Episode 17: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 17: Tactical Movements (3)

Training with Yoon Hyuk sunbae felt more like a personal lesson where we exchanged our strengths with each other.

As winter set in, it quickly became dark, and it was hard to see the ball from a distance, let alone do physical training.

So, we ended up spending time sharing each other's know-how.

“To be honest, I don’t have any special techniques. My way of breaking through relies on momentary acceleration and throwing off the opponent’s balance… There’s not much to explain about using speed to break through, and for breaking balance, I just throw in a feint, and if the opponent’s center of gravity collapses, I go in the opposite direction.”

I demonstrate my skills with Yoon Hyuk sunbae standing in front of me.

In a one-on-one situation like this between an attacker and a defender, the textbook defensive approach is to delay the attack.

Rather than aggressively trying to steal the ball, the typical defensive tactic is to maintain a reasonable distance and wait for backup.

Just as they say, even if an attacker fails 10 times and succeeds once, they get praised, but a defender can succeed 10 times and still get blamed if they fail once—the gap that comes from the difference in our positions.

Some defenders might occasionally play with a sense of adventure, but Yoon Hyuk sunbae prefers a more orthodox playstyle.

However, since this is a training session, he seemed to be trying to actively steal the ball rather than just holding back.

‘Now!’

The moment he lunged forward, I noticed his body tensing up and his balance shifting, and I swiftly made my move.

“Wow. How did you manage to make your move just as I was about to?”

“Shall we try again?”

After a few more one-on-one confrontations, I emerged victorious each time.

Having allowed several consecutive breakthroughs, sunbae shook his head in disbelief.

“This is something you can’t help even if you know it’s coming. Your upper body movement is a work of art. You were clearly leaning to the right, but suddenly you dart to the left, and there’s no way to stop it.”

Then, after a moment of thought,

“I think you have great reaction speed. Experiencing your breakthrough just now made it clear. You don’t move based on prediction, but rather after checking my reaction.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Hearing Yoon Hyuk sunbae say that, it kind of makes sense.

【Skills】 【Mental】 【Physical】

Ball Control 067 ｜Vision 046｜Top Speed 062

Dribbling 060 ｜Anticipation 044｜Acceleration 067

Trapping 057 ｜Decision 042｜Balance 056

Short Pass 048 ｜Focus 056｜Agility 059

Long Pass 041 ｜Off the Ball 047｜Reaction 079

Shooting 045 ｜Marking 038｜Power 054

Free Kick 042 ｜Composure 052｜Jumping 046

Heading 038 ｜Leadership 040｜Stamina 053

Tackling 032 ｜Teamwork 039｜Recovery 065

 

【Hidden】

Genius 046 ｜Charisma 095 ｜Intelligence 028

【Height 175cm｜Weight 63kg】

【Available Points】 4P

Looking at my status screen, it turns out that my highest stat isn’t actually in the techniques I’m confident in, but in my reaction speed.

‘Is my reaction speed really that good? Why am I only realizing this now?’

Even though I check it every day, I’m only just noticing this.

I’ll have to take some time to seriously look into it later.

“I think you’re right, sunbae. I tend to figure out how my opponent is reacting, where their center of gravity is moving, and then I make my move.”

“That’s something I can’t replicate.”

Sunbae gave a bitter smile.

“That’s your natural talent.”

Wait... I started this training session to encourage him, but now it feels like he might end up getting discouraged instead.

Fortunately, instead of feeling down, sunbae seemed to be fueled by determination.

“My reaction speed isn’t great, so I can’t follow your method. But after watching you, I think I’ve got the idea. I might not be able to do what you do, but I can at least deal with opponents who try to pull off those flashy moves in front of me.”

“Me too?”

“Not you, you idiot. Didn’t they say your technique was already at a professional level back in high school?”

“Oh, come on~ They said my technique was pro-level even back in middle school. Hehe.”

“You’re really full of yourself, huh.”

To lighten the mood, I exaggeratedly laughed, and sunbae joined in.

After a short break, it was sunbae’s turn.

He scratched his forehead, looking a bit embarrassed.

“I don’t really have anything special to teach. What could I…?”

“Your tactical understanding!”

“Tactical understanding just means following the coach’s instructions.”

“Then how about soccer intelligence!”

“Soccer intelligence… soccer intelligence…”

He mumbled to himself for a moment,

“Tactical movements are explained by the coach every time, so instead of repeating that… how about I explain how I play during a match? That might be more helpful.”

He smiled as he said this.

“That sounds good to me.”

Yoon Hyuk sunbae’s way of playing, huh.

I didn’t expect much from it, but I was curious to hear about another player’s style.

Come to think of it, I’ve never really heard how other players approach a match.

I always assumed everyone played similarly, but since sunbae and I have such different styles, there must be differences in how we approach the game as well.

Listening to him might not be a bad idea, just to get a sense of things.

“I’m the type to think a lot during a game. I prepare by anticipating likely situations.”

A player who plays with his mind, huh.

But is that even possible?

“Sunbae, during a game, the situation changes every moment. How can you predict everything?”

“That’s impossible. Predicting every situation is something only AI could do. Even I can’t do that.”

“Wait, you just said you anticipate them.”

"Try to narrow down the situation and make your predictions."

After saying this, sunbae blinked a few times and then exclaimed as if something clicked.

"Ah, I get it. I know what you need."

"...??"

"Okay, look. We’re in an attacking situation. Where would your position be?"

"On the left wing, near the halfway line?"

"Right. Normally, in our team’s tactics, your position would be around there. So, what are you thinking about at that moment?"

"Um… just about receiving the ball?"

Our team’s ball progression almost entirely depends on me.

Naturally, during an attack, the team tries to get the ball to me, and my role is to carry it as deep into the opponent's territory as possible.

"Exactly. Now, let’s think a bit further."

"How? Timing to press the opponent or defensive positioning?"

"No, no. Right now, our team has possession of the ball. We only need to think about the attack."

"What about defense?"

"That’s for the defenders or the players assigned to cover against a counterattack..."

Sunbae paused for a moment, thinking, then nodded as if he realized something.

"You tend to overthink things."

"...Huh?"

"When we have the ball and it's our attack, why are you worrying about the defensive situation? Like I said, narrow down the situation. It’s our attack, so you should only be predicting based on that."

After saying this, sunbae squatted down and used his finger to draw simple tactical symbols on the dirt.

"Look here. It’s our attacking situation. If I were you, the first thing I would check is my position and the position of my marker."

He pointed to the crude drawings of a field and players on the ground.

"As I said earlier, I can’t assume every possible situation. So, I simplify it as much as possible. In this situation, what should I prioritize to judge quickly and accurately? What do you think?"

"…How to receive the ball?"

"Exactly. How to receive the ball and how to follow up. That’s the first thing."

The marker representing the opposing player sticks close behind the symbol that represents me.

"The opponent is tightly marking you like this. So, should I drop back to receive the ball, or should I call for it to be played into space?"

"Oh, that’s true. I usually just think about receiving the pass no matter how it comes."

"You can’t do that. No matter how quick your reactions are, as a human, there are limits. You can’t always rely on them. You need to understand the tendencies of your teammates and predict what kind of pass might come, or actively call for the ball."

"Ah."

My mind feels a bit ticklish.

As I listen to sunbae, memories of coaches from my middle and high school days explaining these things start flooding back, all jumbled together.

"And before you receive the ball, you also need to think about how you’ll follow up. When you trap the ball, how should you do it to seamlessly transition into your next move? You could receive it and pause briefly to destabilize the opponent and break through, or you could trap it in the direction the ball is coming from and continue your move. Or, like you did last time, you could use your heel to trap it and get past the opponent."

After shaking the dirt off his hands, sunbae finished speaking.

"I'm not saying you need to think through every situation. Sometimes, it's better to rely on inspiration, instincts, or your gut rather than overcomplicating things. Especially for naturally gifted players, in high-pressure situations, relying on their genius can often lead to better plays. But the key is, you can’t rely on those flashes of brilliance every moment. Think. Play with thought. But trim down the branches of your thinking."

As I listened to sunbae’s words, that ticklish feeling in my head grew, like something was just about to click but wouldn’t.

Furrowing my brows in thought, I instinctively used my points without even realizing it.

I invested them in 'Judgment.'

After putting all my points into Judgment, I suddenly understood sunbae’s words, and my stats quickly increased.

【Skills】 【Mental】 【Physical】

Ball Control 067 ｜Vision 046 ｜Top Speed 062

Dribbling 060 ｜Anticipation 044 ｜Acceleration 067

Trapping 057 ｜Judgment 049(▲7)｜Balance 056

Short Pass 048 ｜Focus 056 ｜Agility 059

Long Pass 041 ｜Off the Ball 047 ｜Reaction 079

Shooting 045 ｜Marking 038 ｜Power 054

Free Kick 042 ｜Composure 052 ｜Jumping 046

Heading 038 ｜Leadership 040 ｜Stamina 053

Tackling 032 ｜Teamwork 039 ｜Recovery 065

 

 【Hidden】

Genius 046 ｜Charisma 095 ｜Intelligence 028

【Height 175cm｜Weight 63kg】

【Available Points】 0P

'Huh? I had 4 points, but my Judgment stat went up by 7?'

I was briefly shocked by this unexpected phenomenon.

'So, stats don’t only increase with points.'

But then, I was filled with joy.

The joy of knowing that my efforts weren’t in vain, that I could grow and improve through hard work.

As I smiled, feeling a mix of happiness and accomplishment, sunbae suddenly looked away with an embarrassed expression.

"Ahem. It’s not like I told you anything that amazing, but seeing you so happy makes me feel a bit shy. It wasn’t much, really."

For some reason, Yoon Hyuk sunbae was sheepishly scratching under his nose.

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