サッカー表現 in English! Playing with ミキ on NHK

In 2020, just before the pandemic struck, we were fortunate enough to be featured on Japanese TV with Miki (ミキ兄弟). 

The TV show itself aimed to teach basic english and football expressions in a fun filled way. Compared to other countries, the style of play and communicating on the field in Japan is very different at the amateur level. 

The Miki brothers, both quite famous in Japan, were little known to those outside Japan including us. We had no idea who they were. (Later realised just how famous they were...). On the day of the shoot, we played with them and treated them like any other player in our community. 

The brothers told us that they hadn't played soccer for many years, so we were worried that we would have to play at a very basic level. However, they were incredibly active and skilled on the field, as good as any of us. They played hard, positioned well, and made many great passes and shots. They even managed to pull off some cheeky nutmegs. Even though they were working a very hard schedule that day, they were enjoying themselves on the field. 

The brothers were really well mannered, friendly and down-to-earth. Thank you for the opportunity, it was great fun! 

兄弟たちは本当に礼儀正しく、友好的でした。機会をありがとうございました、とても楽しかったです！