Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 455 I just wanted to lose weight, and you actually taught me techniques!

With that in mind, Tang Sen walked towards O'Neal.

“Shaq, I’ll teach you something really cool.” Townsend gestured for him to hand over the ball.

Given Shaquille O'Neal's lazy, unmotivated personality, special methods are needed to stimulate his interest.

For example, if he likes to be cool and show off, you can start from that aspect.

Sure enough, when he mentioned something really cool, Oni immediately perked up and asked what it was.

Tang Sen stood at the free-throw line, left hand on his hip, right hand holding the ball, leisurely standing there, and then shot the basketball.

Not enough force, the ball went too short.

But the meaning is quite clear.

O'Neal immediately frowned: "Tang, are you going to teach me how to shoot free throws?"

"Why?"

He had an exaggerated, incredulous expression on his face, as if to say, "I just came here to lose weight, and you're actually teaching me how to play ball? Don't you have any conscience?"

Tang Sen nodded, then said, "I think your free throw form is too ugly. You should practice the coolest free throw form, like mine."

He stood tall and proud, hands on his hips, exuding confidence and poise.

O'Neal stared with wide eyes, giving off a "you're messing with me" look, but he was actually tempted.

What Tang Sen said hit the nail on the head.

Shaquille O'Neal's mindset throughout his playing career has always been to show off.

His lack of technical practice is a form of psychological bragging; it's not that he doesn't practice, but rather that he doesn't need to practice at all.

I have great talent; I can defeat anyone in the world with just a couple of simple moves.

If I really focus on improving my skills, you guys will have nothing to do with me.

Of course, when he thought this way, he subconsciously ignored the question of whether he could actually train it.

What Tang Sen said perfectly matched his mindset.

He always says his free throws are bad and his free throw form is ugly, well, here's a cool one.

Regardless of whether it gets in or not, the first thing to consider is whether it's cool.

A player like Tang Sen, standing there with one hand on his hip, would definitely be the most eye-catching sight on the field.

"I'll try."

O'Neal perked up and stepped forward to push Tangsen aside.

His posture was even more unrestrained, with his belly sticking out and his chin slightly raised, looking incredibly dashing.

Then he threw the basketball with one hand.

With a clang, the ball hits the paddle and goes in.

"Isn't that interesting?" Tang Sen asked back.

O'Neal pursed his lips, said nothing, received the ball, and threw it with a twisted waist and a tilted body.

With a clang, it didn't go in.

He didn't mind, and changed his pose again, just like taking a picture, standing on one leg with his left foot overlapping and toes touching the ground, looking even more dashing.

"Interesting." O'Neal nodded slightly, a smile already creeping onto his lips, and then asked, "But can you shoot accurately like that?"

He couldn't help but fantasize about how he would start the new season by taking free throws like that, surprising all the media and fans.

The only problem is that we have to put it in first.

If you miss, people will think you're a fool.

Tang Sen said, "You'll become accurate naturally with practice."

Upon hearing this, Oni immediately wanted to back out.

I'm really here to lose weight, not to learn any skills.

Tang Sen played hard to get, saying this and then turning away, leaving him to figure it out himself.

Even if he really didn't want to train, Tang Sen didn't care that much.

Even if you have the desire to refine a beautiful gem, the players themselves need to cooperate.

Even with this free throw posture, you still need to put in the effort to practice accurately.

"Tang, are you serious? Let him be punished like this?" Tedsky's expression was extremely strange.

This free throw posture is even more bizarre than holding a chamber pot.

Tang Sen said, "I think it's great. When he's shooting free throws, his assistant hand is almost useless."

"If he's still nervous, he might as well change to a more relaxed posture. He has plenty of arm strength and big hands, so he's not worried about losing his grip on the ball. I think there won't be any problems."

When a person is relaxed, they might even be able to overcome psychological problems.

Tederski thought about the impact of O'Neal shooting with his hands on his hips like that next season, grinned, and said no more.

Sure enough, the next day, O'Neal couldn't resist approaching Tang Sen and asked to practice those free throws.

He went back and thought about it, and he really thought it was cool, unique, and eye-catching.

But the prerequisite is that you can shoot accurately. If you can't shoot accurately and keep shooting like that, you'll be drowned in the spittle of the media and fans.

"Of course, Shaq, you have to trust my abilities."

Tang Sen looked at O'Neal with a smile.

Practice free throws first. Once you've mastered free throws, you can naturally start practicing jump shots. By the time you've developed a good jump shot, the training camp should be over.

A Shaquille O'Neal who lost weight, still had free throws and a jump shot.

Just thinking about it makes people look forward to it.

Despite the talk, when it came to actual training, Tang Sen still seriously discussed the specific postures with Frazier and the others.

The upper arm remains still, while the forearm makes slight movements, relying entirely on the strength of the wrist.

Then, slightly turn your upper body, keeping your left hand on your hip while your right hand is on the center line of your body.

Person, ball, and basket, all in a straight line; a standard, rigid grip, a flick of the wrist, and a smooth, controlled motion.

This one posture, especially the right arm, requires rigorous practice to maintain.

Tang Sen has a way to do this: simply making the child stand as punishment creates muscle memory.

Tang Sen then suggested that, in order not to affect his normal muscle memory for hooking his hand, he should practice hooking his hand while standing as punishment.

So later, Kobe was surprised to find that the guy he always thought was as lazy as a pig had actually started training in a very serious manner.

Although his free throw form was very strange.

But since Tang Sen chose to have O'Neal shoot like that, there must be a reason behind it.

O'Neal did consider giving up, but at this point, the issue of sunk costs arose.

Tang Sen kept telling O'Neal, "You've trained for so long and suffered so much. Giving up now would be a huge loss."

However, the longer you persist, the greater the sunk costs become.

So much so that in the last month of training camp, when Tang Sen suggested that O'Neal practice his jump shot, he said that O'Neal's form was already perfect, and with just a slight adjustment, he would have a precise jump shot.

By then, if they can make two more shots per game, that's an average of 4 points per game.

Throughout your entire career, you've never averaged more than 30 points per game. With these 4 points, scoring over 30 points will be a piece of cake.

In today's league, averaging 30 points per game is the standard for superstars.

If you train hard enough, you can go on to compete for the scoring title, especially if you can snatch the title from Kobe.

O'Neal was like a pirate on a pirate ship, and started practicing jump shots.

The same method as Malone.

Keep the upper limbs in a fixed position and the upper arm still to ensure the stability of the hand movement.

Like a guard, you rely on core strength to maintain body stability.

Ma Long, with sufficient upper body strength, can rely solely on his upper body strength.

O'Neal has a foundation in free throw training, so he can shoot like that.

At the same time, Malone is shorter and his wingspan is far shorter than O'Neal's, so his jump height is not high enough when he shoots.

So his mid-range shot looks ugly and awkward.

Applying that analogy to O'Neal, he was taller, so his release point would naturally be higher.

The only shooting scenario he can apply is shooting outwards after a pick-and-roll with Kobe Bryant on the perimeter.

Therefore, Tang Sen asked him not to jump too high, just a little, to practice catching the ball and then immediately pulling up to shoot.

Jumping too high also affects the stability of his take-off.

As a result, O'Neal took several hundred more jump shots every day.

Incidentally, it can also replace the amount of training needed for weight loss.

After struggling for a few days, O'Neal immediately started complaining again and wanted to give up.

At this point, the sunk costs are even greater.

But O'Neal wasn't stupid; he knew very well that Townsend was trying to fool him.

In that situation, Tang Sen could only offer him empty promises and tell him to grit his teeth and persevere a little longer.

They say the Lakers are going to trade you. Aren't you angry? Don't you want to prove them wrong?

It was sheer willpower that allowed O'Neal to persevere until the end of training camp.

The three-month training camp has officially come to an end.

The 05-06 season officially began.

Then, as usual, just like last year, we'll take advantage of this month-long preseason to give the players who came to the training camp a break, let them rest more, focus on getting back into shape, and help them prepare for the new season.

The Lakers' first regular season game will be on November 2nd, an away game against the Nuggets.

O'Neal had been looking forward to this game for a long time, imagining himself showing off his unique free throw style in front of the whole world.

Tang Sen even took a day off to fly to Denver to observe the event in person.

(End of this chapter)