Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 155: Be a real ball-handling core

"It's nice to see you again, sir." Chen Fang took the initiative to step forward and gave him an American hug.

Chrollo Hannon was also very happy. He said to Wick, "This kid has gotten stronger again."

"Haha, I've been staring at him." Wick pointed at his eyes and then looked at Chen Fang.

"I dare not be lazy at all. You can measure my body fat percentage later."

"Where is Mr. Carl?" Chen Fang asked after looking around and not finding him.

"Fifteen days is too short. Drew gave us the video and the unanimous conclusion is that you now need to improve your offensive skills and physical strength. On defense, it's enough." Hannon explained.

"I think so too." Chen Fang nodded.

“What’s the rhythm now?”

"Give it to Wick in the morning, give it to me in the afternoon, and give it to you in the evening."

"Good idea." Chen Fang understood.

This is Drew's own gym, and it was also where Bill trained before. Chen Fang is very familiar with it. The gym and rehabilitation center that were still under construction in the summer have been built.

It seems that Drew is ambitious and wants to do big things.

"Come on, we're going to get to work." Hannon pulled Chen Fang to the side of the court, where there was a large-screen mobile TV.

"This is a compilation of highlights from your games. Before I start, I have to praise you. Your success rate is so high that I can't even make up my mind whether it will help your special training."

"Come on, I know what to do." Chen Fang said reassuringly.

"Great, come on." Hannon turned on the TV and played the video directly.

It was a game against Turk High School, and what was being played at that moment was Chen Fang's score after a breakthrough.

Hannon paused the video and began to draw on the screen with a pen: "You have a good vision and are very clear that there will be a double team on the left, so you first make a fake breakthrough on the left, and then suddenly accelerate to the right to attack the basket."

"Yes, that's what I thought at the time," Chen Fang recalled.

"It proves that you're playing with your brain, not your instincts. That's a very good quality." Hannon praised him a few times before saying, "Come on, kid, let me show you the correct offensive choice."

Hannon erased the red circle and began to draw two straight lines on the screen.

From the wing and top of the arc respectively.

"You are on the strong side, and the defender after you break through is behind you. The people in the elbow area and short corner area will definitely come forward to double-team and help defend. This is what you face when you go in from the wing."

"Yes, the time given to them to react is very short, and the space is limited." Chen Fang continued, explaining his thoughts at the time.

"Two questions." Han Nong turned to Chen Fang.

"Do you think it's better to play with the ball or without the ball?"

Chen Fang thought about it and needed to explain more: "In my opinion, both are good. The choice should be based on the situation at the time."

"That's true," Hannon said seriously. "But I tell you, it's hard."

Chen Fang didn't say anything, he just listened calmly.

"If your goal is the NBA, you will definitely choose one of these options in the end. Do you want to know why?"

"Sir, please go ahead."

"Because in the NBA, no team is led by its players. Even Jordan played according to a series of tactics derived from the triangle tactics. This is the relationship between the primary and the secondary. Otherwise, what is the role of a head coach?"

"Every team in the league will tailor individual tactics for its stars, but this is also based on the team's own tactical style."

"When you have the ball and when you have the ball, these are two completely different tactical systems, corresponding to the big ball system and the small ball system respectively."

"The big ball system is based on positional attack/defense, individual strength, and confrontation intensity, while the small ball system is based on ball control, guerrilla attack, sneak attack/defense, fast break, speed, and skills."

"It's impossible for a team to have two systems, because the players matched cannot have both. This is a paradox."

"Do you understand now?" Hannon asked.

"Understood." Chen Fang nodded.

"It's derived from the tactics under the system. That's the unique skill of every coaching team. I won't go into details. So let's get back to the topic. If you have to choose one of the two, which one would you choose?"

Chen Fang thought for a moment and replied, "Hold the ball."

"Very good, that's what I mean. With your height and position, you can play more valuable when holding the ball. In time, you can get a big contract."

"Playing without the ball requires a lot of system and can lead to unstable performance throughout the season. The advantage is relatively low strain and injury rate, but the disadvantage is that your status in the team may not be very high, and it is difficult to negotiate a big contract." Hannon patiently explained his point of view.

Chen Fang nodded. The only one in the league who could play without the ball was Curry. Only Curry could get such a big contract.

What is a big contract? In the NBA, a big contract is the league's top salary, which only the best outside players can get.

If Curry were 10 centimeters taller, he would still choose to hold the ball. This is a transformation under the pressure of fate, not inevitability.

"Since you agree with my point of view, then to improve your skills, you should move towards becoming a ball-handling core." Hannon felt relieved after passing this step.

Communicating with smart people is efficient.

"Come on, come back to reality, let me analyze how you should fight."

"After entering, the first thing you think about is not to solve the problem by speed, but to read the game in depth. When you break through, you have to slow down, go sideways, and go in the direction with fewer people." Hannon drew an arc.

"As a defender, after you break through and move horizontally to the free throw line, the person on the left who wants to help defend you will retreat, and he dare not abandon his defender."

"The inside defender standing at the elbow will approach you, but he moves slowly and can get rid of him in one rhythm."

"At the same time, you take into account multiple passing lanes. As long as you make one or two passes, when you break through again, the opponent will not dare to double-team or help defend. Instead, they will actively look for and update their own defensive targets."

Chen Fang stood in front of the TV and thought about it along Hannon's line of thought. He nodded: "Yes, sir, you are right."

"So, the way you play is not optimal." Hannon continued to play. On TV, Chen Fang scored successfully with a powerful layup.

Chen Fang watched silently. He felt that this choice was very stupid. Looking back, he saw many passing routes for assists.

"You have a lot of assists, all of which come from passing the ball after actively attracting double-teaming. That's true, but it doesn't make you a good assist man." Hannon seemed to see through Chen Fang's mind. He asked directly, "What do you think of Harden?"

"Very strong."

Rockets star Dennis is dominating the league. At the end of this season, he shocked the league with his amazing statistics of 29.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 11.2 assists. Unfortunately, he met Westbrook, who was in his prime, and lost to the regular season MVP.

"I strongly suggest you watch more of his game videos and learn his passing ideas."

"Harden rarely assists by attracting double teams, but he can see teammates in better positions, and the passes he makes are carefully crafted."

"Preparation?" Chen Fang didn't quite understand.

Hannon picked up a basketball, walked seven or eight meters, passed the ball to Chen Fang, and shouted, "What does it feel like?"

Chen Fang was a little puzzled when he received the ball. He didn't quite understand and said, "Sir, I want to know what feeling you are talking about?"

“That catch-and-shoot feeling,” Hannon yelled.

Chen Fang passed it back and said, "Do it again."

The ball was passed to Chen Fang, who caught it, tried to shoot, and then let it go.

"Feel it again." Hannon took another ball and passed it to Chen Fang. Chen Fang caught it again and shot the ball.

Hannong walked back and came to Chen Fang: "Is there any difference?"

"Yes!" Chen Fang stroked the basketball.

"speak out."

"The first pass didn't feel right, but the second shot felt very comfortable." Chen Fang still didn't understand.

Hannon smiled and asked Wick, who had been watching nearby, to pass him a ball.

"How can I improve my shooting percentage?" he asked.

Chen Fang lowered his head to look at the ball, thought for a moment, and still shook his head.

"If you were asked to shoot, would you adjust the ball in your shooting hand?" Hannon said patiently without any hurry.

Chen Fang lowered his head again, and a flash of light flashed in his mind: "Is it a pattern?"

"Yes, you are very smart." Hannon said with relief.

"Following the lines of the basketball, you can feel more friction when you shoot. More importantly, when you flick the ball with your fingers, it won't go off the track because you are following the lines of the basketball."

"But most of the time, there is no time to adjust, or because of the adjustment, you lose the rhythm of shooting." "When shooting free throws, all players will adjust the lines of the basketball in their palms to form a cross-section with the fingers, which enhances the directionality of the finger flick."

(This is one of the plots in the movie starring Irving. Irving went to call his old friends to play a game together. He saw it in the nursing home, and then passed the ball to his old friend with dementia. This is a very detailed action, which was overlooked at the time. Now I realize that the director is telling the fans how advanced Irving's passing is.)
As he spoke, Hannon held the basketball in his palm and said to Chen Fang.

"Yes." Chen Fang remembered that he also had this habit when shooting free throws, but he never extended it to a deeper level.

"Harden's passing follows this principle, ensuring that everyone who receives the ball does not need to adjust and can shoot directly along the ball's path. This greatly increases his hit rate and also increases his assists."

Chen Fang suddenly understood and became excited.

"How should I pass it on?"

Hannon smiled and said, "I can't guarantee that I can do it all the time during the competition, but I know this technique. Don't worry, these fifteen days will give you a basic introduction."

"Thank you." Chen Fang was very happy. This was the meaning of spending money.

"Remember, advanced passing is to read the defense that changes in real time, form several passing routes in your brain, and then choose according to your changing situation in real time."

"Don't pass the ball just for the sake of passing it. Shooting comes first, passing comes second. You have to ensure your chances of scoring first, then consider passing the ball."

"This is the core idea of the ball-holding core." When he said this, Hannon's expression was very serious.

"I remember that, sir."

"Okay, for the rest of our training, we'll focus on this fictional scenario." Hannon pointed to the court.

Only then did Chen Fang realize that several people had come to the stadium, and they appeared on the stadium holding huge pillars.

"Each pillar represents a person. The red ones are teammates, and the blue ones are opponents. We will start with a fixed defensive position, and then gradually move to a mobile position, trying to be as close to actual combat as possible."

"Move?" Chen Fang asked.

"Yeah, look, he's going to use props."

I saw a burly black man, who seemed to weigh nearly 300 pounds and was almost two meters tall, walked in. He was wearing protective gear all over his body and holding tall sticks like maces in his two hands.

He is more like the barbarian with a two-handed weapon in Diablo III!
"His name is Ruhl, and he's your sparring partner for the next fifteen days," Hannon explained.

Chen Fang took a breath of cold air. Is this going to kill me?

"He will use a lot of fouls and intimidation tactics. You need to overcome them." Hannon said. Seeing Chen Fang's expression change, he laughed and said to Wick, "I hope you can teach him something."

"Don't worry, Chen, I have a way." Now it's Wick's turn.

"This is my job for the next fifteen days. I will tell you how to fight smarter, to save energy when facing high intensity, and to avoid injuries." Seeing Chen Fang was a little suspicious, Wick patted his chest and said, "You have to know that compared to basketball, football is more terrifying."

"One is only at primary school level, and the other is at university."

After hearing what Wick said, Chen Fang felt that this made sense and he felt relieved.

"Well, anyway, for these fifteen days, my body and soul belong to you, sir." Chen Fang said with a wry smile.

With Chen Fang's words, today's special training began.

When Chen Fang returned home tired, he found that the three people were already waiting and dinner was set on the table.

(Actually, I can talk about how to train in detail. After all, I am also a trainer. I have both theory and practice. I am the main force of the local county team. I take them to special training every winter and summer vacation. But there is really no need to waste words. Now short videos are well developed. You can find out by searching. However, how to train systematically and make up for your shortcomings is difficult to help you through videos.)
"What is this?" Chen Fang was a little unresponsive.

"I know you're very tired, so don't cook for these days. I've ordered a special meal. Don't worry, your portion will be based on your nutritional needs." Lu Yun explained.

"Okay, thanks." Chen Fang was too tired to talk.

Wu Zhen didn't say anything. They also started training today, right next to the gym where Chen Fang was training. They went to take a look during the break. What shocked Wu Zhen was that Chen Fang actually endured this intensity for a whole day.

Lu Yun saw Wu Zhen's intention. In order to dispel his brother's silly idea, Lu Yun asked his trainer without hesitation. The answer he got was that the training content is set according to the level. It is not that you can just want a certain intensity, because it must be scientific and rational.

The implication is that you are not worthy.

It had been two hours since they returned, and Wu Zhen felt a huge sense of disappointment when he thought about how Chen Fang had started training at 7: in the morning and didn't get home until in the evening.

He asked Lu Yun, and the answer he got was that since Chen Fang entered the mountain, he had basically been training non-stop all year round, maintaining this training intensity and time, and it had been a year and a half.

This is how the gap arises.

(I sent private messages to several Chinese students who had played in American high schools in the United States, and finally got a patient reply from one of them. I also got a glimpse of the training routine of some American high school students. I can only say that although they are only 16 or 17 years old, they may have trained for more time than our professional players in their careers. When Xiao Cui went there, he trained so hard that he doubted his life, and his trainer also doubted his life. It's quite sad to think about it.)
Let’s not talk about the quality of training first, let’s catch up with the training time.

Lu Yun also noticed that Chen Fang was already exhausted. They ate in silence. Chen Fang indeed entered a state of self-isolation again, just like last year in the mountains, when he didn't even notice that summer had come. He was like a wooden man, mechanically going between the dormitory, the training hall and the cafeteria every day.

After eating, Chen Fang struggled into the house. Now he just wanted to lie on the bed.

After Wu Zi finished packing, she entered Chen Fang's room in front of Wu Zhen.

Chen Fang, who was already lying on the bed, felt someone pinching him. He tried hard to open his eyes and turned sideways to look. It was Wu Zi.

"Don't move. I just learned massage therapy. I will relax you later."

It’s good to relax, it’s wonderful to relax!
Chen Fang’s favorite thing in his life is to get a massage after playing ball. Now he is reliving the old days. If he was not really too exhausted, he would have to sing a song to express his joy.

Before he knew it, Chen Fang fell into a deep sleep.

Wu Zi also slowed down her strength, and listening to the snoring sounds, she smiled.

This boy is so nice.

In the living room, Lu Yun saw that Wu Zhen was in a bad mood, so he comforted her: "Many things cannot be forced too much. If you have this intention, you will succeed."

Wu Zhen looked up at his brother and nodded.

"I feel that the decision was right. I still thought more and did less."

Lu Yun knew that this was referring to the reason why he was asked to come to Chen Fang and go to the mountain together.

So he asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time.

"Why did you make this decision in the first place?"

Wu Zhen responded with silence, and Lu Yun also remained silent, just standing there coldly.

"Actually, I just felt that if I left, you would be left alone in Nanyang, and I was afraid that you would really give up basketball, so I half-jokingly suggested that you go undercover." Wu Zhen finally spoke.

"In fact, you know very well that it doesn't matter where I go. I can't be an undercover agent."

"Yes, it's still the same agreement. We played together until we couldn't move. So I don't want you to give up basketball."

"No." Lu Yun comforted.

"That year I had a falling out with my family and was penniless in Nanyang. You treated me to a month's meal. It's the biggest favor I owe you in my life."

"You won it yourself, what does it have to do with me?" Talking about the old days, Wu Zhen also felt emotional. He had encountered a lot of setbacks during this period, and he had become more sentimental than he should have been.

"In fact, I know that if Wu Zi hadn't appeared, you wouldn't have stayed with me for a month."

Wu Zhen's words made Lu Yun smile awkwardly.

"She really does look like my dead sister."

"Well, I've seen the picture in your necklace."

"Ah, fuck, when did you see it?" Lu Yun was shocked.

"I didn't peek. You gave it to me on your own initiative. You were drunk that time and you licked your face to open the mechanism of the necklace and showed it to me." Wu Zhen frowned.

"Well, that day was my sister's death anniversary. Damn it, fuck this damn God." Lu Yun's face was grim.

Wu Zhen picked up the energy drink on the table and drank it.

"Come on, let's fuck together!" he said.

The two sad teenagers clinked the bottles together.

"Fuck, sometimes I'm really jealous of someone." Lu Yun tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then cursed at Chen Fang's room.

Wu Zhen didn't say anything, but his expression was also complicated.

Wu Zhen, Wu Zi, and Lu Yun, this small group formed because of the same tragic experience, all had their life trajectories changed after they met Chen Fang.

Maybe, this is fate, connected by basketball.

　By the way, American young players start training for 14 hours a day from the age of 8, which is the 5th grade. When they start in the 18th grade, it increases to 10 hours. When they are years old, they maintain this training intensity until the draft, which is hours. Those who are good at math can calculate that they have at least tens of thousands of hours of training before they reach the NBA.

　　So, don’t mention race or physical fitness, just complete the training time first and then make excuses.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)