Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes infielder Kotaro Kobayashi (24) has chosen "fluidity" as his theme for 2014. On the 20th, he gave up his day off at the Miyazaki training camp to practice catch and hitting with a machine. "I'm most conscious of the flow of each movement, so that I don't make any errors," he said, aiming for "smooth movement" both offensively and defensively, and is in the process of trial and error.

Kurebayashi cited the batting form of Hiromitsu Ochiai (former Lotte, The Giants, etc.), a three-time Triple Crown winner, and the running style of Ichiro (former Orix Buffaloes, Mariners, etc.), who stole a total of 708 stolen base in his career in Japan and the US. "Good players have beautiful, flowing movements that are truly admirable. It's a common trait among players who achieve results," he emphasized. While comparing himself to the legends' forms, he admitted, "I'm still just a kid (laughs)," not content with his current situation, and sets about three goals for himself in his daily practice. After each session, he writes down his reflections and feelings in a notebook, hoping to use this to help him grow.

He returned to training after battling the flu on the 18th, and if all goes well, he is scheduled to play his first real game of 2012 in a training match against JR Kyushu (SOKKEN) on the 22nd. "It's been a while since last year's CS. It's the first game, but I want to play aggressively and not get caught up in it," he said, declaring that he will pick up the pace with an eye on the opening game in a month.