Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 8 is inappropriate in principle, but that's just my principle.

"Squeak—thud!"

Lin Xiang finished practicing his last set of diagonal smash net footwork, officially concluding his morning training session.

He then walked off the court, wringing out the hem of his soaking wet jersey.

Footwork training is one of the most important aspects of badminton training.

A person's height and wingspan are at most around two meters, which is not enough to fully cover a 69.41 square meter court.

Only by mastering efficient footwork can one be at ease in a rapidly changing competition.

Watching expert players make the court seem small because they have optimized their footwork to the extreme, moving to any point in just two or three steps.

Of course, this is not just a technical issue; it also requires physical strength and power.

This kind of footwork running without hitting the ball is not only a good technical training method, but also takes into account physical fitness and strength.

It complements footwork training that involves hitting the ball.

The former can solidify the entire framework and deepen muscle memory; the latter can make the framework more flexible and further discover specific problems in practical application.

Lin Xiang discovered the lack of consistency in his cross-court smashes and net shots during multi-ball training in the summer, and is now focusing on improving them during the current adjustment period.

In the afternoon, he will also practice specific strength training for his core and lower limbs.

You must learn to pick up the shuttlecock, but you must also learn to put it down—that's the essence of how to become better at badminton.

"Senior?"

Lin Xiang noticed a figure in the distance. "You haven't left yet?"

"Yes, it's my turn to stay and clean up today!"

Shi Yuqi is mopping up the shuttlecock feathers on the court—these things may seem insignificant, but they have left many badminton players with painful memories.

In addition, universities in the south like Xiangda are inherently humid, so if some unlucky fellow athlete steps on it, they could directly experience the weightlessness of ice skating in Xu Yue's hometown.

"Junior, are you done training? It feels like you've been practicing for ages!"

"Okay, the morning's content is finished."

Lin Xiang buried himself in packing up his equipment, and also cleaned up the ball hair on his court.

Seeing that the nets on several nearby courts were a bit collapsed, I went over and adjusted them.

He's quite adept at this, after all, he's been playing tennis for so many years and has seen plenty of idiots who like to press the net.

Shiyuki also sped up the pace of cleaning up the ball feathers.

The two worked together seamlessly and quickly finished cleaning up the rest of the court.

"Are you going to use the court again this afternoon? You can come back if you need it."

"I'm doing strength training this afternoon, so I won't be using the court. Thank you, senior."

"That's great, your training plan is very comprehensive!"

The two chatted as they packed their golf bags.

"Because there's still plenty of time at the beginning of the semester, we'll have to squeeze in training time once classes officially start."

"Haha, it's okay. Our social studies department has relatively few classes. The key point is that only one political education class is at 8 a.m.!"

There are more reading and writing assignments, as well as a lot of social practice and social research to do, so you can't cram for the final exams like some other majors.

However, these can be arranged relatively flexibly; you can concentrate on practicing for long periods of time in the morning and evening.

"By the way, are you training so hard for some competition or selection process?"

Shi Yuqi had a vague idea, "Or is there a longer-term plan, like the high school badminton league?"

Lin Xiang nodded: "Yes. I want to keep getting stronger and reach higher stages. Making it onto the school team and being selected for the high school badminton league roster is my goal for this stage."

"I knew it!"

"By the way, senior, speaking of which, I'd like to know some information about the Xiangda Badminton Association and the school team. Mainly their respective functions and responsibilities, as well as the requirements for joining."

Actually, Lin Xiang had already noticed this when Zhao Hao and the others were discussing the college league.

Shi Yuqi seems to have some status in the Badminton Association, so asking her about this matter should be the right thing to do.

"Then you've come to the right person!"

Shi Yuqi slung her golf bag over her shoulder with a quick shove.

"The nature of the Badminton Association is more like a club, and its recruitment and activities are open to amateur students. Anyone who likes to play badminton can join."

The school team has a much higher entry threshold and a more official nature. Although it is nominally set up within the framework of the Badminton Association, it is actually not really under the Badminton Association's jurisdiction.

Most of them are high-level athletes who were specially recruited. They usually train together and go out to play in many competitions.

You've heard of Ling Ye, right? He's on the Xiangda University badminton team, and he's also the president of our badminton association. He won the World Junior Championships the year before last!

When the name was mentioned, Shi Yuqi's eyes sparkled, and she looked on with adoration.

Lin Xiang nodded as well.

As a veteran badminton player, he had naturally heard of this meteoric rise to fame and a legendary talent.

Unfortunately, his career was as short-lived as a shooting star – just a week later, in the semifinals of the Badminton High School League, Ling Ye, who was playing as the top singles player for Xiangda University, was unexpectedly injured and chose to withdraw from the competition.

Xiangda University lost a crucial point as a result, ultimately losing to Qingdao Normal University and failing to reach the finals.

After the match, Ling Ye was subjected to unprecedented cyberbullying, but it has now subsided, and both the praise and the slander surrounding him have gradually faded from people's sight.

The night sky is vast and deep, but how many people will remember a fleeting shooting star?

"But the school team will probably also recruit from students who don't study academically, right?"

Lin Xiang snapped out of his thoughts and continued to press for answers.

He knew that Ling Ye was a cultural student, which was why he was so legendary.

Of course, similar cases do exist in the world of badminton. One World Championship bronze medalist was a college student who went to the sport because it offered academic credits... unfortunately, he didn't make it big in the sport.

"It used to be that way, but it's become very difficult for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in cultural studies since the year before last."

Shi Yuqi sighed, as if lamenting the impermanence of life.

"After that upset in the badminton league, Xiangda University seemed to be on a downward spiral. Not only did the size of the school team shrink considerably, but the procedures also became much stricter."

If you submit an application to join the Young Pioneers now, they'll basically reject you outright as soon as they see you're a liberal arts student.

Even those specially recruited high-level athletes have to compete in selection trials to squeeze out the veteran players before they have a chance to get on the field.

But you're so amazing and disciplined, I think you can definitely do it!

The girl gave a thumbs-up, "Keep it up! We're looking forward to you bringing glory to our college!"

"How should a student who only studies academic subjects prepare if they want to join the school team?"

Lin Xiang asked further, recalling that his senior had mentioned that her former partner had been scouted by the school team.

"There are two paths! One is to get a referral from the current president and vice president of the badminton association. If the captain of the school team agrees to the referral, he can join the team without taking an exam. Of course, this path might not be realistic for the average person."

Shi Yuqi answered fluently, seemingly happy to help him solve his problem.

"Another way is to win as many prestigious awards as possible! That way, your application won't be rejected during the initial selection process. The Badminton Association will be organizing a lot of competitions soon, including inter-school competitions, so you can keep an eye out for them."

"Our school has a strong badminton atmosphere and many competitions, but there are different levels of players."

The most prestigious event is the annual university-wide championship, held every winter. The Xiangda University championship enjoys high social recognition, and winning a medal is a significant advantage when applying for related jobs after graduation.

Of course, there are point requirements for participating in the school championships. You need to have played in tournaments certified by the Hong Kong University Badminton Association and have enough points to qualify.

In addition, there are team competitions, including not only the university's own college league but also a friendly league jointly organized with colleges from other universities, held every two semesters. Both of these competitions are highly competitive and everyone plays with great passion!

However, the results of the inter-college competition depend on your teammates, and our inter-college performance is not ideal... So I think you can prepare for the Freshman Cup first, which any freshman who joins the Badminton Association can sign up for.

Although things are not what they used to be, the foundation is still there, and it still enjoys some recognition!

Furthermore, Zhang Ze, the instructor from the Badminton Association, is also the coach of the school team. Although he rarely appears in public, joining early will help you become more familiar with the area.

"I see."

Lin Xiang understood.

As expected of a senior student, she knows a lot. If he has to figure it out on his own, he'll probably take a lot of detours.

"Then I'll prepare to join the Badminton Association first. Do we have to wait for club recruitment?"

"Hmm~ It's fine if you don't want to wait."

Shi Yuqi thought for a moment and then took out her phone.

"I'll just add you to the club group chat!"

Is this appropriate?

"It's not appropriate in principle."

"That……"

"But I'm the vice president, so recruitment is my responsibility."

Seeing Lin Xiang's blank expression from yesterday, she smiled and suddenly felt a sense of triumph over him and had the coach under her thumb.

"If I say it's suitable, then it's suitable!"

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