009 The Hornacek family with shooting training

As I walked out of the airport aisle, I saw Abby waving her arms at me, and I walked over quickly and gave her a warm hug. After all this time, Abby's relationship with me has grown rapidly, and both of us have a crush on each other, but neither of us has pierced the window paper. Although she usually looks like a beautiful national girl, she is actually still a very shy little girl, and I just don't want to confess so casually, I want to be on some special occasions or times. But we're used to hugs like this between friends, after all, it's in a beautiful country.

Abby drove me to her home in a red Beetle. Her family lives in a suburban villa in Salt Lake City, which is also a wealthy area of Salt Lake City. In the beautiful country, the rich people don't live in the city center, which is the kind of apartment or slum location.

Feel the different scenery of Salt Lake City, and the laughter and laughter along the way.

When I arrived at Abby's house, her father and mother welcomed me in, and I carried two bottles of Moutai that I had brought from China to give to Abby's father, Jeff Hornacek. The other hand was also looking for the silk scarf that the Biltos had brought from China, which was intended to be given to Abby's mother, Emily Hornacek. After all, I am a pure Chinese at heart, and it is not right to go to see my father-in-law and mother-in-law... Visiting the elders still has to bring gifts, and if you think about it, it is still the best in China, so you can find Bill to find a way (hard Bill, guess who Bill is looking for?). ）。

"Hello, Mr. Hornacek, madam, I'm Steven Chang, my first visit, I hope you enjoy these little gifts."

"Wow, the wine of Huaguo, you have to taste it today."

"Wow, such a beautiful silk scarf, so soft, this feels so silky, is this also from Huaguo?"

"Well, yes, this is a silk peculiar to China, and I hope you will like it, Mrs. Hornacek."

"Thank you so much for the gift, I really like it."

"Wow, Xiao Qi, this is so good-looking, why don't I have it."

"Well, I also have a gift for you, this is for you."

"What? Do I have that too? What is it? ”

"Well, this is a comb, which is made of horns, and it is handmade with traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Hope you like it. ”

"Oh my gosh, this one looks good, and I love it too."

I was secretly relieved that she didn't seem to hate the gift.

What I didn't know was that Jeff Hornacek was watching me do everything I had just done, and there was a strange glint in his eyes.

Dinner was a family dish made by Abby's mother, Mrs. Emily Hornacek, and I wanted to make authentic Chinese food, but I didn't. Eh, be sure to study it later.

At the dinner, I accompanied Jeff Hornacek to taste the Moutai I brought, at first he was not very used to it, and he couldn't put the wine glass in the back.

Actually, it's not the first time I've met Jeff, I've seen him more than ten years ago when I was racing with the AI, but I don't know him too well.

After dinner, Jeff took me to the study and talked to me.

"I heard you want to improve your shooting?"

I knew business was coming.

"Yes, I want to improve my long-range shooting and improve my shooting speed."

"But I wonder why? As far as I know, you have a very enviable physical gift, and since you grew up learning how to play with AI, you should prefer to score through stops and baskets rather than three-pointers. ”

"Yes, I did learn basketball with my little uncle AI for many years, and he taught me all the skills he mastered, and I have benefited a lot from my experience playing over the years. But I don't have any disdain for three-point shooting. On the contrary, I feel that the three-point shot is becoming more and more important in the league nowadays, and it is becoming more and more urgent to master this scoring method, and I didn't have the opportunity to learn and practice long-range shooting before, but now that I am about to enter the NBA, I hope that my long-range shooting learning can be put on the agenda. ”

"I've heard that you want the ability to project from a long distance with a quick shot, and you also want to turn ultra-long projection into a conventional weapon. Do you want to change the way you play? Is ultra-long-range projection useful? ”

"First of all, I'm not trying to get rid of my previous style of play, it's just to increase my attacking tools and give me more chances. You know, I just came out of the draft, I was a rookie, my previous style of play was too dependent on the ball, and it relied on too much dribbling, which wasn't efficient, in today's league, playing faster and faster, the technique is getting more and more concise, and the defender can get more shots through various tactics, and the movement can get more shots. And for me as a newcomer, this is the best and fastest way to integrate into the new team. Of course, I'm not going to give up my previous style of play, I just hope that I can stand up when I need me, instead of just showing myself in one way. ”

Jeff Hornacek looked at me for a long time and said

"I didn't expect you to think so far before you officially entered the league, generally rookies only go back to make changes after meeting the rookie wall, and if the change is successful, they may be stars, or even legendary superstars, and those who don't succeed or don't make changes at all will be quickly eliminated by the NBA. You can see this so early on that you are a very good thinker, no legend is a player who does not use his brain, even the basketball emperor Chamberlain will make changes for the championship and make himself better. So what do you think I can do to help you? ”

"I've been practicing shooting three-pointers, even long-range three-pointers, but recently I've noticed that I haven't improved for a long time, and it's in terms of shooting percentage, and I don't know how to speed up my shooting speed. I'm not sure if there's something wrong with my shooting stance. ”

"It's too late, and I've had a lot of drinks, so I'll wait tomorrow and I'll look at your shots and do research. You're going to stay at home during this time, I still have a lot of spare rooms here. ”

"Thank you so much, Mr. Hornacek."

"Don't be so polite, you can call me Jeff, or Uncle Jeff, after all, my father and your grandfather are also very good friends."

"Okay Uncle Jeff."

"By the way, how many girlfriends have you ever had with them?"

"Huh? What? ”

"A star player like you, recruit girls hard, after all, it was very common in my time, and Erwin was very popular with girls at that time."

"Well, I haven't dated a girl yet."

"That's not going to work, is there something you can't say?"

"Ah no, it's just that I'm a late bloomer, I only had basketball in my life before, and I'm more introverted......"

"Haha, I'm joking, I know that you Chinese people are more introverted and more reserved in expressing feelings, to be honest, do you have a crush on my baby Abby?"

"Ah, how do you know? No, I don't have anything with Abby, I ......"

"Relax kid, I didn't say anything, did I, I just found out through observation, but I tell you, don't do something irresponsible. But don't be afraid of feelings, you have to express them, how can others know if you don't express them? And how do you know if it's right for you without trying? I'm not against you associating, but you have to be responsible for yourself and your future, and you have to respect each other, you know, kid. ”

"Well, I probably see what you mean, Uncle Jeff. Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for my own affairs. It's just that now I don't think it's the right time, and I want to bring her joy and happiness. ”

"It's good that you have your own ideas, just remember what you promised me. I'm not going to interfere with you too much. ”

Coming out of the study, I felt like my back was soaking wet.

Abby saw me come out with a blank face and asked me curiously what happened? What did I talk about with his father?

I only talked about basketball, and I prevaricated about the rest.

She knew that I would stay at her house for a while, training with his father, and seemed very happy, and pulled me to the guest room to help me clean up.

Emily looked at us kindly, and then went back to their bedroom with Jeff to rest.

……

The next morning, after eating the nutritious meal that Aunt Emily had prepared for me, Jeff and I went to a private basketball arena together.

Jeff told me that I could train here until the start of the race. I walked into the arena with Jeff with a grateful face.

When I was still in the hallway, I heard the sound of "thump" dribbling inside. I entered the basketball arena with Jeff with curiosity. When I looked up, I saw that the person who was practicing the basic dribble was none other than Jazz player Raja Bell.

Jeff led me to Bell and had a nice hug. Looking at my look of confusion and curiosity, Jeff introduced:

"Steven, this is Laga Bell, a Jazz player right now. I think you should know him, I contacted him yesterday and he would love to do training with you as well. Don't look at him as he is almost 35 years old and an old guy, but his three-point shot is still very good. “

"Uncle Raga, of course I know, when I was a child, he took me to the Wells Fargo Center to watch the game."

"yes, little Steven, long time no see."

"Oh yes, I forgot you were the little mascot of the 76ers."

"Haha, of course this is our 76-person little master!"

When Ragabel first went to the 76ers, I had been with the 76ers for four years. The whole team is very familiar with me. Bale was still a rookie when he first arrived at the 76ers, so he should have been asked to take care of me by the veteran players, but of course the reality is that I'm the 'old man' who takes him with me more often. Bell actually likes me and appreciates me in his heart, after all, I had a close relationship with the 76ers boss at the time, and I took a lot of care of him. So when I heard that Jeff was going to take me to shoot in practice, he volunteered to help. Jeff, of course, readily agreed.

After I changed my clothes and did my warm-up activities, Jeff asked me to shoot and dribble at various points in the court. Used to understand my shooting problems. Bale was in charge of passing the ball to me.

In fact, my shooting posture is very standard, after receiving the ball, I bend my knees, fold my abdomen, press my wrists in one go, and the basketball is also in the basket. Jeff looked at me with a frown and said, "Go on." ”

So I caught and shot at all points at the three-point line, and I made repeated movements to catch and shoot, and the comprehensive shooting rate could barely reach 7 percent. After that, I did a dribble pull-up shot in all positions, and I shot a little bit higher, to 7 to 34.

"Okay, I know your situation. You drink saliva first, and I'll talk to you. ”

"First of all, your shooting is very standard, the most beautiful shot I've ever seen. But you have to be clear that there is no standard shooting movement, and you can see that there are so many three-point shooters or players in the league who move differently. The reason for this is because everyone will modify their shooting actions according to their own characteristics to make their shooting more suitable for themselves. “

"For example, Ray Allen, unlike the others, he uses his legs to jump, which allows him to be very stable and balanced in the air. And in the process of jumping, all his shooting power comes from his wrists. That's the shooting position that suits him best. “

"And your Steven, you're using the Enlightenment Coach to teach all basketball beginners how to shoot and you can't say it's bad, it's just that he's not that good for you. You have to look for a pose that suits you and meets all your requirements. ”

"Take your uncle Iverson, for example, when he first entered the league and when he won the scoring title, his shooting was different. Your shooting needs are different at different times, because you're not just a three-point shooter, you're a two-way guard, and you're also a ball-handling offense. So now I need to make a change to your shots. ”

"First of all, you want to shoot faster, which is good, but I think you have your strengths, and you can't play to your strengths with a fast shot."

"First. You bounce well and have a strong core. Second, you have a good reach. These two points will make you shoot high, shoot stealthily, and not be easy to block. I think you want to speed up your shots, but you also want to shoot suddenly, avoid being blocked and distracted, right? ”

"Yes, Uncle Jeff." I replied in the affirmative.

"If you can shoot high and jump fast, then you can do both."

My eyes lit up, and since I crossed over, I've been thinking about Curry, who will change the league in the future, his quick shot and his three-pointers with full half-court range. I didn't think about why I was doing that, I just wanted to be compared to him, to be like him. His kind of shooting is dictated by his body, and the acceleration of his shots, as well as his longer and longer range, are all about avoiding blocking. Then I have a better body than him, why should I learn from him, I have to develop my own jump shot.

"So what do I need to do?"

"The first thing you need to do is to get up to speed and surprise, which adds a combination of three threats and dribbling. The jump speed is not about how fast you bounce, but about speeding up your squat. Your legs are like springs, and the squat is the process of squeezing the spring, and increasing the speed of the squat will greatly help you with your jumping speed. The second is the sinking action when squatting, you have to do it, whether you receive the ball or dribble, find that rhythm, the rhythm that belongs to you. Finally, there is the shooting action. The best angle to shoot is 50 degrees, and you need to be stable with your shoulders, arms and wrists when you shoot, and you have to be stable at all times. At a point where you want to fix your shot, don't lower the point of your shot in order to make a quick shot, you can put it higher, you may not be comfortable at first, the strength may not be enough, just get used to it slowly, plus I will increase the strength of your shoulders and wrists. ”

"These are the things you have to practice at the moment, of course, you also have to practice holding the ball and suddenly shooting, that is, dry pulling, and breaking through the emergency stop shooting, etc., these Bell will help you, he will continue to increase your defense, you have to do it is not to deform the movement, to practice repeatedly, so that the muscles form a memory."

"Wow, that sounds good, I can't wait."