Release (Off Balance 3)

I looked away and fixed the rubber bands on my grips that held the straps back and played it cool. I didn't think I'd ever become immune to him, but we'd gotten better at keeping a platonic relationship with each other. Or at least I had thought so.

Kova stopped in front of me. He eyed me for a minute. Something was spinning in the back of his head.

"What do you say we change up your dismount on bars?" he suggested.

"What do you have in mind?"

"A blind full to a laid out full-out."

Eyes wide, my brows shot up. While a blind change was a popular combination right before the dismount to get a couple tenths bonus added—it was just changing the way I gripped the bar mid swing—the laid out full-out was what concerned me. I had been practicing it here and there, but I wasn't sure I was ready to incorporate it into my routine any time soon.

I was already doing a full-in—a double back tuck with a full twist. Now, he wanted me to do the same thing, except with a straight body. Both were difficult, but the laid out was much harder.

"You think I could do that? And change it midseason?"

His forehead creased as if I had asked him the dumbest question in the world. He didn't bother answering me.

"I also thought we could work on a layout Jaeger to an L-grip, then straddled Jaeger."

My jaw dropped. "As in one combination?" The L-grip was so awkward to use, not to mention difficult. And I wasn't sure I had the core strength for two Jaegers back-to-back.

He nodded, again giving me the same look like I was a raging moron. "I want to up the stakes and make you unbeatable on bars. Maybe throw in a hop full and stalder or two."

"So you want to completely change up my routine. Basically, you want to re-choreograph it."

I caught Reagan in the corner of my eye watching us, but I didn't pay her any attention.

Kova crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at me. "Do you have a problem with that?" His voice was stern and authoritative.

My jaw bobbed. "No."

"Good." He clapped his hands together and walked away. Picking up a thick, mesh royal blue landing mat, he placed it in front of the high bar. The mat would absorb my landing and not create a shock from the impact. Perfect for the injury I was trying not to irritate even more.

"Let us get to work. I estimate, at most, a week for you to master this skill."

It was one thing to swap out a skill midseason. Most gymnasts will work skills during off-season and won't put them in until they build up their endurance. It was another thing completely to change my entire routine. If Kova wanted to do that, I would learn this dismount in three days flat.

"For this dismount, you need to stay completely hollow in the tap and not open up too soon. It will give the bar a bend, not a whole lot, so do not get too excited. But it will give your chest a nice pronounced arc position so when you kick, you will get the height you need in flight and be able to easily complete the rotation."

The women's bar hardly gave any bend or slack the way men's did, so it was harder to use the bar in the way we needed. We just had to work more for it.

"We will start with straight body double layouts. We need to get your timing right."

I nodded and headed over to the chalk bowl, where Reagan already was powdering up.

"Morning quickie?" she asked drily. Here we go. "I like morning quickies. In and out and you’re good for the day." She kept her voice low for only us to hear. "Looks like Kova had a good one with that pep in his step and all. He actually seems happy for once."

I pursed my lips together. "You must not be getting the right dick if you need pills to get you through the day."

She sneered. Thankfully she left and walked to another a set of uneven bars. Spraying the palms of my grips with water, I placed them in the powder and envisioned what I was about to do, then I clapped my hands to dust off the excess, only to repeat the motions two more times for good friction. The chalk floated in the air, tickling my nose.

Standing in front of the low bar, I looked at Kova, who stood behind the high bar to watch my landing. He was close enough to also train Reagan on the other set of bars next to me. She glared at us, resentment dripping from her for Kova giving me attention. I had to tune her out.

"You need a fast giant. That is going to be key here. Fast turnover for proper layout."

I nodded. Kova wasn't giving me any wiggle room. He wanted fast giants, but he was only allowing me to do two. Drawing in a big breath, I had to dig deep.