Chapter 751: Dreaming of returning to the old place

Tread. Tread. Tread.

The sound of running, neither fast nor slow but maintaining a rhythm, extends all the way along the campus's early morning avenue. The breeze is blowing, and the golden sunlight is surging between the shadows of the trees. It is as if traveling between dreams. All you need to do is spread your arms and sprint fast enough to soar in the wind.

Blue sky, white clouds; palm trees, cicadas; sunshine, rainy season.

Los Angeles is still sunny in November, with traces of summer and autumn in every corner. It is difficult to accurately define the colors of the seasons. The only good news that can be confirmed is that the rainy season is finally coming, which is good news for the City of Angels, which only rains a few times a year.

But the question is, when will the rain come? Or will it ever come?

Fortunately, this kind of weather is good news for outdoor sports enthusiasts, as it is less hot and more cool.

Bend your knees and push off the ground.

Speed ​​up, slow down.

McDonald's attention is completely focused on his steps. Even when jogging, he needs to pay attention to details such as force and speed changes.

In the early morning, the campus is not fully awake yet. Occasionally, you can see students who have been studying all night in the library waking up and wandering around like ghosts; or students who got up early to go to the library to finish their reports, running all the way with messy hair and unable to open their eyes.

This also allows MacDonald to focus on his steps and breathing and stay focused.

Step. Step. Step.

One step, then another, he carefully controlled his breathing rhythm in his mind, and then slowly approached the training ground, and then his pace gradually slowed down.

Tap. Tap.

However, the sound of rhythmic footsteps coming from the direction of the court disrupted McDonald's thoughts. He looked up in confusion.

Who? Who would come to the training ground at this time? There was still more than an hour left before the training time set by Coach Martin.

If he hadn't missed nearly two hours of training yesterday because he needed to finish a report, he wouldn't have thought of arriving at the training ground early today to make up for the basic training; after all, as the captain this year, he needs to shoulder the responsibility of the first singles, and he needs to lead by example.

But…are there any freshmen who are so diligent? MacDonald was a little worried.

If they are juniors or seniors, then forget it. They will be careful when practicing extra privately. But freshmen are still too young and lack experience. If they practice extra privately and end up with unnecessary injuries, it will not be worth it.

McDonald couldn't help but think of last year, when he and Gawain had been secretly practicing extra, hoping to improve their strength as quickly as possible and get on the court sooner.

Thinking of this, MacDonald couldn't help but smile. So, young people's ignorance is common.

After turning a corner, McDonald entered the training ground.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A figure in a dark blue jersey is practicing his footwork, using the baseline of the court as the interval, alternating between small steps to accelerate and large strides to move sideways, maintaining the rhythm and frequency. The ultimate goal is not to control time, but to control the stride length and frequency.

Between the two blind spots at the baseline, the number of steps back and forth, from left to right and from right to left, needs to be kept consistent and precise.

In this way, you can train yourself to have a good sense of the baseline space. Because when attacking and defending at the baseline, you often don't have time to take care of your footwork. All adjustments must be made unconsciously. Then you find the best shot and shoot at the exact time and point.

If your steps are not in place, you need to make corresponding adjustments to ensure that you can get as close to the correct hitting point as possible.

Training is about control and perception.

This is a very boring and uninteresting basic footwork training, but it requires high concentration. Once you get distracted, only your feet are moving but your brain is not moving with your feet, then all the training will be in vain.

The figure in front of me is very focused and dedicated.

With his head slightly lowered, his attention completely focused on his steps, his entire figure hidden in the shadow on one side of the court. The sun, which had not yet fully risen, covered the court on one side of the entrance, causing some reflections. His face could not be seen clearly, and his entire figure was hidden in a halo.

McDonald hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not raise his voice to interrupt the other party's training, nor did he even get close to them to avoid having to start the footwork training from the beginning again.

Fortunately, the training did not last too long and came to a temporary halt. The sound of footsteps rubbing against the ground stopped, and I stood there gasping for breath.

"Hey young man, what year are you in?"

"...Captain, I'm a sophomore."

MacDonald: Sophomore year?

"What major..." MacDonald took two steps forward, but before he could finish his words, the sunlight was no longer glaring, the backlight effect had disappeared, his vision became clear, and then he saw the sweaty face in front of him: Gawain.

Because it was so unexpected and so sudden, McDonald couldn't help but be stunned. He stood there, unable to believe what he saw. The chaotic feeling of entering the shadow area from the sunny area lingered, and he had an illusion of being half asleep and half awake, standing there stupidly.

Gawain?

But why is Gao Wen here? Suddenly, it seems as if they have returned to a year ago, when they were all freshmen, stepping onto the university field with dreams and expectations.

Gao Wen let out a long breath and said loudly, "Captain, I'm going to do some warm-up training. Do you want to join me?"

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The smile rose and blossomed, just like the first rays of dawn in a midsummer morning. Although standing on the side of the shadow, it seemed as if half of the stadium was brightened up.

MacDonald was somewhat embarrassed.

team leader?

If they hadn't all left the Bruins, he would never have been the captain of the team.

"Hey, captain, I heard from Coach Martin that you did a great job. Our goal this season is to defend the title."

Across the court, Gawain's smiling voice was heard again.

He knew MacDonald. They were good friends in both the previous life and this life.

Things haven’t been easy for the UCLA Bruins since the season began this fall.

Thompson, Gillon and Gao Wen, the top three players on the team that won the men's tennis double championship last year, all turned professional in the summer.

After some hesitation, Jilong finally decided to embark on his professional journey.

The Bruins were badly hurt.

The fall season has been a struggle and a slump, with MacDonald alone carrying the weight of the team so far.

McDonald's national ranking is seventh, but apart from him, all other main members of the Bruins are not ranked, that is, they are outside the top 120 in the United States.

Just from this one piece of data, we can see the terrible situation of the Bruins. Not to mention defending the title, there is a high possibility that they will be beaten into a sieve in the new season. Everything is not optimistic.

However, MacDonald took on the responsibility, took over the captaincy and carried the Bruins’ banner.

"Captain", he deserves the title.

(End of this chapter)