Chapter Eleven: Archery

On the fourth day—only on the fourth day—Mo Mo finally managed to juggle one hundred balls in succession. He had always wondered, deep down, whether such a performance could be considered genius. Having earned fifty training points for his achievement, Mo Mo began to look forward to the next phase: shooting practice.

Shooting practice entailed ten footballs lined up within the penalty area before the goal. Mo Mo tried various shooting postures and techniques, searching for the method with the highest success rate or the most comfortable feel, then practiced it repeatedly. Su Yichen was stationed in front of the goal. As all preparations were completed, Mo Mo recalled the skills taught to him by Freddy Bobic. Despite his shots all heading toward the goal, they posed little threat, and Su Yichen easily collected the ball each time.

Careful observation during matches would reveal that Mo Mo seldom scored from outside the box—or, indeed, scored clean goals at all. More often than not, his goals came amidst chaos, off his head, feet, body—each in a myriad of ways. In short, every goal was a struggle, and as Mo Mo shot, Su Yichen would catch the ball and point out his flaws.

"Shooting isn't about brute force," he advised.
"Keep the ball low."
"Straighten your instep."
"At this angle, a curled shot works better."

With Su Yichen’s constant guidance, Mo Mo began correcting his shooting posture, refreshing his mind with each new attempt. Push shots, curled shots, volleys; instep, outside foot, inside foot. Eventually, he even summoned the defender Philipp Lahm for assistance.

In tight spaces, without a clear shot, or in the midst of a scramble in the box, a toe-poke was often the best option. At the edge of the area or inside, facing sideways or away from the goal, with the goalkeeper positioned forward and the angle available, a curled shot with the inside of the foot could break through. Such shots were useful when the defense couldn’t be breached at the edge of the box, often curling beautifully past the keeper into the far corner. Or, when through on goal but not directly facing the net, the move was best exemplified by Lionel Andrés Messi.

When the keeper rushed out, Mo Mo was always keen to try a chip, though he rarely had the opportunity. In practice with Su Yichen, he discovered that chipping was fraught with pitfalls.

Put simply, if you attempt a chip from anywhere but directly in front of the goal, the ball is likely to fly off-target. Sometimes Su Yichen, seeing Mo Mo opt for a chip, wouldn’t even bother turning around—the ball would hit the post, fly over, or be caught with a simple reach.

In the days that followed, Mo Mo tried one method after another. From missing all ten shots, to scoring one or two, and finally to four or five out of ten. It was important to remember that these were his own abilities.

"Now you’ve learned the technique of shooting," Su Yichen said. "But before you shoot, there’s a lot of passing and coordination, and you must often shoot under defensive pressure. These all require extensive practice."

A new task began: complete ten shots under complex conditions to earn one hundred training points.

At this stage, Philipp Lahm took the goalkeeper’s position, while Su Yichen transformed into Obileyev, defending Mo Mo.

Through this, Mo Mo gained valuable insight. Balls he could normally slot home with ease now forced him into hurried shots, with predictable outcomes: out of bounds, off the post, or easily collected by the keeper.

But the situation was still favorable, since Mo Mo realized the body given to him was not the bloated form he’d had when crossing over, but his seventeen-year-old self—when he’d always believed he was talented.

Come then! He’d always regretted never returning to the past with his own body, but now he could make up for that.

Yet passion did nothing to change reality.

"Try dribbling skills," came the instruction.

So, in desperation, Mo Mo began learning from Thomas Müller.

Mo Mo acted as the defender while Thomas Müller repeatedly dribbled past him, giving Mo Mo the chance to learn through experience and to directly feel the defender’s perspective.

"Change direction with a touch," Su Yichen would say, and Müller would demonstrate. Such directional changes were the fastest, simplest, and most energy-efficient ways to beat an opponent—highly practical.

When facing a defender, one must pay attention to their footwork and one’s own balance, adjust body coordination, and move quickly. There’s no need for feints; just a rapid change of direction, then accelerate to escape.

"Ball-and-body separation," came the next technique.

To use this, two points must be kept in mind.

Firstly, pay attention to your body’s balance, adjusting it toward the side you intend to sprint. Secondly, control the strength of ball separation; too forceful and the ball escapes your control, too weak and it’s easily intercepted. Mo Mo’s own dribbling style had always been a variant of this separation.

"Sudden stop and change of direction," was another method.

Mo Mo had used this technique to pass the ball to Dorr, and had once left a defender flailing in a match against Bielefeld. He described his dribbling thus:

"I stopped, and so did he. I moved left, he followed. I shifted right, he reacted. But when I sent the ball through his legs first, he hurried to close them, but failed to keep the ball—or me."

It seemed to be a combination of sudden stop, ball-and-body separation, and directional change. Mo Mo had a special fondness for these three simple yet effective dribbling moves.

"The Marseille turn," was next.

Some might think the Marseille turn is difficult, but it’s actually not complex nor hard! Many players not renowned for technique can perform it. Of course, the most authentic Marseille turn remains Zizou’s elegant spin on the pitch.

This maneuver demands excellent footwork and coordination—especially when two defenders are closing in, as exploiting the gap between them can break free in spectacular fashion.

Yet few could execute the Marseille turn as masterfully as Zinedine Zidane. The move itself isn’t hard; timing is everything. Used at the right moment, it lets you glide past opponents with flair. Used stiffly, it becomes a clumsy imitation.

Once, Cristiano Ronaldo’s coach remarked that Ronaldo preferred to accomplish simple tasks in the most complex ways, savoring the thrill of beating defenders more than scoring (thinking the latter too mercenary).

Mo Mo, though born on the same day as Ronaldo, preferred the most direct solutions. He didn’t have a Ferguson to rely on, and cherished every opportunity in this life.

Now, Mo Mo believed the most important thing was to score goals—many, many goals.