Buzz Who?
So far 2008 has arguably been one of the most exciting years in ultimate history. The college series left us with the first repeat champion of the millennium (the Wisconsin Hodags), the unbelievable Callahan story of Joe "Loppi" Kershner, and the first non-US team to win College Nationals, the UBC Thunderbirds. Now the summer is heating up and the mother of all tournaments, WUGC, is just around the corner. Of the 70 plus teams that are set to descend on Vancouver in August, none is more shrouded in mystery and hype than Japan's Buzz Bullets. Over the last 19 months they've shown dominance on three continents - first by winning the 2006 World games in Perth, then by barnstorming America's elite with a finals run at ECC 2007, and topping it all of with a home court victory over celebrated rivals (and current UPA champions) Seattle Sockeye. Yet despite these successes the Buzz Bullets are virtually unknown among most ultimate circles. Buzz Who?.
Team History
In 1998 a core of graduating players from Tokyo Keizai University, one of the premier university ultimate programs in Japan, made a move that has yet to be undertaken in the US or anywhere else: they went to work as a unit for the same company, Bunka Shutter Co, Ltd. Japan's unique corporate culture has long supported activities believed to promote healthy lifestyles for its employees, and as one of the largest designers, manufactures, and installers of security gates and garages in the country, Bunka was not only able to offer these athletes jobs , it went one giant cultural step further and provided complete corporate sponsorship to their team. Jerseys, field space, and travel is gratis for the members of Japans preeminent team, and the company has such an intimate relationship with the squad that Bunka has a standing job offer for any members of the team. (Though known mostly by their shorthand name Buzz Bullets, the team is really the Bunka Shutter Buzz Bullets - and readily rep their company wherever they travel.)
Freed from distractions that plague the organization of any club team (varying player work schedules, geographic dispersion), these flatballers were able to distil their focus, and quickly established themselves as the most elite ultimate organization in Japan. They captured their first national title in 1999 and have defended it for nine straight years.
Yet international success eluded them. Failing to medal at both the 2000 and 2004 World Ultimate and Guts Championships, the team returned home humbled, but redoubled its efforts. Having transcended the competition available in Japan, the BB began petitioning their patron company to underwrite efforts to seek out stronger opponents. In 2003, Bunka Shutter and Club Jr (Japan's ultimate governing body) were able to fly the core of then UPA Champion Furious George to Dream Cup, their home tournament. Furious crushed them in the finals. Later the same year they made their first journey eastward to attend a US tournament, Seattle's Emerald City Classic, where they showed potential but still failed to make successful strikes at the best in the world. They would return in 2005 to post wins over Bravo and Pike and play a close showcase game against Seattle Sockeye but failed to secure a win against the top two US or Canadian Teams.
2006 would be the breakout year. WFDF scheduled WUCC (World Ultimate Club Championship) to begin nine days after the UPA National Championships in Perth, Australia. The timing and distance virtually guaranteed that the top competitors from the United States and Canada would remain at home, and the Buzz Bullets knew the title would be within reach. They came in seeded second overall, behind a skeleton crew SubZero and ahead of competitors from 30 other countries. It was a bloodletting. Buzz torched the competition, averaging an almost 9 point advantage in every match on its way to a perfect 10-0 week. The gold was finally theirs, yet even in the moment of victory each team member knew that the true test would be almost two years away in Vancouver.
The next year and a half of Buzz history has been well documented. The team made a thunderous return to ECC in 2007, going 4-1 on Saturday, then fighting their way past JAM and Bravo (last year's semis and finalists, respectively) before succumbing at universe point to home team Sockeye. Though the loss was emotionally draining, the Buzz Bullets framed it as one more stepping stone toward international dominance. Seven months later, they returned the favor, dropping Sockeye 14-13 in the finals of Dream Cup. The win marked their first victory against a reigning UPA champion. The Buzz Bullets had arrived.
Competitive Approach
Considering their average player height is around 5'10", the power and size approach utilized by American and Canadian teams was out of the question for Buzz, Instead, the team strategy revolves around skills, speed and agility. Toward that end, the program has placed a premium on thrower development and has evolved a rigorous routine of quickness training. Offensively, the Buzz Bullets rely on a dynamic disc movement that requires each player to have a consistent arsenal of throws to match their precision cuts. Team members have a universal ability to send hucks to any part of the field. A bladey, outside-in forehand is especially emphasized, as the quick release and accuracy of that throw compliments their straight line, dart-like cuts perfectly.
As for their defensive approach, their focus, once again, seems to be their strength. Because the Buzz Bullets are the premier talent in Japan, they can easily recruit the best ultimate athletes from one end of the island to the other. With that being said, their down field defense is superb with each player having solid vertical ability and blinding speed. They dare their opponents to risk a turnover by sending it deep to a seemingly mismatched cutter and once the turn is generated, their precision and agility are unbeatable.
In order to attain this mental and physical prowess, the Buzz Bullets follow an intense training regiment. To prepare for Dream Cup, the team began conditioning and practicing in January, only 3 months after their National tournament in October. Historically, the team has had very little sectional, regional or even national competition, so training for Japan Nationals has been exclusively localized to September and October. However, because of WUGC, Japan has drastically stepped up their training and got back to work in April after winning Dream Cup. They will play in one more tournament in Japan before WUGC and will have to rely on their practices and inter squad scrimmages to ready themselves for Vancouver.
Play Makers
The number one option for Japan is Masahiro Matsuno (#10). Like the rest of his teammates, Masahiro has intense physical ability and quickness, which he utilizes on both sides of the disc. His talents are top shelf both as a cutter and handler, so minimizing his offensive contribution is quite difficult. He has had success against the best defenders in the world and there is little chance of taking him out of his game. Lastly, his biggest asset is the fact that he is left-handed. Every team Japan plays in Vancouver will quickly realize their utilization of the flick blade, which they could adjust to in a number of ways. However, any adjust will automatically favor Japan's premier threat and open up as many opportunities as they take away.
Satoshi Senda (#4) is another major weapon in the Buzz Bullet arsenal. At first his size seems be his biggest weakness but it is actually his biggest strength. At 5'6" he has the ability to draw an unsuspecting defender that he can out run/jump while establishing himself as one of the best deep threats on the field. Teams have adjusted by putting stronger defenders on him but even the best defenders have struggled to contain him, especially considering his throwing ability. Like most Buzz Bullet players, he has great breaks around and with a low center of gravity, his fakes and pivot are lightning fast, keeping him virtually indefensible.
The third in the Buzz Bullets top three is Yohei Kichikawa (#12). He is the central mind in the Buzz Bullet offense and is responsible for the bulk of their assists. In Perth, he led his team with 48 goals thrown, and caught 11 himself. However, despite his abilities, and those of Masahiro and Satoshi, the Buzz Bullets are excellent top to bottom and have one all around flatballer after another.
Challenges and Goals
The biggest challenge for Japan this year is their schedule. For the most part, the Buzz Bullets have only had to train for a few months at a time in preparation for tournaments. With very little national competition, conditioning and training has been isolated to the Fall months before Japan Nationals. However, with Dream Cup and WUGC, the Buzz Bullets have been at work since January. Contrary to their usual September/October work out regiment, they will have to keep up their intensity 2-3 times longer then they have in the past. When considering this, it is easy to question their peaking ability. Can a team train at full velocity from January to July? Winning Dream Cup over Sockeye was a goal these players held near and dear to their hearts, but could peaking 4 months early be their down fall? With teams like Canada, Australia and the US just starting to ramp up their focus, Japan may be ahead of the curve now but each of these teams could easily catch up, not to mention avoid injury.
Training schedule aside, the Buzz Bullets are ready. WUGC in Vancouver is a tournament these players have had in the cross hairs since Finland 2004. ECC 2003, 2005, Perth 2006, ECC 2007, and Dream Cup 2008 have all been steps toward a goal, and that is World dominance. Each of these players lives and breathes ultimate and an advantage they have above all others is that they work together. Over the last 10 years or so, any player can work for Bunka Shutter if they chose to and currently 11 of 19 players are employed by the team's sponsor. This is focus no other team in the world can touch and with a decade of ups and downs, their focus is a more valuable weapon than any single player's ability. The team is fully aware of the difficulty associated with winning WUGC, but earning the gold medal is the only thing on the mind of these competitors. While teams like Furious George and Sockeye have done most of the teaching in the past, Japan is ready to show their mentors a thing or two and the Buzz Bullets have just as good a chance as any to win it all on August 9th.
Closing Thoughts
Each powerhouse attending WUGC has their own motivation. Sockeye carries the "Best team in the World" title and will look to bring the Gold medal back to the US. Furious George is the reigning WUGC champion and their poor 2007 season is all the motivation they will need to prepare. Like Japan, Australia is trying to break into the international elite and will be as driven as any to earn gold. As for Japan, Worlds is a tournament that they have been prepping for since the team's inception. In looking at their past, it is easy to see that this team has had as many successes as failures and Worlds is a challenge each competitor is hungry for. They are as ready as they ever will be and in 5 weeks we will find out if their work has paid off.
This article could not have been possible without the generous help of Saturo Ishii, former Buzz Bullet. Thank you.
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