2015-07-23

【Aiden in English】

        Today was the day of terrible layups in the Philadelphia Sports Club or PSC. This day was cursed by the basketball gods themselves, and every layup would be tough. They cursed this day, and we had to suffer.

        I’m not good at layups at all. I mean, sure, I can lay it in on a fast break, but my form looked terrible. So in the afternoon, the coach Dan had us a 45-minute layup drill. We passed the ball to a person standing at a cone placed parallel to the foul line, watched the layup, and passed the ball back. The coach criticized us at every corner, like how some kids were too slow or others stopped under the basket to take the shot. But most of all, the coach hated the way I scoped my shots. He said to take it as a regular shot, just softer and with momentum. Also, I couldn’t get my left-handed layup step correct. A proper layup is done leaping off of the foot facing the basket, which is also the opposite foot to the ball. Everyone got the one wrong, and soon people were dropping on the ground doing pushups if they messed up a layup. Each kid had his/her own issues to deal with. I had the scope, and the tallest and best kid, Alan, kept jumping off of some foot as the ball, etc. These problems got us the Fitness Test. We practiced layups from passes, then to full-court fast breaks. As it really comes down to the wire, it depends on how good the player does in a game. As soon as an actual layup counted, Jason happened. Jason was a kid who went pretty much flawlessly in the drills. Before the game began, the coach had already said that he was the only reasonable player in the building. I guess he was wrong.

        I understand when things actually can cost you something, you can sort of freak out. But it is not okay to miss over 10 wide open, nobody-with-you-on-an-entire-half-court-and-air-ball-ing-it. If the kid thought he’s funny, well, he’s not! It was actually absurd at how many missed layups one can, uh, miss! His every attempt missed and missed and missed. A few times he hit something, it would be a person. When I subbed out for 5 minutes, I actually had to dodge a few throws- I mean, oh, air-balls. At one point a shot flew over the backboard and nearly clobbered an innocent kid refilling his water bottle. For the 3rd day in a row, a kid was in danger of being hit by a ball. Today, we got another dangerous incident though. When my friend went up to draw a charging foul but instead did a horrible flop when the ball went through the net, it clonked right on top of his head. He played the rest of the game with a swollen lip. Karma bites really hard sometimes. 

        Layups are a real pain in the donkey when you have a picky coach. Maybe it was just today, or we all looked horrible. Whatever the reason, we were going to do it all over again tomorrow.

【紅霞譯文】

        今天可謂費城運動俱樂部倒霉的上籃日子，連球神本身都詛咒它的來臨，每次上籃效果不佳，祂們嘴上說說便罷，而我們卻深受其害。

        本人完全不擅長上籃，也就是說，我快攻投籃沒問題，但動作不堪入目，所以今天下午丹教練要我們練習四十五分鐘的帶球上籃，把球傳給站在與罰球線平行而立的地界錐標旁隊友，盯着他上籃再把球回傳過來。教練樣樣看不順眼，一會兒發問有些營員為什麼速度過慢，一會兒又衝着其他人喊幹嗎要在籃框下停住投籃，但最關鍵的是他討厭我投籃方式，並要求我完成基本動作，悠着勁順勢而上；再有，我做不好左手上籃姿勢，而正確的上籃應該跳起的時候面對籃框，並且彈跳的腳跟投籃的手相對。人人都協調不起來，只要有誤就被罰做俯臥撐，我投籃有毛病，而其他各位營員都有這樣那樣的問題，就連個頭最高技術最好的思源照樣犯球腳亂套的錯誤，不一而足。因為動作不符合要求，結果大家索性全部改做健身測試。我們練習傳球上籃，之後再打全場緊逼投球。一旦進入白熱化角逐，動作貫徹得如何得因人而異。等到上籃比賽正式拉開序幕，傑森又出了問題，他帶球技術首屈一指，幾乎無可挑剔，比賽前教練禁不住盛讚他是整個俱樂部唯一一位技術過硬的球員，我看有點言過其實。

        我理解，一旦在某些事情上投注太多精力，你肯定會擔心失誤。但是，假如身置開放式—半場以內—無人阻攔—你投出超過十次以上空氣球，實在說不過去。如果該球員認為很好玩，其實一點都沒趣！他連續失手，哼，投不進就是投不進！反覆試了多少回一點戲也沒有。有幾次倒是撞到什麼東西，那可是人耶。我被替換下場的五分鐘裡，就曾躲過幾個迎面而來的追身球即三不粘，有一次球飛過籃板背面，差點撞着正在一位正在灌水跟我們毫不搭尕的小孩身上。今天還發生一起意外，我朋友凱文試圖帶球撞人，球的確沒往籃框裡跑，反而翻個跟頭落到了自己的腦袋上，他頂着紅腫的嘴唇堅持打完比賽，有時真會出現因果報應。

        遇到喜歡找茬的教練，練習上籃技術不是一件容易的事，也許今天晦氣，也許大家都表現不佳，不管什麼原因，明天我們將再來一次。