Xue Yuchuan

“Ah， Coach Long， wheres your mind？” The father sighed， opening up to the coach， “To be honest， my sons never been much for exercising and hes become quite chubby at such a young age. Just the other day， he suddenly told me he wanted to lose weight. Its rare for him to think this way， and as a parent， I should support him， right？”

Coach Long glanced at Ding Xiaoxuan， who sat dejectedly on the ground and sighed， “There are many ways to lose weight， like long-distance running. Its a simple start， and while he might initially lack endurance， you can gradually increase his distance. But you chose basketball.” He hesitated slightly before continuing， “Basketball demands high physical standards， not just height， but also speed， strength， endurance， and coordination. From his shuttle runs earlier， not only does he lack speed and endurance， but his coordination also needs work. Maybe you should head home， for he doesnt seem cut out for basketball.”

Hearing this， Ding Xiaoxuan， who already wanted to leave， quickly got up from the ground.

“Coach Long， I already know that Xiaoxuan is not suitable for basketball，” the fathers voice rose， showing a rare intensity， “but hes never been this determined before， and Ive promised to support him. So Im asking you one more time please.”

“Ah， why cant I get through to you？” Coach Long shook his head， “Its good that the child is determined， and its commendable that you keep your word to him.? Should you continue or give up is your familys decision， but I have a team to consider as well”.

The fathers tone grew softer， with a hint of pleading， “Coach Long， cant he just practice on the side？ Is even that not allowed？”

“Enough， Dad. Lets go，” Xiaoxuan said， pained by his fathers current state. He shot an angry glance at Coach Long， blaming him for putting his father in this situation.

“We dont need to beg him. Whats so hard about basketball？ There are so many tutorials online. I can watch and learn， and Ill become a pro！”

“Ha！ Kid， you think basketball is that simple？” With a flick of his toe， Coach Long caught the basketball Xiaoxuan had left on the ground. The ball seemed alive， spinning effortlessly in the coachs hand.

Though Coach Long appeared quite old， his agility was remarkable. As he sped up his movements， the ball seemed to “dance，” leaving Xiaoxuan mesmerized.

Just as Xiaoxuan was entranced， Coach Long suddenly stopped and cradled the ball.

“How long do you think it would take you to learn what I just did？”

Xiaoxuan was still in shock. How did the same ball that didnt cooperate with him behave so obediently for Coach Long？

“Alright， you two should leave. Dont waste any more of my class time.” Coach Long firmly handed the ball back to Xiaoxuan， waved them off， and turned away， ignoring them.

As they left the court， Xiaoxuan trailed behind his father， looking up at the mans silhouette — he hadnt truly observed his fathers figure in a long time. The last time I looked at Dad like this， he seemed so tall and imposing. But now， from behind， Dad appeared a bit heavier， somewhat bulkier， and his back is slightly hunched. Its surprising how， without noticing， Ive been growing taller， and Dad has been quietly changing. He once stood like a mountain， providing a protective canopy overhead， and being in his shadow I felt so secure. But now he resembles a lone hill at sunset， having lost its earlier sharpness， only retaining a deep and heavy aura.

“Dad， you didnt need to beg him like that.”

Xiaoxuan couldnt help but blurt out.

Patting him on the head， Dad said， “Xiaoxuan， when we decide to do something， we give it our all. I just dont like giving up easily. Perhaps if Id pleaded a bit more， maybe he wouldve accepted you. If you just talk about wanting to become a basketball pro， but back down at the first challenge， then youre just boasting.”

“I wasnt boasting！ I was just thinking， I can practice basketball on my own. I dont necessarily need him to teach me.” “You saw Coach Longs skills. As he said， how long would it take you to reach that level by practicing on your own？ Its great to teach yourself， but only with a coach will you get proper， systematic training. Besides， basketball is a team sport; practicing alone， you might never grasp its joy.”

“But that coach clearly didnt want to take me. Why not check somewhere else for basketball training？”

“Son， even if we ask other coaches， the answer might be the same. Our current situation may not be ideal for basketball. But remember， where theres a will， theres a way. Ask yourself， are you truly determined？ If you are， youll find ways to overcome any obstacle.”

Xiaoxuan paused and turned to look back at the court. Today， there were moments when he felt like giving up on basketball. Did he truly lack commitment？

The metal fence around the court bore the bright yellow words： Feiyang Basketball Club. Under the sunlight， it shone subtly as if an invisible force was calling him closer. Dads voice rang， “In truth， Coach Long didnt say anything wrong. We should acknowledge our own shortcomings. But your comment earlier， ‘Whats so hard about playing basketball， was disrespectful to the sport， the coach， and those who train hard.”

“Dad， wait here for me. Ill be right back.”

Xiaoxuan started running， as if breaking free from chains.

Out of breath， he returned to the court. This time， he sat quietly at the sidelines， not wanting to interrupt.

Coach Long and the players were engrossed in training， seemingly oblivious to his return.

This was Xiaoxuans first time watching a basketball practice up close， and he was instantly captivated. Even though they were just practicing their shots in a line， it fascinated him. Seeing the players in neat queues， expertly sinking balls into the basket， he felt a warmth in his palms.

Soon， he noticed a guy about his size among the players. Curious， he wondered what was so special about him that he got to train with this team. As if sensing Xiaoxuans intense gaze， the dark-skinned， chubby guy looked back and gave him a broad， warm smile that reached deep into Xiaoxuans heart.

Maybe this camaraderie is the joy of team sports that Dad was talking about.

Shoot the Ball， Dad！

Xue Yuchuan

Hope Publishing House

October 2020

28.00 （CNY）

Xue Yuchuan

Xue Yuchuan currently resides in Taizhou， Zhejiang， and specializes in parenting writing.