Cornbread Slam

kiyora is the type of player who performs best when the atmosphere is calm and the stakes feel manageable. he has good technical skill but his sense of self is fragile. when someone with a strong presence or overwhelming aura is on the field with him or when the moment becomes too big, he internally shuts down. his mind goes into a state of self doubt and his ability to act instinctively disappears. that emotional collapse where his ego shrinks is 'atrophy.'

so he isn’t upset by failure itself or by people being rude or by conflict. he is upset by pressure, by the fear of not being enough, by the sense that he is being overshadowed or exposed. his struggle is not physical, its about identity and self belief. once the fear sets in, his body stops trusting his own decisions, which makes him lose strength in a psychological sense. kiyoras biggest obstacle is not other players, but the voice in his head that tells him he doesn’t belong among them.

thanks for asking about kiyora btw i feel like hes so underrated 🥹

Isagi is given multiple disks with different matches for him to analyze, letting him understand different plays and already devise how to intercept them or adapt them for the Japanese team in turn. I'd say it also tries to make him less reliable on his luck, something he uses just about every match I think, which, look, it's good that he can use such an abstract thing to his advantage, but that's also the problem. Luck is a very feeble thing, it can both help him or destroy him, and so far it has helped him, but there will be the day where that won't happen. So I believe Ego giving him these disks is to also let Isagi realize that. He also gains tickets to Spain (?) where he then meets Bunny, if I'm getting my lore right. Their encounter is interesting, in the sense that now Isagi has met Sae's rival, as well as visit the country that changed Sae. I wonder if this might imply how drastically Isagi is changing, and if it'll reach the point where not even his closest friends (Bachira and Kurona, for example) recognize him anymore.

Bachira is sent to an elementary school, which seems very random at first, but one comment pointed out how curious children are and that means Bachira will be forced to explain his play style, something he can't do because he just goes with the flow, it's all instinct for him. But with the children, he's forced to explain it and finally understand his own play style. This should give him a better understanding of his abilities and help him act more logically instead of just freely.

Kunigami is training to become the next Danganronpa victi-, I mean, Ultimate Powerhouse, something like that. It's all about raising his strength, because he now plays as a tank sort of character, a bit more defensively, but also attack. Regardless, his training is obvious, and in a sense it's just an extension of what he has always done.

Chigiri is off on his mermaid arc, ready to become the next Ariel. His training is swimming, which exhausts one's legs, but the water can also let your legs relax if the strain becomes too much. Nonetheless, considering Chigiri's tendon is always at risk of breaking and ending his soccer career, I feel like this is also showing where Chigiri could go next when that dreadful moment happens.

Rin is an obvious one. He's training his focus so that he can enter destroyer mode without being fixated on Sae or Isagi, without relying on their presence on the field.

Shidou is an interesting one... Bro is out there putting his life on the line, skydiving and stuff. Many people say he's crossing stuff from his to-do list so he can focus specifically and exclusively on soccer, some also said what he's doing is very adrenaline inducing activities, and he plays better when he feels lots of adrenaline. I'd say it's a mix of both, with the add-on of him unlocking that adrenaline induced state on his own. So far, as far as I know, he always relies on someone else to perfect his plays and reach his true potential. There was Sae during the U-20 match and then Charles while he was with PXG. It was their passes and teamwork that excited him and lead him to perform so spectacularly, but he doesn't reach that same excitement on his own, and I think his training focus a little on that too.

Nanase is an obvious one, he's training his ambidexterity. Considering it's something he only came to discover and focus on recently, and how it's a huge game changer, if he manages to get in better touch with it, it'll be very beneficial. He already had a little training with Rin, and surprisingly he played alongside another ambidextrous person that could definitely have helped him too, or maybe not because it's Shidou, but I like to think he'd help. I do wonder if Nanase will have a more dominant side, because even ambidextrous people can focus more on one side than another (my brother for example is ambidextrous but favors the left side more).

Otoya is in the VR world (jk, it's just spatial awareness place) training his spatial awareness, so his off the ball play can be improved. That must be pretty interesting, and cool too. I know he joins the game against France when the team starts revolving around Karasu instead of Isagi, and I really want to see more of him working with both Karasu but also others, because his skill is super cool imo.

Karasu is just training stamina. We really don't know if there's more to his training because we only see him running, with no more information. I suppose that since he instinctively analyzes his surroundings regardless of where he is, that analysis part of his abilities is always getting trained, so now he really just has to focus on lasting longer in the game because he has an insane read of the field.

Hiori is another mysterious one. Many speculate he's gaming, which we all know he likes, but a comment pointed out that's not his usual gaming set, so it's possible his training is something different, and I half agree. I can see it being gaming because Hiori himself has already explained how gaming can help you with football, namely for reaction time, which is Hiori's weak point. However, that same comment purposed Hiori is doing something similar to Isagi and analyzing other matches to study the plays so he can improve his own reading of the field. I'm inclined to believe his training is related to his reaction time, trying to improve it. It might be through gaming, or some other reaction action activity that I'm not entirely sure of what it could be. I think someone also pointed out he could be running? I can't remember, and I'm not really sure. I do like the idea, it raises his general speed as well as stamina, so it's beneficial either way.

Kurona is another fun one. He's clearly running to raise his stamina, because it was clear it was a big flaw of him. On top of that, he's running alongside wild dogs. It seems random at first, why is he competing with them, but some comments pointed out that's to help with his planet hotline skill, since Kurona accompanies another player for his plays. The dogs are his new companions and he has to keep up with them, as well as possibly try to control them enough to team up with, simulating dealing with rowdy and more egoistic players that don't want to cooperate. Stamina for him is extremely important considering the players he often duos with: Isagi, who has okish stamina, but Kurona couldn't even keep up with him, showing how low his stamina is; Raichi, literally the Stamina Freak because his stamina is unmatchable, if Kurona can't keep up with Isagi, he'd never be able to last side by side with Raichi, and especially considering they defend, they fight others a lot and then have to restart the attack, stamina is essential to keep up with all that's happening.

Kiyora is now the parkour meme. Ok, but seriously, parkour is a good way for him to apply his breakdancing skills to a larger area. Because his breakdancing skills are really good when defending someone, yes, but it's a very "this specific square" thing if I'm not too wrong, making the exit more troublesome. By practicing parkour, he extends the area he performs his outworldly moves, possibly not aiding only in the exit but also in the interception of passes while he plays. Plus, again, it allows him to use his breakdancing skills in a new environment, essentially creating new moves.

Raichi, my man, is doing wrestling. Awesome. Obviously, it's to better perfect his man-to-man defense, his undoubtedly strong point. I mean, he stopped Snuffy, aka the best in the world. He already has an unmatched stamina, so unlike everyone else, that's one thing he doesn't need to worry about. But his physique and strength can use some improvement for him to better fight even stronger players. Because he has marked other stamina related characters before, like Tokimitsu, but I doubt Raichi could potentially stand up to someone like Dada Silva, who also effortlessly put Tokimitsu down. So that'd be his next goal, I'd say. Ngl, Raichi vs Dada Silva would be an interesting match imo.

Gagamaru is training his reflexes with baseball. I mean, makes sense. He already has an interesting view when it comes to reading the strikers, because he sees them through animalistic eyes, predator stalking and attacking the prey. And it works! But if one manages to study that and find a way to trick it, Gagamaru won't be ready, so it's a good thing he isn't in the mountains training with wild boars right now, but with something least animalistic, and on top of that ball shaped. It should provide him new ways to read his opponent movements imo, or at least occasionally see them as something else besides predators, because that's the number one flaw in his defense technique imo. If a non predator goes for the goal, can he really read it as well as he would if it were someone with predator eyes, ya know?

Fukaku... Ok, this is an interesting character to look at imo. Admittedly I don't have a high opinion on him, but that can still change. First, it's good that he's around, because in any eventuality, he can replace Gagamaru. That does lead me to believe that might happen during some game. As for his training, he seems to be training his focus, similar to what Rin is training. Truthfully, I'm not sure what his weakest point in defense is, but I'd assume it is in fact his concentration and focus. I'd say playing for Ubers didn't do him any big favors to better such flaws because they are a team whose strong point is defense, so for the ball to reach Fukaku, it'd have to pass through an insane and sturdy line of players first, meaning for the most of it, he'd likely barely have to bother with defending the goal, ya know. But it's not like I truly know how many goals he stopped during the NEL... I do often see everyone but him stopping the shots though.... I do hope we get to see him at some game and that whatever happens to Gagamaru that leads him to step down to be something minimal. Edit: Went to read his wiki and omg, his egoist bible information is kinda sad bro... But it also says he spends his days preparing, so actually that's likely what he's doing still. Just, preparing, mentally, physically and emotionally, all of it. And praying he becomes relevant, of course.

Aryu is practicing judo. I read his wiki and apparently he already did that before? Unless that part was referring to this training, but it didn't specify, I think? I can't remember. But it explained how thanks to judo, Aryu can determine an opponent's next move from breathing and clenching of muscles alone, like WHAT?! Crazy... That makes him so OP man.... Combined with his high jumping power and long limbs, he's become a great defender and I hope we see some awesome defenses from him.

Barou is another interesting one to look at imo. He's off to experience the world of American football. One thing this will train is his strength and stamina, but that's honestly an added bonus. Because let's be honest, Barou's number one flaw is he wants to control the team, be the king, but with his personality and take on it, others can instead go revolution mode and ignore him completely. And one comment pointed out how American football's quarterback is the most (or one of the most, I don't know American football lol) important position, where you basically are the king of the team and command everyone, but you're not the main scorer. That's what Barou needs to learn, how being king isn't tied to scoring and how to work better in a team environment. I truly believe we'll see a changed Barou in terms of play style during the World Cup due to his training, hopefully for the best.

Niko is continuing to train his body to get stronger. He's been doing that ever since he lost to Isagi back in the very beginning of Blue Lock, realizing that was his one weak spot and as someone undoubtedly more defensive, he needed to fix it. Just like with Aryu, I hope we see some great defenses from him.

Zantetsu continues training his speed and acceleration, which he has already been working on before. But that's his strong point, and it can still be improved so he reaches the levels of Chigiri and Otoya. Maybe still be behind, but still being able to accompany and support them for the most part.

Reo is obviously studying everyone's play styles and abilities so he already has an arsenal of skills to use during the World Cup. Possibly, he'll even mix them together in some deadly combinations. He's the real wildcard of the team, because with his copy ability he can be in any position and perform well. I'm excited to see what he'll cook during the whole World Cup.

Yukimiya is busy studying the blade. On a serious note, his training is focus and mental stability because he's one of the most ragebaited characters. On top of that, he's working with his condition, something that if he can't cure, he'll have to learn how to adapt eventually, so Ego is already having him do such a thing.

Aiku is reading the charts, seeing the trends and how he can come up with something new (jkjk). The first thing it reminded me of was how his metavision literally gives him detailed information and stats about the players, so him studying such things could be so he reads and interprets such statistics faster on the field. Still, diabolical that he was forced to do math, poor thing. Many people also state his training revolves around such analysis so he can be the captain and yeah, I see it. He is a great captain tbh, we've seen that during the U-20 match.

And last but not least, what's arguably one of the wildest panels ever in the history of the manga, Sendou is sent to the trenches. Ok, it looks like he's at war, but some comments said it was just hunting and yeah, that's more believable lol. Anyway, it's a very out of pocket and unexpected situation to find, much less send SENDOU to. But it's actually genius and it touches on all he needs to improve while also improving what he's already good at, even if he doesn't notice it. First, patience. Sendou is even worse than Yukimiya, any snide remark about him gets him rilled up and he can both play well or horribly badly in such a blind rage state. So he needs to learn patience. On top of that, patience paired with silence, because he can't scare off his prey if he wants to succeed in the hunt. On the field, Sendou is already an easily overlooked player many times, appearing by surprise when you least expect it, but always where he needs to be. This positioning is also part of the training, as you need an optimal location for a better shot during a hunt. So he's improving his already great positioning and silent approach, but adding patience for more rational plays to the mix. Honestly, hunt is a good metaphor for what Sendou does on the field, because during a hunt you basically become a shadow to your prey, follow their movements closely, analyze every move quietly and react silently accordingly, and that's essentially what Sendou does on the field. He really only needs to be more level headed so he doesn't let his rage screw him over. I really want to see what Sendou might do during the World Cup. He's one of my favorite characters because of his play style and I so crave to see more of it.