Blaublitz Akita (Akita-shi, Akita)

Winning the 2020 J3 season by setting a J-League record of 28 undefeated matches.

And then there is Blaublitz Akita, which secured promotion to J2 for the 2021 season.

You have been using our products since the 2018 season.

First, we were able to speak with Kosuke Iwase, Representative Director and President of Blaublitz Akita. Congratulations on winning the J3 championship and earning promotion to J2.

Thank you very much. I truly believe that we were able to secure promotion to J2 thanks to everyone's support.

This year, under the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a difficult season for the players, us staff members, and all the supporters. Winning the championship with this record and achieving our long-held dream of promotion to J2 is truly thanks to everyone—players, staff, and supporters—coming together as one. I believe that the efforts we have built up with everyone involved with Blaublitz Akita, along with the power of believing in them, are reflected in this year's results.

We are deeply honored if we were able to play a part in that.

President Iwase, who played as a player from the TDK Soccer Club days in 2006 until the founding season of Blaublitz Akita in 2010, and then entered the front office to become President and CEO at the young age of 31. The joy of the team's championship and promotion, alongside his own journey, must be truly exceptional.

With the final home game of the season fast approaching on the weekend of the interview, the "TDK Presents Blaublitz Akita Legend Match" was scheduled as an exhibition match. Naturally, it was said that President Iwase would also be playing.

I don't know if I'll actually be able to compete (laughs), since I haven't been able to practice at all... The only thing I really want to avoid is competing as I am and getting hurt. If it's just a minor ache, I can get it taken care of by our trainer and with equipment from Japan Medix, so that's fine (laughs).

By the way, in the legend match he actually participated in, the Blue Legends team, which also featured President Iwase, appears to have won 2-1.

We asked the two trainers who joined Blaublitz Akita starting from the 2020 season about how they became trainers.

[Trainer Watanabe] I originally played soccer, and my inspiration was wanting to be in a position where I could support athletes, much like the trainer who helped me when I got injured. I decided to aim for a career as a trainer around the time I graduated from high school in my hometown (Chiba). After graduating from a vocational school and obtaining an acupuncture and moxibustion license, I worked at a company (treatment clinic) in Tokyo for about four years, during which time I also worked as a trainer for an adult corporate baseball team. Through an introduction by a former colleague at the same company who had previously worked as a trainer for Mr. Ikeda, the head of conditioning, back when Mr. Ikeda was a player, I ended up joining Blaublitz Akita. Since it meant working with a professional team as a trainer, I came to Akita without any hesitation.

[Trainer Hiraoka] I also played soccer until college, and when graduation finally arrived, I found myself thinking anew about wanting to work in a field related to sports. Remembering that the soccer team I belonged to in high school had a trainer, I thought that as a trainer I could be directly involved with soccer and players, so I enrolled in "JAPAN Soccer College" in Niigata. Through an internship, I was able to be involved in the trainer activities of Albirex新潟 (Albirex Niigata). A match against Blaublitz Akita was held, and at that time, I had the opportunity to exchange business cards with President Iwase and Ikeda from the strengthening department. I received a direct contact at the end of last year (2019), and now I am here.

How are you utilizing the introduced equipment?

Since the beginning of this season, our theme has been to aim for a high-intensity team! Because of this, we focused on physical conditioning starting from training camp. As a result, I believe that led to our 9-game winning streak and 28-game undefeated run after the season opened.

After physical training, for my care, I made it a habit to use icing along with the MC functions of the Asteo and HVMC Delta. Naturally, the frequency of use was high during the camp. Since the HVMC Delta is compact, I also take it with me on expeditions.





In fact, since there were many cases during the COVID-19 pandemic where soccer practice could not be done as desired, even during the season I had the physical coach prescribe a reduced-frequency routine, and we continued physical training in small groups divided into shifts. Because of such circumstances, I was particularly mindful of the players' conditioning and care.

The Asteo's Medium Frequency (MF) current provides a pleasant stimulation that the athletes really like. We use it when we want to relieve muscle tension. Unlike other therapeutic devices, it allows us to treat using cup electrodes, which enables us to treat other athletes during that time and efficiently manage team care.

During the season, we really paid attention to player conditioning and care, but players still got injured during games. Muscle strains occurred relatively often, and we frequently used 750 kHz for hamstring strains and similar injuries.

Additionally, there were many cases where 3 MHz was used, such as for ankle sprains and plantar fasciitis. I made sure to use different frequencies depending on the injured site.

Since it has 2 channels, I think it's also easy to use because you can treat with different frequencies for each.

When an athlete is injured, we provide care while predicting the recovery time to some extent, but using ultrasound gives me the impression that they heal in the shortest possible time of the expected period.

I feel that because you understand the characteristics of the equipment, you are achieving the intended effects. Blaublitz Akita's remarkable progress in J2. Our company is also cheering for them with great expectations.