Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

"Mianye, are you all packed?" Kuroo Tetsuro asked.

A week after returning to school, in the rest room after training, Yinchuan Mian packed her personal belongings, which she had left in the rest room, into her backpack.

Kuroo Tetsuro took one last, wistful look at the entire volleyball room.

Well, I'm on vacation, but I'm reluctant to leave.

They lost their IH match and didn't receive any other joint training invitations. They also didn't have enough budget to organize their own training camp.

Naoi Manabu ultimately granted them a long vacation.

Kuroo Tetsuro didn't seem to mind, and the other second-year students were also doing well, especially since they were released directly last year without even having joint training.

Most of the first-year students did well, except for Yamamoto, which was a real pity.

"Hmm." Yinchuan Mian also put the small bottle into her bag and put her hand down.

This is the pain relief spray he keeps in the lounge.

Growing pains aren't severe, but on days with heavy training, the dull, aching sensation deep in the bones becomes more pronounced.

"Then we'll be going now."

They did a thorough cleaning first, and then packed their personal belongings. Because Kuroo Tetsuro wanted to lock the door, the three of them were the last to leave.

Kozume, who was quietly playing games in his chair, stirred and stood up, his hands showing no sign of stopping.

"By the way, the club at the east exit of the station is offering discounts for new members recently."

Kozume, engrossed in his game, continued typing calmly, "...Little Black pretended to pass by and looked three times."

"Grind it!" Kuroo Tetsurou clicked his tongue.

Yinchuan Mian also looked at them.

He understood what Kuroo Tetsuro meant. Although it was not impossible to find an open space to practice during the holidays, a club was always better. Clubs that required membership usually had some professional coaches.

It seems that Xiao Hei really wanted to go there during spring break, but gave up because it was a membership-only place and very expensive.

"Okay, I'll join," Yinchuan Mian replied. He was fine with anything, he wasn't picky, as long as it was something the three of them could do together.

Kuroo Tetsuro immediately sent the address and brochure he had saved to his phone: "The equipment looks great, at least newer than the old stuff here."

After finishing a game, Kozume looked up at Mianye, who, as expected, did not refuse.

"...As long as it's not too much trouble." Kozume Kenma wasn't that keen on going, but he wasn't against it either.

Even if they didn't go, the other two childhood friends wouldn't say much, but... they're used to being together.

Kozume Grinding has no intention of stepping out of his comfort zone.

I often made it to the national tournaments during junior high school, but I didn't really feel anything about it.

After entering high school, I suddenly failed. Even though I had expected it, I still felt an unpleasant feeling that something had been taken away from me.

How come I can't advance to the previous levels after upgrading?

That was how it was settled.

...... ......

Kuroo Tetsuro has always been very efficient.

Three days later, Yinchuan Mianye and his two companions stood at the club's reception area.

The procedures were simple. When Yinchuan Mianye received the access card and manual, her blue eyes caught sight of Coach Morikawa, who only came once a week.

The qualifications section lists "Former V1 League Player" and "Senior Coach Certified by the Japan Volleyball Association".

Yinchuan Mian also suddenly remembered that it seems that many athletes become coaches after retiring, and only a very small number of them do things unrelated to their previous sports.

Coincidentally, they arrived just in time for Coach Morikawa's visit to provide guidance.

Coach Morikawa is estimated to be 1.95 meters tall, because he is much taller than Xiao Hei when he stands in front of him.

The three of them formed a triangle. They had just demonstrated all the volleyball moves for reference.

Yinchuan Mian also felt that the scene was very familiar, as if time had gone back to her childhood.

The coach at the time must have been Coach Nekomata. He only came once in a long while. The three of us formed a small triangle and listened quietly to Coach Nekomata's story.

Coach Morikawa's observations went straight to the point. After commenting on Kuroo Tetsurou and Kozume Kenma, he looked at Wataru.

"Yinchuan Mianye, you've switched from outside hitter to middle blocker. Your core problem isn't technique or attitude, but rather the instability of your physique."

Coach Morikawa's voice wasn't exactly stern, but it carried a serious tone. "You're in a significant growth phase, which means your center of gravity, limb length, and even joint angles are all changing dynamically."

"Don't worry too much, this is actually a good thing. Height is very important for volleyball players."

Yinchuan Mian also looked up. Yes, what he felt more and more clearly recently was that the familiar movements didn't feel quite right when he did them. When jumping to block, there would be a slight deviation between the trajectory of his arm swing and the expected blocking area.

He only realized he had grown 2.2 centimeters in just two months when he measured his height.

He was last measured two months ago, when his height had already reached 75.8 meters.

"The techniques you learned in junior high school were based on a relatively stable physical model."

"But now, this 'hardware' is being upgraded every month, while your 'software'—neuromuscular memory and spatial awareness—is still stuck in the old version."

"Your brain directs your body to a location you remember, but the actual length of your arms and legs, and the point of takeoff are different."

"This leads to reduced power generation efficiency, redundant movements, and makes it easier to lose balance in intense combat."

He opened the recording he had just made, and had Yinchuan Mian come to his side. He pointed to the brown-haired little figure in the picture and said, "More importantly, this mismatch will put joints, especially the knees and ankles, under unexpected pressure, which will not only affect athletic performance but also increase the risk."

"The first step you need to take now is to learn to perceive and trust the new body boundaries and center of gravity in real time, and on this basis, rebuild the power chain of all technical movements."

Coach Morikawa admires Maya, who couldn't have achieved such proficiency in jump float and jump serve in high school.

"If you were a little taller, with your talent, making it into V1 wouldn't be a problem."

Coach Morikawa patted Yinchuan Mianye on the shoulder, saying that 1.78 meters was still too short.

......

In the following training sessions, Coach Morikawa did not immediately modify his technique, but instead set up many seemingly basic but actually highly targeted exercises.

Coach Morikawa doesn't look at everyone; he just tells others what he considers to be a reasonable training method.

After speaking with the three of them, he had to go to other places.

Yinchuan Mian also noticed a detail: Coach Morikawa would not assign high-requirement tasks to people who were not in his age group.

Just like the training content he recommends for junior high and elementary school students, it is relatively simple.

Kuroo Tetsuro exclaimed, "It's even more cost-effective than I imagined."

"Grinding?" Yin Chuanmian blinked his blue eyes in confusion, noticing that the other person kept looking at him.

"Mianye grows very quickly and quietly."

"Huh?" The brown-haired boy tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, I feel like I'll be surpassed soon." Growing 2.2cm in two months is terrifying.