Keio Gijuku High School Baseball Team, 2023 Summer Koshien Champions, Undergoes "Moti-Aca Style Coaching Training"

Motivation Academia Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Kai Sasaki), which operates "SS-1" (https://www.ss-1.net/), a private tutoring school specializing in junior high school entrance exams, and "Motivation Academia" (https://m-academia-s.com/), a cram school for junior and senior high school students, both group companies of Link and Motivation Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Yoshio Ozasa; Securities Code: 2170), conducted "Coaching Training" for instructors of the Keio Gijuku High School baseball team on March 4, 2026, coinciding with the start of the new team.

The purpose of this training is to articulate and deepen the essence of the team's philosophy, "Enjoy Baseball" – which is an organizational culture of "thinking, judging, and expressing oneself" – through "Motivation Engineering" based on social psychology and behavioral economics.

[Background of Implementation]

As club activities face a major turning point, the "player-led baseball" practiced by the Keio Gijuku High School baseball team has attracted strong interest from educational institutions nationwide.

Motivation Academia shared techniques for coaches to move beyond "providing answers" or "watching over" to instead use "questions" to help "players realize, understand, and take action themselves," utilizing the organizational and individual transformation technologies cultivated by the Link and Motivation Group over many years.

The sharing of knowledge through this training was achieved under the common educational goal of "producing individuals who can thrive in society," which lies beyond "victory."

[Program of this Training: To Grow into a Team and Individuals that Produce Results]

Without resting on their laurels from winning the 2023 Summer Koshien championship, the team continues to evolve. In this training, specific methods for continuous growth into "a team and individuals that produce results" were implemented through the following two approaches, aiming for even greater heights.

Approach to the Organization: "Organizational Diagnosis" of the Current Situation and Articulation of Issues

Workshops were conducted using insights from psychology and behavioral economics to help instructors eliminate their own "biases (heuristics)" and objectively view the team's current situation.

Approach to Individuals: How to Interact According to 4 Motivation Types (Complex Human Model)

Systematically acquired communication methods, such as specific wording and motivation techniques tailored to individual characteristics, by understanding player traits across four quadrants.

[Comment from Keio Gijuku High School Baseball Team Manager, Takahiko Hayashi]

"The essence of 'Enjoy Baseball' is not merely the pursuit of fun, but the establishment of each player's 'autonomy' and 'sense of ownership.' In this training, we gained highly insightful learning on specific approaches for coaches to draw out players' potential and support a self-driven organization. I feel this will contribute to exploring new forms of guidance required in this era."

■ Speaker Profile: Kai Sasaki

President and CEO of Motivation Academia Co., Ltd. With over 12 years on the front lines of education, he has supported over 1,000 parent-child pairs in achieving diverse career paths. In 2024, he became the fastest president in the history of the Link and Motivation Group, listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

His book, "How to Study to Boost Motivation from Age 13" (Gakken), achieved #1 in 3 categories on Amazon's bestseller rankings*.

*Achieved 3 Amazon bestseller rankings (Books/Education, Reference, Exams/Student Study Methods, Books/Education, Reference, Exams/Educational Psychology, Books/Education, Reference, Exams/Junior High School Health and Physical Education, as of March 5, 2026).

*Amazon and Amazon.co.jp are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

About Motivation Academia Co., Ltd.

Motivation Academia operates private tutoring schools that apply the expertise and technology of the Link and Motivation Group, which solves corporate HR and organizational challenges, to educational settings. It runs two brands: "SS-1" for junior high school entrance exam students (elementary school age) and "Motivation Academia" for junior and senior high school students (integrated junior/senior high school students, junior high school students, high school students). We continue to challenge ourselves to foster "self-reliant individuals" who can carve out their own future, going beyond mere academic improvement.

Official Website: https://m-academia-s.com/

Motivation Academia Co., Ltd.

・Capital: 160 million yen (100% owned by Link and Motivation Inc.)
・Headquarters: Kabuki-za Tower 15F, 4-12-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
・Founded: May 2011
・Operated Schools:
【For Elementary School Students】Private tutoring school "SS-1" for junior high school entrance exam students attending cram schools
【For Junior and Senior High School Students】Cram school "Motivation Academia"

Overview of Link and Motivation Group

・Representative Director and Chairman: Yoshio Ozasa
・Capital: 1,380.61 million yen
・Securities Code: 2170 (Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime)
・Headquarters: Kabuki-za Tower 15F, 4-12-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
・Founded: April 2000
・Business Activities
　Organizational Development Division (Consulting & Cloud Business, IR Support Business)
　Individual Development Division (Career School Business, Cram School Business)
　Matching Division (ALT Placement Business, Recruitment Agency Business)
　Venture Incubation