Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 37: Outfield Coaching and Training (2)

"The stepping technique I mentioned earlier might seem difficult for beginners."

Sendo had considered many things. He wouldn't impose his own standards; instead, he thought about how to break down the movements for his teammates when they couldn't keep up.

For him, it only took Coach Nakani explaining it once. After seeing the Wildcat's outfielders practice their defense, he was able to quickly execute an outfield throw to home plate, resulting in an out.

"But don't worry, I'll teach you a technique unique to outfielders called the 'Crow Hop.'"

"It's like this: when you catch the ball, you take a step and, as you catch it, use your left foot to take a big, powerful leap forward."

"Then, let your body follow through with the momentum. At the peak of your jump, use your body weight to throw the ball, not just your wrist and arm strength. Swing your arm with the momentum! Even if you fall afterward, it won't affect the quality of your throw."

"What you need to do is train until this becomes second nature. And even for a bouncing ball, you need to throw it fast and accurately."

"With enough practice, you'll be able to master this quickly. That way, even if you have a weak shoulder during an official match, you can still throw out runners. If you're willing to work hard, you can achieve this in a short time!"

For Sendo, these were just things he learned instantly by watching once, without much effort.

He couldn't even understand why others struggled with them. But for his teammates, it felt like he was opening the door to a whole new world.

"Alright, Eijun, why don't you give us a demonstration!" Sendo said with a smile.

"If I remember correctly, this guy couldn't even play outfield defense in his first year during the fall. Even Coach Kataoka from Seido couldn't teach a professional technique like the Crow Hop!" Sendo thought to himself, secretly amused.

Why did he think this? Because the throw technique Isashiki used was just a basic small step, not the professional-level Crow Hop.

The final leap in the Crow Hop is a large stride that uses the entire body weight to enhance the throw, significantly increasing the speed.

Since Coach Kataoka never went pro and didn't receive professional training, his technique was likely corrected only after he entered the draft.

Many of his basic skills and posture would need proper adjustments by professionals.

Some things, like batting posture, might not even be corrected in a short time and would require sending players to the second team for further training.

This showed just how valuable Coach Nakani's techniques were. Many of them couldn't be understood without a detailed, hands-on explanation. Even other people might not notice the finer details.

Otherwise, after all these years, Japan wouldn't still be producing players with various posture problems, despite all the training in specialized techniques.

"Hahaha! Sendo, you must realize by now just how amazing I am!"

"Yes, I'm looking forward to your 'performance'." Sendo responded without any change in tone.

Only those who knew him well—oh, except for that idiot Sawamura—could detect the sarcasm.

Sawamura, of course, genuinely thought Sendo was excited to see his performance, unlike everyone else who knew Sendo just wanted to see a joke.

The camera was already set up in the field, and Sendo had just placed another one nearby. So, he felt it would be a waste if he didn't find some way to have fun and record it all on this high-resolution camera.

Sawamura, after laughing excitedly, ran over and...

"I'm gonna throw it!"

"Woosh, swoosh!" Sawamura exaggeratedly made strange sounds...

"Big throw!"

"Uh oh!"

"Hahahaha!" Sendo was thoroughly entertained.

"You didn't disappoint my expectations!" he thought to himself, but he didn't want the fun to end just yet.

"What a shame! Were you just trying to liven things up with that throw?"

"Huh? That's right, exactly right! Call me...," Sawamura said, his face turning red.

"What the heck was that? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Watch me throw it again!"

"Alright, alright!" Sawamura quickly responded.

"Here I go! Heyah!"

"..."

"Hahahaha! I can't take it anymore! That ball was off by a full 5 meters! You really didn't let me down!"

Sendo finally couldn't hold it in anymore and squatted down, clutching his stomach in laughter, as if he was about to cough something up.

He was planning to end this farce, so he said the final line.

"Sendo, you... what's this called again, Wakana?"

"Hahaha!" Sendo laughed even harder!

"Idiot!" Even Wakana facepalmed with one hand.

"Even Wakana?"

"Hahaha...!" After Sendo had laughed enough, things finally got back on track.

"Alright, Eijun, you go practice on your own. Wakana, you three form pairs and start training!"

"Idiot, Sendo, how are they supposed to form pairs with three people? Can't you count? Let me..." Sawamura immediately interrupted.

"No need. Your wild throws will only waste everyone's practice time. You can practice throwing on your own, which will also help build your stamina."

"I'll go call Shin over so we have enough people!" Sendo cut him off directly.

"Then why didn't you call him earlier?" Sawamura asked, now feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, I just thought of it now."

"..."

"Haha, you're our ace, so we need to increase your workload!" Sendo said, patting Sawamura on the shoulder.

"Huh? Really?! Hahaha!"  Sawamura exclaimed proudly after hearing Sendou's words.

"Of course!"

"So that's how it is hahahaha!!!"

"He's completely falling for it," everyone thought.

"Such a silly and simple-minded kid!" Sendo thought to himself as he looked at how easily he had tricked Sawamura.

Seeing that he had successfully fooled him, Sendo prepared to go call Shin over.

But before that, he couldn't resist crushing Sawamura's delusions.

"You're so hopeless, it's almost worth teaching! Hahaha!" Sendo said as he walked away.

"As if!" he thought to himself.

Sawamura, still grinning triumphantly, instantly froze in place.

Once Shin arrived, Sendo explained everything to him again and gave a demonstration before pairing everyone up. The reason he chose Shin was that a catcher's quick throw technique is somewhat related to the Crow Hop.

Even Wakana, who had a relatively weak shoulder, could easily throw over 50 meters with the Crow Hop and correct technique. Although accuracy was still an issue, the margin was small. Sawamura, however, was simply clumsy, with below-average body control.

As time passed, their throws became more accurate.

It wasn't a difficult technique to learn, and while it could be picked up quickly, fully mastering it would take much longer.

Avoiding mistakes would require plenty of practice, unless you were a natural talent like Sendo, who could throw tricky pitches effortlessly without needing to train.

Following Sendou's instructions, they began alternating between practicing direct throws to home plate and throws with one or two bounces.

Sendo, meanwhile, was simply enjoying watching how clumsy a certain someone could be.

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