Rhythm Training

At that, Anjing Zhen fell into thought.

Racehorses had a very special growth phase called Full Maturity.

During this period, they grew at an incredible rate, gaining the physique and ability to take part in high-intensity training and races in a short time.

It was no exaggeration to say that a racehorse could look like an elementary school student one week and a graceful young woman the next. That was not uncommon.

Different racehorses entered Full Maturity at different times, and the phase lasted for varying lengths of time.

From his brief observations over the past few days, Kitasan Black had just entered this phase.

Satono Crown had clearly been in the early stages of Full Maturity since last year, and was now developing steadily at an astonishing rate.

"Satono Crown... If I remember correctly, her last race was the Tokyo Sports Cup."

Thinking it over, Anjing Zhen looked at Kitasan Black, whose expression was full of excitement and admiration.

"Her Debut Race was also an 1,800-meter turf race for newcomers, the same distance as the one you practiced this afternoon. It was at Tokyo Racecourse.

"I heard in an interview that she hasn't raced in the past two months, and that she'll be entering the Yayoi Sho in March."

Kitasan Black immediately turned to him, her ears perking up.

"The Yayoi Sho... Isn't that...?"

"Right. It's the Prep Race for the Satsuki Sho, the first race in the Triple Crown."

After nodding, Anjing Zhen said pointedly, "The Satsuki Sho almost always follows the Yayoi Sho. It seems certain she's following the Classic Frontline.

"I haven't applied for your race schedule after your Debut Race yet. But if you also want to challenge for the Triple Crown, then this young lady from the Satomi family...

"No, I should say that in two months, she might become your rival."

Kitasan Black held her breath.

A moment later—

"Me?"

She stared blankly and pointed to herself.

"Crown-chan?"

Then she pointed at Satono Crown in the distance.

"I'm going to be rivals with Crown-chan?!"

She cried out.

In an instant, the teachers and students on the other side were drawn to her shout. They all turned to look, displeasure on their faces.

Catching sight of the entire Dance Hall staring at them from the corner of his eye, Anjing Zhen made a quiet decision.

...Next time she started making a fuss, he'd cover her mouth beforehand.

He wasn't unused to being the center of attention, but this was the first time he'd been stared at with such undisguised annoyance. Having made up his mind, he let out a low sigh.

"...Train properly in a moment, and don't make a scene."

"...R-right, I'm sorry. I'll be more careful, Trainer..." Kitasan Black hurriedly covered her mouth.

"...I hope you remember that."

After nodding, Anjing Zhen composed himself, went over to apologize to the teachers, then explained that they would continue training quietly on the other side.

Things like this were common at the Academy. The teachers were briefly surprised by how young Anjing Zhen was, but they didn't give him any trouble. They simply reminded him to maintain order during training and indicated that they had no objections.

Back with Kitasan Black, Anjing Zhen rummaged through the shoulder bag on his back and took out a pair of Bluetooth sports earbuds. He placed them in her two fluffy black ears.

"Do you remember what I told you about your sense of time and distance?"

Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly, and Anjing Zhen nodded too.

"Clear rhythms in your Stride Length can help you keep track of time and distance.

"Since the Gallop has a fixed rhythm, once you're familiar with it, the time you take will be fairly consistent too.

"That way, you'll have a basic sense of how long each cycle takes and how far you can run, even without checking a Stopwatch or the signs.

"Then you'll have a clearer idea of when to conserve your stamina, when to sprint at full speed, and how to handle turns and break through the pack.

"That's one of the special training exercises you'll focus on next.

"I'll explain the other one later. For now..."

He went over to the Dance Hall's storage area, set down his shoulder bag, and took out a few things. Then he brought over a ladder, a three-step training platform, and a set of resistance bands.

"Have you practiced Hip Flexion Step before?"

"Hip Flexion Step...?"

Kitasan Black repeated the name, then shook her head.

"I've never even heard of it..."

"They haven't covered it in class yet...? I see."

Anjing Zhen nodded and held up the strap that looked like a wristwatch, which he'd taken from his bag.

"Stand up straight and raise your arms. Then do as I say."

Once Kitasan Black obediently raised her arms, Anjing Zhen fastened the strap around her wrist.

Then he placed the step platform in front of her and handed her the belt and shoulder harness he'd also taken from his bag, helping her put them on.

Next, he attached the resistance bands to the small of her back, the belt at her sides, and the shoulder harness. He then secured the other ends of the three bands to the floor, a ceiling support beam, and a pillar.

From behind, the racehorse looked as if she were fixed in front of the training platform by a cross made of ropes.

"I'll play some music."

Holding up the tablet in his hand, Anjing Zhen pointed to Kitasan Black's ears.

"These tracks have clear beats. Just follow the rhythm and keep stepping up and down, while making sure to swing your arms in time.

"Understand?"

Curious, Kitasan Black looked at the platform in front of her and tugged at the resistance bands around her waist. She had just nodded when she heard a steady "tap, tap, tap" coming through her Bluetooth earbuds.

Without hesitation, she instinctively stepped onto the platform with her left foot, then quickly lowered it and stepped up with her right.

"Trainer, I think I..."

She wanted to say that she couldn't keep up with the rhythm.

"Don't worry about making mistakes."

Before Kitasan Black could finish, Anjing Zhen interrupted her.

"You've never practiced Hip Flexion Step before, so it's perfectly normal to make mistakes at first.

"Don't worry about them. Focus on following the beat and stepping up and down.

"One more thing: the rhythm will get faster and faster, until it's close to the speed you usually train at."

"O-okay!"

Kitasan Black answered quickly, continuing to step up and down. She took a deep breath and focused all her attention on the exercise.

Seeing this, Anjing Zhen nodded to himself and watched her train closely, occasionally fiddling with the tablet.

In this exercise, all Kitasan Black had to do was keep stepping up and down. As her Trainer, he had much more to consider.

First, he had to make sure her posture was correct. If anything went wrong, he needed to correct it immediately, or she could get injured or suffer an underlying injury.

The "Black Wristwatch" was actually a wrist-worn heart-rate monitor. It could track her heart rate and breathing in real time, and even indirectly calculate her percentage of maximum heart rate and estimate her oxygen uptake.

The monitor was connected to the tablet, allowing him to assess Kitasan Black's condition accurately and control the training precisely.

Besides Hip Flexion Step, related exercises included Step-Flexion Running, Glute Bridge Training, and Step-Down Hip Extension.

Like Hip Flexion Step, each exercise consisted of a number of repetitions per set. A training routine contained several sets, with rest intervals in between, and each exercise was accompanied by music with a matching rhythm.

These exercises all had one thing in common: they made it easier for the trainee to feel the force and power generated by individual joints or muscles.

Combined with the music, they were just what Kitasan Black needed to address her main problem.

(One Crown bro, please.