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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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How Kaoru Mitoma's Research Led Him to High-Level Success

The power of personal research in athletic performance.

Japanese footballer Kaoru Mitoma is an English Premier League star… but it wasn’t always that way. He didn’t even turn professional until age 21, after graduating college with a degree in Physical Education. His rise is a great story of turning research into practice… and involving attaching cameras to his teammate’s heads.

Mitoma struggled to break into the university's starting line-up in his first two years. His coach Masaaki Koido said his progress wasn't smooth:

"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. 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."

Studying His Craft

Mitoma decided to write his thesis on dribbling. Mitoma had 10 players who were recognized as good dribblers and 10 who were not.

“ 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.

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Kaoru Mitoma: a guide to the art of dribbling

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When Mitoma joined Kawasaki Frontale's U-18 team, the club offered him the first contract of his professional life, but the young Japanese took the riskier decision to go to university first . In his case, physical education at the University of Tsukuba.

I love soccer and what I like most is dribbling.

Kaoru Mitoma

Mitoma 's love of soccer and dribbling led him to write a university thesis on the subject. He had the brilliant idea of attaching cameras to the heads of his fellow students to see where and what the attackers were watching and how the defenders were watching them .

All good research starts with observation. Mitoma

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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.

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

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).

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.

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 .

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.

De priorizar sus estudios universitarios por sobre un inmediato debut profesional a ser la gran irrupción de la Premier League. En el medio, una tesis que se ha vuelto famosa por analizar el regate en el fútbol. Acá, la historia de Kaoru Mitoma. pic.twitter.com/ECn6uo9mIN — IPEstadisticas (@Isidro_____) January 23, 2023

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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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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.

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Kaoru Mitoma turned down professional contract at 16 to go to university, his thesis was incredible

Brighton forward kaoru mitoma attended the university of tsukuba between 2016 and 2019 after rejecting a professional contract..

Jack Kenmare

Kaoru Mitoma turned down the chance to go professional at 16 to attend university – and he wrote a fascinating graduation thesis on dribbling that involved fixing a GoPro to his head.

The 25-year-old Japan international, who continues to impress for Brighton in his debut season, has taken a somewhat unconventional route to the top.

When he was 18, the talented Mitoma was offered a professional contract by local J1 League outfit Kawasaki Frontale.

But instead of taking it with both hands, like most teenagers would, the Kanagawa-born forward rejected the proposal as he felt he was not prepared for the challenges of pro football.

In the coming weeks, he would accept an offer to study physical education at the University of Tsukuba.

"I thought it would be better to go to university in order to make it as a professional footballer,” Mitoma said in a recent interview with Eurosport . "So I studied lots of things – coaching, sports and nutrition. I learned lots of things.”

As well as attending lectures, Mitoma would develop as a footballer, representing Japan at a number of university tournaments.

But at the same time, he was absolutely engrossed in his studies. In fact, the highly-rated forward decided to go above and beyond when writing his graduation thesis on the process of dribbling.

His research involved fixing a GoPro camera to his head to record his movements, examining which ones enabled him to get past opponents.

If you watch Mitoma dribble, he tends to keeps an eye on the opponent and the space in front of him rather than look down. "I am conscious of shifting the opponent's center of gravity," he said in his thesis. "If I can move the opponent's body, I win."

The thesis also describes the mechanism of the dribble and, according to reports, the piece of work sits pride of place in one of the University of Tsukuba classrooms.

"It's been passed down to his juniors as useful information," one report states. "But it seems that he left something more valuable than the contents."

Mitoma's teacher Masaaki Koido, who helped coach his graduation thesis at the university, remembers how determined the Brighton forward was.

“He was very serious," Koido told Bunshun . "He even decided on his own theme and brought it with him."

His former coach was also complimentary about his playing style. "The defenders knows what Mitoma will do next, but they somehow can’t stop him," he told the JFA .

"Even when the defenders thought they had the advantage, they always seemed to be caught flat footed. When he started dribbling near the penalty area on the left side, he was unstoppable.

"I think they call it the “Mitoma zone” at Kawasaki Frontale, but the groundwork was laid at University of Tsukuba."

After picking up valuable experience in the university setting, Mitoma agreed to sign for Kawasaki Frontale.

He made his debut on the opening week of the 2020/21 campaign and soon established himself in the Frontale first-team, becoming the first rookie to reach double digits in goals since Yoshinori Muto in 2014.

Mitoma, who would go on to score 30 goals in 64 games for soon-to-be J1 League champions, was wanted by a number of clubs in 2021, including Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Premier League side would eventually snap him up on a four-year deal before shipping him out on a season-long loan to Belgian outfit Royal Union Saint-Gilloise – a move that would help him become accustomed to European football.

"I’d been thinking about transferring to Europe since I was a child,” Mitoma told Eurosport .

"I wanted to play in a league at the highest professional level. So when I played in the J-League for a year and a half and was approached by Brighton, I felt I had to go there.”

Since coming back from his loan spell in Belgium, the 25-year-old has played a key role for Brighton this season, featuring in 12 Premier League games so far.

He continued his impressive form on Tuesday against Everton, netting for the second straight game in an emphatic 4-1 win.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi recently said Mitoma has "big potential" and has "so much quality" to show. We're certainly looking forward to seeing him flourish in the coming weeks, months and years.

Topics:  Brighton And Hove Albion , Premier League , Japan

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@ jackkenmare_

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Jan 30, 2023 | 12:00 PM EST

Brighton and Hove Albion v Liverpool FA Cup 29/01/2023. Fourth Round Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Kaoru Mitoma 22 during the FA Cup 4th round match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool at the American Express Community Stadium, Brighton and Hove, England on 29 January 2023. Editorial use only PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK , Copyright: xIanxStephenx PSI-16803-0116

The Premier League season started after the FIFA World Cup break. Teams like Liverpool and Chelsea are still struggling for results. However, some teams are improving every passing day, and Brighton and Hove Albion are one of them. They knocked out Liverpool from the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, and a Japanese soccer player is making the news after scoring the winner in the game. 

Kaoru Mitoma, who plays as a winger for Brighton, is in scintillating form for the seagulls. His recent performances have caught the eyes of fans. He is proving to be a menace to defenders with his dribbling skills. But do you know, he went to university to learn to dribble?

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Japanese soccer star wrote a thesis on dribbling at University

Mitoma, at the age of 19, left the Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale to learn to take a degree in physical education. He deemed himself not ready to play in the league and went for further studies. He started analyzing dribbling skills during his studies and ended up researching and writing a thesis on the same. 

Kaoru Mitoma has four goals and an assist in his last six games. Hard to believe Brighton paid just over $3M for him from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 ✨ pic.twitter.com/MavWCsvTnL — B/R Football (@brfootball) January 29, 2023

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

Mitoma thinks great dribblers don’t look at the ball but trap the ball at their feet and dribble. He found out that if the dribbler can move the body of the defender, the chances of a successful dribble increase. The 25-year-old feels his instinct has increased based on the thesis, and it’s not great news for the Premier League defenders. His brilliant finish against Liverpool on Sunday was a good example of it. 

Mitoma is in form great form after the World Cup break

Brighton signed the Japanese left winger for just over from J1 side Kawasaki Frontale for just over 3 million USD. He has netted three goals in five appearances so far in the Premier League. But above all, he can go past the top defenders with his dribbling, which makes him more lethal. 

Read More:  VIDEO: Fuming Fan Throws a Bottle at Chelsea Superstar After Time-Wasting Efforts in Recent Premier League Win

He also has a goal and an assist in two FA Cup games this month, and his winner against Liverpool is making rounds. Brighton is currently sixth in the table and will hope Mitoma continues his form. They will face AFC Bournemouth next on Saturday and are waiting to know their FA Cup opponents for the next round.

Watch This Story:   Ferrari  Favorite Charles Leclerc Spotted With French Soccer Bombshell Paul Pogba

Do you think the research at University on dribbling is really helping Mitoma? Let us know in the comments your thoughts on his recent performances.

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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.

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Fabian Hurzeler will ‘stay humble’ despite impressive start to life at Brighton

Goals from kaoru mitoma, danny welbeck and simon adingra eased the seagulls to a 3-0 win at 10-man everton., article bookmarked.

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New Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler is not getting carried away after marking his Premier League debut with a 3-0 victory at 10-man Everton .

The 31-year-old, who arrived from St Pauli in the summer, saw goals from Kaoru Mitoma , Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra burst the early-season optimism at Goodison Park.

And he was pleased to see the work he has done in pre-season pay off.

“I’m very happy, it’s a good start but nothing more and it’s important to stay humble after this,” said the German, who is the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history.

“It’s a very good feeling but I don’t want to talk about myself, the players deserved this. They worked hard in pre-season and I’m very proud of them.

“It was a good result, very intense. In some moments we suffered but after a time we tried to control the game, had good chances, then went 1-0 up.

“In the end the clean sheet was important and we showed attitude and character.”

Hurzeler’s biggest issue on the day was handling the disappointment of new signing Yankuba Minteh, who was causing Everton problems down their left before a head injury forced him off in the first half – against his wishes.

“He was disappointed but in the end we are disappointed for the player and can’t take any risks, the health of the player is more important and we were responsible for that,” said the Seagulls boss.

“We have to keep looking at him and how he reacts. I am confident he will be back next week. He had a great impact but I judge my offensive players on how they work off the ball.

“I wasn’t surprised he had that performance. I saw it in pre-season.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche saw his only fit right-back, Ashley Young, sent off for denying Mitoma in the 66th minute after a penalty award to his side just after the interval was overturned when VAR advised referee Simon Hooper to go to the pitchside monitor.

“A big decision on the penalty, I can’t really work it out,” Dyche said.

“We go to these meetings, we have literally been told the bar is going to be incredibly high for the referee to make a decision, he makes a clear decision from a perfect viewing point and lo and behold he is called over to overturn the decision.

“You are like, ‘What is the point having a high bar then?’ We are all confused by it.”

On the performance itself, Dyche added: “It was a horrible game as a manager when you are doing everything you ask and concede a pretty soft goal from our point of view, a soft pass and they counter and we are 1-0 down against the run of play.

“We then concede from a poor decision from a pass and then get someone sent off and the whole feeling changes.

“Unfortunately we had these moments early last season, head scratchers. The first half was a good performance. We got punished for mistakes.

“Youngy knows he should head that and not bring it down (for the sending-off). Those turning points and decisions are massive.”

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Super Micro Computer: A Textbook Strong Buy Opportunity

• Super Micro Computer, Inc. stock dropped over 20% after 4Q24 earnings, despite strong sales growth and profitability.
• Super Micro announced a ten-for-one stock split, making the stock more affordable for investors.
• Sales explosion in AI hardware market creates a 'Strong Buy' opportunity for Super Micro, with substantial growth potential and low profit multiple.

Erik Isakson

Super Micro Computer, Inc. ( NASDAQ: SMCI ) has become another victim of the tech carnage. Last week, the AI hardware company’s stock plummeted more than 20% after 4Q24 earnings that were not bad at all, but the margin development caused some concerns about profitability.

I think the 20% drop is way overdone and not justified based on Super Micro’s considerable strength in growing its server system sales. Super Micro is also profitable and was recently included in the S&P 500 which will give the company more visibility for investors moving forward.

Furthermore, Super Micro announced a ten-for-one stock split as well, which is set to take effect at the start of October, and which could make the stock more compelling as an investment.

The market chaos that played out last week creates a textbook ‘Strong Buy’ opportunity for investors, in my view, as Super Micro will continue to grow quickly moving forward.

Sales Explosion Is Creating A ‘Strong Buy’ Opportunity

The AI hardware provider’s sales are going through the roof this year as the sector is profiting from accelerating investments into data centers. Super Micro produced 143% YoY growth in 4Q24 and generated total sales of $5.3 billion.

The hardware company is specialized in servers, particularly those that can handle AI processing, which makes Super Micro obviously a winner in the AI race. All of Super Micro’s sales growth is due to the Server and Storage Systems segment, which benefited from 148% YoY sales growth in the last quarter.

Revenue Growth (Super Micro Computer Inc.)

Super Micro’s growth comes from the IT industry that is scaling up investments in data centers. With AI-powered tools like ChatGPT taking the market by storm, hardware and software companies have ramped up their investments in IT systems that can handle artificial intelligence processing.

The consequence of this unbridled spending on AI is a substantial increase in the IT solutions market size, which Super Micro pegs at $50 billion.

Increased spending on IT solutions is also why the hardware company guided for $26-30 billion in sales next year, reflecting 87% YoY growth, meaning Super Micro anticipates the present spending wave in the AI hardware market to last at least until next year.

Annual Revenue (Super Micro Computer Inc.)

Though Super Micro did reasonably well in the last quarter in terms of sales growth, gross margins are a potential weak spot for the hardware company.

Investors tend to expect sales growth to translate into higher operating or gross margins, and this turned out to not be the case for Super Micro in the last quarter.

As a matter of fact, Super Micro’s non-GAAP gross margins fell from 17.1% in 4Q23 to 11.3% in 4Q24 due to higher cost of sales.

Non-GAAP Gross Margin (Super Micro Computer Inc.)

10-For-1 Stock Split

Super Micro said that its stock will be split ten-for-one in October, with the stock expected to start trading on a split-adjusted basis on October 1, 2024.

The lower price tag for Super Micro will not make the stock cheaper from a fundamental point of view (the company’s valuation ratios will stay the same), but Super Micro could become more affordable for investors regardless as the stock price is set to drop down from $500 to $50.

Very Low Profit Multiple Given The Potential

The market presently models $43.26 per share in profits for Super Micro in 2025, reflecting a YoY growth rate of 28%. Sales, which is where the server maker is particularly crushing it right now, are anticipated to grow 18% next year. This year, they are anticipated to skyrocket 75% YoY.

Super Micro was added to the S&P 500 index in March, which requires that companies must have four quarters of positive earnings in the preceding four quarters. Super Micro is profitable, widely so, and is presently selling for a leading (2025) profit multiple of 11.8x.

Earnings Estimate (Yahoo Finance)

Taking into account Super Micro’s sales growth, recent inclusion in the S&P 500 and upcoming ten-for-one stock split, I think that Super Micro’s correction presents a quite unique and compelling Strong Buy opportunity. In the first quarter, Super Micro sold for twice the price that the stock is selling at today and the outlook, as far as I am concerned, has not deteriorated in the least.

Nvidia Corp. ( NVDA ) is anticipated to about double its sales this year, and the company’s stock is selling for a 27.9x profit multiple. Dell Technologies Inc. ( DELL ) , a direct competitor to Super Micro, is selling for 10.0x leading profits, but expected to grow its sales only 9% this year and 7% in 2025.

Given these alternatives, I think that Super Micro is a compelling deal in the AI hardware market.

Why My Investment Thesis Might Be Off

Super Micro’s 4Q24 profit report resulted in a 20% correction, even though the company’s forecast for 2025 was quite positive. What might be considered a weakness is Super Micro’s margins, which admittedly came in weak in the last quarter, but due to investments in research and development.

If Super Micro’s margins further deteriorate, I do see some headwinds for Super Micro’s valuation multiple.

My Conclusion

Super Micro is a complete steal, in my view. Rarely have I seen a company that is growing its sales at 143% YoY and costs less than 12x leading profits.

Super Micro’s profit multiple decompressed last week, primarily due to the concerns about the company’s margin growth, which I think overshadowed Super Micro’s 2Q24 earnings release quite a bit.

Since March, the stock is down by about half, and that’s despite Super Micro releasing a solid forecast for 2025 sales and Super Micro being profitable.

Furthermore, the stock split could make the stock more attractive from a price-tag point of view, and the inclusion in the S&P 500 will only help to give Super Micro higher visibility. I think that Super Micro is in a textbook buying setup, primarily because of the unreasonably low profit multiple of 11.8x.

The risk/reward relationship is extraordinarily compelling, particularly as the market appears to overreact to Super Micro’s earnings release. Strong Buy.

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of SMCI either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

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Fabian Hurzeler celebrates Premier League bow with win for Brighton at Everton

OEPNING DAY WIN: Fabian Hurzeler and Lewis Dunk celebrate after the final whistle. Picture: Nick Potts/PA

Premier League: Everton 0 Brighton 3 (Mitoma 25', Wellbeck 56', Adingra 86')

Everton’s final-season farewell to Goodison Park began with a demoralising display against Brighton whose new head coach Fabian Hurzeler marked his Premier League debut with a 3-0 victory.

There was little doubt about the validity of the goals from Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra – although Toffees boss Sean Dyche will have a major issue with how they were conceded – but the major talking point came with the score at 1-0 just two minutes into the second half.

Referee Simon Hooper adjudged Lewis Dunk to have fouled Dominic Calvert-Lewin, only for VAR Darren England to ask the official to view the pitchside monitor.

However, the in-ground technology initially failed as no replay was seemingly shown on the large television screen but the Premier League subsequently confirmed a back-up monitor was used allowing Hooper to reverse his decision.

Everton’s misery was complete in the 66th minute when Ashley Young, Dyche’s only fit right-back, was sent off for pulling back Mitoma as he bore down on goal.

The club are also likely to face an investigation after an object was thrown at Brighton players celebrating the first goal in front of the Bullens Road stand.

Young had set a new record as Everton’s oldest outfield player at the age of 39 years 39 days – eight years older than Brighton’s youthful new head coach.

Nine players who started the game were all older than the German: James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Idrissa Gueye, Jason Steele, Dunk, Welbeck, Joel Veltman and James Milner – who made his Premier League debut when his boss was just nine.

But he proved relative inexperience was no barrier to success as his side soaked up some early pressure before ruthlessly exposing Everton’s naive defending.

The hosts started brightly as fans began counting down the matches left at their home for 132 years before the move to Bramley-Moore Dock next season.

Jack Harrison, returning on loan from Leeds, forced an early save out of Steele and converted from the resulting corner only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.

The same flag spared the blushes of Dwight McNeil moments later when Doucoure, also offside, burst through to pass to the winger in front of an open goal only for him to somehow hit a post.

Brighton saw the opportunity to up the tempo and after Joao Pedro hit a post from distance and Tarkowski snuffed out new signing Yankubu Minteh’s shot in a four-on-four counter-attack from halfway they took a 26th-minute lead.

Mitoma was allowed to carry the ball from deep inside his own half and with Brighton again committing plenty to attack he laid it off to Minteh, who had been linked with Everton, and continued his run to steer home the return pass from close range.

Minteh’s participation was ended just before half-time when he injured himself making a last-ditch clearance to deny Vitalii Mykolenko, although the player disagreed with his substitution under concussion protocols and stomped down the tunnel.

Then came the withdrawal of the penalty award and from there Everton’s afternoon went downhill fast.

Another new signing, Mats Wieffer, intercepted Gueye’s pass and with Tarkowski and Keane backing off, Welbeck curled a shot around them and past Jordan Pickford.

Substitute Adingra added the third from another counter-attack, cutting in from the right to fire home with his left foot.

Everton : Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam, Gueye, Harrison, Doucoure, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs : Virginia, Holgate, Ndiaye, Beto, O'Brien, Maupay, Lindstrom, Metcalfe, Armstrong.

Brighton : Steele, Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Hinshelwood, Milner, Wieffer, Minteh, Joao Pedro, Mitoma, Welbeck. 

Subs : Rushworth, Webster, Gilmour, Sarmiento, Barco, Baleba, Adingra, Ayari, O'Mahony.

Referee : Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)

More in this section

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Tim Walz’s Class Project on the Holocaust Draws New Attention Online

Mr. Walz, now the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee, asked his high school students in 1993 which country was most at risk for genocide. Their prediction came to pass: Rwanda.

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By Neil Vigdor

• Aug. 9, 2024

The prediction was spot on: Rwanda was barreling toward a devastating genocide.

It did not emanate from a think tank, but from a high school geography class in western Nebraska. The year was 1993. The teacher? Tim Walz, now the Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota governor.

Thirty-one years later, the class project is drawing new attention. Mr. Walz, a geography teacher at the time, had asked his students to take what they had learned about the Holocaust to predict which nation was most at risk for genocide.

“They came up with Rwanda,” Mr. Walz said, talking about the project at a conference last month . “Twelve months later, the world witnessed the horrific genocide in Rwanda.”

The project was reported on in a 2008 On Education column for The New York Times that has been widely shared in recent days. Mr. Walz had drawn the attention of the reporter, Samuel G. Freedman, for an earlier column because Mr. Walz was the only K-12 teacher serving in Congress at the time, Mr. Freedman said.

“While I was interviewing Walz for the initial column, he told me how the genocide project was one of his proudest moments as an educator,” said Mr. Freedman, who is now a journalism professor at Columbia University . That sparked Mr. Freedman to revisit the story later.

Mr. Walz, when he delivered the lesson plan, had been teaching global geography in Alliance, Neb., and had been chosen for a Belfer fellowship to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that was opening. Speaking at the conference last month, held by Esri, a company that makes G.I.S. software widely used in mapping, he said the project had a profound effect on his students and bred some cynicism.

“How could a bunch of students in western Nebraska, in Alliance, use a computer program and some past historical knowledge to come up with this?” he said. “Why was nobody doing anything about that?”

Several years later, when he was studying for his master’s degree in experiential education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Mr. Walz wrote his thesis on Holocaust education, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported .

As governor, Mr. Walz signed a bill last year that requires high schools and middle schools to teach about the Holocaust, along with other genocides.

Neil Vigdor covers politics for The Times, focusing on voting rights issues and election disinformation. More about Neil Vigdor