Tactical Movement (3)
Tactical Movement (3)
17
Training with Yoon-hyeok-sunbae felt like a private lesson where we shared each other's strengths.
Since it was winter, the sun set early and it got dark quickly, making it hard to see the ball when passing from a distance, and physical training was out of the question.
So, it became a time to pass on know-how.
"Honestly, I don't have any special method. My breakthrough style is using instant acceleration and breaking the opponent's balance... The speed-based breakthrough is self-explanatory, and for breaking balance, it's just feinting until the opponent's center of gravity shifts, then bursting the other way."
To demonstrate, I try out some individual skills with Yoon-hyeok-sunbae in front of me.
Generally, in a 1v1 situation between an attacker and a defender like this, the textbook judgment for a defender is to delay.
Rather than diving in aggressively to steal the ball, it's standard defensive practice to keep a moderate distance, contain, and wait for backup.
It's the gap created by the difference in positions—the saying goes that an attacker is praised even if they fail 10 times and succeed once, but a defender is cursed if they succeed 10 times and fail once.
Some defenders make exceptionally adventurous plays, but Yoon-hyeok-sunbae is a player who prefers textbook play over adventure.
However, since it was a training situation, he seemed to be attempting to steal the ball actively rather than just containing.
'Now!'
The short moment he lunges, I see his body tense and his balance shift, so I burst past him in an instant.
"Wow. How do you burst out the exact moment I move?"
"Shall we do it one more time?"
Several 1v1s followed, all ending in my victory.
Yoon-hyeok-sunbae shook his head in disbelief.
"This is something you can't stop even if you know it's coming. Your upper body movement is art. You clearly lean right, but then instantly burst left—it's impossible to block."
He thought for a moment, then,
"In my opinion, you have great reaction speed. After experiencing your breakthrough, I get it. You're not predicting; you're reacting to my movements."
"Uh... is that so?"
Hearing Yoon-hyeok-sunbae say that, it felt like that might be true.
【Skill】 【Mental】 【Physical】
Individual Skill 067 ｜Vision 046 ｜Speed 062
Dribbling 060 ｜Anticipation 044 ｜Acceleration 067
Trapping 057 ｜Judgment 042 ｜Balance 056
Short Pass 048 ｜Concentration 056 ｜Agility 059
Long Pass 041 ｜Off the Ball 047 ｜Reaction Speed 079
Shooting 045 ｜Marking 038 ｜Power 054
Free Kick 042 ｜Composure 052 ｜Jump 046
Header 038 ｜Leadership 040 ｜Stamina 053
Tackle 032 ｜Teamwork 039 ｜Recovery 065
【Hidden】
Genius 046 ｜ Charm 095 ｜ Intelligence 028
【Height 175cm｜63kg】
【Owned Points】 4P
Checking the status window, the highest stat was surprisingly Reaction Speed, not the technique I was confident in.
'Was my reaction speed this good? Why am I only realizing this now?'
I see it every day, yet I'm only realizing it now. I need to look into it seriously later.
"I think you're right, Sunbae. I figure out how the opponent reacts and where their center of gravity shifts before I move."
"That's something I can't copy."
Sunbae gave a bitter smile.
"That's your innate talent."
Huh...? I started this training to comfort him, but is he getting discouraged instead?
Fortunately, he burned with a desire to improve instead of despair.
"My reaction speed isn't great, so I can't copy your method. But watching you, I think I get it. I might not be able to do what you do, but I could at least stop an opponent doing fancy footwork in front of me, right?"
"Me too?"
"Not you, you brat. You said your technique was pro-level since high school."
"Ayy~ Actually, they said my technique was pro-level even in middle school. Hehe."
"You're just too good, aren't you."
I laughed exaggeratedly to lighten the mood, and Sunbae laughed along.
After catching our breath, it was Sunbae's turn.
Sunbae scratched his forehead with a troubled expression.
"I don't really have anything to teach. What could it be..."
"Tactical understanding!"
"Tactical understanding is just running according to the Coach's instructions."
"Or soccer intelligence!"
"Soccer intelligence... soccer intelligence..."
He repeated it to himself, then,
"Tactical movement is explained by the Coach every time, so rather than repeating that... how about I explain how I play? That might be more helpful."
He smiled.
"I'd love that."
Yoon-hyeok-sunbae's way of playing.
I didn't have high expectations, but I was curious about hearing another player's playing method.
Come to think of it, I've never heard how other players play.
I just assumed everyone was similar, but since our styles are so different, our playing methods must differ too.
Just listening once wouldn't hurt, that was all I thought.
"Basically, I think a lot. I assume situations that might happen in advance and prepare for them."
A player who plays with his head.
But is that possible?
"Sunbae. During a match, the situation changes every game, every moment. How do you predict all that?"
"That's impossible. Predicting every situation is impossible unless you're an AI. I can't do that either."
"Huh? You just said you predict."
"I narrow down the situation as much as possible and then predict."
After saying that, Sunbae blinked a few times and exclaimed.
"Ah. I see. What you need."
"......??"
"Look here. We're in an attacking situation. Where's your position?"
"Left flank. Near the half-line?"
"Right. Usually, in our team's tactics, that's your spot. What are you thinking about then?"
"Um... just thinking about receiving the ball?"
Our team's ball progression depends almost entirely on me. Naturally, teammates feed me the ball, and my role is to carry it deep into the opponent's territory.
"Right. Can you think a little more from there?"
"How? Like the timing to pressure the opponent or defensive positioning?"
"No. The ball is in our team's possession right now. We only need to think about the attacking process."
"Then what about defense?"
"That's for the defenders or the players assigned to prepare for counterattacks..."
He thought for a moment, then nodded as if he realized something.
"You have too many useless thoughts."
"...Eh?"
"We have the ball, it's our attack, so why worry about the defensive situation? I told you, narrow down the situation as much as possible. It's our attacking situation. Then you only need to predict the attacking situation."
After saying that, Sunbae squatted and drew simple tactical symbols in the dirt with his finger.
"Look here. It's our attacking situation. If I were you, I'd first check my position and the marker's position."
Symbols of the stadium and players drawn in the dirt.
Sunbae pointed to them and continued.
"Like I said, I can't assume every situation. So I simplify it as much as possible. What's the first thing I need to judge quickly and accurately in this situation?"
"...How to receive the ball?"
"Right. How to receive the ball. And how to continue the play. That's the first thing."
The opponent symbol drawn in the dirt sticks close to the symbol representing me.
"The opponent is man-marking like this. Then I'd consider whether to drop down to receive the ball or call for a pass into space."
"Oh. That's true. I only ever thought about receiving the ball regardless of how the pass came."
"You shouldn't do that. No matter how fast your reaction speed is, as a human, there's a limit. You can't always rely on that, so you need to understand your teammates' tendencies to predict what kind of pass will come and prepare in advance, or call for it actively."
"Aha."
My head felt itchy. Hearing Sunbae's words, things my coaches explained in elementary, middle, and high school came flooding back, tangled together.
"And before receiving the ball, you need to think about how to continue. If you receive it, how to trap it to easily move to the next action. You could stop for a moment and break the opponent's balance—which you're good at—and breakthrough, or trap it in the direction the ball is coming and continue immediately. Or, like you showed last time, trap it with your heel to flick it over the opponent."
Sunbae brushed the dirt off his hands and finished.
"I'm not saying to think in every situation. Sometimes, relying on a flash of inspiration, instinct, or feeling is better than complex thoughts. Especially for genius players, playing relying on individual genius is often better in urgent situations. But the important thing is, you can't rely on that flash every moment. Think. Play while thinking. Just narrow down the branches of your thoughts."
Hearing Sunbae's words, a feeling of frustration arose, like something was about to surface in my itchy head but didn't.
I frowned in thought and instinctively used my points.
On 'Judgment'.
After dumping points into Judgment, I suddenly understood Sunbae's words, and my stats rose instantly.
【Skill】 【Mental】 【Physical】
Individual Skill 067 ｜Vision 046 ｜Speed 062
Dribbling 060 ｜Anticipation 044 ｜Acceleration 067
Trapping 057 ｜Judgment 049(▲7) ｜Balance 056
Short Pass 048 ｜Concentration 056 ｜Agility 059
Long Pass 041 ｜Off the Ball 047 ｜Reaction Speed 079
Shooting 045 ｜Marking 038 ｜Power 054
Free Kick 042 ｜Composure 052 ｜Jump 046
Header 038 ｜Leadership 040 ｜Stamina 053
Tackle 032 ｜Teamwork 039 ｜Recovery 065
【Hidden】
Genius 046 ｜ Charm 095 ｜ Intelligence 028
【Height 175cm｜63kg】
【Owned Points】 0P
'Huh? I had 4 points, but it went up by 7?'
Flustered by the first-time phenomenon, but only for a moment.
'Stats... they don't just go up with points.'
It was ecstasy. The joy that my efforts aren't in vain, that I can grow stats through effort too.
I was smiling with joy and a sense of achievement, but suddenly Sunbae avoided my gaze with an embarrassed expression.
"Ahem. I didn't teach you anything that great, so it's a bit embarrassing to see you so happy. It's nothing special."
For some reason, Yoon-hyeok-sunbae was rubbing under his nose sheepishly.