Y13 [EN]: Chapter 7

Y13-7

00007 NCAA =========================================================================

In the NCAA, Division 1 (which requires at least seven sports teams for both men and women and includes approximately 330 universities across the United States) predominantly features both women’s and men’s basketball teams, inevitably leading to limitations in court availability.

Most NCAA institutions allocate court time between the women’s and men’s teams on a semester basis. For instance, the men’s team might use the court from 1 PM to 4 PM and the women’s team from 4 PM to 7 PM during the spring semester, with the schedule reversed in the fall.

San Diego State University followed a similar cycle, so Youngjae kept his morning schedule as free as possible to secure court time during the otherwise empty morning hours. He aimed to attend lectures during the women’s team’s court time.

Division 1 universities typically accommodate their athletes by granting them priority during course registration, as team training schedules require all team members to have those times free.

In his past life, Youngjae had worked hard but inefficiently. He had clearly defined his limits and avoided difficult paths, which might have led to his severe injury. He regretted realizing this too late, but not anymore.

At the top of the paper Youngjae pulled out, it read: ‘Adapt the 666 ROUTINE to My Body.’

666 ROUTINE. Opinions on it are sharply divided, but no one denies Kobe Bryant’s status as an NBA superstar. This training regimen, devised by Kobe Bryant and his personal trainer Joe Carbone, is called the 666 ROUTINE because it involves training six days a week, six hours a day, for six months during the offseason.

[DAY 1 & 4: Bench Press, Crunches, Military Press, Lat Pulldown, Incline Press, Abdominal Exercises…

DAY 2 & 5: Lateral Dumbbell Raises, Bar Dips, Tricep Press Downs, Abdominal Crunches…

DAY 3 & 6: Back Squats / Front Squats, Leg Curls, Leg Extensions, Abdominal Crunches…]

Youngjae still couldn’t help but be amazed by this training schedule. There were many opinions and evaluations, but one word that players commonly used to describe him was:

A ‘practice-crazed’ player. Waking up early for two hours of running-focused cardio, followed by team practice, and then completing this schedule would take more than six hours, possibly even eight, due to the high intensity. This schedule is only feasible for a player like ‘Kobe Bryant.’ It is well-known that his USA national team teammates were in awe of Kobe’s training and expressed their respect.

Moreover, Youngjae’s body is still growing. The fact that he is gradually getting taller and his frame is expanding proves this, so excessive weight training could be harmful. Usually, excessive bulking puts strain on the knees and ankles, so it should be done slowly over time. Youngjae was undergoing many trials and errors to refine the 666 ROUTINE and adapt it into his own training method.

“Let’s see.”

Youngjae’s training was basically 2612.

Two hours a day, six days a week, twelve months a year—a training method to maintain his body. Youngjae didn’t have the exceptional physical condition of Kobe Bryant, so he believed that doing six months of high-intensity training and then resting for six months wouldn’t yield the same results as Kobe Bryant.

He believed that consistent exercise and training were the only way to make himself stronger. Starting from university, his ultimate goal was to increase the time and intensity to eventually create a 4612 routine once he became a professional, by diligently following this plan.

In reality, two hours a day might seem very short, but Youngjae was a university student, not a professional. First of all, since it wasn’t a team-owned exclusive court, the available time was very limited. And it wasn’t like Youngjae was financially well-off.

Far from receiving support from his family, he hadn’t seen them in a while, being a so-called ‘runaway son.’ He barely managed to live on the scholarship, dormitory, and living expenses provided by San Diego State University. As a result, he had to save money to afford a monthly gym membership. Also, to play in NCAA games, he had to maintain a certain GPA [Grade Point Average].

Even though Youngjae had excellent basketball IQ and a fairly sharp mind, preparing for essays, assignments, and exams—which didn’t give special treatment to athletes—consumed a tremendous amount of time, energy, and mental strength. Moreover, he had team training for three hours every day for six days (four hours on Mondays and Thursdays) and had to attend university lectures.

In other words, even just two hours of personal training required tremendous patience and willpower. Professional players also spend a significant amount of time in team training during the offseason, and they tend to reduce their training volume during the season to conserve energy.

The time left between morning lectures was exactly 50 minutes. Youngjae checked to see if there were any empty courts, but women’s team players were using one court, and familiar teammates were bouncing balls on the opposite court.

“Ha.”

This was a daily occurrence—courts were rarely empty. There was one more basketball hoop attached to the side, not a regulation-sized court, but Youngjae decided to be satisfied with that.

“…”

Youngjae’s long bag contained five basketballs. He fully opened the bag’s zipper, glanced at his watch, and quickly took out a ball.

“Hmph!”

Power transferred from his toes to his fingertips. Even the finger roll that controlled the ball’s spin. Youngjae’s shooting mechanics were unwavering.

The ball, bouncing strangely on the rim, went into the net as if someone had forced it in. However, Youngjae didn’t even watch it go in before immediately taking out the next ball and shooting non-stop.

The bouncing sound gradually subsided, and the last two shots were sucked in with only the sound of the net swishing. But Youngjae didn’t pay much attention and quickly ran to throw the erratically bouncing balls back towards his bag. Without even walking, Youngjae sprinted to retrieve the balls and shot a total of 75 three-pointers, 15 each from the right corner three-point line, the 45-degree three-point line, the front, the left 45-degree three-point line, and the left corner.

“Hoo…”

Youngjae took out a piece of paper with a court diagram and began to write something on it.

[Right Corner 3pt – 10/15

Right 45 – 11/15

Front 3pt – 14/15

Left 45 – 10/15

Left Corner 3pt – 8/15]

“Left corner… Ugh!”

Youngjae was weak on the left corner even in his past life. He was shooting so well now because there was no one around, but there was no way he could achieve these stats in the NBA, or even in the NCAA. Players aren’t stupid. They were caught off guard in the practice games because they didn’t know Youngjae’s style, but the players he would face from now on were enemies who would maximize their skills based on the coach’s instructions and the coaches’ analysis.

Even if his past life was as an NBA player, he should never be complacent.

“Hoo!”

This time, he shoots 75 shots from left to right in the same way. Youngjae, who shot without a break and reached the right corner three-point line, took a heavy breath and wrote down the record on the record sheet again. He repeats this for a full 40 minutes. The NCAA requires 40-minute halves, and the NBA requires a total of 48 minutes on the court.

Of course, there aren’t many sports with as many substitutions as basketball, but Youngjae didn’t want to hear the words ‘lacking stamina’ in the NBA, so he always sprinted when picking up the ball, and by constantly moving and shooting, he simultaneously improved his stamina and trained to maximize his shooting accuracy when his stamina was low. One of the things that top NCAA prospects struggle with the most in the NBA is stamina. They have to run more than in the NCAA, engage in more physical play, and play more games.

“Haa, haa…”

Youngjae took out a towel from his bag and wiped away the sweat haphazardly. He started dribbling and spent the remaining 10 minutes on dribbling, mid-range shooting, and finishing drills after breakthroughs, which he had sealed away. He rushed to the goal like a person relieving their resentment and finished at the basket. He threw the ball hard at the backboard and ran towards the bouncing ball, caught it, and then did a spot-up jumper.

Youngjae, who finished training with even the last ball, quickly packed his things and ran out with his luggage. He only had 15 minutes to shower and get to class.

“Wow, he really comes every day.”

“I know. He’s persistent.”

“He’s Asian, but he’s a decent height and has a good amount of muscle… He’s kind of cute, though it’s ambiguous.”

“Oh my, you. Why are you leaving out that he’s good at basketball?”

The remaining women’s basketball players began to talk about Youngjae in a lively manner, as if neighborhood women were gathering to chat after Youngjae left.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

★Thank you to those who gave pre-selections, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

This is a training episode. It describes academics and training in the NCAA.

LeeDven-nim /// Thank you^^

Samarin-nim /// We also like basketball, but there were so few novels, so we wrote it ourselves.

Keoyo Keoyo-nim /// Thank you^^. I’ll try to write as much as possible~

card1-nim /// Hehe, I’ll try to write a novel with a high continuous reading rate.

Banpo Ajji-nim /// Thank you for your comment. First of all, as written in the main text of episode 5, the main character’s height is still growing. In his past life, he was only 185cm, but now he is already 188cm and will continue to grow in the future.

Thank you for the pre-selections, recommendations, comments, and evaluations.