Chapter 4: Keep praticing
In the early morning, the broad street lay deserted. Carrying the ball in his arms, Wang Feng emerged from the dormitory, gearing up for a practice session in the park.
Wang Feng sought to determine whether the recent surge in his ball-juggling and dribbling skills was a fleeting improvement or a continuous one. Surprisingly, the fatigue that plagued his body the day before had vanished after a night's rest, restoring him to peak condition.
Upon reaching the park, Wang Feng commenced with simple warm-up exercises before eagerly diving into ball juggling. He was delighted to discover that the intuitive adjustments he made to control the ball persisted.
As he increased the practice repetitions, the time required for these adjustments decreased. Wang Feng realized that, with consistent effort, this technique could become second nature. Excited by this revelation, he proceeded to practice new techniques after honing his juggling and dribbling skills.
Positioning himself in a secluded corner of the park, Wang Feng eyed the weathered walls to use for training. Kicking the ball against the wall, he focused on refining the angle and strength of his shots and practised catching and stopping the ball after the rebound. Using his intuition, he continuously refined and improved his movements.
After various exercises involving kicks with the right foot, left foot, toes, back of the instep, and more, Wang Feng found himself drenched in sweat. Realizing that mastering shooting and ball-stopping required a different approach, he acknowledged his lack of experience in these areas.
Particularly challenging was using his left foot, which felt almost semi-disabled. Wang Feng recognized the need for dedicated practice to overcome this limitation.
With the weekend match approaching, he contemplated leveraging his speed as a significant advantage. Focusing on his strengths, he sought to emphasize stability with the ball during the game.
Reflecting on the training field's experience where he successfully employed a skill similar to 'fried meatballs' to outmanoeuvre opponents, Wang Feng decided to explore this technique further. Picking up a brick from a nearby corner, he placed it on the road as a makeshift defender and began practising.
The 'fried meatballs' technique was deceptively simple. It involved controlling the ball to the front right, creating distance from the defender, and then using the inside of the right foot at a slight forward angle to pass the ball to the inside of the other foot.
Initial attempts were met with challenges; the ball often went astray. Correct execution relied on precise strength and angle, requiring improvements to complete the entire technical movement seamlessly.
If onlookers were present, they would witness a teenager darting around a brick, with the ball under his feet in constant motion—a scene both amusing and dedicated.
By the time Wang Feng had grasped the fundamentals of this technique, it was already around 10:30 in the morning. Fatigued after three hours of continuous training, he purchased water from a convenience store in the park and took a well-deserved rest on the grass, the ball by his side.
It was then that a familiar figure appeared—Genk scout Diest, who had crossed paths with Wang Feng in the park before. Diest's eyes lit up upon seeing Wang Feng, and he approached him, offering a friendly greeting.
"Hi, what a coincidence, Wang! I see you've been training for a while," Diest remarked.
Wang Feng jokingly responded, "Yeah, I live nearby, so I come here to train. But what about you? Visiting the park for two days straight?"
Diest chuckled, "Even we need to relax after work. This place is quite remote, and there's nothing much to do, so the park becomes a natural choice."
"I plan to stay until the weekend to watch your game against St. Gillian," Diest shared. "St. Gillian is a strong team in the second division, with several standout players. I'm keen to see your game. Your skills are impressive, and your dedication is commendable."
Wang Feng, not disclosing that he had yet to play a game, responded confidently, "Feel free to watch it."
After a brief chat about players and other interesting details, Wang Feng resumed his training. His focus shifted towards strengthening his breakthrough ability.
Despite the earlier mishap of attempting to do a stepover and falling into the mud, Wang Feng remained undeterred. He planned to learn it again, believing it would complement the 'fried meatballs' technique.
Dribbling with a stepover involved using the dominant foot to push the ball inward, making the defender lose balance, and then swinging the dominant foot outward to bypass the ball. The key was to lead the defender's rhythm and lower the centre of gravity.
Wang Feng initially found it challenging, feeling stiff and unstable. However, with the guidance of his senses, he gradually lowered his centre of gravity, and the movements of his feet became more stable and faster.
For practice, he incorporated the ball and used a brick as a defensive player. Although the brick offered no feedback, Wang Feng could sense whether he had successfully deceived the imaginary defender.
As he completed technical movements, he adjusted himself based on the perceived feedback. By noon, he had become proficient in the stepover technique with the ball, using the brick as a visual aid.
Realizing the impending afternoon training, Wang Feng decided not to overexert himself and opted for a rest after lunch. Eager to showcase his best form to the head coach, he looked forward to the upcoming training.
Upon returning to the dormitory, Wang Feng found Renee still in bed. Seated on his bed, Wang Feng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Observing Wang Feng returning drenched in sweat, Renee teased, "You're as diligent as ever, Wang. I thought you'd give yourself a break after making it into the squad."
Shaking his head, Wang Feng replied, "I still have much to practice. Now, I feel like time isn't enough. By the way, Renee, scouts from Genk will be watching the weekend game. They're looking out for potential talents."
Renee, with a smile, said, "Wang, when did you start paying attention to such information? I've known for a while. Not just Genk, Anderlecht, and Bruges, too. St. Giles United is the underdog; scouts from other teams won't bother watching us."
Perplexed, Wang Feng questioned, "Shouldn't we strive to impress them? If we win, it would be more convincing, and they might take notice."
Renee adopted an experienced look, stating, "You're still too young. We're stuck in the league without the motivation to win, and we lack fans cheering us on."
Though disheartened, Wang Feng forced a smile, realizing that he wasn't even a regular starter. The original agreement was about entering the squad, not necessarily achieving victories or goals for bonuses.
Little did he know that, deep within him, a seed of yearning for victory had been quietly planted.
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