"Alright fella's you know the drill, let's do some dynamic warm-ups." Tristan called out, standing in front of the players.
He then proceeded to walk the team through a few stretches. Judging by how the others reacted, this was a common occurrence. Ken followed along, starting with some arm circles and hip rotations.
This was also part of his routine, so there were no issues.
Once they were finished, Tristan led the way for a jog around the field. Despite looking tired upon arrival, the moment he began to train, Tristan's whole demeanor changed. Ken nodded in approval. He might have lost respect for the guy if he didn't take training seriously.
After getting their blood pumping, the captain moved over to a few drills that were set up specifically for agility. Ladder drills, cone drills and an area for short sprints.
Everything was self explanatory and easily breezed through by Ken. With his SSS+ Agility, such a small thing would not pose any issues.
Steve did well on the ladder drills, showing that he indeed had the good footwork needed for catching, however he lacked the speed in the lateral movement drills. Ken made note of this, considering adding it into his own training sessions.
"Alright, let's break up into groups." Tristan said once he was satisfied everyone had completed the warm-ups.
"Freshman with me." One of the coach's called out, causing Ken's head to swivel. He detected an odd accent, but he wasn't sure where it came from.
Ken sized him up with curiosity, never having met the coach before. The guy was only a little shorter than himself who was 6'5. He had a tattoo sleeve on his right arm and sported a thick handlebar mustache, giving him a wild look.
"Boys, I'm Coach Johnson, the head of the batting coach's." He stated cheerily.
"Where are you from coach? England?" Steve asked out of curiosity.
"Huh? You reckon I'm a pom? Mate, you couldn't have been more insulting if ya tried." Coach Johnson said, shaking his head in disappointment.
"That'd be like if I called you guys Canadian." He said with a serious expression.
Steve shrugged, "I like Canada." He stated simply.
"Forgive me, coach. I didn't think baseball was that popular in Australia." Ken interrupted, surprised that the man was from the land down under.
The coach shrugged, "You're right. I used to play cricket for many years before retiring and switching to baseball. I might not look like it, but I used to bowl 90+ miles an hour." He said, looking quite proud of himself.
"Bowl? Cricket?" The freshman including Ken looked at him in confusion, as if they had no idea what these words meant.
"Er… Anyway, we're gonna get some batting practice in today. I need to know if there's anything in your form that we need to work on." Coach Johnson continued, feeling a little exasperated.
There was no point in gloating to these baseball players who didn't even understand how impressive his feats were.
He turned and shook his head, lamenting that no one understood him.
"Alright, hurry along, we haven't got all day."
The group were taken to where a tee-ball was set up in front of a net. There was an expensive camera standing close by, showing just how good the budget was for the club.
Coach Johnson collected a bat from the ground and walked next to the tee-ball, gesturing for everyone to move back. "Basically, we'll be assessing your mechanics in this exercise. For the first few attempts, I want you to bat as you usually would." He said, performing a swift and accurate strike to the ball.
Ken's eyes widened, noticing the guys flowing movements. 'He knows his stuff…' he thought inwardly.
While he made the swing look effortless, Ken could tell that it was properly refined. It wasn't something that a person could just casually do one day.
"Ken, let's start with you." Coach Johnson said, handing the bat to him. He grabbed one of the balls and placed it on top of the tee before moving back.
Ken got into position and adjusted his feet, placing his attention on the ball. He hadn't done a drill like this since regressing, which made him a little nervous, especially since he felt 6 pairs of eyes on him.
Taking a deep breath in and out, Ken raised his bat. He stepped forward, twisting his body and smacking the ball directly into the net with ease. Ken felt that he'd done pretty well in mirroring his usual wind up and swing.
"Again." Coach Johnson said, his expression unreadable.
Once again, Ken did as he was told, hitting the ball flush once more.
"Mmm, not bad." He stated, however Ken felt like there was a 'but' coming.
Sure enough, the coach collected the bat off him and moved him out of the way. "Now, your swing is good, but you're loading up too late and throwing off your center of gravity." He stated matter-of-factly.
The guy then gave a demonstration, slowly planting his foot and stopping. "Right here, this is where you're placing all of your power."
Ken nodded, though he didn't see anything wrong with it. From his understanding, this was what a typical swing would do.
As if seeing Ken's skepticism, the coach let out a chuckle. "I'm sure this swing has worked for you until now. But it's because you're relying on your inherent athleticism and strong core. The technique in itself is lacking." He explained.
Before Ken could reply, the coach got into position once more. "If you were to use the right technique, you should be loading up and applying power even before your lead leg hits the ground. Not only will you get better lift on your swing, but you can then focus on getting your barrel to where it needs to be."
The coach placed his weight on his back foot and lifted his lead leg, slowly stepping forward.
His body tilted slightly, bringing the bat closer towards the ground. Right before his front foot landed on the ground, he swung the bat, hitting the ball with both power and precision.