Uma Musume: Become a Legendary Trainer

Chapter 196 Beach training and preparation for the Takamatsu Palace Cup (8k)

The special training for the Uma Musume of the Eternal Team was arranged long ago, so Oguruma, Kobayashi and Aldan have their own content, and naturally Tamamo Cross and Inariichi also have their own content.

After arranging them one by one, the next step is warm-up and basic exercises.

The sports venue was not on the lawn where Oguruma and her friends were used to playing, but on the beach.

The training camp will be held at the seaside, and a very important reason for this is that we need "beach special training".

Generally speaking, the softer the contact surface of the sports field, the more calories are consumed.

Depending on the activity, training on the beach can burn 20% to 50% more calories than similar exercise on hard surfaces.

If the force-bearing surface is soft, if you want to push your body forward, your feet must output greater force to push it forward, and part of the force will be absorbed by the terrain.

If you want to run as fast as usual, you must exert more force to push your body forward, which will inevitably consume more energy.

In addition, compared to the mud and sand on the playing field, the natural beach has a more unstable surface.

In order to maintain body balance, the small muscle groups in the lower body need to exert greater strength, and some muscles that are not often used will also be exercised, especially in the feet and ankles.

This can effectively enhance strength and balance, and the joints of the ankles, knees, hips, waist and other parts must cooperate with each other. It can also improve joint flexibility and enhance cardiopulmonary function.

Beach training not only helps with training results, but the soft surface itself also provides better cushioning.

When running on it, the joints, muscles, etc. are subjected to less impact, and this part of the body can also be well protected.

It’s just that Xiaolimao and his friends had run on mud and sand before, but had never run on a pure natural beach.

In the first round of training, the horse girls showed obvious signs of being uncomfortable.

"Okay, it's almost time to take a break."

As the main trainer of this round of training, Beiyuan counted the time with a stopwatch. After announcing the break, he inspected the horse racing girls who were slowly recovering their strength and asked in a deep voice:
"How was the regular beach training at the training camp?"

“N-Nani?! Is this just a regular special training?!”

As soon as Kitahara finished speaking, Tamamo Cross was the first to scream, "This kind of training is several times more intense than usual, right?!"

"This kind of training is just routine training?!"

"Uncle, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?!"

Several horse girls in Yongshi are the type who can endure hardships. In addition to the normal amount of training on weekdays, they also conduct high-intensity special training on a regular basis.

For example, the weight-bearing equipment and parachute sprint training that were developed during the Kasamatsu period, as well as the wind-dynamic training that was later introduced, can all increase intensity by adding weights and increasing the number of times.

In previous training, no matter how intense it was, they would never complain. However, after just one round of "beach training", Tamamo Cross couldn't help it.

Not only her, but Oguruma and the others also showed expressions of astonishment, and obviously agreed with the former's words.

"You seem a little tired, Kitahara..."

Little Chestnut Hat couldn't help but frown slightly, then she looked down at the beach, raised her foot and rubbed the sand, then gently kicked up a piece of sand.

“Originally I felt that running on the beach was about the same as running on sand.”

"When I was running just now, I found that it was difficult to exert force on this kind of ground, and it felt like I couldn't move on my own."

"This exercise is more strenuous than I thought..."

"Yes, yes. Even if the competition venue is made of mud and sand, it is not so soft. Isn't this soft ground too exaggerated?"

Hearing this, Inari, who also had experience in mud track racing, started to nod.

"It feels much softer than the one at the Yesen Stadium. I can't use my full strength at all."

"I feel like what Tama and Oguri said is correct. This kind of training shouldn't be of a regular level, right?"

"Isn't this already intensive special training?"

With the words of the three of them, even the usually gentle Xiaowan and Aldan looked at each other. Xiaowan hesitated for a moment and said:

"That's true. I see there are a lot of beach trainings scheduled on the training schedule. If this intensity continues, will we not have the energy to do other training?"

The horse racing girls all expressed their discomfort with the special training on the beach, but Kitahara, as the main trainer, did not panic at all.

This kind of discomfort had been discussed many times among the trainers before coming to Nagoya. They had anticipated similar situations and discussed corresponding explanations.

This explanation is not only to comfort Oguruma and the others to persevere, but also to say that this kind of special training is very necessary.

More importantly, tell them the key points of beach training.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. This kind of training is indeed just the normal level during the training period. What we just did was just one round. You will have to do several rounds every day from now on."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he saw that Xiaolimao and the others' expressions froze, and their long ears quickly drooped down. Seeing this, Kitahara smiled and continued:
"And the reason you are so tired now is because you haven't mastered the key points of exerting force yet, and you haven't adapted yet."

He raised his palm and touched the edge of his palm below the base of the thumb.

"When you were running just now, did you feel anything special on the sole of your foot?"

"Special feeling? Oh, that place you mentioned, Kitahara, seems to be harder than usual."

Xiao Limao reacted immediately. As she spoke, she stood on one foot, raised the other foot, and gestured with her hand, "It's probably the position you said."

"I used to exert force here when I was running before, but when I was running on the beach just now, I used more force here."

After hearing what she said, the other horse racing ladies lowered their heads, or raised one foot like Little Chestnut, or turned their ankles over and slightly exposed the soles of their feet.

They are all still wearing running shoes, so the soles of their feet cannot be seen, but from the way their forefoots move, they seem to be feeling the condition at the base of their big toes.

"That's it, the beach running method... To be more precise, among all the running movements, the more you want to run steadily, the more you need to concentrate your strength."

Beiyuan said in a deep voice:
"This is what I always tell you, running is the instinct of all living things, but racing is not."

"On the contrary, a lot of the game is against instinct."

"For example, concentrate your strength at the base of your big toe."

"In theory, if you can concentrate most of your body's strength here, each step you take when running will be more stable and your forward momentum will be stronger."

"Moreover, under the same force, once the force is concentrated, the efficiency of gaining speed will be higher."

At this point, he reminded Xiaolimao, "Before the training, I emphasized to you that what you lack now is the precise control of your physical strength."

“Control is a very complex thing, so you need to improve your overall control ability by improving the level of each detail.”

"I see... I understand, Kitahara." Oguruma quickly understood and nodded.

Kitahara continued:
"Back to the topic of concentrated force, while this has its benefits, this level of force is actually beyond what our body considers to be a 'must have level'."

"That is, our bodies 'think' that we don't need that level of concentration in a normal game."

"This causes the force from the soles of the feet to be dispersed as the person runs."

"Although there are a number of ways to train the concentrated power of the soles of the feet alone, the ideal way to do the most comprehensive training is still to use the natural environment."

"So, in your next training, you just need to deliberately control the soles of your feet and use the concentrated force techniques you have trained in the past."

"It's not that you don't know how to do it, you just didn't realize it at once."

What Kitahara described is actually one of the key roles of trainers to Uma Musume.

When it comes to running talent, no one among all humans can compare to horse girls. They are born to run.

It can even be said that there is no need for special training. As long as they can think of "concentrating their efforts" and give them some time, they will try running a few times and will be able to figure out the corresponding method themselves.

Especially Oguruma and the others are all horse girls with top talents.

This is racial advantage, this is genius, there is no logic to explain.

But even with such advantages and such talent, it still takes time for them to discover the corresponding methods, and it also takes time to adjust after discovering them.

Moreover, due to lack of experience in this process, it is very likely that the wrong method will be used, resulting in physical injury.

The role of the trainer is to tell them in advance where the right direction is.

With the right direction and their own talents, they will grow very quickly and there is no need to worry about going astray.

From this perspective, trainers often just complete the work from "0 to 1", and the subsequent work can often be done well by the horse girls themselves.

Of course, in addition to "from 0 to 1", sometimes due to "use it or lose it", the racehorses unknowingly "degenerate from 1", and the trainers must also remind them in time.

"And you didn't realize it in time, Oguruma, so I have to criticize you." Kitahara continued half-jokingly.

"Huh? Me?"

Xiao Limao was stunned, and she pointed at herself blankly.

"Yes, have you forgotten that when I first taught you, didn't I start with the power of your footwork?"

As he spoke, Beiyuan squatted down, put his five fingers together, made a space in his palm, and put his hands on the ground.

Raising his head slightly, he looked at Xiao Limao's puzzled expression, then looked at Xiao Haiwan and the others beside him and began to explain.

"In addition to concentrating the power at the base of the big toe, toe clenching is also a necessary action if you want to exert better power."

"Like a shovel. Or, imagine the sole of your foot is a shovel."

"Sand, soil or lawn is the 'water surface'. Just like swimming, you need to shovel and dig hard backwards..."

He exerted force with his hands clasped on the ground, and raised a handful of fine sand behind him, covering the sky.

"We can concentrate the previously scattered forces together and gain a stronger driving force."

"Remember, Oguruma? This should be the first specialized lesson I taught you when you were still in Kasamatsu."

He looked at Little Chestnut Hat again.

"Um... I remembered now. Sorry, Kitahara..."

She pursed her lips and scratched her head apologetically, "At that time, I had no idea what power or technique were. I just ran based on my feeling."

“And then I’m a slow learner.”

"So I actually remember what you taught me very clearly. I remembered it as soon as you mentioned it."

"But I don't know why..."

She scratched her head apologetically again, "I didn't think of it at all when I was running on the beach just now..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be so sorry. I was just joking when I criticized you. The fact is that you couldn't remember it because you are used to this way of exerting force."

After laughing, Beiyuan stood up, patted the sand on his hands, and gradually became serious.

"When I discussed this with Yusuhara before, he also mentioned that Inari had similar exercises in Ooi."

"That's why Oguruma and Inari are obviously more powerful. In addition to their physical fitness and talent, there are also technical reasons."

"It's just that this kind of skill requires training on a corresponding venue. Previously, we were preparing for the grass court and didn't have much time for special training."

"Now, while we are at the training camp, let's make good use of the beach venue to improve ourselves."

"The key purpose of the training camp is indeed to overcome your respective weaknesses and make up for your shortcomings through intensive training, but other aspects of your abilities cannot be ignored either."

“Especially in terms of strength, Little Bay and Aldan are goals in themselves, so we must work harder.”

"Well, while I'm explaining this, you guys should have rested well, so..."

After explaining the power-generating techniques on the beach, Kitahara suddenly changed the subject and, as the horse racing girls were stunned, he picked up the whistle in front of his chest.

"beep--"

"Second round of training, run back from here along this coastline at the same level as before!"

"Everyone! Get ready!"

"beep--"

It has always been a practice to use break time to give explanations. After years of practice, Oguruma and the others are almost ready as soon as they hear the first whistle.

By the second time, they hadn't even reacted yet and their bodies rushed out involuntarily.

"...Wow, even though the uncle said that, it's still a little difficult to master the power technique in a short period of time..."

After running a few steps, Tamamo Cross, who was second in the running team, couldn't help but mutter to himself as he felt the soft and strange touch of the sand again.

"If I keep running like this until I get used to it, will I be so tired that I don't want to move or even eat at the end..."

"That's impossible. Even if only my mouth can move, I will insist on eating."

Oguruma, who was separated from Tamamo Cross by an eye, immediately responded, "And if you don't eat enough, you won't have the energy for the training later."

"If it's Kitahara, this kind of training is definitely not the highest level. There will definitely be more in the future."

"That's right. If this kind of running is just a normal one, Mr. Kitahara would have made other arrangements based on his personality..."

The little bay running at the end echoed, and then asked: "Hey, Xiaoli, do you have any experience in exerting force on the soles of your feet?"

Before the Takarazuka Kinen, the horse girls of Eternal Age would also chat about their experiences in running.

After a special exchange during that competition, they talked about this with each other more frequently.

Not only is it more frequent, but after several special experiences, the way of communication has also improved, and we understand each other much better.

"As for the feeling... I'll describe it like my feet are scratching the ground."

After thinking for a while, Xiao Limao gave his own answer, "Or rather, the toes are trying to pick up the sand."

“That’s probably the feeling.”

Compared to her companions, Xiao Limao usually does not use professional terms in race walking, and often prefers to use onomatopoeia or metaphors to describe her feelings. At first, Xiao Haiwan and the others were not used to this way of description.

But after listening a few more times, they were surprised to find that Oguruma's grasp of the theory was actually much better than many people imagined.

Moreover, once you get used to her descriptions, they will seem extremely vivid.

"Tickle? What an interesting way of saying it. Let me try it..."

After Xiao Haiwan responded, his expression became much more focused, and he was obviously trying to verify what Xiao Limao said.

The same thing happened to the other three horse girls, and the entire team suddenly became silent.

In the distance came the rustling sound of waves hitting the rocks, occasionally mixed with the faint cries of seagulls.

The bright morning sunshine shone through the sound, and a line of five horse racing girls left a neat row of footprints on the golden beach.

Kitahara caught up with the running group a little late. After announcing the start, he turned around and ran to drive the ATV.

The soft surface of the beach does reduce the speed of the horse girl, and after reducing from 5 or 60 kilometers per hour to 3 or 40, it is still a speed that humans cannot match.

We use a beach buggy to follow them throughout the process. In addition to ensuring the training status and safety of Oguruma and the others at all times, we also need to collect relevant data.

With the assistance and approval of the college board and student union, as well as funding from Hewan Enterprises, the beach and holiday estate were contracted by the Yongshi team within three months.

The three-month investment may exceed the needs, but it is more important to ensure the training effect than to have insufficient time.

With no interference from outsiders, the training grounds on the beach and in the manor were remodeled to a certain extent according to the team's habits.

For example, on the beach, various data collection equipment are set up along most of the coast.

With the continuous efforts of Xinxin Guanghui, the equipment is also constantly improving.

In the past, if you wanted to process and analyze the data, you had to wait until the training was completed and the data was collected uniformly. Now, you can receive the data in real time through the terminal and process it on site.

The only inconvenience is that the recovered signal uses Bluetooth technology, and the transmission distance is not long enough, so the terminal needs to be brought close to receive it.

Therefore, Kitahara could only drive back and forth on a dune buggy.

While collecting data and observing Oguruma and the others' practice, he was also estimating how long it would take to move forward.

The way we are doing it now is certainly not complete. If you really want to make full use of the beach, the best way is "barefoot training".

After being washed by the waves for a long time, the beach near the sea is covered with fine sand, and the manor staff cleans it every day, so there is no need to worry about injuring your feet.

The soles of the feet are one of the parts of the human body with the most nerves and blood vessels, and granular sand has a unique irritation to them.

"Barefoot training" can make full use of this characteristic to stimulate blood circulation, the activity of various glands, and enhance the body's sensitivity.

It’s just that when you first start training, you still need some time to adapt to using running shoes. Otherwise, if you run barefoot on the beach right away, you may still sprain your ankle.

In addition to the need to go barefoot when using the sand, subsequent "body collision training" is also required.

The beach is not only about sand, but also about waves.

Ocean waves are a natural resistance, and training with the help of this resistance in waters of a certain depth can effectively counteract the impact from one side of the body.

This is in preparation for international competitions, and the physical impact of that type of competition has been fully demonstrated in the Yesen Exchange Competition.

Since Oguruma and the others lack experience, targeted training needs to start early.

Taking similar simulation games and training is certainly an option, but it is bound to involve unexpected risks. It is better to choose a more natural approach.

Moreover, no matter how powerful Uma Musume is, she can never be stronger than the waves.

As long as Oguruma and the others can maintain a similar speed under a certain degree of wave impact, and with this foundation they step into the international level competition, the problem of physical collision will hardly have an impact.

However, both "barefoot training" and "body collision training" require adaptability to be improved before they can be carried out, so there is no rush now.

So after several rounds of beach training, Kitahara brought the exhausted horse girls back to the manor.

At this time, the wind tunnel test of Roman Oguri and four other horse girls had just ended, and the four of them collapsed on the chairs in the warehouse exhausted.

"Ground, ground! It's the ground!"

As soon as he stepped onto the concrete floor of the warehouse, Tamamo Cross suddenly revealed an expression mixed with happiness and the desire to cry but unable to do so.

"The ground is so great!"

"I never thought that being able to run on the ground would be such a happy thing!"

Inari Ichiya was also very excited.

"Wow! I feel like it's so easy to run here!"

With a tired look on her face, she couldn't help but run a few steps in the warehouse. "I think my speed now is more than twice as fast as usual!"

"Inari, aren't you exaggerating a bit...?"

Although he also looked very tired, Aldan was still able to maintain his noble demeanor. "It must be an illusion that I suddenly came indoors from the beach."

"Aldan is right. Things like physical strength, power, and speed cannot be improved quickly in half a day. Besides, we haven't practiced for half a day."

Xiao Wan agreed, then looked at the ground thoughtfully and lifted his foot. "But, just talking about the touch..."

“The feeling between my feet and the ground does seem to be better than before.”

"Isn't it time to eat yet...?"

Xiao Limao's focus was different from theirs. She touched her stomach in frustration and said, "My stomach feels flat..."

"Should I continue my diet for a while, Kitahara?"

She looked at her trainer with a bitter face and a little expectant eyes.

The one who responded to her was not Kitahara, but Kyoko Miyamura, who had previously helped Oguri Roman and the others complete the testing.

"You don't have to diet as long as usual during the training camp, Oguri."

At this point, the members of Eisei have become accustomed to Ogurimo calling the time between meals "diet". Miyamura Kyoko walked over and said with a smile:
"Actually, you guys don't eat too long between training sessions. Don't you eat bananas, fruits, and other foods during training?"

"A dessert like bananas and fruit can't be considered edible, right?"

Hearing about eating, Oguruma seemed more positive and smiled subconsciously. However, when she spoke, she somewhat disagreed with Kyoko's words, "That little bit of fruit won't fill you up."

"It's not to fill you up."

Kyoko explained: "In terms of diet, it is best to follow the normal three meals a day, so that the stomach and intestines digest according to normal rules and will not secrete digestive juices such as gastric acid at inappropriate times."

"It's just that you usually exercise a lot, and the energy provided by the three meals will be consumed very quickly."

"If you don't eat during training, the metabolism and decomposition rate of glucose in your body will become faster about an hour before noon or evening."

"If you don't replenish some sugar in advance, you're more likely to have a 'transient hypoglycemia reaction' at this time."

"That is, dizziness, headache, cold sweat, tremors, etc."

"So, during your training and competitions, we will prepare some bananas, still drinks, chocolate and other desserts for you."

"The intensity of the joint training is much higher than usual, and there will be more desserts like this."

"So it's okay for you to take these as a snack, Xiaoli."

"Is that so? Well, I don't quite understand some of it, but it's really great to be able to eat more."

After listening to Miyamura Kyoko's explanation, Oguruma was just excited, but soon his expression changed and he pointed behind her, "Sister Kyoko, behind you..."

Kyoko Miyamura was stunned for a moment, then she felt as if someone was coming from behind her, and she turned around subconsciously.

"Huh? McQueen..." She was stunned again.

“Ah…ah? Kyoko-sister, hello, um…”

Standing behind Kyoko Miyamura was none other than Mejiro McQueen.

I don't know when she came over. There was a gleam in her eyes, her mouth was slightly open, and there seemed to be saliva faintly visible at the corners of her mouth.

"me……"

Seeing that Kyoko Miyamura and others were looking at her, she hesitated for a while, and before she could say anything, a teasing voice came from the side.

"She heard there was dessert, and she suddenly came back to life from her half-dead state in the chair!"

The energetic voice came from the Emperor of the East China Sea. She also looked a little tired and obviously had not recovered from the wind tunnel test just now, but she was still merciless when teasing her friends.

"I, I didn't come here just for dessert. I, I just... That's right! I want to know what the test was just now."

Hastily covering up, Mebai McQueen felt that the reason he found was very appropriate, and quickly looked at Kitahara.

"Chief Kitahara, can you explain this?"

When Oguruma and the others completed their first beach training session, the horse racing girls at the warehouse also completed various tests.

Wind tunnel testing requires the use of running belts made of different materials, as well as different angles and wind speeds to simulate different racing conditions.

In this state, the intensity of the training cannot be fully compared with the actual situation, but the strength is almost the same.

After completing the whole set, Oguruma and the others all felt a little tired. Even though the intensity was reduced a lot, it was still a little tiring for the East Sea Emperor and Mejiro McQueen who had just started.

But probably because it was their first time experiencing something new, they were all very excited.

On the other side, Narita Shirahito also heard the voice here, and came over with Oguri Roman, also looking at Kitahara with inquiring eyes.

"In simple terms, it is to collect indicators of various aspects of your body. Your senior will explain the specific situation in detail later."

Kitahara explained.

Right now, both groups of horse girls are in a state of fatigue after training, which is a good opportunity to train their brains. This is also the reason why the emperor and the others were specially invited here.

Brain training is not complicated. All they need to do is, like the Takarazuka Kinen, for Oguruma and the others to explain as much as possible and for the juniors to actively ask questions.

The process still needs to be videotaped.

Kitahara and his colleagues also have the work of collating data, analyzing training and competitions, and are unable to provide full-time guidance.

In order to avoid any deviations in the communication of some professional knowledge among horse girls, it is necessary to use video recordings for corrections.

The horse racing ladies were aware of this part of the arrangement beforehand, and in their opinion this kind of “brain training” was no different from “playing together”, and they were happy to eat dessert and chat together during the breaks.

Especially Mejiro McQueen, she just walked to Miyamura Kyoko's side before she even realized it, just because she heard the word "dessert".

After the rest which also served as "brain training" was over, Roman Oguri and the others also joined the next round of beach training, but of course the intensity was not as high.

This was followed by lunch and afternoon training.

The afternoon training was not held on the beach, nor was it arranged in the manor or warehouse, but at the Zhongjing stadium.

Inariichi's Takamatsunomiya Cup will be on July 7, which is still a week away from the start of the competition. At this time, more time should be spent on adapting to the competition venue.

This would also allow the Emperor of the East China Sea and the others to observe closely and understand clearly how Yongshi usually prepares for the competition.

The Chukyo Stadium is located in Toyoake City, Nagoya, and part of it is located in the Midori Ward of Nagoya City.

Although it is a central stadium directly under the jurisdiction of the URA Association like the Tokyo Stadium and Hanshin Stadium, the Chukyo Stadium is relatively smaller in area.

For example, the Tokyo stadium has five tracks from A to E, but here there are only two tracks, A and B, inside and outside.

Track A is a 1705-meter grass track, and the inner dirt track is 1530 meters long.

The entrance fee is also much less.

Even for general-level competitions, the entrance ticket in Tokyo costs more than 1000 yen. For major events or competitions, the price will rise to more than 3000 or even 4000 yen.

It only costs 200 yen, which is very cheap.

However, even though it's so cheap, the popularity here is still not as good as that of the Tokyo area. It's quite popular during competitions, but not many people come here when it's open for free on normal days.

This also makes training easier.

“Compared to the parallel running training in the past, it’s much less.”

After the horse racing ladies finished their warm-up, they stood at the starting point of the grass track and Kitahara sighed slightly.

In the parallel running training at Central Tresen Academy, there is always an endless stream of horse racing girls who want to join in, and Oguruma and her friends never lack sparring partners.

There were only five of them training at the moment, and at first glance, the gate seemed a little sparsely populated.

"Uncle, uncle! If it's too little, I can run side by side with the seniors!"

It can be said that a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. After hearing Bei Yuan's words, the Emperor of the East China Sea, who was watching and learning from the side, suddenly became eager to try.

Striking a starting pose, she said excitedly: "I have only been in the industry for the past one or two years, and now I am gradually becoming more authentic."

"If we're comparing wins and losses, I don't have the confidence to beat my seniors."

"But if I work hard, I think I can still catch up with them for a while!"

"How about it, uncle, would you like to consider it?"

When the East Sea Emperor said this, Mejiro McQueen and Narita Shirahito beside her were also a little moved and looked at Kitahara.

Kitahara knew she wasn't arrogant.

For ordinary horse girls, it is actually very difficult to have an impact on active players like Oguruma in a side-by-side race, especially when they have not yet been authentic.

But the emperors of the East China Sea all have the top talents of their generation. Even though they are still young, they still show strength beyond their peers.

The fact that they were able to keep up during previous parallel running training is proof of this.

However, with the intelligence they had gathered previously, Kitahara and the others knew that Inari's opponent this time was a little special, so they could not conduct special training as usual.

(End of this chapter)