Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 92: The sharp uphill turn of Gaoyueshang
The principles of the two tactics, "corner positioning" and "corner blocking", are roughly the same. The difference is that the application requirements of the former are lower.

To get a position in the corner, one or two horse girls will be enough, while the latter requires more than two opponents.

At this point in the curve, influenced by the subjective desire to stick to the inside lane and the objective centrifugal force, the leading horse girl will often block the path of the horse girl behind her, and the second-placed and further behind horse girls will have a certain positional offset.

In this way, an arc is drawn outward from the leader, and the inside will be stuck or blocked inside.

If the second-place and subsequent horse girls are in an accelerated state, the horse girls on the inside will be stuck and fall into a cycle of energy-consuming route correction and breaking out of the encirclement.

As the leading horse girl, the position where Northern Black Colt can best display her strength is naturally the first or second place in the front row.

Positioning and blocking corners are precisely the ways to effectively limit her strength.

Yamato Akagi and the others are both experienced horse girls, and they know this junior very well, which is why they use this technique in training matches.

One of the most effective ways to deal with this situation is the "gradient acceleration" used by Northern Xuanju in the opening game.

Different acceleration levels are adopted in the three positions of entering a corner, turning, and exiting a corner. Due to this characteristic, gradient acceleration can easily lead to misjudgment by the opponent, thus giving the opponent the opportunity to gain position and overtake.

Beibu Xuanju had no problem handling the early corners and successfully used this technique, with the timing and effect being excellent.

Faced with the more complicated final bend, her performance was obviously confused, just like a newbie who has not yet debuted, giving people a feeling of being at a loss.

The reason for this is that she has not yet fully mastered this skill, and its use in training matches is, in a sense, largely accidental.

This is exactly why Yasui Shin said it was beyond his expectations.

"I see... Indeed, I didn't think too much about it at the time. I just felt it was time to sprint, so I rushed forward in one go."

After Yasui Zhen explained this, Kitaguchi Xuanju showed an expression of understanding, and then she thought:
"So, my next training should be to repeatedly practice this gradient acceleration technique, right? I have no problem with that at all, no matter how many times I practice it!"

“The momentum is very good.”

After agreeing, Yasui Zhen shook his head and pointed to the ramps on both sides of the stairs.

"But you need to practice more than just gradient acceleration. Do you see this ramp?"

Seeing Northern Xuanju looking towards the ramp, he explained.

"I'm very satisfied with your performance in the training match. I can also see that your sprinting ability has improved significantly. You can proceed to advanced training next.

"You learned about it in school, and I mentioned it to you as well. The most difficult part of Gaoyue Sho is the two sharp uphill turns.

"Besides the gradient acceleration, you'll need to practice this special section of road."

Yasui Shin mentioned that it is the famous sharp turn of the Gaoyue Sho and the Nakayama race track, "Nakayama no Slope".

The turning angle is very small, the slope starts at the exit of the turn, and continues to go uphill.

This requires dealing with the centrifugal force of turning and the resistance of going uphill at the same time, as well as immediately facing the physical exertion of going uphill, which places high demands on pace adjustment, physical force distribution and core strength.

Referring to the training matches, it is assumed that the opponents of Gaoyue Sho can analyze the advantages and disadvantages of Northern Xuanju like Yamato Akagi and the others.

Then we also have to consider the possibility of using positioning, acceleration and other techniques to adjust the rhythm or launch an attack, as well as the response plan.

Judging from the performance in previous competitions, Northern Black Horse’s stamina, pace, and strength are not a problem.

The problem then lies in building on sprint ability, strengthening it in a targeted manner based on the competition conditions, and mastering the corresponding skills.

After hearing this, Northern Black Ju looked a little dumbfounded.

"Hey... Trainer, why are there so many more things in the Gaoyue Sho compared to the previous competitions...?"

"if not?"

After laughing at his horse girl's reaction, Yasui Shin said seriously:

"This is the Gaoyue Sho, a G1, the biggest prize of all, the first of the classic Triple Crown.

"I didn't tell you this in the past because you didn't have the ability or experience to accept it." But don't be discouraged.

“You lack experience and skills, and so do your opponents, because they are all horse girls from the classic years.

"What we're competing for now is who can make as many preparations as possible within the limited time."

After being dumbfounded, Northern Xuanju slowly reacted.

After participating in three games, she has realized that there is a difference between watching and hearing about games and playing in person.

That's why I was so surprised just now.

In the past, she only knew that the Gaoyue Award was important, but after listening to the various special training arrangements mentioned by Anjing Zhen, she finally vaguely understood why it was so important.

Seeing that Kita no Xuanju's expression gradually calmed down and he looked confident again, Yasui Shin nodded secretly and began formal training.

Similar to before, Northern Black Horse still had a parachute attached to his body.

The difference is that her running track is no longer a flat playground, but a "simulated sharp turn" from the playground to the ramp.

Using a row of traffic cones, Yasui Makoto laid out the route of "Nakayama no Saka" based on the track conditions of the Gaoyue Sho.

The task of Northern Xuanju is to repeatedly pass through this simulated route according to the requirements of sprint training.

As a result, the playground soon echoed with the black-haired girl's energetic "roar" and An Jingzhen's occasional corrections.

……

"The outside foot landed at the wrong angle in this set, too far to the outside. This will cause you to run a few more meters to the outside, wasting some distance."

"Hey! I'll pay attention to the next group!"

……

"Well, your footing is fine this time... but don't be too happy. There's something wrong with the degree of your body tilt. Remember, this section of the race is uphill as soon as you exit the turn. You must lean your center of gravity forward before stepping out of the turn so that you can accumulate momentum for the uphill climb."

"Out of the turn is uphill, out of the turn is uphill... Lean your center of gravity forward, lean your center of gravity forward... Okay! I remember it. I'll run it again!"

……

"Cadence... stride length... heart rate variability... well, no big deal. This is the current limit of your sprint endurance. Run another set, feel this limit while running, and try to remember it with your body."

"Okay! Then I'll go run again!"

……

"A heart rate of 180 bpm? That's almost at the limit..."

"My limit... but I feel like I can still run a little further, Trainer."

"You can still run a little longer, but do you think your brain can still function properly? Thinking also consumes energy."

"Brain? I feel... a little tired. I mean, my brain... So is this all for today's morning exercise?"

"No, there's one last set. This tired state is perfect for practicing your decision-making ability. Wait for me to adjust the route, and then you can run the last set."

"Yeah! No problem at all!"

……

After a morning of training, the lawn from the playground to the slope was soon covered with rows of firmly pressed footprints.

There were also pages of densely packed records on An Jingzhen's tablet and notebook.

(End of this chapter)