During the graduation break, Ichinose Guren, along with three of his graduating teammates, brought three younger players, soon to be rising first-years, into the gym for an intense training camp.
Over the past six months since their last tournament, the group had already spent countless hours training together. For this break, Guren had initially intended to let everyone rest.
After all, following Yukigaoka's run into the national league, the Ichinose Group had invested heavily in promoting youth sports through the school.
With the goal of encouraging the whole community to get active, the group donated a significant athletic fund to Yukigaoka Junior High in the name of social contribution.
After securing fourth place nationally, the principal held a special recognition ceremony, presenting a massive check representing the prize money directly into Guren's hands in front of the entire school.
Guren didn't keep a penny for himself. He immediately converted it to cash and distributed it to every participating player. Even Hinata Shoyo and his close friend, who hadn't actually played but were listed on the roster, received 2,000 yen each as participation awards.
So, by now, each player at Yukigaoka had a decent sum of money for a student. Guren thought: If they've got both money and free time, spending the break training would be perfect… it would make them unstoppable, like Ushijima, Kageyama, and Hinata combined.
The results, however, proved Guren had underestimated the volleyball spirit of junior high school students. Given money and time, the boys practically lived in the gym.
After breakfast, they'd begin morning physical training, followed by basic skill drills.
By noon, they would happily raid the buffet at a hotel owned by the Ichinose Group. If it weren't for the hotel being under the family name, these teenage boys, with their enormous appetites fueled by nonstop training, would have been blacklisted for devouring the place.
After eating, the team would retreat to the gym's lounge for a brief rest and watch volleyball game footage together.
By afternoon, each would resume personal skill training. The typical schedule included:
Receiving balls fired from a machine like mortars.
Spiking and blocking drills against each other, I hit, you block; you hit, I block.
Serve and receive drills under game conditions.
Functional strength training alongside Guren, for those who had the stamina and courage to try.
By the fourth day, only the three graduating seniors could keep up with Guren's functional training. The younger players were already exhausted, with barely any strength left to attempt these high-level exercises.
And Guren's drills weren't easy.
He would balance on a volleyball with wobbly feet, pass with both hands, then switch to a one-handed pass while catching tennis balls tossed by the trainer with his free hand.
This combined ball control, multi-threaded brain coordination, and reflex training.
Resistance bands strapped to his legs, he would perform lateral three-step slides, jump onto a 50-cm box and land, then immediately go for a maximum-reach hand touch.
This simulated the footwork of blocking while forcing explosive neural recruitment through the resistance bands.
Watching this, the younger players' hearts raced. If I tried that, I'd be flat on the ground in three seconds.
Guren didn't expect the novices to attempt this high-level functional training without proper guidance.
This isn't for beginners. Don't attempt it recklessly. If you need it, find my trainer.
The younger ones understood. This was training for the strong, and they weren't ready yet.
Between drills and meals, the younger trio shared gossip they had overheard with their senior teammates.
The school, thanks to Ichinose Group's sponsorship, was planning to recruit a few special volleyball scholarship students this year. Full tuition plus scholarships were on the table.
This had attracted many young, talented volleyball enthusiasts. After tasting the success of Guren's generation making the national semifinals, the school also hired a retired volleyball player as a coach for the team.
With good coaching, excellent facilities, and talented recruits, Yukigaoka Junior High was poised to become one of Miyagi Prefecture's new volleyball powerhouses.
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