69novels Chapter 216 Tai Chi Control
Chapter 216 Tai Chi Control
Lesson 1: Shooting Hand Form
Holt picked up the ball and demonstrated. "Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged. Hold the ball with fingers naturally spread, palm slightly open, and the supporting hand at the side. Remember, shooting is a coordinated effort from the whole body, from the feet, through the knees, to the waist and abdomen, finally flowing smoothly through the arms and wrists to the fingertips, releasing the ball! Watch closely, the key is the smoothness and follow-through!"
Lin Yan focused intently, quietly activating his divine sense. In his perception, Coach Holt was no longer a simple human form, but a sophisticated energy transmission system composed of muscles, bones, and fascia. He clearly "saw" how power took root from the coach's feet, flowing upwards like a stream, accelerating through the twisting of the waist and hips, climbing up the spine, and finally, through the precise coordination of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and finger joints, gently pushing the basketball out. The final flick of the wrist and the lingering of the fingertips carried a mysterious rhythm.
"Understood." Lin Yan nodded and picked up the ball.
He mimicked every detail captured by his divine sense, assuming the shooting posture. His movements were almost a perfect replica of Holt's demonstration, even surpassing the demonstration in certain joint angles and muscle activation sequences!
however--
"Whoosh—Bang!"
The basketball, like a cannonball, traced a low, straight line, slammed hard against the back of the rim, and bounced away, the loud sound echoing throughout the stadium.
Too much force!
Coach Holt's eye twitched. Lin Yan's posture was as perfect as a textbook illustration, but the force... it wasn't a "gentle" push at all; it was more like throwing the ball with a catapult!
"Power! Control your power!" Holt shouted. "Imagine you're touching a sleeping baby, not punching a sandbag! Again!"
Lin Yan seemed to be deep in thought. He picked up the ball again, recalling the feeling of his shot, and tried to reduce the surging power by five percent.
"Whoosh—Clang!"
This time it was a bit better; the ball hit the front edge of the rim, but the force was still strong.
The third goal, the fourth goal... the seventh goal...
The sound of "bang" and "clang" echoed throughout the arena. Tom and Mike watched from the sidelines, feeling sorry for Lin Yan's hands. This wasn't shooting hoops; it was practically testing the sturdiness of the rim.
But Coach Holt astutely observed that after every 8 to 10 missed shots, Lin Yan's next attempt would always show a slight, but undeniable, improvement.
Perhaps it was because the angle of his wrist downwards was softened by a fraction of a second, or perhaps it was because the degree of his knee bend was more stable, or perhaps it was because the terrifying force he exerted when he struck was reduced by a negligible amount.
The eighth attempt.
Lin Yan adjusted his breathing, recalling the Tai Chi principle of "using intention, not force," and forcibly restrained the immense force of 150,000 jin, imitating the "gentle" force exertion trajectory he saw in his divine sense.
"Whoosh!"
A crisp, pleasant friction sound rang out.
The basketball traced a much gentler arc than before and swished through the net!
"Good!" Coach Holt couldn't help but shout. Although the ball's trajectory was still a bit flat and the power was still excessive, it was a qualitative leap! "Remember this feeling! This is the feeling! Keep going!"
Lesson 2: Dribbling and Crossover Step.
Faced with Lin Yan's superhuman learning ability, he mastered techniques such as crossover dribbling and behind-the-back dribbling, which rely on the coordination of large muscle groups and the transfer of center of gravity, extremely quickly.
When Coach Holt demonstrated the crossover step, Lin Yan's divine sense instantly caught it:
How can the center of gravity foot be planted firmly into the ground like an anchor, providing a stable fulcrum?
How can the non-weight-bearing foot strike the side and front with the speed and precision of a venomous snake emerging from its hole?
The waist and hips twist smoothly like a bearing, driving the upper limbs to change direction.
Throughout the process, the core muscles remain like a taut bowstring, maintaining dynamic balance.
After five or six attempts, Lin Yan's crossover step change of direction was already quite good. Apart from the dull thud of his feet on the floor when he took the first step, which showed that he had not yet fully restrained his explosive power, the standard and suddenness of his movements were so good that even Coach Holt could not find many faults.
However, when the focus of training shifted to pure dribbling fundamentals, the real challenge arose.
"Now, we'll practice the crossover dribble followed by a behind-the-back dribble," Coach Holt instructed. "Pay attention to the rhythm and the ball's trajectory, keep your center of gravity low, and keep your eyes level..."
This time, Lin Yan could still clearly "see" every flick of the coach's wrist, the subtle movement of his fingers on the ball, and the trajectory of the basketball as it passed between his legs and rubbed against his clothes. But between "seeing" and "doing" lies a chasm called "micro-management."
A simple crossover dribble becomes a "cannonball pass" between his hands. The basketball explodes in front of him with a whistling sound, the rebound so powerful that his palms go slightly numb, making it impossible to maintain any stability in his ball control.
His fingers were nimble enough, but he couldn't replicate the delicate feel of gently "wrapping" the ball. The contact between the basketball and his palm was more like a hard collision between a steel plate and a stone ball.
When dribbling between his legs, his lower body movement was completely out of sync with the rhythm of his hand dribbling. He either dribbled too early and bumped into his own leg, or dribbled too late, with choppy transitions and no fluidity whatsoever.
"No! Lin!" Coach Holt had to stop them again. He picked up a ball and slowed down the motion. "Look, relax your wrist, flick it like a whip, but keep your fingers glued to the ball like a spider web! The power comes from your wrist and is controlled by your fingers, not by pushing with your whole arm!"
He grabbed Lin Yan's wrist, feeling the seemingly relaxed state, yet the subcutaneous muscle fibers were like steel cables ready to spring into action, and said helplessly, "God... what you need is 'relaxation,' is 'gentleness'! Put away that strength that could push a truck, now you only need the strength to push a basketball!"
Lin Yan frowned slightly, lost in thought. He recalled his early days learning Tai Chi from Master Yang. Back then, Master Yang always emphasized "using intention, not force," "relaxed but not slack, tight but not stiff," and "the force may break, but the intention continues." The power of Tai Chi does not rely on the stiffness and force of muscles, but rather on the coordination of the whole body, like a rushing river, seemingly gentle, yet containing immense power, and controlled by the mind.
The dribbling I'm doing now is so similar to when I first started learning Tai Chi!
His previous dribbling was like a beginner in Tai Chi, only using brute force to push his hands. His whole body was stiff, and his strength was leaking out. It seemed powerful, but it was actually clumsy and easy to break. And doesn't Coach Holt's emphasis on "relaxed wrists and finger control of the ball" and "soft power generation" perfectly match the key points of Tai Chi: "connecting joints" and "power originating from the spine and manifesting in the fingers"?
Basketball, in a sense, has become an "opponent" or "extension" that he needs to deal with using the principles of "Tai Chi" at this moment. He is not trying to conquer the ball, but to guide it and become one with it.
With this thought in mind, Lin Yan began to focus his divine sense inward, guiding his own qi and intention.
He picked up the basketball again, and his entire demeanor changed. The previous impatience and excessive force disappeared, replaced by calmness and focus.
He no longer used the strength of his arm to "dribble" the ball, but imagined his wrist swinging gently like a willow branch, transmitting a long and elastic "intention" to his fingertips, and gently "flicking" the basketball. The trajectory of the basketball was no longer a stiff straight line bounce, but began to have a soft arc. Although the force was still relatively large, it was no longer a cannonball.
He carefully felt the force of the basketball bouncing off the ground, trying to "listen" to the force with his fingertips. At the moment the ball bounced upwards, he used his palm and fingers to form an invisible "cushion" and "vortex" to receive, buffer, and redirect that force. This is very similar to the "yielding" technique in Tai Chi push hands—not resisting it head-on, but introducing it into one's own circulation to neutralize its momentum.
When performing a crossover dribble, he no longer focuses solely on his hand movements. Instead, he lowers his focus, his center of gravity shifting like the roots of an ancient pine tree. With the rhythm of the dribble, his waist and hips rotate naturally and smoothly, like a millstone, perfectly synchronizing the movement of his legs with the dribbling. This is precisely applying the Tai Chi principle of "rooted in the feet, originating in the legs, controlled by the waist, and manifested in the fingers" to dribbling!
"Snap... hiss..."
The sound of the basketball hitting the floor began to change, gradually becoming crisp and bouncy from the previous heavy "thump".
"Whoosh—swish!"
With a complete crossover dribble followed by a between-the-legs dribble, the basketball seemed to be guided by an invisible thread, flowing smoothly in front of him and between his legs. Although the speed was not fast and the rhythm was slightly deliberate, the feeling of effortless control and power penetrating the ball without it falling apart was already beginning to take shape!
Coach Holt's mouth dropped open. He couldn't comprehend the change in Lin Yan's demeanor, but he could see the results! In just a few dozen practice sessions, Lin Yan's dribbling seemed to have undergone a transformation! From a reckless brute with uncontrolled power, he had become a practitioner who began to understand how to use technique and rhythm!
"This...how is this possible?" Coach Holt murmured. "You just...it seems like you suddenly had a breakthrough?"
Lin Yan slowly withdrew from his stance, feeling the lingering sensation of the ball at his fingertips, a knowing smile appearing on his face. He recalled Master Yang's words: "Everything can be a teacher, and all methods can be interconnected." He seemed to have found a way to adapt to his own power.
"Coach," Lin Yan said calmly, "I think I've found a bit of the knack. It's not about using brute force to control the ball, but about using my body to guide it, like... guiding the flow of water."
"Great! Excellent water flow guidance!" Coach Holt pumped his fist excitedly. "Keep that feeling! Keep practicing! Make your 'water flow' even smoother and faster!"
Tom and Mike watched as Lin Yan seemed to enter some kind of mystical state, his dribbling movements becoming visibly smooth and coordinated. Only one thought remained in their minds: "This guy...does he really learn things without needing to reason?"
Lin Yan looked at his hands and smiled. This feeling of conquering unfamiliar territory little by little through extreme control and repeated practice brought back the focus and joy he had when he was learning boxing in Hong Kong.