Both are Japan’s leading playmakers, and they also share a commonality in that they are both from Kawasaki City.

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Do these two great point guards in basketball and soccer see the same thing?

NakamuraIn fact, it’s been more than a year since we last had this interview series. I had a lot of things going on in 2023, including an S-class license seminar that will allow me to become a manager in the J.League, so I couldn’t find the time to do this interview.

MachidaEh, it takes a year?

NakamuraThat’s right. There are stages from C class to B class to A class, and the last year is the (highest) S class, but unlike the A class, there are a lot more training camps and courses. It was quite a long journey (laughs). When that came to an end, I was asked to resume the serialization, and I offered to talk to Machida.

MachidaIt’s an honor. I’ve been looking forward to today too.

NakamuraIn preparation for my interview with Machida, I once again looked through videos of his matches and plays, and to be honest, I only felt a sense of closeness. I was also small as a boy, so our size is somewhat similar, and I thought that the “world we see” and “the world we see” are probably quite similar. I’ll ask you straight out: where do you look during a match? This is just my own imagination, but I think he sees everything and chooses the best one to pass to.

MachidaAs Kengo said, I’m basically conscious of scanning the entire court. When people move, you can see where an open spot is, right? If you only look at one spot, you won’t be able to find an open spot.

NakamuraAs a point guard (PG), he has a full view of the ball when he carries it, so it’s hard for opponents to read. And it’s not just his field of vision, it’s also the quality of his passes. He’s tough on opponents, but kind to his teammates. So when his teammates run here, they can see from his movements that they trust that Machida will pass them to them. This is something I myself kept in mind when I was still playing. So when I watch Machida, I feel a strong sense of closeness to him.

MachidaI think that watching Norikatsu-san’s play and listening to him talk like this might be similar. However, there are some differences in the sport, and in basketball, the PG is in a position to look at everyone, including teammates and opponents, from the very back (basically during an attack), so there is almost no one behind him.
But in soccer, your position is in the middle of the pitch, right? In other words, there’s an opponent behind you, so you have to be aware of the situation on that side, right?

NakamuraYes. Defensive midfielders certainly need a 360-degree field of vision.

MachidaIn basketball, the whole field of vision is within your field of vision, so it’s easy to imagine (how the ball will move), but with your back to the ball, you can’t. Even so, it’s amazing how well he passes the ball forward, backward, and sideways. I wish I had eyes like that (laughs).

NakamuraWhen attacking, you can’t let the ball be stolen, so you have to be aware of what’s behind you, or at least be aware of it. So you turn your head even for just a second to gather information from 360 degrees.