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.

【红霞译文】

        今天可谓费城运动俱乐部倒霉的上篮日子，连球神本身都诅咒它的来临，每次上篮效果不佳，祂们嘴上说说便罢，而我们却深受其害。

        本人完全不擅长上篮，也就是说，我快攻投篮没问题，但动作不堪入目，所以今天下午丹教练要我们练习四十五分钟的带球上篮，把球传给站在与罚球线平行而立的地界锥标旁队友，盯着他上篮再把球回传过来。教练样样看不顺眼，一会儿发问有些营员为什么速度过慢，一会儿又冲着其他人喊干吗要在篮框下停住投篮，但最关键的是他讨厌我投篮方式，并要求我完成基本动作，悠着劲顺势而上；再有，我做不好左手上篮姿势，而正确的上篮应该跳起的时候面对篮框，并且弹跳的脚跟投篮的手相对。人人都协调不起来，只要有误就被罚做俯卧撑，我投篮有毛病，而其他各位营员都有这样那样的问题，就连个头最高技术最好的思源照样犯球脚乱套的错误，不一而足。因为动作不符合要求，结果大家索性全部改做健身测试。我们练习传球上篮，之后再打全场紧逼投球。一旦进入白热化角逐，动作贯彻得如何得因人而异。等到上篮比赛正式拉开序幕，杰森又出了问题，他带球技术首屈一指，几乎无可挑剔，比赛前教练禁不住盛赞他是整个俱乐部唯一一位技术过硬的球员，我看有点言过其实。

        我理解，一旦在某些事情上投注太多精力，你肯定会担心失误。但是，假如身置开放式—半场以内—无人阻拦—你投出超过十次以上空气球，实在说不过去。如果该球员认为很好玩，其实一点都没趣！他连续失手，哼，投不进就是投不进！反复试了多少回一点戏也没有。有几次倒是撞到什么东西，那可是人耶。我被替换下场的五分钟里，就曾躲过几个迎面而来的追身球即三不粘，有一次球飞过篮板背面，差点撞着正在一位正在灌水跟我们毫不搭尕的小孩身上。今天还发生一起意外，我朋友凯文试图带球撞人，球的确没往篮框里跑，反而翻个跟头落到了自己的脑袋上，他顶着红肿的嘴唇坚持打完比赛，有时真会出现因果报应。

        遇到喜欢找茬的教练，练习上篮技术不是一件容易的事，也许今天晦气，也许大家都表现不佳，不管什么原因，明天我们将再来一次。