Almighty Coach

In the players' lounge, Sean Ford seemed withdrawn and out of gregarious. He sat alone in the corner and changed his clothes. The athletes around were also talking to each other, as if they didn't pay attention to his existence at all.

He used to be the champion of the World Athletics Championships and the best 200-meter sprinter in the world, but now he has already let go of the glory of the World Championships, because since that World Championships, he has never achieved anything decent Even the domestic trials in the United States couldn't break through.

A flash in the pan, this is everyone's evaluation of Sean Ford. Looking at the sports world, there are many such athletes, and Ford is not the first, nor will he be the last. But there are very few athletes like Ford who once stood on the highest peak in the world and then immediately fell from the altar.

When everyone hears Sean Ford's name, he always thinks of the world championship he won and the lack of achievements since then. They will look at Ford with a strange look, with sympathy, regret, and gloating!

Especially for other athletes, they gloat more about Ford. The so-called peers are enemies. There is always only one champion. go one step further.

Ford hates that kind of strange gaze, but he can't control other people's behavior. The only thing he can do is to stay away from other people, so that what he can't see is clear. This is more like an escape, and it also makes Fu De became more and more withdrawn.

There was a sound of footsteps from far to near, and then standing in front of Ford, Ford raised his head and saw a face of Chinese descent.

"It's Coach Li from Los Angeles." Ford recognized Dai Li.

In track and field sprints, Chinese descent is extremely rare, so in the morning, when Dai Li appeared in the athlete's locker room, he attracted the attention of all the athletes. After asking each other, everyone soon knew that this Chinese descent was Li Dai. The owner of the coach training center is the well-known Coach Li in Los Angeles.

"Sean, en, it doesn't matter if I call you that?" Dai Li spoke first.

"It's okay, Coach Li, we should be meeting for the first time. Do you have something to do with me?" Sean Ford's tone was a little hesitant, as if he hadn't dealt with strangers for too much time, making him forget how to speak.

Dai Li said straight to the point: "Sean, are you interested in coming to my training center?"

Ford was a little puzzled. He didn't expect that Dai Li came to find clients for the training center, and what made him even more unexpected was that Dai Li actually found himself when he was looking for clients. You must know that there are many athletes here who are richer than yourself, not to mention that as the boss, Dai Li doesn't have to act like a salesman to solicit clients himself.

Dai Li seemed to have sensed Ford's thoughts, and he continued to add: "Don't get me wrong, I'm here as a track and field coach, I just want to ask if you are interested in cooperating with me and letting me be your coach ?”

This time Ford finally figured it out. He asked: "There are so many athletes here. Some of them are younger than me, some are more talented than me, and some have better grades than me. Why did you come to me?"

"In this room, there are indeed people who are younger than you and have better grades than you, but they are not necessarily talented." Dai Li smiled slightly, and continued: "You have congenital scoliosis, which causes your right leg to be shorter than your left leg half an inch, which affects your speed, am I right?"

"How do you know?" Ford was startled, and then immediately calmed down; "It's normal for you to know. My previous coaches knew this. It's not surprising that you can find out."

"So I think my training is very suitable for you, and I can help you solve this problem." Dai Li said.

"How do you solve it?" Ford looked at Dai Li suspiciously. The problem of long and short feet had been bothering him all the time. Suddenly, someone told him that this problem could be solved. Ford's first reaction was not to believe it.

"I definitely have a solution, but I can't tell you yet." Dai Li shook his head, and continued: "But please believe me, I can really solve your problem. You are only the length of your legs It's just different, I've seen more serious situations than yours, such as not even a foot, and only half of the calf is left!"

At this moment, Ford remembered that Dai Li once trained Philip the "Blade Warrior", and Dai Li could make a disabled person who lost both feet enter the World Championships. Compared with Philip, Ford's long and short feet are not even a drop in the bucket.

"This coach Li can make disabled people without feet stand on the stage of the World Championships. The problem of 'Blade Warrior' is much more serious than mine. Perhaps this coach Li is really good at training athletes with physical disabilities." Fu Thinking of this, De felt a little moved.

However, in the next second, Ford shook his head and refused: "Coach Li, I'm very sorry, I'm still in Coach Thomas' training camp."

"Thomas's training camp is similar to mine. Why not give me a try. My training equipment is first-class in the United States, and I can guarantee that you will get more time for individual guidance." Dai Li said Said.

"My consciousness is that I don't have that much money..." Ford said with a look of embarrassment.

The United States does not have the kind of provincial and municipal training teams in China. Rich athletes will naturally hire special coaches just for themselves, and even spend money to set up a coaching team. Athletes who have no money often only go to other coaches' training camps, or even train in some clubs.

The same is true for coaches. Rich coaches can open their own training centers; famous coaches can also open their own clubs, or rent a venue to open training camps, and then recruit athletes, which is similar to some private training classes in China. If you are short of some coaches, you can only go to the sports club to work for others.

Ford is obviously not a rich athlete. Although he won the World Championships once, he has never achieved decent results since then. Of course, this kind of flash in the pan will not make much money. He couldn't afford to hire a dedicated coach, nor could he hire an agent, and he knew that he couldn't afford the high training fees.

Ford said he had no money, but Li Dai laughed casually: "Maybe we can change the payment method, you don't have to pay me training fees, but in the future, the game bonuses you get, the appearance fees you get, And your advertising endorsement fee, you have to share it with me, just like giving it to an agent!"

Coaches ask for a share of income. Although this is rare, it does exist, especially for some big-name coaches. They will ask for more, which will include the income share of athletes. In fact, many athletes are also willing to accept this payment method. The more athletes earn, the more coaches earn. The premise of earning more is to have good enough results, so the coach will definitely work harder on training.

However, Ford shook his head again: "Coach Li, with my current situation, I can hardly get any prize money for the game, and almost no organizer is willing to provide me with an appearance fee. As for advertising sponsorship, it is also pitiful. Tell me Don't be afraid of your jokes, my main income now is working part-time in a track and field club. You don't get any share at all."

"So in order not to lose money, I must train you to become a world champion, right?" Dai Li smiled confidently.

"World champion?" Ford opened his mouth slightly, but didn't say anything.

For a long time, the title of "world champion" has been like a satire to him in Ford's ears. It is ironic that he has not achieved any results since he won the world championship.

But today, when Dai Li said this title, Ford had a different feeling.

Ford looked at Li Dai, and the confident smile on Li Dai's face, like the sunshine in the early morning in winter, suddenly gave Ford a feeling of hope.

...

Blake shook the contract in his hand, and asked, "Are you sure you only charge 20% of the revenue share, and only count the ones above 10,000 US dollars, so that we won't lose money? With Sean Ford's current state, he It’s hard to get advertising sponsorships, let alone prize money in competitions.”

Dai Li said indifferently, "Ford has also won the World Championships, so he has proved his strength."

"Indeed, there was one victory, the only victory! After the World Championships, it was difficult for him to even qualify for the domestic trials in the United States, so the championship of the World Championships does not mean that he has a strong strength, just like this It's like winning a lottery ticket, it only means that you were lucky that day, but it doesn't prove that you are good at making money." Blake said.

"Then let me tell you a secret." Dai Li continued in a stressed voice, "Ford suffered from congenital scoliosis, which caused his right leg to be half an inch shorter than his left."

"There is such a thing?" Blake was surprised at first, and then he said; "But this is not a secret, right? Those coaches who have coached Ford should know this. This is the news that can be inquired. It’s not really a secret. And I have also practiced track and field. I know that for sprinters, the length of the legs is different, which will affect the speed. This kind of congenital handicap is destined, no matter how much you train the day after tomorrow. It may make up for it, which means that no matter how hard he trains, Sean Ford is not going to get up fast."

"Do you think so too?" Dai Li's face was full of smiles.

Blake looked at Li Dai with some doubts. Based on his understanding of Li Dai, if Li Dai could look like this, he probably had a plan in mind.

"Did you find anything special?" Blake asked with interest.

Dai Li nodded and said, "Because the lengths of his feet are different, it is also destined that when he is running normally, the time for his feet to touch the ground is different. The shorter right foot must take longer to touch the bottom." Shorter, longer left foot bottoms out longer."

Blake nodded: "I understand these. The length of the ground contact time will affect the impact force, which will eventually lead to unbalanced strides. In sprinting, unbalanced strides will slow down the runner's rhythm, thus affecting the final result. speed.

"It's a straight track, what if it's in a curve?" Dai Li picked up a piece of white paper and a pen, and explained while drawing: "Athletes have to turn to the left in a curve, because Due to the centripetal force, the body will naturally lean to the left. If the left foot touches the ground for a longer time, the left leg will exert more force, and the body will obtain higher stability, greater centrifugal force, and faster In other words, Ford's left leg is slightly longer than his right leg, which will allow him to gain advantages that others do not have in the curve, especially in the process of acceleration, this advantage will be more obvious."

"You mean, the reason why he was able to win the 200-meter championship at the World Championships back then was because he ran better than others in the curve? Because it was a 200-meter race, his speed advantage in the curve made him Won the World Championships." Blake asked.

"I think it's like this. Ford will be faster in the corners, but I don't know how much faster. I don't know if the speed advantage he gained in the corners can make up for him in the straights. speed loss.” Dai Li went on to say, “According to my research and understanding, I think Ford’s running style should be changed. I have observed his game video, and now he has been pursuing the balance of both feet on the ground. And because his left leg is longer, he deliberately shortened the time when his left leg hits the ground. I don’t think it’s necessary for him to do this, and this is also my future training direction.”

"I see. What you mean is not to shorten the time that the left foot strikes the ground in order to keep the same step rhythm of both legs. You want him to run exactly as he is comfortable, even if it will make him lose one. Steady pace?" Blake said.

"That's exactly what I mean. I think Ford's previous coaches must also know about Ford's long and short feet, and their training for Ford is all trying to make up for Ford's physical defect, hoping that his feet can To achieve a balanced exertion, so as to achieve a balanced running rhythm. But what they didn't expect was that this would affect Ford's speed." Li Dai continued to explain:

"Ford's body is inherently flawed, so no matter how much technology is used to make up for it, it is impossible to reach the level of a normal person. Technology cannot make his legs the same length, forcing him to achieve a balanced running rhythm. On the contrary, it slows down his speed. I think what Ford needs is a rhythm that suits his long and short feet, rather than blindly pursuing the balance of rhythm."

"It makes sense. But are these your speculations, or the results after verification?" Blake asked.

"Of course it's just speculation. Isn't the training contract in your hands? The contract has just been signed, so I don't have the opportunity to verify it in practice." Dai Li pointed to the contract in Blake's hand.

"Then have you ever thought about it, what if your speculation is wrong? If Sean Ford's performance cannot improve, we will have made a loss-making business." Blake is still expressing his concerns.

"Don't worry, even if my guess is wrong, I still have a backup plan B!" Dai Li said confidently.

Dai Li's so-called plan B refers to the athlete patch. After all, Ford has an A+ sprint talent. If he can use athlete patches to improve his physical defects, he can still become a world champion athlete.