Practice Multi-Ball Continuous Hits

What Saeki Muneyoshi didn't know was that when he went to find Tony Oki, Tony was actually discussing match arrangements with Ohashi Miku.

Two forms, already filled out by him, lay on the desk next to his computer.

[National Junior High School Tennis League - Regional Preliminary Tournament School Entry Form]

And at the very bottom of the form was Saeki Muneyoshi's name.

However, his position wasn't the official player position he imagined.

It was substitute!

As for Saeki Muneyoshi himself, he left the tennis club and headed to an off-campus club.

He didn't come to the club to watch others play or do anything else.

Instead, he wanted to use the club's high-speed ball machine as an opponent, attempting to completely master multi-ball hitting.

Multi-ball hitting was a deeper and more effective training direction for the Shining Shot path and the Asura Path.

It also greatly promoted the full mastery of sweet spot hitting techniques.

If Muneyoshi could return shots from multi-ball volleys using reasonable sweet spot hitting techniques, it would greatly help improve his strength.

As long as he mastered sweet spot hitting techniques, he could effectively neutralize even particularly powerful, strength-based players.

And at the same time, he could also hit more powerful return shots.

However, this method couldn't be practiced alone.

Muneyoshi found the coach he was most familiar with at the club, Coach Yamada.

"Coach Yamada, could I trouble you for a moment?"

Coach Yamada was checking the club's equipment when he heard Muneyoshi and said with a smile, "Of course, what is it, Muneyoshi?"

Muneyoshi was a regular here, and Coach Yamada was very friendly towards this strong young man.

"I'd like you to help me operate multiple ball machines and adjust their speed."

"So you want me to train with you? No problem, Muneyoshi, this is part of my job as a club coach."

Coach Yamada readily agreed to Muneyoshi's request and led him to a single training room at the very back.

The training room wasn't large, with half a tennis court marked out inside. Three ball machines were mounted on the wall.

Muneyoshi took his racket out of his tennis bag, then walked onto the court and said to Coach Yamada, "Thank you for your trouble, Coach Yamada."

Seeing that Muneyoshi was ready, Yamada asked him, "Muneyoshi, how many machines do you need on, and what speed should they be set to?"

"Let's try all three at once to start. For speed, just set it to 180 KM/H to begin with."

Muneyoshi's request startled Yamada.

As someone qualified to be a tennis club coach, he naturally played tennis and had a deep understanding of it.

Therefore, he knew very well how fast 180 KM/H was, especially from a high-level ball machine.

Such high-speed serves were very dangerous for Muneyoshi, who was only a first-year student.

If he wasn't careful, he could easily be hit by the ball. At this speed, the ball's force was astonishing, and getting hit in the body would be no joke.

As a professional coach, Yamada immediately objected. He couldn't stand by and watch a client undertake such dangerous training and offered sound advice.

"Muneyoshi, I suggest you start with a lower speed and gradually adjust upwards after you adapt. Coming straight in with such high-speed serves, and multiple machines at that, is too reckless and dangerous!"

"It's alright, Coach Yamada, just do as I say. I know my own situation very well, don't worry."

Muneyoshi's insistence made Coach Yamada a little helpless, but he couldn't directly refuse a customer's request and persistence.

In reality, he had no idea that Muneyoshi's method was already considered conservative.

After all, in the junior high world, there weren't few people who could serve at 180 km/h, and it was even more common in high school.

Moreover, in the original work, Ryoma Echizen and Kintaro Toyama were the same age as he was now.

Under Coach Mifune's training, they mastered multi-ball hitting techniques in a short period.

And they hadn't even been exposed to Coach Mifune's perverted training methods before.

As for Saeki Muneyoshi himself, ever since he started playing tennis, he had been training using a simplified version of that perverted method.

Over the years, he had gradually increased the training volume he had reduced.

Therefore, his foundation now was actually no weaker than theirs after completing the hellish training in the mountains, and might even be stronger.

Even if these two kids were the protagonists of this world and possessed astonishing talent, Muneyoshi himself hadn't started with ten balls right away.

Three balls, five balls, seven balls, nine balls, ten balls!

This was the direction he had set for himself.

It was a continuous increase, not something achieved overnight, so he didn't think it was reckless.

"Alright then, but you have to be really careful."

Seeing he couldn't dissuade him, Coach Yamada had no choice but to agree.

"Don't worry, Coach Yamada."

Muneyoshi certainly understood Coach Yamada's good intentions, but he had his own convictions.

After Coach Yamada adjusted the ball speed on the three serving machines, he signaled to Muneyoshi and then slowly pressed the start button.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Instantly, three tennis balls shot out from the machines.

Launched from above, the tennis balls turned into three streaks of yellow light, trailing afterimages as they sped towards Muneyoshi.

Muneyoshi's eyes narrowed, locking onto the tennis balls, and he pushed off with his feet.

With his mental energy highly concentrated, his entire being was like a burning torch, and a scorching wave of heat instantly swept across the court.

Muneyoshi didn't wait for the balls to land; instead, he charged forward as if riding fiery arrows.

Bang! Bang-bang!

Three sounds of a racket hitting a ball echoed. Two of them seemed to merge into one. The tennis balls that had been heading for Muneyoshi were hit back by him.

Three-ball return, successful on the first try!

A surge of elation washed over Muneyoshi. Years of training were paying off at this moment; the simple three-ball rally wasn't enough to stump him.

On the other side, Coach Yamada was stunned speechless by Muneyoshi. He had never seen such a playing style or training method before.

"Coach Yamada, please continue!"

However, Muneyoshi wasn't getting carried away. He urged Coach Yamada to continue...

"Sorry to trouble you, Coach Yamada!"

In the practice room of the tennis club, after finishing today's training once again and venting his pent-up frustrations, Muneyoshi said to Coach Yamada with a hint of embarrassment.

Coach Yamada was the coach at this tennis club, and now, because of Muneyoshi, he seemed to have become his personal coach. This made Muneyoshi feel a little sheepish.

This was because the Fudomine tennis club completely lacked a training atmosphere, and there was no one to practice with him.

So, apart from going to the tennis club once a week to check in.

At other times, he would come to this club outside of school to train.

And Coach Yamada was the sparring coach responsible for him.

However, it wasn't a private arrangement, though it was developing in that direction now.

This was one of the reasons why Muneyoshi was always so polite at the end of each session.