21 The Holy Trinity of Sports

The other one-set game of Shiroshikata against the team from Chubu was already done, which they also won. The other teams too, seem to have wrapped up already in their second game, and what's left is the ongoing one-set between Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa. They are currently on a deuce at 30 – all. What's happening right now is a showdown between the powerhouses of Kanto and Tohoku.

It's no surprise that Itachiyama is strong. But Shiratorizawa just won't go down without a fight. In other words, this game carries more than just a rights-of-passage for Itachiyama, and more than just revenge for Shiratorizawa. This is only a practice match, yet both teams are going all out.

Throughout the game, the setters for both teams have been outsmarting each other with their clever and sly techniques to facilitate their offense and shake away their opponent's blockers. The spikers also were relentless in smacking those balls to their opponents' side. The blocks are nothing but spectacular and their liberos beg not to be ignored. The match is nothing short of intense. It was wicked.

But in the end, it was Itachiyama who emerged triumphant, even without their ace. The game settled at 33 – 31. And after the sportsmanship handshake was made, a silent promise was made between the two teams - another take of this battle between powerhouses.

Shinya, who plays as Itachiyama's setter, approached Hiro with a smug look on his face. "Told you, that Sakusa isn't all there is to our strength."

"Shame I can't wipe the blank expression from his face tomorrow, then." Hiro replied.

The participating teams rested for the night at the comfort of Itachiyama's hotel-quality dorms. The next morning, they all prepared for the seminar that was scheduled in the school's AVR.

"It's dad." Kayo told the rest of the team while they were having breakfast.

"What do you mean, Kayo-san?" Megumi asked her.

"Dad's the speaker for the seminar. Haven't I told you that he works here in Tokyo for the JVA?" The head manager replied.

"Eh? Really, Kayo-san?" Asuma Genji inquired, several grains of rice stuck in the side of his mouth.

"Yeah. Dad is actually a promoter from the Japanese Volleyball Association (JVA) for many years now. Part of his job is to scout athletes and athlete trainers for the Japanese professional volleyball league. They also deal with brand promotions of the teams and sponsorships for V-League games. He's also part of the staff who manages the nation's selected pool of players who represents Japan in different international tournaments. Sometimes, they even pop on high school training camps to look for individuals with potential for the sport, in guise of doing trainings and seminars to spot their talents. I heard from my mother that dad used to play volleyball when he was younger. But due to the limits of his talent and physique, he wasn't able to play in the pros. So, he chose to pursue a job instead that connects people to volleyball. That's why he became a promoter. It's a very demanding job." Kayo responded proudly.

Soon enough, they all left the dining hall and proceeded to the venue of the volleyball seminar.

"Erm, good morning to everyone. I know you must be tired of hearing from old men, but I'll do it anyway. I'm Hijikata Juichiro from the JVA, and I bet you've probably heard these things I'm about to say before, but you have no choice but to listen. So here goes nothing."

Hiro hated seminars in general. They are boring. But it's a perfect opportunity to just slack off and pretend to listen, so he had no qualms about it for now.

"All athletes believe in this Holy Trinity of Attributes. Does anyone know what these things I'm referring to are?" He got no response for that it was almost funny. Hiro thought he's not the only one who thinks this is boring.

"The body, the mind, and the heart." Silence was broken by the deep voice of Koenma Boichi, the current team captain of Itachiyama Gakuen.

"Correct! It's the Body, the Mind and the Heart." The powerpoint flashed these three simple words.

"Volleyball, similar to any other sport, gives extreme importance to these factors. These three, I daresay, determines the overall quality of a player when he's immersed in the game. In almost all sports, people pay attention to these holy attributes. Fans call a star athlete a monster when he's got the perfect physique for his sport. Many admire intelligent players with unyielding mental strength. And of course, the most well-loved teams and athletes are those with the biggest hearts for the game with their never-say-die spirit."

"First, the Body. It's easily the most noticeable attribute of an athlete. Depending on the sport he plays, he is often judged by the proportions of his body. If he plays basketball, ideally, he must be tall and bulky, to be able to withstand the physicality of the game. If he's a gymnast, he should be light and flexible, for him to execute his routines well. It all depends on what he is playing. But when I say 'body' attribute, I don't limit it only to physical proportions. I incorporate skills as well into this aspect."

"What makes a great center for basketball? His body, right? But is that enough? No. He should be good enough in the post for defense and powerful in the paint for offense. Going back to volleyball, what makes a good middle blocker?" No one dared to answer.

"It's the player's height, right? Raise your hand if you agree." Almost everyone raised their hands, save for a few, like Asuma Genji.

"I see not everyone agrees. Do you mind sharing your reason? Hmmmm… how about that kid from Kansai?"

Everyone turned to Asuma, who volunteered to respond to that. "In a sport like volleyball, even if you're already 6 feet, you are still considered short. In the pros, moreso in the international stage. How much more if you're below that standard? Does that make you useless and helpless? I beg to differ. Height isn't all that matters in volleyball. It's the skills you have. So what if you're short? I don't really think that it's a hindrance. If you can jump higher than anyone else, own the floor and shock the world with your leap. As long as you can fly, you can always find other ways to fight." He said the last sentence loudly with extreme conviction.

"Excellent response, young man! Yes, yes, that's what I'm talking about. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to up your physique, there will always be a limit to what you can do to your body. To compensate for that, you focus to develop your other skills. If you settle for nothing else, you can never truly improve as a player."

"To that end, I'll share with you how to improve your body and to become stronger on court. I'm sure you've been doing these things with the help of your teammates and your coaches. And we only have so much time. So, in addition to the fundamentals, the skill areas I want you to focus on in particular are these three: Serves, Blocks and Receives." He held out three fingers after that.

"Serves are the beginning of everything. Teams that are good in serves are formidable. It's the ultimate way to rack up some points, without the fear of blockers in your path. Blocks are combined defense and offense. There's no other technique stronger than mastery of the battles around the net. And receives. To never let the ball fall is the ultimate form of despair for your opponent in volleyball. No matter how powerful and strong the spike is, the crowd will go wilder if the sound of the receive echoes louder than the hit. Always remember these things, boys." He smiled knowingly as if he proved his point.

"When you do your drills after this seminar, I want you to follow the plan my athlete trainer folks at the JVA whipped specially for you, advancing high schoolers. I'll give it to you guys later."

"Next attribute, the Mind. I'm not telling you all to be intelligent. It's good to be stupid from time to time. What I want, is for you to understand the importance of mental strength as well. With that, I mean you should do lots of mental training. You don't have to be perfect, but you should try to get to a point where you can make some good plays. And in order to get to a point where you can make good plays at any time, you should work on the way you think." This time, he placed his index finger on his forehead.

"You haven't been able to hit your spikes. You're always blocked. Your sets never make its way home to your hitter. Your receives suck. Your blocks suck. If you wail in the corner for these shortcomings, then you've lost not to your opponents, but to yourself. Never let these thoughts get to you. If you are always blocked, try and try again until you can score. If your sets or receives or blocks suck, practice and practice and practice until you get it right. Don't hesitate asking for tosses. Don't apologize for acting reflexively. It's only natural. Mind over matter, as they say. In sports, mental toughness is a must."

"But still, and this is VERY, VERY IMPORTANT - Mental training does not equate to abusing your body. Know when to stop when you've done enough. There will always be another time to surpass your limits, but don't push yourself too far in training. Or else, you'll end up with every athlete's fear – a bad injury. As I said, work on the way you think. Don't believe you can overcome everything with reckless effort alone."

Many shifted in their seats after that discussion which stressed the importance of thinking properly.

"Now, the last attribute of the Holy Trinity, and the most important one. The Heart." From where Hiro was seated, he can see that Genji's eyes were extremely focused to the speaker. All of his attention is to him, and he guess he's sucking in all the information he could get from the man like a sponge.

"To truly enjoy oneself, one must love the game. I repeat – LOVE THE GAME. It may not be your passion for now, but who knows, your learnings from the game might be your guiding philosophy in life someday. When you play, never go down without a fight." The image of the Itachiyama vs Shiratorizawa match yesterday burned in Hiro's mind.

"Countless athletes displayed this very important attribute in countless games in almost every sport. From impossible Hail Marys in basketball, miracle saves by the goalkeeper, last-second strikes, winning spikes in volleyball, victory smashes in tennis, successful homeruns, endgame adrenaline in track and swimming events….too many to mention. All these things have one thing in common – a never-say-die attitude. The best athletes in the world possess this quality. They are the ones who inspire not just their teammates, but others as well. They influence fans all over the world. That's how big the impact of their heart is." He clutched his chest, hard enough, that it was almost audible.

"No matter how close the game is, or how hopeless it seems, hustle. Hustle. Tell yourself, 'it's not yet over'. The only requirement here is your determination and grit to keep on playing. Never give up until everything is finished. I reiterate, never go down without a fight. Be badass through and through."

Then in a deeper tone, the speaker said, "Your heart fuels the fire inside of you. Ignite it. Let it burn."

Asuma groaned at that line and he was sweating profusely. It probably sparked the fire in him or whatever. Hiro decided to just ignore him.

"Lastly, don't forget to ENJOY every moment of the game. Have fun. Burn it into your muscles' memories. What exactly does it mean to win, you ask? Well, as you journey along this path, that's for you to find out."

The seminar was concluded later on, and the players got themselves prepped for their afternoon set of drills and practice matches.