見出し画像

Fact check: Is it true that Mitoma wrote a thesis on the art of dribbling?

twitistwit

Some tweets and articles claiming that "Mitoma wrote his thesis on the art of dribbling" have been circulating.

First, the story is true: according to the database of the Japan Association of Universities of Education, he submitted a thesis entitled "A Study of Information Processing by Attackers in 1v1 Situations in Football Games"(サッカーの1対1場面における攻撃側の情報処理に関する研究).

A screenshot of the database with word-to-word translation

According to another magazine article, in that project he fixed GoPro to his own and his teammates' heads and analyzed where and when they looked. This revealed where they were looking when dribbling successfully and established a base for better decision-making. According to the author of the article, the tips were carefully written and described.

Can I read the thesis?

Generally, the undergraduates' thesis in Japan is not made public for reasons of administrative burden. However, the bound paper itself is kept in the laboratory, and the aforementioned reporter also read it and wrote his opinion on the thesis. It is certainly possible to read it by making an appointment and visiting the laboratory. It is written in Japanese and would need a good translator.

Thesis for the bachelor's degree

The terms 'thesis' and 'dissertation' have opposite meanings in the U.S. and the U.K., and Mitoma's 'thesis' refers American meaning: a project for a bachelor's degree. Usually, Google Translate follows the American usage.

United Kingdom
in the United Kingdom, the term thesis is usually associated with PhD/EngD (doctoral) and research master's degrees, while dissertation is the more common term for a substantial project submitted as part of a taught master's degree or an undergraduate degree.
United States
At most universities, dissertation is the term for the required submission for the doctorate, and thesis refers only to the master's degree requirement. Thesis is also used to describe a cumulative project for a bachelor's degree and is more common at selective colleges and universities, or for those seeking admittance to graduate school or to obtain an honors academic designation.

Thesis - Wikipedia

An undergraduate project is very different in quality from the research for submission for the doctorate. When students' understanding and the supervisor's education is matched, the thesis will have enough quality for publication after external review, but such cases are not common.

University of Tsukuba

The University of Tsukuba is a general university with its origins in the normal school (teacher training college). It is a relatively highly regarded university in Japan. The faculty that Mitoma entered is similar to the Moray House School of Education and Sport, which is part of the University of Edinburgh.

While many athletes in American collegiate sports can be considered semi-professional, Tsukuba University does not admit such students, and Mitoma's admission was based on academic merit.

The university is one of the centers of sports science in Japan, and he cites scientific physical training and the study of foot movement for maximum speed as things he gained at the university.

Why did he turn down an offer from a proffesional team to go to university?

When he was offered a contract by Kawasaki Frontale, he thought his own physicality was immature. In fact, he recalls several times that at age 20 he had several absences due to lack of fitness and considered it a goal to be improved upon. Of course, he also felt the need to improve in the mental and technical areas.

Conclusion

His thesis is not at the level of a PhD, but it is a serious project done at a high-level university.


The following thread (in Spanish) is a good quality digest of several articles, including this one.


この記事が気に入ったらサポートをしてみませんか？