Chapter 41: The Coaching Staff Showdown
"I'll ask Ayazaki-san to help us record the rest of the matches. What we need to do now is focus on ourselves!go home, take a good bath, eat well, and get plenty of sleep."
After roughly watching the first half of the third set between Hakusui and Kosen Academy, Ichise Guren sent all the Yukigaoka players home.
He had the three cameramen that Ayazaki had prepared in advance continue filming. After the match ended, Ichise Guren would spend his evening watching and analyzing the recordings of all three games.
As for hiring professionals to watch footage and analyze it, that kind of money-throwing approach, Ichise Guren felt was unnecessary. Getting professional assistance for middle school matches was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Being a part-time coach himself was enough. Everything else could wait.
,,,,,,
Shortly after the Yukigaoka team members returned home, they received a group message: [Tomorrow's opponent is decided!Kosen Academy]
The five teammates immediately started typing enthusiastically, continuing today's blood-pumping fighting spirit.
"Amazing! That libero from Hakusui was really strong, but they still couldn't beat Kosen?" Hinata Shoyo
"I noticed during the first half that Hakusui couldn't deliver decisive attacks. They could only rely on their excellent receiving skills for defense. But Kosen's stamina isn't any shorter than Hakusui's! if you defend too long, you're bound to lose." Hoshino Masaru
"Those three tall guys from Kosen are too fierce with their spikes and blocks. I need to think of some 'throwing knives' to deal with them." Mori
"What?! Mori! Don't be reckless! They'll arrest you if you throw knives at them!!!!" Hinata Shoyo
"Idiot. The 'throwing knives' Mori mentioned are set-play traps from Go, you can think of them as strategies that catch opponents off-guard through calculated surprise." Hoshino Masaru
"Hoshino-senpai is right. I can't actually throw weapons at the opponents." Mori
"You scared me! I thought you were being that impulsive, hahahaha." Hinata Shoyo
"But looking at such tall people, I feel like my spikes and blocks won't be very useful against them. I'm a bit scared." Suzuki
"Me too. Even though I'm a bit taller than Suzuki, compared to those two guys who are nearly 190cm, I feel like I won't measure up." Kawashima
"Don't worry! In terms of height, I'm taller than all of them!they can't stop me! In tomorrow's match, I'll fight alongside everyone until the end!" Hyakuzawa Yudai
"Ahahaha, Yudai, why do you talk so much when chatting on your phone? Those words are surprisingly reassuring though." Hinata Shoyo
"I don't know either. I just feel like when I pick up my phone, my desire to express myself becomes much stronger. Don't let my appearance fool you!I often argue with netizens online too." Hyakuzawa Yudai
"Really?!" Hinata Shoyo
"Really?!" +1 Hoshino Masaru
"Really?!" +1 Mori
"Really?!" +1 Kawashima
"Really?!" +1 Suzuki
"Really!" Ichise Guren
"GO EAT DINNER! Chatting as soon as you get home?! Are you going to eat or not!" !Ichise Guren
"Yes sir~ The captain has spoken, everyone go eat dinner." Hoshino Masaru
"ok" x4
After convincing everyone to go eat, Ichise Guren put down his phone. He made his food into a puree, gulped it down in a few large mouthfuls, then began seriously studying the big screen.
The frequency of attackers hitting straight shots versus cross-court shots, their habitual number of approach steps, what kind of attacks they preferred from different positions, when the libero lost the most points, whether there were flaws in blocking motions.
Ichise Guren attempted to use big data from the three matches to deconstruct each Kosen Academy player's style and habits, analyzing a potentially effective counter-strategy. Pre-match preparation also required enormous energy and time.
Although the preparation time and effective preparation frequency for the three major ball sports couldn't match the preparation effectiveness in combat sports, the way someone handles small things determines how they handle big things.
The power of habit is the most terrifying compound effect.
The professional training Ichise Guren received would make him understand his opponents better than they understood themselves. Using semi-professional methods in middle school competition! How could this not be considered a dimensional advantage?
Under bright lights, with a cup of warm water with a straw, Ichise Guren's small screen was already densely filled with his technical analysis of these three matches.
After turning off the big screen, what Ichise Guren needed to do next was carefully organize the records and analysis on his small screen, arranging them into a systematic methodology to teach his teammates tomorrow.
Kosen Academy, coaching staff.
"Matsushita! Haven't you finished analyzing the behavioral patterns of the opposing captain yet?"
"Sorry, head coach! The match footage of Yukigaoka's captain after they played Kitagawa Daiichi has limited reference value. Except for serves, most of the time he probably wasn't playing seriously."
"What? Are you saying he was slacking off?"
"No, that's not quite right either. He wasn't playing with full effort for a purpose."
Assistant Coach Matsushita paused, looking up at his head coach before continuing.
"He was controlling the score to train his team!"
The finals of the prefectural selection tournament hadn't even begun, but the invisible battle had already started. This was a showdown between coaching staffs. A confrontation between Ichise Guren and Kosen's coaching team.
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