NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 15 Two Trainers

A day later, Tim Grover, the trainer recommended by David Falk, and Greg Sam, the trainer recommended by Boeheim, reported at the same time to the basketball training hall of Syracuse University.

Boeheim opened a back door for Meng Jin, allowing him to use the venue throughout the summer.

Meng Jin could tell at a glance that the two had very different styles.

Tim Grover is an energetic young man in his early twenties. He has a strong desire to express himself and is enthusiastic.

Greg Sam is a calm middle-aged man in his 50s.

Tim Grover was very excited: "Meng, I envy your talent so much!"

Tim Grover's biggest dream is to play in the NBA, but his height of over 170 cm and athletic talent limit his dream.

Tim's second dream is to become an NBA trainer. He didn't have the opportunity before, but when he saw Meng Jin, he felt like a hand was touching the edge of his dream.

Greg Sam observed Meng Jin's body, first the muscles, then the Achilles tendon and then the bones.

"You are very strong, Meng, but if you want to enter the NBA, you must become stronger. I have seen your information before. You are 110 kilograms now. You must quickly increase your weight to 115-118 kilograms in the next few months."

"You're crazy! This will make him lose his flexibility! Have you seen Meng's video tape? That is his most important trait!" Tim Grover immediately retorted.

"Flexibility? Yes, it is a very valuable trait of his, but as a trainer, I must first ensure that Meng can survive in the league," said Greg Sam.

"It's not just a matter of flexibility, but also the risk of injury if you add weight too quickly."

Very good, the two trainers had a clash of minds the first time they met.

Meng Jin now wanted to take out a bag of melon seeds, because watching the two of them quarreling was also a kind of fun.

What Greg Sam said makes sense. The NBA at that time was full of muscular guys who played brutal basketball. If you were too thin, you would not be able to gain a foothold in the NBA. You would probably fall apart after a few collisions.

Tim Grover is right.

"Gentlemen, I didn't hire you to listen to your quarrels. Let's talk about your training philosophy and methods. I hope you can make me feel that this money is worth it."

Meng Jin acted as a peacemaker and interrupted their quarrel.

Greg Sam spoke first: “Meng, I will help you make up for your shortcomings.”

Greg Sam passed the ball to Meng Jin and said, "Take a few shots and see."

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Shh!"

"Shh!"

"Bang!"

5 of 2 mid-range shots without any pressure is an unsatisfactory result for a professional player.

"No warm-up yet." Meng Jin said to save his dignity.

"It has nothing to do with this. There's something wrong with your hand shape and your strength." Greg Sam didn't give Meng Jin any face at all.

"Greg, I like the way you speak. You point out the shortcomings of the players directly. A good trainer should do this, so can you help me correct these shortcomings?" "That's what I do."

Seeing Greg Sam's confident look, Meng Jin felt that he had found the right person.

"Greg, I want to know how much my shooting percentage will improve after three weeks of training according to your method?" Meng Jin asked sincerely.

Why three weeks?

Because Meng Jin will participate in another training camp in three weeks - the Hawaii All-Star Game.

Meng Jin just learned this news from Falk this morning.

At first, Meng Jin thought he had made it and could even participate in the All-Star Game.

After learning about it, Meng Jin realized that this was also an invitational tournament, similar to the Portsmouth Invitational, but the competitive level would be higher and there would be some first-round picks participating.

Greg Sam was silent for a moment: "Three weeks later? The hit rate might be lower."

"What?" Meng Jin had a black question mark face. It was okay that the hit rate was getting lower and lower as he practiced.

Greg Sam nodded: "It takes some getting used to, but if you follow my method, I guarantee that your shooting will improve significantly after a vacation."

Meng Jin nodded. After thinking carefully, he felt that what Greg Sam said was quite reliable. If he said that his shooting would be improved in two weeks, it would be unbelievable.

"What's your training plan?" Meng Jin turned and looked at Tim Grover.

Tim Grover looked at Meng Jin seriously and said, "I will help you train your jumping ability."

Meng Jin looked at Tim as if he was looking at a mentally retarded person: "Do I need to improve my jumping ability?"

"I will make you jump higher." Tim Grover patiently explained to Meng Jin: "Our muscles are like rubber bands. What will happen if you pull the rubber band back and then let it go? Due to the elastic potential energy, it will fly forward. The same is true for muscles. If we can master the correct way to jump, we can use the elastic potential energy to fly into the sky!"

"It's an interesting metaphor, but I'd rather improve my shortcomings than my jumping ability."

Meng Jin has no interest in Tim Grover's training. He feels that his jumping ability is already top-notch in the NBA and there is not much point in improving it further.

"But what I want to tell you is not only about flying higher, but also about how to land smoothly." Tim Grover continued: "Land smoothly?" Meng Jin asked back.

"I watched all your games at Portsmouth and found that there are big problems with your jumping habits. You never bend your knees when you land. Your jumping is all based on talent, without any skills at all."

"Go on." Meng Jin became interested in Tim Grover's words.

"What I'm trying to do is prepare you for the correct jump, so that your jump is more balanced and powerful, so that your body can withstand more impact."

"How to do it?" Meng Jin asked.

"I will train you to not only use one muscle group, but to use all the muscles in your lower and upper body, so that you can protect your legs and generate the most explosive power."

"I also work on your major muscles, like your abdominals, core strength which is important for jumping, your obliques and back muscles, which will make you more flexible and help prevent injuries."

"I have a twelve-week training plan. If you are interested, I can explain it to you slowly."

Meng Jin did not do any high-intensity training that day and spent most of his time discussing theories with the two trainers.

Meng Jin highly approves of the two trainers' ideas. He feels that he has hired two talented people. However, whether the money is worth it depends on the final training results.

(End of this chapter)