Learning to Adjust
"I see!
Instead of letting the athletes find their own rhythm, wouldn't it be better to just tell them how to exert force?
However, such a detailed explanation could probably only be given so vividly by someone who has such a deep impression! Coach Ochiai listened to Sendou's explanation and understood.
Sendou Sect Sawamura wasn't some secret technique, but rather a very ordinary power-generating method.
It's just that no one would go into such detail, or rather, no one would have such a deep impression of it.
Just like Four-Seam Fastball, when you throw it, the point of force is exactly where your fingertips touch the crosshairs.
Who would explain controlling direction with the slightest flick of their finger in such detail, especially when they're giving a ball to demonstrate it?
No matter how rich one's theoretical knowledge is, someone who has never personally experienced the sensation of a ball leaving their fingers cannot demonstrate it in this way.
The reason why Sendou was able to master these skills instantly was because his ability to adjust was too strong.
Just like a sniper can predict the bullet's deviation by observing the point of impact after firing a single shot.
Sendou also adjusted the ball's landing point, and then the accuracy of the ball began to improve.
Sawamura doesn't have such exaggerated abilities, so he can only experience it little by little.
Since Sendou has already explained the power generation technique in such detail, all that's left is to adjust the finger flicks, force, angle, and arm swing angle after each throw, and you can gradually find that feeling.
If Sawamura had continued with his original method, such a large contact surface would not only reduce the spin rate but also increase the difficulty of controlling the ball due to the large contact surface.
Not only was Sawamura excited about the new experimental method, but the others were too.
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
The first ball was indeed far off target.
"You used too much force with your fingertips!"
It should feel like you're gently moving the needle, rather than forcefully changing the direction!
"Your hands should be like a slide, and the ball is like the person on the slide," Sendou instructed loudly.
"Got it! One more ball!"
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Next comes the fine-tuning of the details!"
You need to gradually increase the strength in your fingertips!
"Feeling is very important!" I saw that although the second ball was still far off course, it was only a few tens of centimeters away from the Strike Zone.
Even slight adjustments to the force and angle of your fingertips can significantly alter the ball's landing point; the next step is fine-tuning the details.
Fortunately, Sawamura didn't develop calluses on his hands from swinging the bat like his predecessors, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to learn this skill that requires a high degree of tactile sensitivity.
Cocoons don't just reduce the tactile sensation; if they're thick enough, the tactile sensation itself becomes questionable.
Just like with boxers, you have to look at the joints where the fingers and palm connect on the back of their hands to see if there are calluses.
The thicker the calluses on your fists, the more powerful your fist technique, because with such thick calluses, you won't feel pain even if you attack a wall with all your might.
If your palms and even your fingers become stiff from swinging the bat, what kind of sensitive touch is that?
Sendou always wears gloves when practicing swinging his bat, and he soaks his hands in hot water to avoid developing any calluses.
So his hands were white and delicate, with long, slender fingers; even women's hands weren't as beautiful as his.
His sense of touch is so acute that he can feel the weight and force changes when a single hair is on his fingertip.
It is natural that subtle forces can be easily corrected.
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Two goals short!"
Would moving two balls inwards get him into the Strike Zone?
One more goal!
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Hateful!
This time the attack was too focused on the inside again! Has it become easier to fight now?
So, half the power that was adjusted before!
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Was it too high again this time?"
How much angle should we lower it to?
Let's try this first!
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"I see!
Originally, I found the best feel for ball control through continuous practice!
Then let your body remember this feeling to learn.
But is it possible to consciously let the ball fall at a certain point and change its landing point according to one's own ideas?
The sensations your body remembers are very difficult to adjust if you're not in a good state!
However, it's different when you're conscious of it; if you're not in good form, you can correct it by taking more shots!
This will reduce the pitcher's reliance on their form!
Does this reveal the secret behind why the Sendou has remained so stable over the past year?
It's not that his condition is always stable, but that he can adjust and correct the deviations, and the speed of correction is exceptionally fast! Coach Ochiai watched Sawamura practice, but his mind had already shifted to Sendou.
Coach Ochiai's idea is not hard to understand.
Sendou's method is like a computer; Sawamura's previous method was to forcibly memorize how to use it.
Sendou's method was to understand how computers work.
So when the computer malfunctioned, Sawamura could only watch helplessly as the repairman arrived, while Sendou essentially turned on the computer and fixed it himself.
That's the difference.
Sendou used a few words, along with his own feelings, to conduct a practical demonstration, allowing Sawamura to also experience the secret of ball control.
Then he will naturally learn how to correct his ball control over time.
Of course, I feel that you still have to find this yourself, which is what Sawamura is doing.
For example, how much force to apply at what angle will cause the ball to deviate by how much in which direction.
Once your body gets used to this, not only will your ball control improve, but even when you're not in good form in the future, if you're only hitting straight balls, there are ways to correct it.
Even if his corrective abilities are poor, at least he won't self-destruct like Furuya.
After all, this is a delicate skill. For example, when he's in good form, to use an exaggerated analogy, he can feel a change of one gram of force, which makes his ball control exceptionally precise.
When you're not in good form, your most subtle feeling might be a change of ten grams in force, so your ball control will naturally become rough.
Therefore, even if you learn this method, it's impossible to make him adjust with machine-like precision in every game, even if you give him a large number of balls to adjust.
This is a technique that ensures a minimum standard, meaning it prevents him from occasionally making wild shots like before, provided that his mind doesn't wander.
That night, Sawamura practiced until very late.
Even though Coach Ochiai had already left halfway through, Sawamura's enthusiasm remained undiminished.
It's like a child getting a new toy.
The improvement in ball control is naturally rapid. This kind of technique obviously progresses quickly for beginners. What's rare is the high-precision correction of the final ball landing point.
However, at least over time, Sawamura's shots became more and more accurate.
Of course, this is the result under today's circumstances, and it is a great improvement for Sawamura.
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