The Invincible Supreme Medical God-Chapter 77 - 76: Holding the Racket Like Holding a Knife

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"Why not bet? That brat dares to have ideas about my Reserve Concubine! I must teach him a lesson." Yan Xiaobao didn’t think for a second that he might lose.

"Honey, what if you lose? What should I do then..." Ye Shanshan was so anxious she nearly stomped her feet. She was still dreaming about being Yan Xiaobao’s concubine, learning his divine skill, roaming the worldly society with her sword, dominating the world. How could she just stand by and watch Yan Xiaobao gamble her away to Li Zhigang?

"There’s no ’what if.’ Your husband is the strongest man on the planet. Whether it’s fighting, playing sports, shooting guns, or blasting cannons, there’s no way I’d ever lose to anyone."

Ye Shanshan saw Yan Xiaobao’s resolute attitude and, unable to talk him down, decided to take emergency measures. "Let me teach you how to hold the racket first."

Yan Xiaobao looked at the racket in his hand. "Isn’t the way I’m holding it okay? Everyone says this grip is like a fly swatter—perfect for dealing with that annoying fly."

"..." Ye Shanshan knew it was impossible to change Yan Xiaobao’s mindset, so she tried another approach. "It’s not that the fly swatter grip is bad... it’s just... it’s just not cool enough. Let me teach you the coolest way to hold the racket."

"The coolest grip? Okay, I’m open to learning that." Yan Xiaobao nodded.

"Alright, follow my lead." Ye Shanshan began teaching Yan Xiaobao step by step. "Your thumb-web should face the side of the racket’s frame, not the racket’s face. Press the inner sides of your thumb and index finger tightly against the broad side of the racket’s handle, with the base of the grip resting against your hypothenar muscle. Then, use your middle, ring, and pinky fingers to hold the racket in sequence. Don’t grab it like a fist—leave some space in your palm and keep your grip relaxed. Tighten your grip only when hitting the ball."

"This grip... doesn’t feel very cool..." Yan Xiaobao raised the racket and checked it out. "With this stance, I’m pointing the racket’s frame to the front. How am I supposed to hit the ball like this?"

"You hit the ball like this." Ye Shanshan demonstrated while explaining, "Step one: Turn sideways, with your weight on your right foot; at the same time, raise both hands. Lift your racket arm’s elbow, draw back your forearm, and let your wrist tilt outward so the racket tilts backward. Step two: Swing your arm forward and upward. When your elbow’s at its highest point, keep it fixed, don’t move your upper arm. Open your forearm and rotate your wrist inward to hit the ball with the racket’s flat surface. Step three: Relax your arm after hitting the ball and let the racket follow through to the left-front side of your body."

"This feels so awkward. Can you simplify it?" Like all beginners, Yan Xiaobao found it hard to adapt to these professional standard movements.

Professional athletes spend months practicing air swings to nail these techniques—a complete mastery is never immediate. Ye Shanshan thought for a moment and then had an idea. "Honey, do you know any Sword Skills?"

Yan Xiaobao puffed up his chest. "Of course I do! I’ve mastered all eighteen types of weaponry: swords, spears, staffs, you name it."

"Then it’s easy!" Ye Shanshan exclaimed happily. "Actually, the standard way to hold a racket is commonly called the ’knife grip.’ Just imagine the racket is a blade, and give it a try."

"That’s simple." Yan Xiaobao adjusted his grip, and his racket-holding technique instantly became much more natural.

"Yes! That’s it! Honey, you’re amazing!" Ye Shanshan was elated and kept coaching Yan Xiaobao. "Hitting the ball is easy too: when the shuttlecock flies toward you, swing your blade straight down as if slicing. But don’t actually hit the shuttle yet—just before you’re about to connect, switch the slicing motion into a push to smack the shuttle away."

"Oh..." Yan Xiaobao thoughtfully made a few trial moves. "Like when Li Zhigang irritates me, I swing my blade at him, but I don’t want to kill him, so I shift my blade strike into a slap to smack him away..."

"Yes, yes! Exactly like that!" Ye Shanshan clapped her hands and cheered.

At this point, Yan Xiaobao’s racket-swinging looked quite professional. An ordinary person wouldn’t reach his current standard without two to three months of practice.

By then, Li Zhigang had finished warming up and was standing on the court, pointing his racket at Yan Xiaobao from afar. "Are you ready? If you’re ready, stop dawdling and come face your doom!"

"Wait!" Ye Shanshan pulled Yan Xiaobao back just as he was about to head onto the court. "Let me practice a few more rallies with you."

"No need." Yan Xiaobao casually swung his racket twice. "Dealing with trash like him is a piece of cake. I don’t need any extra practice."

"Boo—" A wave of jeers echoed around the court.

A complete amateur who had just learned how to grip a racket dare to boast about beating a professional player? If this wasn’t the pinnacle of bravado, it certainly wouldn’t be far off.

Li Zhigang let out a cold laugh and said no more, leaving it to the referee to announce the start of the match.

"The match will follow the 21-point system: the winner of a set is the first to reach 21 points with at least a 2-point lead. Best of three sets decides the match. If both players reach 29 points, the first to lead by 1 point wins the set..."

The referee briefly explained the rules and then allowed the players to pick sides and contest for service.

"I’ll let you serve first. Don’t want people saying I bullied you." Li Zhigang tossed the shuttlecock toward Yan Xiaobao as he spoke.

Yan Xiaobao didn’t mind; standing in the middle of the court, he prepared to hit the shuttlecock.

"You’re in the wrong position." The referee stopped him.

"Huh?" Yan Xiaobao was completely confused.

"Hahaha! Can’t even stand in the right spot, and he dares call this a match?" Another wave of laughter erupted from the spectators.

Ye Shanshan quickly explained to him, "Matches start with serving from the right service area. When the server’s score is 0 or an even number, both players must serve or receive from their respective right service areas. If the server’s score is an odd number, they serve or receive from the left service area."

"Oh." Yan Xiaobao moved to the correct spot on the right service area and smacked the shuttlecock out with a "Thwack."

"Serve above waist level. Fault! Change service, 1–0."

The referee declared Yan Xiaobao’s violation, giving Li Zhigang the first point. Naturally, the spectators erupted into jeering laughter once again.

"Seriously? Can’t even serve properly. Is there a need for this match at all?"

"It’s just for entertainment. Want to bet Li Zhigang beats him 21–0 and hands him two goose eggs?"

"Do you even need to guess? One’s a pro player, the other’s a total rookie. If Li Zhigang doesn’t mess up, that little man won’t even score a point."

"Hey, what’s your deal?" Yan Xiaobao angrily turned to the referee.

Ye Shanshan sighed and explained again, "When serving, the racket must hit the shuttlecock’s base first. At the same time, the entire racket frame must remain below the server’s waist and racket-holding hand. Otherwise, serving above waist level or hand height both count as faults, and the opponent scores."

"Such a hassle with all these rules." Yan Xiaobao grumbled discontentedly but followed Ye Shanshan’s instructions, moving to the correct position for receiving Li Zhigang’s serve.

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