監督：試合だからといって、固くならないように。本領を発揮してほしい。
選手：はい、がんばります。
Honryoo wo Hakki Suru
(Yakyuu no shiai no mae ni)
Kantoku: Shiai dakara to itte, kataku naranai yo ni. Honryoo wo hakki shite hoshii.
Senshu: Hai, Ganbarimasu.
Before a baseball game)
Coach: Just because it's a real match doesn't mean you need to stiffen up. Go out there and show them what you've really got.
Player: Okay. I'm ready.
Honryoo wo hakki suru means to show one's stuff, to display one's real ability, to find one's own feet, tc come into one's own, be in one's element.
I've been spending the past days enjoying the Sum- mer Olympics on satellite TV. How hard all the athletes must have trained. Many coaches must have "prayed" something similar to the coach in the con- versation: "Kyoo koso, honryoo wo hakki shite hoshii (Show what you've really got today)." The Japanese competitors carry the hopes of the nation. It must be an enoumous pressure. Ice skater and silver medalist Midori Ito's "I'm sorry," at the last Winter Olympics still rings in our ears. What she meant was probably something like, "Though I had what it takes to get a gold medal... honryoo wo hakki dekinakute, sumimasen (I wasn't able to pull it all together...I'm sorry)." Some people handle pressure well, others don't.
There are many students who study very hard but aren't able to display their real ability on exams and tests (shiken ni honryoo wo hakki suru koto ga dekinai seito). Most Japanese junior and senior high schools as well as colleges and universities calculate grades by averaging the student's grades on mid-term and final exams. No matter how active students might be during class, if they don't do well on tests....
Iza to iu toki, honryo ga hakki dekinakereba, nani mo naranai (You win nothing Unless you show yourself at your best when it really counts). Recently iza to iu toki ni subarashii kiroku wo dashite kureta (when it really counted someone set a wonderful record) ; I'm thinking of the 14-year-old Japanese gold medalist Kyoko Iwasaki, who set a world record winning the women's 200-meter breaststroke. And she wasn't even supposed to make it to the finals ! Her performance surprised everyone, even her coach. Kore kara mo, honryoo wo hakki shite dondon kiroku wo nobasu deshoo (We can expect her to continue to come into her own and extend her record). Honryo refers to both her swimming ability and the way she held up under all the pressure.
After finishing the race she looked up at the board to make sure she'd come in first. A wonderful smile burst across her face and then into the homes of millions of people watching on television. It was the middle of a hot, muggy night in Japan but we all smil- ed with her. Her wonderful performance made us forget how tired we were. Aa iu toki, honryoo wo hakki dekiru hito wa urayamashii desu ne (People who can display their real ability at such times are so lucky). I always seem to do badly just when it really matters.
When playing doubles in tennis I hate to serve. The miserable feeling I get when I double fault to lose the match is not my feeling alone. My partner must also suffer. Watashi wa, iza to iu toki honryoo ga hakki dekizu ni nayande imasu (I'm always perplexed because I can't show what I'm really worth when it really matters) !