Chapter 4 – Rehabilitation Training 02

When you listen to the broadcast of a baseball game, you often hear the sentence pitching a ball only with a shoulder.

Pitching a ball only with shoulder means that pitchers don’t use the rotating force of the body.

The purpose of center moving training that Gun Choi was practicing now was to use the power of rotating the body.

It is often said that pitchers know how to use their hips.

Both Gun Choi and the trainer spent around 30 min to practice the center moving.

“We’re done.”

Gun Choi sank to the floor upon hearing the trainer speak.

“Gosh…”

The trainer tilted his head in doubt at the sight of Gun Choi exhausted with this simple training.

“Gun Choi, I’m not sure that you are fully recovered. If so, this training will worsen your body. Please consider that carefully.”

Gun Choi denied it.

“Nope, I hadn’t trained for a while, that’s why my body needs more time.”

The trainer nodded and they started another round of training.

Bang. Bang.

A ball made satisfying sound as it flew into the gloves.

Gun Choi checked his shoulder condition by doing short tosses. 

‘My shoulder condition is not bad except that my body feels heavy.’

He kept throwing b.a.l.l.s.

“How do you feel?”

Gun Choi cheerfully answered the trainer’s question.

“I feel good.”

The trainer nodded and took off his gloves.

“Let’s end the short toss.”

To protect his shoulder, the short toss training ended early.

It was lunchtime after morning training.

This meal was for the farm, so it was just like a plain meal.

But Gun Choi ate till his food tray was clean.

‘This is a wonderful meal compared to what you get in the Minor League.’

As he finished the food with gusto, a new player came to him and asked.

“Mr. Gun Choi, is this really delicious?”

Gun Choi replied with a shrug.

“Yes, it is. You only get a piece of bread and jam in the Minor League.”

“Really? One of my friends who just went to America told me that the food there was nice.”

Gun Choi explained to him kindly.

“He must be in the rookie league. Some of the rookie league teams are operated by Major League teams. Those restaurant food is pretty good. But not from single A. They’re all terrible.”

He answered and left the table.

The purpose of PM training was to strengthen the overall body balance.

“The reason why pitchers fail in rehabilitation is that too much care is focused on the shoulders.”

Gun Choi nodded and asked.

“You mean that pitchers care about only injured shoulders? And they don’t do overall balancing practice, right?”

“Exactly. You can’t throw a ball with shoulders only. As you may know, you need overall balance from the thigh, hip, and every part in your waist to throw a quality ball.” 

The trainer suggested the long stride training method to strengthen the lower part of the body.

“Gun Choi, have you heard that there are lots of players whose pitching speed improved a lot after getting the Tommy John surgery?”

“Of course.”

Gun Choi stretched out his legs as he replied.

He felt heavy because he hadn’t done the stride for a long while.

‘I’m sure that my lower body isn't in a good state. And I don’t know if this heavy feeling will go away or not. Shouldn't it be getting faster? But why do I feel heavy and slow?’

The trainer corrected Gun Choi’s stance and talked to him.

“The improvement on the ball speed is not because of the strengthening of a ligament.”

Gun Choi tilted his head and asked.

“It’s not because of a strengthened ligament?”

“Yes.”

The trainer glanced at the secondary string pitchers who were training over there and said,

“They focused on the lower parts training while they couldn’t move their shoulders. They allocated all their time to lower body training.”

The trainer’s opinion was not proved scientifically, but this theory was supported by many trainers.

He kept talking.

“Every pitcher with high-speed throws have strong lower bodies. Without strong lower bodies, you can’t throw a fastball.”

Gun Choi nodded and focused on training.

“I got you.”

Gun Choi spent almost two months on the dull rehabilitation training.

During that period, Gun Choi was captured on camera on two occasions.

He knew that his photo would be used as a marketing tool for AT Communication.

‘It is annoying but I got a benefit. I have my own trainer during rehabilitation as compensation.’

Gun Choi had the chance to see the injured players of AT Communication during his rehabilitation.

Group of players who were selected to the first string looked happy but the others didn’t.

“Gun Choi, are you going back to America immediately?”

Sung-Guk Jung, in his second year, asked Gun Choi, who nodded.

Sung-Guk Jung was one of the players in the secondary string group.

“No team wants me. I have no job now.”

“I heard you are in the 40 rosters. Isn’t that enough?”

Gun Choi shook his head.

“It’s already been two years. They might have forgotten my name. And the 40 rosters is nothing. The 25 rosters means Major Leaguer.”

He quietly sighed and left.

Sang-Guk Jung followed Gun Choi and asked.

“But do you have an agent?”

Agent, an almost unfamiliar word.

“Yes, but I’m sure they’ve forgotten me.”

Gun Choi’s contract would end in 2022.

But both Gun Choi and agent forgot this contract.

‘Should I call them? No, it’s too early. Calling them after perfect recovery will be good.’

The training began.

Gun Choi still felt that his body was heavy.

Both Sang-Guk Jung and Gun Choi started the lower body training.

“Gun Choi, can I call you older brother?”

“No.”

Sang-Guk Jung pulled a long face at Gun Choi’s refusal.

“You won’t have any benefit in treating me as an older brother. I’m a Minor Leaguer.”

“But who knows? You can be a pride and joy.”

While taking brisk step forward, Gun Choi said,

“Ok, you can call me older brother. But you’d better not think that I will be a pride and joy. With this mindset, you can’t succeed in the Major League.”

Sang-Guk Jung read his face and said,

“Frankly, I also want to be a Major Leaguer.”

Gun Choi answered as he sweated.

“It’s not too late. Once you are the number 1 player in the country, you’ll have a chance.”

“I know but….”

“You told me you know that. Then go for it.”

Gun Choi clenched his teeth as he stretched his leg forward.

‘Hm, pretty heavy.’

Sang-Guk wanted helpful advice from Gun Choi. But Gun Choi seldom gave advice to people.

He thought that he was also in a difficult situation.

‘I’m not in the Major League. I’m in the same situation as others.’