sky Sports last season that "he finishes like Thierry Henry. He is just so nonchalant at finishing into the far corner, whether it is in training and or in games. It is a strange one because most people panic but he seems to have so much time on the ball in those situations."

From first touch to last, the whole thing had lasted seven seconds. By the time he had got in front of the goalkeeper, Jose Sa , he ought to have been out of breath, his touch ought to have been just that bit less assured, but no. Head up, body upright, Mitoma knew just what to do.

He will repeat that his thesis and his dribbling have nothing to do with each other; but the more we see of Mitoma at the highest level, the more evident it's becoming that he's a devout student of the art. You can see it in how he varies his dribbling - small, quick touches when assessing the situation. Much longer, much fewer touches when he's shifted into high gear. He took five touches of the ball before getting past Semedo with his sixth. He took just five more to cover the remaining two-thirds of the distance.

There's no banking on deflections, or luck, or pure pace and power here... every touch is measured, taken for a reason, every change in direction executed with one clear aim in mind. In an era of pass-pass-pass with a hint of push-it-forward-and-sprint, it's a throwback and then some.

And so, this display of technical excellence - performed so well by this student of dribbling - is ESPN India's moment of the weekend.

Kaoru Mitoma and how Brighton benefit from his university thesis on dribbling

Strapping cameras to the heads of your team-mates might feel an unusual way to master the art of dribbling.

Yet that eagerness to think outside the box has played a part in making Brighton and Hove Albion’s Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma such a unique and exciting addition to the Premier League .

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool — and their England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold — become the latest opponents to try to find a way of checking the weaving forward’s glorious blend of speed, balance and elusive running at the Amex Stadium today.

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That particular style is born of the blistering pace he possessed as a child, and developed as a football-obsessed student in his late teens back in his homeland.

Mitoma had been in the academy for eight years at Kawasaki Frontale, the four-time champions of Japan’s top-flight J1 League, when, as he approached the age of 19, he turned down a professional contract to study physical education at the University of Tsukuba.

That is a well-trodden route for Japanese players, given the standard of college football is much higher than in Europe.

“I just felt I wasn’t ready physically and that I wouldn’t be in the first team immediately,” Mitoma says. “I thought the best step was to get more playing time and get better.”

As part of his studies, he wrote a thesis on dribbling. “It was the easiest subject for me to choose because I love football and dribbling is what I love to do,” he explains. “There were no rules on how much to write, but I progressed with it by analysing my team-mates that were good and not-so-good dribblers and trying to find out why that was.

“I put cameras on the heads of my team-mates to study where and what they were looking at and how their opponents were looking at them.

“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 was one of the better dribblers at that time, but not exceptional.”

Even now, Mitoma, who is modest by nature, still regards himself as anything but a dribbling genius. Indeed, he is reluctant to attach too much significance to his university studies when explaining the positive impact he has made in the Premier League with Brighton .

Something stuck, though.

A glance at his goal in the 4-1 win at Liverpool’s neighbours Everton earlier this month, a strike that showcased his dribbling talent and directness, reveals that he kept his head up throughout. The 25-year-old seized his chance after Everton full-back Nathan Patterson failed to cut out a cross-field pass from Moises Caicedo .

Mitoma deliberately pushes the ball ahead of him with his left foot and into space behind the stranded Patterson inside the penalty area, instead of opting for close control.

A body swerve, which sends defender Conor Coady the wrong way, opens up more room as he transfers the ball onto his right foot.

He finishes calmly, placing the ball beyond Jordan Pickford ’s attempt to smother and through the legs of the covering James Tarkowski .

The whole movement is conducted with electric speed, balance and poise. Just four seconds elapse between the Brighton forward receiving possession and the ball finding the back of the Everton net.

Mitoma, speaking via a translator as he learns to cope with the nuances of the English language, says: “I could see the space, so I wanted to kick the ball further to create the space behind with my first touch. Then, (on) the second touch, I was just going right to attack with the shot.

“It was instinct, rather than a thought process.”

Enjoy EVERY angle of Kaoru's third #PL goal… 🤤 @Kaoru_Mitoma ✨ pic.twitter.com/IsMk9ZAcu1 — Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 5, 2023

Mitoma’s performances owe much to preparation and self-analysis.

On top of all the detailed information the club provides to players, his representatives supply feedback before and after games in the form of touch maps and videos. Armed with that dossier of data, Mitoma can see his own movements and assess the strengths and weaknesses of upcoming opponents.

He is reaping the rewards.

Mitoma scored a very different type of goal when Brighton won 3-1 at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup in November. The forward began in the same area of the pitch (see below), advancing towards the left-hand edge of the penalty area, as Jeremy Sarmiento ran with the ball through the centre, attracting the attention of the Arsenal defenders.

This time, when he received possession from Sarmiento inside the box, Mitoma went for close control, cutting back by shifting the ball inside from his left foot to his right in one fluid movement.

That created just enough room to squeeze a shot between Cedric Soares and William Saliba and swing the tie in Brighton’s favour, giving them a 2-1 lead early in the second half.

Mitoma has been blessed with rapid pace since he was a child. He’s made a point of exploiting that attribute, tailoring his training to strengthen his legs and make his movements even more explosive.

He had been used as an impact substitute this season by Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi until breaking into the Italian’s team with a full Premier League debut in the 4-1 trouncing of Potter’s Chelsea at the Amex Stadium at the end of October.

“Chelsea was big for me,” says Mitoma. “I didn’t want to let my place go.”

Mitoma has maximised his opportunities at club level ever since. He has scored three goals and provided two assists in six starts for Brighton either side of an eventful World Cup with Japan .

He was involved in one of the most controversial moments of the tournament in Qatar. The ball appeared to be out of play when his cut-back was converted by Ao Tanaka in the 2-1 win over Spain — a result which served to knock Germany out at the group stage. The goal stood after a lengthy VAR check.

The technology worked against Mitoma when he had a second goal disallowed for a tight offside decision in the 4-2 home defeat by Arsenal on New Year’s Eve. Had his effort stood, then Brighton would have reduced the arrears to 4-3 and ensured a nervy finish for the Premier League leaders.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the scientific edge to his university studies, he has no issue with leaning on technology when it comes to critical on-field decision-making.

“It’s fair, it’s technology, it’s hard to argue with it,” he says. “Obviously, there are emotions when decisions go for or against you, but I’m fine with it.”

Some Japanese observers felt Mitoma was under-used by head coach Hajime Moriyasu at the World Cup. All four of his appearances were from the bench, including in the group victory against Germany and the last-16 exit to Croatia on penalties.

His spot kick in the shoot-out was saved by Dominik Livakovic and he was not among Brighton’s seven penalty-takers when they lost at League One side Charlton last month in a shoot-out which extended to sudden death.

“There are some feelings from that World Cup experience, the confidence level isn’t 100 per cent there,” Mitoma concedes. “But also, it’s the manager’s call as well. He felt there were other guys more confident at that time. I’ll keep practising and working on penalties until I’m more comfortable.”

Mitoma aims to be “one of the leaders for Japan” at the next World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

His impact at Brighton is reflected by rising interest in his exploits back home. Two Japanese reporters now cover Brighton matches regularly, home and away.

Hideo Tamaru, of Japan’s main news agency Kyodo News, tells The Athletic : “The popularity of football in Japan, in general, had been declining recently compared to the peak years (around 2010-2016) when there were quite a few Japanese players in big European clubs, so the success of Mitoma feels like a breath of fresh air.

“Needless to say, the recent success in the World Cup was a massive boost as well. Another thing that Japanese fans like to see is how the players in Europe are being rated in the media in their respective countries. That in itself creates another headline.”

There have been plenty of headline performances in the Premier League for Brighton so far from Mitoma, who has now been joined in England by his wife after she secured a work permit.

There are no limits to what he might achieve under the guidance of De Zerbi.

“Continuing to produce results is what it will take to stay in the starting XI,” adds Mitoma. “The manager has the plans, the strategy, and I am doing all I can to stick with that.

“I love playing under him. There’s a lot of build-up for the ball to come to the wing (and) a lot of actions, which is fun. I want to continue to learn, playing in that style.

“The two main things are to help Brighton into the top rankings and to get more goals and assists.”

(Top photo: Robin Jones/Getty Images)

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Andy Naylor worked for 32.5 years on the sports desk of The Argus, Brighton’s daily newspaper. For the last 25 of those years he was chief sports reporter, primarily responsible for coverage of Brighton and Hove Albion FC. Follow Andy on Twitter @ AndyNaylorBHAFC

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Exploring what thesis Kaoru Mitoma studied as Brighton No.22 runs riot in England

Kaoru Mitoma thesis has become a commonly searched term on Google as many aim to know more about the Arsenal target.

Mikel Arteta is said to be keen on bringing the Japan international to the Emirates Stadium after missing out on Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea – according to 90min .

The 25-year-old has performed superbly for Brighton since his £4.5m move from Kawasaki Frontale, scoring three goals in 13 Premier League appearances so far this season.

So, what thesis did Mitoma study? Let’s take a look…

Mitoma thesis

Well, the Brighton No.22 is clearly a deep thinker, as he made a significant decision at the age of 18.

Mitoma was offered the chance to play for Kawasaki Frontale after earning a promotion from the Under-18 side, but instead chose to study at the University of Tsukuba.

The Kanagawa-born forward actually wrote his thesis on dribbling at the University of Tsukuba, before agreeing to sign a professional contract back at Kawasaki Frontale once finishing his studies.

Speaking about his thesis, Mitoma told The Athletic : “It was the easiest subject for me to choose because I love football and dribbling is what I love to do. There were no rules on how much to write, but I progressed with it by analysing my team-mates that were good and not-so-good dribblers and trying to find out why that was.

“I put cameras on the heads of my team-mates to study where and what they were looking at and how their opponents were looking at them. 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.”

Clearly, Mitoma became an expert while writing his thesis, as he now excels at dribbling in the Premier League.

The Brighton No.22 terrorised Liverpool as the Seagulls recorded a 3-0 win over the Reds on Saturday 14th January, where Trent Alexander-Arnold in particular endured a very tough afternoon, as you can see below.

Many wingers have battered Trent this season but Mitoma might just be the most wicked of them all. This right here is pure violation https://t.co/PcoXbyxAdw — Renato (@rehnato) January 16, 2023

Kaoru Mitoma profile

Full name: Kaoru Mitoma

Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

Place of birth: Kanagawa

Nationality: Japan

Date of birth: 20th May 1997

Club: Brighton and Hove Albion

Position: Winger

Salary: £20,000-a-week

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Mitoma's dribbling thesis leaves Wolves in pieces: Moment of the Weekend

• Anirudh Menon

14 minutes into the game, the score reads 0-0. Wolverhampton Wanderers , fresh off utterly dominating Manchester United (even if they lost that one ) are keeping Brighton & Hove Albion at arm's length; and comfortably so. Which is when Pervis Estupinan gently prods the ball forward to Kaoru Mitoma .

Mitoma isn't your regular footballer. At 18, instead of turning professional, he went to college -- the University of Tsukuba -- to major in physical education and settle into senior football via their amateur college league. To get the degree, though, he needed to submit a thesis. The topic he chose for it? Dribbling.

A translation of Mitoma's thesis on information processing of the attacking side in 1v1 football situations pic.twitter.com/wXY5wy5bQQ - Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) February 4, 2023

Eyes up, frame upright, he receives the ball down the left touchline just past the halfway line, heels kissing the white paint. In front of him is Nelson Semedo , who's coming off a brilliant display against Alejandro Garnacho (and later Jadon Sancho ) at Old Trafford. He's confident and he's got his body position exactly the way they teach in fullback defense 101: split stance, body open towards the touchline, showing the winger down the outside. Take me on down the line, it suggests, go on then... perfect for a defender as rapid as Semedo is. Well, almost perfect.

Speaking to ESPN last season, Mitoma had explained his thought process when it comes to dribbling: "First, I look at the opponent's centre of gravity, posture, body movement, then I think about my options."

Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma says his evolution into a star winger in the Premier League has nothing to do with his university project.

Semedo's posture is just a bit too overcommitted to showing him down the line, the centre of gravity not quite where it should be. After the initial couple of touches to assess Semedo's body movement, Mitoma jags sharply inside. That's enough to throw the fullback off-balance, and by the time he recovers, Mitoma's past him.

An attempted shoulder pullback from Semedo makes Mitoma lean back a touch, but momentum is the Japanese forward's friend now. He screams forward, racing toward the Wolves box. Semedo chases, but quick as he is, he has no chance now. The pursuing Joao Gomes , even less so.

Craig Dawson is ahead of Mitoma, but he's caught in two minds - to cover the left flank, where in the space Semedo should have occupied, now lurks Brighton's Julio Encisco - or to step back into the middle and cut off Mitoma. By the time he realises Mitoma's going for goal, it's too late. He knows it too, and shouts furiously at the pacier Max Kilman to cover.

In that same ESPN interview, Mitoma had said that the whole thesis-in-dribbling bit had been way too exaggerated. "I can say that the thesis has almost nothing to do with my current play style. I chose the theme because it would be easy to write about. I simply wanted to finish my degree." Which is fair enough, but it's hard not to get carried away by the quick feet and the even quicker decision making Mitoma displays on occasion. Like this one.

Kilman reads the situation and closes down the straight route. Mitoma, fast as he's going, has seen this, and already recalibrated. One touch of his right boot, and ball and man are going past Kilman like he isn't even there.

Desperate, he pulls Mitoma back, tugging on that right shoulder again, making Mitoma lean back again... but this time he uses that to his advantage. Already leaning back, he 'Thierry Henrys' one into the bottom far corner. Just the way he loves doing it.

An old teammate of his from Union Saint-Gilloise, Christian Burgess, told Sky Sports last season that "he finishes like Thierry Henry. He is just so nonchalant at finishing into the far corner, whether it is in training and or in games. It is a strange one because most people panic but he seems to have so much time on the ball in those situations."

From first touch to last, the whole thing had lasted seven seconds. By the time he had got in front of the goalkeeper, Jose Sa , he ought to have been out of breath, his touch ought to have been just that bit less assured, but no. Head up, body upright, Mitoma knew just what to do.

He will repeat that his thesis and his dribbling have nothing to do with each other; but the more we see of Mitoma at the highest level, the more evident it's becoming that he's a devout student of the art. You can see it in how he varies his dribbling - small, quick touches when assessing the situation. Much longer, much fewer touches when he's shifted into high gear. He took five touches of the ball before getting past Semedo with his sixth. He took just five more to cover the remaining two-thirds of the distance.

There's no banking on deflections, or luck, or pure pace and power here... every touch is measured, taken for a reason, every change in direction executed with one clear aim in mind. In an era of pass-pass-pass with a hint of push-it-forward-and-sprint, it's a throwback and then some.

And so, this display of technical excellence - performed so well by this student of dribbling - is ESPN India's moment of the weekend.

How Kaoru Mitoma studied his way to Premier League stardom

Tsukuba, Japan, Feb 14, 2023 (AFP) - Kaoru Mitoma strapped a camera to his head to study dribbling for his graduation thesis. Now his former university coach is enjoying watching him teach Premier League defenders a lesson.

The Japanese winger has been in electric form for Brighton since returning from the World Cup, scoring four times in his last six league games.

The 25-year-old also conjured up an exquisite injury-time winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup and has been linked with a big-money move to Jurgen Klopp's side, as well as Arsenal.

Brighton signed Mitoma for a bargain £2.5 million ($3 million) from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 and he arrived in England a virtual unknown last summer following a loan spell in Belgium.

His ascent has been unusual by Premier League standards -- he only turned professional in 2020 after completing a four-year physical education degree at Japan's University of Tsukuba.

It was there he honed his devastating dribbling style, analysing training footage from GoPro cameras attached to his and his team-mates' heads to see which techniques were most effective.

"It was an excellent idea," Masaaki Koido, who coached Mitoma at the university football team, told AFP at the institution near Tokyo.

"No one else had ever studied it and there are no essays like it in academic journals."

Mitoma got together 10 players who were recognised as good dribblers and 10 who were not.

He studied which direction the players were looking when they received the ball and found the better players would already be casting a glance at the defenders and planning their next move.

Koido says there were "limits" to how much the findings could be put into practice but praised Mitoma's desire to learn.

"He wanted to become a better player, so he wanted to be able to clearly understand why he was good at dribbling and other players weren't as good."

'Good but weak'

It's not uncommon for footballers in Japan to go to university before turning professional -- nine of the country's 26-man squad at last year's World Cup in Qatar were graduates.

Mitoma was in J-League side Kawasaki's youth system but worried he would not see much first-team action if he turned professional straight out of high school.

Instead he enrolled at Tsukuba aged 18, studying for his degree while playing in a university league.

Koido's first impressions of Mitoma were of a "good but weak" player with a "very light" physique.

"He had very good technical skills but he didn't give the impression that he was going to create or score a lot of goals," said Koido, who has worked as a coach at several J-League clubs.

"He was lightweight, he didn't have a very powerful shot and he didn't go past players very often. But he had a lot of skill."

Mitoma struggled to break into the university's starting line-up in his first two years and Koido says his "progress wasn't smooth".

But he gradually found his feet and scored twice when the students stunned J-League first division side Vegalta Sendai in a domestic cup game in 2017.

He returned to Kawasaki in 2020 after graduating and took the J-League by storm, before signing for Brighton and spending a year on loan at Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.

Now he is terrorising defences with Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton, helping them to sixth in the Premier League.

"To be quite honest I didn't imagine it, but then it's not an accident either," said Koido.

"It's a result of his hard work. He set a goal and he worked hard towards it."

More to come

Koido has a report in his office that Mitoma wrote in 2017 analysing his own abilities and setting out his goals for the future.

In it, Mitoma writes he wants to be playing for Japan at 22 and appear in the Champions League two or three years later.

He achieved the first goal aged 24 and has scored five times in 13 appearances for his country.

If Liverpool or Arsenal come calling this summer, he could also be playing in the Champions League.

Koido says he thought those ambitions were "more of a dream" than a realistic expectation for a player who had not even broken into the university first team at the time.

He now believes Mitoma is capable of going even further.

"I've asked him if he thinks he is approaching his limit, and he said he feels he can still improve a lot," he said.

Koido says Mitoma was popular at Tsukuba, but "always serious when it came to football".

"I saw the effort he put in. On the pitch, he's dazzling and everyone loves him, but I saw the effort he put in off the pitch to get there," he said.

"All I can do is be a fan."

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Kaoru Mitoma: can you study your way to being a better athlete?

Japanese winger’s former professor helps assess how much of his success can be attributed to a thesis on dribbling.

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If football used to be a game played with the heart, it is now increasingly dominated by data.

And by most metrics, one of the stand-out stars of the current UK Premier League season is Brighton and Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma who, statistics show, is the second-best dribbler in the division and third most accurate shooter.

After such glowing performances, attention has turned to the Japanese international’s decision aged 18 not to turn professional but instead study at the University of Tsukuba , where he was apparently able to use research to make himself a better player. His thesis focused on dribbling and involved strapping cameras to the heads of his teammates and analysing their decisions on the ball.

Commentators – never ones to shy away from a cliché – have delighted in the idea that the student has become a master.

But Masaaki Koido, an assistant professor in Tsukuba’s Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences who coached Mr Mitoma in the university’s football team, told  Times Higher Education  that the results of the research itself had little impact on the player’s talents.

Instead, the very act of studying “led to a significant development in his ability to think logically and to verbalise his ideas”, which may have translated into improved performance.

While sporting bodies worldwide have long advocated for stars to remain in education as long as possible, up until now this has mainly been seen as a way of ensuring they have a back-up plan should injury or the ruthless nature of competition force them to abandon their dreams.

But there is emerging research that ties studying to degree level with improved athletic performance, according to Jane Holden, a senior lifestyle adviser who has worked on education programmes for the British Olympic swimming, equestrian and hockey teams and is studying for a PhD at the University of Portsmouth .

“[If you study] you will be selected more and you will have a longer career. There is that link now, which we have never had before,” she said.

“If you are thinking about emotional, intellectual development, and also the experience of being committed to high-level learning, the skills that can transfer into the game are shown to have a positive effect.”

This link, Ms Holden said, may be the extra motivation athletes need to keep studying.

Study, unfortunately, is still no substitute for enormous amounts of practice and Mr Koido’s memories of Mr Mitoma show he did not find a way to hack the system.

“He always took his training seriously. He often practised one-on-one after team practice,” he said of his protégé. “He has reached the very stage that he has been aiming for all his life, and I feel that this performance is the result of his continuous training toward this point. It is not a coincidence, but an inevitability.”

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POSTSCRIPT:

 Print headline:  A degree, then sporting glory?  

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