Chapter 682: The Early Bird Catches the Worm
"Faster! Faster! Faster! Bambi, your footwork, hey, hey, young man, your footwork! After you speed up, your footwork can't be all over the place. Pay attention to your footwork, pay attention to your footwork! Jesus-freaking-Christ! Your footwork! Balance, the balance between your footwork and your center of gravity! Damn it! Speed up! Speed up! Don't slow down, speed up! Good, good, stabilize your rhythm! Rhythm!"
Kip's shouts were already hoarse, like a broken gong clanging, and had become a unique sight on the field, tirelessly from morning to night for the past few days.
Lu Ke could clearly feel his lungs burning. To be precise, it wasn't just his lungs; he could feel this fire throughout his internal organs.
That fire was violently consuming all the oxygen and tearing apart every muscle. He felt as if he was being tested in the fires of hell. His breathing became erratic, and his muscles became sore. The heavy impact was disrupting the rhythm of his body movements, and his footwork was starting to get messy.
But Lu Ke had to grit his teeth, stay focused, and ignore all distractions, mechanically repeating the same movements like a madman. This was probably the seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-seventh time he had done this, making his entire body and muscles remember it deeply.
However, the decline in his physical strength began to cause his passing motion to deform, and his passing accuracy dropped sharply.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
In two consecutive passes, Lu Ke hit the steel frame supporting the net, making a dull sound. It wasn't a complete miss, but a precise hit on the rim, which was also a difficult feat. Then Kip's curses poured down.
"Damn it! Your passing motion! The motion must be in place! Wrist control, God, Bambi! The arc of your arm swing! Pay attention to the arc! Keep your passing motion steady! Your footwork, are you brain-dead? Your footwork! Your arm! Your footwork! Your arm! Don't remember the top and forget the bottom! Stabilize! Your movements are already starting to deform, damn it!"
The training had officially started at six in the morning, and it was now three in the afternoon.
After a long period of high-intensity training, his physical strength reached a peak, then collapsed completely, and then started all over again. Now, it had reached a second peak. Lu Ke felt as if he couldn't muster any strength. His muscles and movements were losing control bit by bit. That feeling of drowning lingered, and his lungs roared like a bellows, but it was useless.
But Lu Ke still had no intention of giving up.
Because he knew that only by enduring such peaks and breaking through barriers again and again could his physical limits be broken through, completing a qualitative change from a quantitative one. For the past year, he had gradually gotten used to the convenience of the system's stat points, and he had almost forgotten how difficult it was to improve his physical fitness and change his technical movements.
Now, he had to find that feeling again. There were no shortcuts, only one path!
He would not be timid, and he would not surrender!
"Faster! Faster! Faster! Speed up! Bambi, speed up! One-two, one-two, one-two! Rhythm!"
Under Kip's guidance, Lu Ke lifted his heavy legs and started to speed up again. Even though he was completely exhausted, his focus remained highly concentrated. He tried to maintain his body's balance and rhythm and completed the pass again.
This time, his footwork was a diagonal sprint to the northwest. At this moment, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of a broad-shouldered figure charging toward him like a bullet train from the left. Before the body even got close, the air wave hit him. It was... Number ninety-nine, J.J. Watt!
Danger!
Every pore on his body was screaming "danger."
Lu Ke knew he had to dodge. His brain was screaming frantically, but his body's rhythm was not following orders. His exhausted muscles began to stiffen, and his reaction speed was at least a beat too slow. He had to clench his teeth and squeeze out the last bit of strength from his body. His teeth were almost shattered into pieces. He was on the verge of exploding!
In the nick of time, his body was forced to move a half step to the right, but his footwork didn't seem to keep up with the rhythm, and only his upper body completed the dodge.
A half-step deviation had no effect on Watt. With a slight shift of his feet, his hands clamped Lu Ke's waist like pliers. The force of the powerful collision was like a high-speed train hitting him head-on. Lu Ke felt like a broken rag doll being slammed onto the ground.
There was no chance of resistance at all.
Every bone and every muscle protested.
"Damn it!" Lu Ke couldn't help but curse out loud.
It was not just because he was tackled, but also because his judgment was too late.
The left side was his blind side. Lu Ke, who was fully focused on passing training, had a clear blind spot in his vision. He was two beats too slow when he saw Watt's figure, missing the best time to dodge.
This was the worst part!
Because it meant his focus was not high enough. It also meant that he had neglected his vision during his footwork practice.
"Damn it!" Lu Ke slammed the football in his hand onto the ground, venting his frustration.
Watt stood up, extended his right hand, grabbed Lu Ke's right hand, and pulled his friend up. He patted Lu Ke's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand. "Dude, don't be too hard on yourself. You've already made significant progress."
"You already figured out the direction of my tackle just now, right? And your footwork also made the corresponding reaction. This shows that you are on the right track in observing your blind side and controlling your body." Watt said with a big smile.
Lu Ke rolled his eyes. "But I still didn't get away."
"Haha, it was a surprise attack from me, and it was a one-on-one between a defensive player and a quarterback. If you dodged that, then I'd have to do extra training after today." Watt was an honest person. He was telling the truth with a sincere expression. He wasn't maliciously looking down on Lu Ke but showing the confidence of a top player.
The "Watt vs. Lu Ke" matchup had become a part of Lu Ke's training.
During regular training, Lu Ke and Watt trained separately. The training methods for the offense and defense were different. Watt naturally had his own training team to arrange corresponding training tasks, but after finishing a set of training movements, during the breaks, Watt would do some extra "bonus" training and participate in Lu Ke's training.
Watt would launch a surprise attack from different angles and directions as a defensive lineman, whether far or near, left or right, to test Lu Ke's vision and his ability to dodge with his footwork in extreme situations.
Originally, in a one-on-one training between a defensive lineman and a quarterback, the defensive player would undoubtedly have the upper hand. Without the protection of the offensive line, the quarterback was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, at the mercy of the defensive player. The only difference was whether he would go down in one second, hold on for three seconds, or be able to hold on for five seconds.
In the matchup just now, Lu Ke's physical strength had already reached its limit. His footwork was slow, and his body was clumsy. Even if he figured out the direction of the tackle, he still couldn't dodge it and was cleanly sacked. But as Watt said, Lu Ke's judgment and footwork had already improved significantly.
You have to know that the offseason training was not even halfway through yet.
Such a rate of growth was shocking, but it also showed how hard Lu Ke trained every day.
Looking at the smiling Watt, Lu Ke clenched his fist in dissatisfaction. "Don't make a habit of it. It might be hard to adjust during the games later." Lu Ke's goal now was to be able to adapt to Watt's hell mode during the offseason, so when the new season started, it would be easier to clear the levels.
Watt waved his hand carelessly. "While you're improving, I'm also improving. What do you say? Want to do a three-on-three? My training state today is pretty good. The footwork and rhythm of the entire confrontation are satisfactory."
"Okay, no problem." Even though he had just been sacked, Lu Ke wasn't timid at all. He nodded his head cleanly. "However, before the three-on-three, I still have three more sets of training to complete. Let's take it slow."
"God, and they say I'm the crazy one." Watt's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what Lu Ke said.
Although Watt didn't count in detail, he was sure of one thing: Lu Ke trained with the moving footwork and passing drills at least twenty sets a day, with thirty passes per set. Although each passing target was not too far away, and mainly focused on short and medium passes, the test on his arm strength and physical strength was undeniable.
And this was only a part of Lu Ke's technical training.
In addition, besides technical training, there was also physical training.
Lu Ke looked Watt up and down, and then said calmly, "You should have heard the saying, 'The early bird catches the worm.' If you don't fly early, you'll be eliminated soon."
Talented players can enjoy their vacation during the offseason, but a player like him can only catch up with them by putting in more effort. This was unfair, but it was also fair.
"And yes, you are crazy. I can't compare to you." Lu Ke added another jab, then ignored the smiling stupidly Watt and walked to the side, raising his chin toward Kip. "Let's go again!"
From the beginning, Lu Ke was not impatient at all. He started to prepare meticulously, as if every training session was a brand new start. Lu Ke never forgot the habit he had developed during his time as a practice squad player.
Maybe for many rookie players, making it to the NFC Championship in their first year was already a great achievement and honor. But for Lu Ke, being so close to it and just missing it was a constant source of motivation to work harder.
"Rhythm! Rhythm! Bambi, when your physical strength declines, rhythm is even more important. It's a way to save energy. Pay attention to your footwork and your arm!"
Kip's voice once again echoed throughout the entire field. Watt stood there and watched for a moment, then turned around and started his new round of training.
Offseason training was undoubtedly monotonous, but this was their life. If they missed the glamorous and colorful world, after they retired, they would have plenty of time to slowly enjoy it.
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