Chapter 420 The Road
Upon hearing his coach's words, he looked down, trying to avoid his gaze. But he couldn't pretend not to hear him. Coach Nakamura was present right before him, expecting an answer from him. And, it would only appear as if he were fleeing had he chosen to remain silent.
A mixture of embarrassment and guilt flashed in his eyes as tried to speak his heart, "I just want to get better, Coach. I feel like I need to do more."
He was well aware that he had breached the rule. And, he shouldn't be saying such stuff right now. Instead, he should be apologizing. But yet, he couldn't bring himself to apologize either. He felt as if he had to offload these unsettling feelings off of his heart.
"I understand," Nakamura replied gently. "But sometimes, less is more. Pushing yourself too hard can lead to burnout or injury. You need to find a balance. Trust in the training sessions, and trust in yourself."
Nakamura could clearly see the conflict in his eyes, his resolve to improve, and his fury at himself. But he knew that hastiness wasn't the answer to his problems. After all, improvement takes time and dedication.
Just by pushing your limits one day in the gym, you won't see any results.
And, even if one were to push past their limits on a daily basis, it's not guaranteed that one might actually get better. People require rest to function. Especially for athletes, it's even more true. Since they engage in physical exercises, they need even more rest than normal people for their muscles to recover.
Overworking oneself would only increase the chances of injury.
Even famous players like Cristiano Ronaldo who spends most of his time training put rest in their major priority. They know that as much as training is important, recovery is equally important.
Many people assume that by working more, you achieve more. But it's not entirely true. When putting the right effort into the right thing, one can improve more than the one who mindlessly works hard.
And, right now he was doing the exact same thing. Driven by his fury at himself, he was overworking his already tired body to improve. It was unlikely to happen.
They had a match tomorrow. And, now due to his recklessness instead of doing him good, he had tired himself. In his present condition, he was unlikely to be in a perfect condition in tomorrow's match. And, for sure if he were to start in such a condition, mistakes were inevitable.
Shun then nodded, taking in his coach's words. He respected Nakamura immensely and knew he was right. "I'll try, Coach," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of relief and exhaustion.
Nakamura gave him an encouraging smile. "Good. Now, let's call it a day. You've done enough for tonight. Go home, rest, and come back fresh tomorrow."
Before they could walk out of the field, he felt an intense urge to speak something. Though his heart hesitated to say it, he couldn't bring himself to keep it either.
"About tomorrow's match... I think it's only fair for you to bench me. I think..., I deserve it," Shun spoke with great difficulty.
And Nakamura could very well feel the difficulty. It was a sign that he was maturing. It was a sign that he was guilty for his actions. And, it was a sign that he was trying to own up to his actions. This gesture of Shun brought a smile to his face.
His lips curled into a smile, and his eyes glistened as he got washed by an intense feeling of joy and pride. To be part of his player's improvement, what more could a coach desire?
He wanted to praise Shun. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He feared that it'd hinder his path of improvement. So he kept it to himself.
"Rest well," he replied briefly in his usual tone.
"Yes sir," Shun responded, his voice full of vigor."Then I'll clear up this mess first before heading home," he added.
The balls were scattered all over the ground, and so were the equipment. So, it was only natural for him to clear up his mess. Since it was he who caused this mess in the first place.
But just as he was about to head away to collect the balls, Coach Nakamura prevented him, "Go and get the net. Two hands are better than one"
Coach Nakamura was offering to help him clean up this mess. So, how could he refuse it? And as he said, it'd be quicker with the two of them instead of him doing everything alone. For reasons like this why he respected Coach Nakamura.
Though he appeared stern from the outside, he was really a comfortable person to be with.
"Make sure to catch well," Nakamura added as Shun was about to leave.
Then while Shun grabbed the net, Nakamura began to shoot the scattered balls in his direction, one by one. His shots were quite precise, showing his quality as a player. Even though it had been quite a long since he hung his boots, he hadn't rusted.
It was as if he were taking freekicks during his time as a player. And, Shun who was on the receiving end could vividly feel the weight behind those shots.
'Once a player, always a player' he thought as he caught the balls in the net without missing any.
With the two of them working together, they quickly managed to clean up the pitch. Then after collecting everything, they walked out of the field together.
As they walked off the field together, the last light of the evening faded into the night. The training ground, once filled with the sounds of effort and determination, now fell silent.
While getting off the field, Shun glanced back at the goal one last time. And as he glanced back, he felt a renewed sense of purpose and gratitude for his coach's guidance. Just as Coach Nakamura had said, the road to improvement was long and arduous.
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