Running & Mental Performance

Objective

Your first week focuses on the foundations of sports psychology, including enhancing motivation, goal setting, and developing confidence and self-efficacy. You will expand your knowledge by defining sports psychology and its relevance to sport culture, and by understanding motivation and the factors that drive performance.  

You will join local peers for three training sessions designed to strengthen your skills, foster meaningful connections, and explore how sports can emphasize connection and communication.   

Continue building your confidence and boosting your performance during two structured sessions with your fellow Global Navigators. Through drills and targeted exercises, you’ll put your skills into practice while evaluating your strengths and opportunities for growth. 

Highlights 

• Take a guided tour of Sanga Stadium by KYOCERA, home of Kyoto Sanga F.C. 
• Visit the Kasuga Taisha shrine and the Tōdai-ji temple on a day trip to Nara 
• Enjoy a fun and interactive kushikatsu experience, frying your favorite foods right at your table 
• Learn about Japan’s distinctive Ekiden long-distance relays in an interactive workshop

Objective

This week, you’ll strengthen your ability to apply psychological techniques in sport settings to enhance performance by managing stress and anxiety while understanding optimal performance zones.  Outside the classroom, you will survey how mental performance skills must be individualized for optimal success.  

Continue building your skills and confidence in running sessions with local peers, applying mental performance strategies in a low-stakes environment. Train alongside fellow Global Navigators during structured sessions to hone your technique and improve your consistency. 

Highlights 

• Join a hands-on taiko drumming session  
• Step into traditional Japanese summer style with a yukata experience  
• Travel by train to Osaka for a 3-night excursion 
• Explore the history of Japanese sporting equipment at Mizuno’s Sportology Gallery

Objective

During your last week, you will develop the knowledge to apply sport psychology concepts in team settings, life challenges, and real-world situations. In the field, you will analyze how athletes utilize teamwork, build resilience, handle setbacks, and apply these concepts to personal growth.  

Wrap up your final sessions with local teens and experience firsthand how sports foster community, connection, and cultural exchange. Then join your fellow Global Navigators for focused sessions to put your new skills into practice and celebrate your progress in training and beyond. 

Highlights 

• Visit the ASICS Institute of Sports Science to learn about the history and science of running footwear 
• Step into the world of the samurai with a Kenbu experience  
• Meet student athletes and tour the College of Sport and Health Science at Ritsumeikan University’s Biwako-Kusatsu Campus

Monday–Friday

Each day offers a balance between interactive instruction and cultural activities with time on your own, too. Morning classes and afternoon activities may swap places. 

• Breakfast at the hostel/student accommodation  
• Hands-on training with expert instructors, coaches, and industry professionals  
• Running sessions with local peers or structured sessions with other students  
• Lunch with your fellow Global Navigators  
• Out and about for a cultural activity or workshop  
• Hostel/hotel, shared rooms with other Global Navigators 

Weekends  

• Overnight or day excursions to top sites  
• Quality time with friends   

Housing  

Hostel/hotel, shared rooms with other Global Navigators