Uma Musume: Become a Legendary Trainer

Chapter 70: Can you recite pi? (Additional update, 44)

They returned to Kasamatsu from Shin Shinkyō's hometown with several sets of weight-bearing equipment. It was already late, so they ate a bowl of flat noodles on the way. Then they parked the truck loaded with weight-bearing equipment in the school warehouse. Kitahara asked Shin Shinkyō and Miyamura Kyoko to go back and rest, and he went to the training ground.

Xiaowan's inflammation has almost healed now. According to Kyoko Miyamura's doctor's advice, she no longer has to worry about anything when she is engaged in normal activities. So Kitahara lets her watch Oguri's practice every day.

"Observer practice" has a formal name in training methods, "virtual training".

From a physiological point of view, due to the existence of special brain nerve cells called "mirror neurons", higher animals can specifically encode the actions of their peers, so that by observing and imitating similar actions, they can establish corresponding cognitive modules in their brains.

Simply put, "mirror neurons" are the physiological basis for humans and horse girls to learn.

Of course, specific training is not just about watching, but also about imagining from various angles how you should perform when facing an "imaginary opponent".

This comes from some of his experiences.

This kind of "imaginary training" is not only required for running, but all competitive athletes have such training.

In the past, Kitahara had a hobby of Sanda in order to maintain his health.

His coach and seniors told him that if he had no opponent to practice with, he should imagine that there was an enemy in front of him and keep imagining how "he" attacked and defended, and how he would attack and defend himself.

From this experience, he personally believes that this type of training is not only physically demanding, but also extremely mentally demanding, and is actually more tiring than a real competition.

In addition to actual experience, the Emperor of the East China Sea has used this ability more than once in the second season of the anime. Generally speaking, the more outstanding the athlete, the more adept they are at this skill. Those with outstanding talent in this area can even conduct a "real game" in their minds.

With these experiences and learnings from the trainers, Kitahara asked Xiaohaiwan to simulate in his mind how he would need to perform to win, or why he would lose if he were competing on the same stage with the opponent when watching Xiaolimao training.

This process needs to be recorded and he will check it every day.

According to his arrangement, Oguruma should be running on the training ground now, while Xiaohaiwan is doing "imaginary training" on the side.

When I arrived at the training ground, I saw a tall figure from afar.

Oguruma is 1 meters tall and Super Xiaohaiwan is 67 meters tall. They are considered relatively tall among the horse girls and are very conspicuous no matter where they stand.

The two of them were not training, and it seemed that they had just finished and were huddled together, laughing and talking about something.

When he got closer, Kitahara realized that they were talking about food.

"Oh! Xiaowan is actually really good at making rice balls, so amazing!"

Oguruma's eyes lit up, and what made her eyes light up was a rice ball the size of a basketball in Xiaowan's hand.

The rice ball is big and round, and it looks like it’s about to burst out.

The rice is round and smooth, the seaweed looks crispy and delicious, and there are black sesame seeds on the white rice, which makes people's appetite increase.

"It's okay, I just pinched it casually."

Smiling sheepishly, Xiao Haiwan said modestly, "Didn't I hear Xiaoli say yesterday that he always gets hungry after running, so before coming here today, I went to the cafeteria to borrow some rice and made a few big rice balls."

"I think with Oguri's appetite, he should be able to finish all these rice balls."

"Here, eat this first. I have more here. Don't be polite."

Handing the rice ball to Oguruma, Xiaowan pointed to an incubator hanging diagonally on his body.

The box is as big as a bedside table, and only Uma Musume can carry it with her without feeling it is heavy. With such a big box, it can probably fit 3 or 4 big rice balls in it without any problem.

"Yeah! Thanks, Cove!"

After taking the big rice ball, his eyes turned slightly green and Oguruma nodded vigorously.

But she still remembered to say hello before the meal, "I'm ready to eat! Ah-woo!"

"Woo--howl!"

With a happy hum, Xiao Limao's eyes narrowed into crescents, then quickly widened again.

"Hmm? Why did the Northern Circle come to cause trouble?"

"Don't talk while eating, be careful not to choke."

Kitahara had already walked over and smiled at the two horse girls. Just as he was about to greet them, Xiaowan handed him another notebook. "Mr. Kitahara, this is my homework for today. Please check it."

The homework is a record of "imaginary training". Kitahara has always believed that any idea should be sorted out in black and white, which can at least deepen the memory, so even if it is training ideas and experiences, the horse racing ladies will be required to write them down.

However, Oguruma is not suitable for this method. What he writes is very abstract, which makes it difficult for Kitahara to read. Only the homework taught by Xinxin Guanghui, who is good at theory, can give him some comfort.

Now he had one more person to comfort him, and the work on the little bay was neat and clear.

"Well, that's right. Your analysis is almost the same as the actual situation. This is indeed your current level."

Oguruma is now a seasoned veteran, and her level is much higher than that of Xiaowan who has not yet debuted. If the latter competes directly with the former now, the chances of winning will not be very high. This is Kitahara's estimate, and this is also the conclusion of Xiaowan in her homework.

Just as Kitahara was looking through Xiaohaiwan's homework, Oguruma became a little confused.

Ah--chew chew chew...swallow.

She took a big bite of the rice ball first, then tilted her head.

"Kitahara, Xiao Haiwan seems to be imagining how to train and how to compete. Is this kind of thing useful in the game?"

"Of course it is useful. Theoretically speaking..."

He made an opening remark subconsciously, but after realizing that it was Oguruma who asked the question, Kitahara pondered for a moment and changed his way of speaking.

"Xiao Li Mao, do you think that in order to win the game, besides luck, speed, strength, endurance, and perseverance, you need something else?"

"Luck, speed..."

After mumbling two words, Xiao Limao's expression became serious, "I don't know."

Then she explained, "These should be all the elements to win the game, right? Is there anything else I don't know?"

Beiyuan smiled, glanced at Xiaowan, signaling her to listen carefully, then stretched out a finger and pressed it against his temple:

"wisdom."

"Or rather, brain power."

"Our brain consumes 75% of the liver's blood and 20% of oxygen every day, and the overall consumption accounts for about 20% of physical energy. When we concentrate on thinking, this proportion will increase."

"To put it in concrete numbers, the brain needs 0.1 calories per minute just to survive, and 1.5 calories per minute when concentrating on thinking, which is 15 times higher."

He waved his other hand holding the homework, "And you guys need to consume a lot of energy when you compete. The longer the distance, the more energy you will consume."

"Then at the end of the race, the mind loses focus, the field of vision becomes narrow, and the judgment becomes dull. In this situation, whether you can stay calm and continue to think becomes the key to victory or defeat."

"Therefore, it is necessary to get the brain and body used to higher levels of physical and mental exertion as much as possible on a regular basis."

Kitahara's attitude became more serious.

"It just so happens that Little Chestnut mentioned this, so I'll say it in advance."

"Xiao Haiwan still needs to recuperate now. Imaginary training, or mental training, is her main task."

“And you need to do this training.”

"Your next race will be 200 to 400 meters longer than before, and there will be longer races in the future. You need to start training your brain now."

"The weight equipment has arrived. Next, you will not only increase the weight of your body, but also the weight of your brain."

"The specific method... oh, right..."

“Can you recite pi?”

Xian G, it's time to practice
What I am posting now are the saved drafts from the weekend. I am relatively free on weekends. I have to go to work and prepare for exams during the weekdays, so I don’t update as much as on weekends.

However, after sorting out my thoughts this weekend, the following plot feels smoother, and I will still try my best to write more

I will try to update one more chapter tomorrow. If there is one, I will mention it in the 8th chapter.

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(End of this chapter)