Rhythm Training

At that, Yasui Makoto paused in thought.

Uma Musume had a very special stage of development: Full Bloom.

During this period, they grew at an incredible rate, gaining the physique and abilities to handle intense training and races in a short time.

It was no exaggeration to say that one week a girl might still look like an elementary school student, and the next she'd be a tall, graceful young woman. That was hardly unusual for an Uma Musume.

Different Uma Musume entered Full Bloom at different times, and the stage lasted for varying lengths of time.

From his brief analysis over the past few days, Hokubu Genkoma had only just entered this stage.

Satono Crown had clearly been in the early stages of Full Bloom last year, and was now growing steadily at a rapid pace.

"Satono Crown... If I remember right, her last race was the Tokyo Metropolitan Cup."

Thinking it over, Yasui Makoto looked at Hokubu Genkoma, whose expression was full of excitement and admiration.

"Her Debut Race was also an 1,800-meter grass race for newcomers, the same distance 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 in March, she'll be entering the Yayoi Sho."

Hokubu Genkoma turned to him at once, her ears perking up.

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

"Right, it's the preparatory race for the Satsuki Sho, the first race in the Triple Crown."

Yasui Makoto nodded, then said meaningfully:

"After the Yayoi Sho, she'll almost certainly enter the Satsuki Sho. It looks like she's definitely aiming for the classic races.

"I haven't applied for your race schedule after your Debut Race yet, but if you also want to go for the Triple Crown, then the young lady of the Satomi Family, Satono Crown, will someday...

"No, I should say, two months from now, she might become your opponent."

Hokubu Genkoma held her breath.

A moment later, she asked, "Me?"

Blankly, she pointed at herself.

"Crown-chan?"

Then she pointed at Satono Crown in the distance.

"I'm going to be Crown-chan's opponent?!"

She cried out.

In an instant, all the teachers and students on the other side turned at the noise, looking over in displeasure.

Catching the gaze of the entire dance studio out of the corner of his eye, Yasui Makoto made a decision.

...Next time she got so worked up, 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 obvious annoyance. He made up his mind and let out a quiet sigh.

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

"...S-sorry. I'll be more careful, Trainer..." Hokubu Genkoma hurriedly covered her mouth.

"...I hope you'll remember that."

Yasui Makoto nodded, composed himself, and went over to apologize to the teachers. He explained that they would be training quietly on the other side.

This kind of thing was common at the academy. The teachers were briefly surprised by how young Yasui Makoto was, but didn't make things difficult for him. After reminding them to keep order during training, they indicated that it was fine.

Back with Hokubu Genkoma, Yasui Makoto rummaged through the shoulder bag on his back and took out a pair of Bluetooth sports earbuds. He tucked them into her two fluffy black ears.

"Do you remember what I told you about keeping track of time and distance?"

When Hokubu Genkoma nodded repeatedly, Yasui Makoto nodded too.

"Stepping to a clear rhythm can help you keep track of time and distance.

"Since the rhythm of the Assault Step is fixed, once you've gotten used to it, your time 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 looking at a stopwatch or a sign.

"Then you'll have a clearer idea of when to conserve your strength, 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.

"We'll talk about the other one later. For now..."

He walked over to the dance studio's storage area, set down the 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 ever practiced Hip Flexion Stomp?"

"Hip Flexion Stomp...?"

Hokubu Genkoma repeated the name, then shook her head.

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

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

Yasui Makoto nodded and held up the watch-like band he'd taken from his bag.

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

Once Hokubu Genkoma obediently raised her arms, Yasui Makoto fastened the band around her wrist.

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

He attached the resistance bands to the small of her back, as well as to the belt and harness at her sides. Then he anchored the other ends of the three bands to the floor, a load-bearing ceiling beam, and a column.

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

"I'll play some music."

Yasui Makoto lifted the tablet in his hand and pointed to Hokubu Genkoma's ears.

"The music has clear beats. Just keep stepping up and down to them, and remember to swing your arms in sync.

"Got it?"

Looking curiously at the platform in front of her, Hokubu Genkoma tugged at the resistance bands around her waist. Just as she nodded, a steady "tap, tap, tap" came through her Bluetooth earbuds.

Without hesitation, she instinctively stepped onto the platform with her left foot, hurriedly brought it back down, then stepped up with her right.

"Trainer, I think I..."

She was about to say she couldn't keep up with the rhythm.

"Don't worry about mistakes."

Before Hokubu Genkoma could finish, Yasui Makoto cut in:

"You've never practiced this kind of Hip Flexion Stomp before, so it's normal to make mistakes at first.

"Don't worry about getting it wrong at the beginning. Focus on following the music as you step up and down.

"One more thing: the rhythm will get faster and faster, until it's close to your usual training pace."

"O-okay!"

She answered quickly and kept stepping up and down. Hokubu Genkoma took a deep breath and focused completely.

Seeing this, Yasui Makoto nodded to himself and watched her train intently, adjusting the tablet from time to time.

In this exercise, all Hokubu Genkoma had to do was keep stepping up and down. As her Trainer, he had a lot more to think about.

First, he had to make sure her posture was correct. If anything was off, he needed to correct her immediately, or she might suffer an injury or develop a lingering one.

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

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

Besides Hip Flexion Stomp, the related exercises included Step-by-step Flexion Run, Glute Bridge Training, and Stomp Hip Extension.

Like Hip Flexion Stomp, all of these exercises were done in sets of a certain number of repetitions. A series of sets, with rests in between, made up a full workout, and each exercise was paired with music at the appropriate rhythm.

These exercises all had one thing in common: they made it easy for the trainee to feel how individual joints and muscles engaged and produced bursts of power.

Combined with the music, they were just the thing to address Hokubu Genkoma's main problem right now.

(A picture of Crown, please.)