Chapter 3: Positioning Training.
If Murasakibara had a mindless system flow, he wouldn't have needed to do this.
Unfortunately, he only had the "Efforts Must Pay Off" panel. Rapidly improving his skills required a significant investment of time.
Hearing Murasakibara's words, Murasakibara Aoi's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously asked, "What about your studies?"
"I've already reviewed this semester's courses. I'm sure my grades won't drop!"
Murasakibara was a true academic genius, and his academics were impeccable.
Murasakibara Aoi had no opinion and subconsciously glanced at Murasakibara Sasuke.
As a Yamato Nadeshiko-like woman, she habitually relied on her husband's decisions.
Murasakibara Sasuke remained silent, flipping through the newspaper in her hands.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere was heavy.
For a moment, the living room was silent, broken only by the ticking of the clock.
"Let's go eat first," Murasakibara Sasuke broke the silence. His voice, though soft, carried the authority of the head of the family.
Soon, they were seated on the tatami mats to eat.
Mugure Sasuke gazed at Mugure deeply. "Kumi, have you made your decision?"
"I have!"
Mugure stared at Mugure Sasuke, his eyes filled with seriousness.
Mugure Sasuke was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Although your ideas may be a little unrealistic, I'm proud of your courage to express them.
You're a smart child and know what to do and what not to do. Since you firmly believe this is the right decision, go for it!"
Mugure Aoi breathed a sigh of relief nearby. "But you also have to promise us that you'll take good care of yourself."
Their words warmed Mugure's heart like a wave of warmth, a feeling of family warmth.
Mugure hadn't expected his parents to be so open-minded, and he excitedly said, "Dad, Mom, your understanding and support are my greatest motivation."
"Kumi, remember, you chose your own path. No matter what difficulties or challenges you face, you must persevere. Don't be afraid of failure. Even if you do fail, you must have a clear conscience!"
Mugure Sasuke spoke earnestly, his words filled with encouragement.
"No more talking, let's eat first!"
With that, Kogure Sasuke picked up his bowl and chopsticks again.
The heavy atmosphere suddenly dissipated.
Soon, Kogure returned to his room and began to formulate a training plan.
With less than a month remaining before the prefectural tournament, a sound plan would allow him to improve his skills more efficiently.
During this process, he also needed to identify his specific role, such as what kind of players Shohoku still lacked.
He quickly analyzed Shohoku's current situation. If Mitsui hadn't been injured, Kogure would likely have focused on three-point shooting, positioning, and defense, positioning himself as a 3D player.
Now that Mitsui was injured, the team was desperately short of offensive players, especially those with independent offensive skills.
To become such a player, in addition to possessing excellent independent offensive skills, it was ideal to have a certain level of playmaking ability to avoid double-teaming.
In the original novel, Shohoku's lack of such players led to their early elimination.
As for defense, with Akagi anchoring the post, Shohoku's performance was largely guaranteed.
However, due to limited resources, Kogure had to temporarily abandon defense and focus on physical fitness and offensive skills.
Basketball is essentially a physical sport, so physical fitness is naturally paramount. A prime example of this is a player who later proclaimed himself the GOAT.
Without a strong physique to support it, even the best skills will often be limited in their achievements.
After careful consideration, Murasakibara quickly formulated a training plan.
"Time waits for no one, let's start training now!"
Murasakibara tidied up his room, quickly shifting the clutter from the tatami mats to clear a small area, primarily for strength training.
Lacking a spacious venue and no equipment, Murasakibara could only choose a more comprehensive exercise method: push-ups.
Push-ups are a simple, yet highly effective strength training method, primarily targeting the upper limbs, lower back, and abdominal muscles, particularly the pectoral muscles.
Murasakibara placed his hands on the ground, fingers slightly spread apart, searching for the optimal foothold.
His feet were shoulder-width apart, his body stretched straight like a taut bowstring, his feet and hands aligned.
There are many different push-up exercises, depending on the muscle groups being trained.
Muguro chose the medium-range push-up, which primarily targets the middle pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and triceps.
He took a deep breath, slowly lowered himself, and began a standard push-up.
Muguro diligently controlled his breathing, inhaling as he lowered himself and exhaling as he pushed himself up, ensuring each movement was as accurate as possible.
He had to ensure the correct form to avoid injuries caused by improper technique.
However, his body was weak, and after only a dozen or so, his breathing became heavy, and his hands trembled slightly.
He refused to give up, gritting his teeth and striving to complete each movement perfectly.
"...29, 30!"
Muguro panted and counted silently.
After completing a set of 30, he could no longer hold on and collapsed onto the tatami.
Although Murasaki had played basketball for three years at Kitamura Junior High School, his focus was primarily on physical training and fundamentals.
After taking a few deep breaths, Murasaki opened his profile.
He noticed that the progress bars for both Strength and Stamina had increased.
The Strength bar had increased significantly, rising significantly.
Of course, this could be due to his low Strength attribute; after all, the lower the attribute, the faster the progress bar increases.
After a short rest, Murasaki skipped push-ups and switched to squats.
Squats primarily strengthen the legs and hips, and are essential for core strength.
Soon, Murasaki's breathing became rapid again.
Sweat trickled down his cheeks, dripping onto the tatami, leaving small wet marks.
Phew!
It took Murasaki a quarter of an hour, but Murasaki had finally achieved his goal.
He completed three sets of 15 squats, resting a minute between each.
Murasaki stood up and began to pace slowly around the room.
Even though his legs were shaky, he didn't consider sitting down to rest.
From a scientific perspective, it's not advisable to sit down and rest immediately after strenuous exercise. This is because muscles produce a large amount of lactic acid during exercise. Sitting down to rest immediately slows blood flow, preventing the lactic acid from being transported to the liver for metabolism, leading to muscle soreness, fatigue, and other discomforts.
It's best to relax properly after exercise to relieve muscle tension, restore muscle elasticity, and prevent blood from stagnating due to sudden inactivity. It's best to wait until your heart rate returns to normal before sitting down to rest.
After five minutes, when Kogure's heartbeat had mostly returned to normal, he sat down.
After rehydrating, Kogure glanced at his dashboard again.
The progress bar representing his strength was almost reaching its end.
"I wonder what changes will occur after increasing my attributes?"
The thought perked up Kogure, and he eagerly began his second set of push-ups.
Soon, Kogure was panting heavily, but he persevered, completing the last set.
Just then, a notification chimed in his head:
[Strength: 50-51!]
Along with the notification, a tingling sensation quickly spread throughout his body.
During this process, Muguro noticed that his sore muscles had noticeably eased.
"I didn't expect that increasing strength would have such a benefit. To some extent, this could extend my training time."
"What if it's an increase in physical fitness? Can it restore my physical strength?"
Muguro thought of a possibility. If it worked, there would be room for maneuver.
(End of this chapter)