The Second Hundred

Zhu Zhan nodded. "Our school team does basic basketball skills on Mondays, shooting on Tuesdays, conditioning on Wednesdays, strength training on Thursdays, and scrimmages on Fridays. When there are games, training time is a little shorter. Most of the time, we're out playing other schools, so we rarely do basic training. That's about it!"

Jiang Shi listened quietly. When Zhu Zhan finished, he nodded slightly. "Mm, not bad."

"What do you mean, not bad?" Zhu Zhan asked curiously.

"Oh, haha, nothing!" Jiang Shi quickly laughed it off, then turned serious. "Since you can receive systematic training at school, this is what I'll arrange for you!"

"For this month, we'll practice shooting every day. Once your shooting improves, we'll work on other things. Come here every afternoon after school to practice shooting. On weekends, we can run five kilometers. If you do well, I'll take you to play at other courts!"

Zhu Zhan nodded in agreement. As long as he could play basketball, he was willing to endure any hardship. He was only a little curious about what Jiang Shi had meant by "not bad."

He had no idea how famous the Jiang Shi standing before him truly was. By "not bad," Jiang Shi had merely meant that his school's basketball coach had a decent training method.

Jiang Shi himself had only come up with this training plan after considering Zhu Zhan's particular strengths.

High school games already involved intense physical contact. Though it was not as fierce as CUBA, Zhu Zhan still could not adapt to it yet. His physical qualities were not especially strong, and he was not particularly well-built either. He could only put in work on his shooting. Consistent shooting was indispensable to every basketball team, and it was also Zhu Zhan's best path upward.

Zhu Zhan was still too weak. His offensive options were too limited, his build slightly thin, and he had no advantage when driving past defenders. That was why Jiang Shi had arranged an entire month of shooting practice, specifically targeting Zhu Zhan's shooting to improve his scoring ability and offensive arsenal!

Let this kid try the Devil's Shooting Method I suffered through as a child! Jiang Shi thought with a secret grin as he looked at Zhu Zhan.

"Then let's begin today's shooting training!" Jiang Shi said.

Zhu Zhan picked up his basketball and dribbled it a few times. Jiang Shi took a basketball as well, walked beneath the hoop, and turned to look at Zhu Zhan.

"Today's training has three stages. The first stage is making one hundred shots in the paint. The second is making one hundred shots from the semicircle at the free-throw line. The third is making one hundred shots from the three-point line!"

Jiang Shi's tone was calm, and Zhu Zhan did not think the training sounded particularly difficult. He merely nodded.

"Of course, it's not as simple as just shooting. I'll time every stage. If you fail to reach the target within the allotted time, you'll do as many push-ups as the number of baskets you missed!" Jiang Shi's eyes flashed as he revealed the key point.

"Fine!"

Zhu Zhan had never undergone this sort of training, but the school team often trained at high intensity too. In his mind, this was merely somewhat tougher training at most—he would just be a little more tired. He gave it no further thought.

"Alright. At three seconds per shot, one hundred shots in the paint gives you three hundred seconds—five minutes. Begin!" Jiang Shi said, holding a stopwatch as he watched Zhu Zhan.

"Okay!" Zhu Zhan answered, then immediately began shooting in the paint.

"This Devil's Shooting Method was something my old coach used to punish players. Making one hundred shots in the paint within five minutes not only demands great stamina, but also speed and agility. If you want to complete all Three Hundreds, you must distribute your time and energy properly. You need to control the force of every shot, judge the ball's trajectory, and grab the rebound!"

It could be said that if this seemingly ordinary training was practiced seriously and carried out steadily, with every drill done properly, it would definitely bring results!

For now, Jiang Shi was not demanding an accuracy rate from Zhu Zhan. Back then, his own coach had demanded one. Missing one shot meant running a three-hundred-meter lap. Looking back on it now, that had truly been a painful memory!

Even without counting accuracy, this was still a challenge for the current Zhu Zhan!

"Twenty-two."

"Twenty-three."

Zhu Zhan shot rather leisurely. He first took one shot from a step to the left beneath the basket, then one from the right, before practicing little hook shots directly under the hoop. This training was not particularly difficult for him. After all, he had a foundation, and years of training had built a solid base for him.

He counted while he shot.

Very soon—

"Seventy-six, whew—"

"Seventy-seven, whew—"

Zhu Zhan called out the count as he shot, but his stamina was clearly beginning to fail him, and his breathing had become rough.

When he reached eighty-six—

"Time's up!" Jiang Shi shouted.

"Alright, Xiao Zhan, you're short fourteen. Do fourteen push-ups immediately. After resting for three minutes, we'll begin the second hundred—one hundred shots from the semicircle at the free-throw line!" Jiang Shi said.

"Okay!"

Zhu Zhan did not say much. He braced his hands on his knees and caught his breath for a while, then lowered himself to the ground, bent his body slightly, and began doing push-ups.

"One, two, three, four, five..." Very quickly, Zhu Zhan finished all fourteen push-ups. He stood up, gasping for air as his chest rose and fell violently.

"How is it? Tired, right? Three Hundreds isn't as simple as you imagined. To complete all Three Hundreds, you need to distribute your time and energy properly. You also need to control the force of your shots, judge the ball's trajectory, and grab the rebound as quickly as possible. Xiao Zhan, when you do this training, you need to put your heart into it, understand? Put your heart into it!" Jiang Shi said.

"Put my heart into it?" Zhu Zhan asked, slightly confused. But he did not ask further and silently committed the words to memory.

"You have a very good foundation. After receiving the ball, you can quickly adjust your stance. When you first started shooting, your hand form and posture were both standard. Gradually, after more than forty shots, both your adjustment after receiving the ball and your shooting motion began to stiffen and deform," Jiang Shi said evenly.

"So that was it!" Zhu Zhan was surprised by Jiang Shi's careful observation, but he also truly recognized his own shortcomings.

"Then what should I do?" Zhu Zhan asked as he looked at Jiang Shi.

"To improve a basketball player's skills, you must first begin with shooting. Your shooting is not stable enough yet. Stable shooting is not merely about your accuracy rate or your hand form and posture—it is about being able to use your accuracy and shooting form freely and naturally, turning them into bodily instinct so that you can make shots perfectly under any circumstances!" Jiang Shi said.

"Stable shooting requires daily hard practice until your arms, all the muscles in your body, and your brain form an instinctive response. The instant you get or receive the basketball, you should instinctively be able to make it with perfect form. Only then will you have truly reached mastery!" Jiang Shi added.

Zhu Zhan said nothing more. He picked up the basketball and walked near the free-throw line, preparing to begin the second hundred.