Phillip lowered his head and thought carefully for a long time, and then said: "Coach Li, you are right, I should try to participate in normal people's games. This is a good attempt. But with my current situation With the results, I’m afraid I won’t even be able to pass the qualifying round.”
"It's not that I'm afraid, but I'm certain that you won't pass the qualifying round." Dai Li nodded honestly, and then said: "Currently, you can run around 11.50 seconds in the 100-meter dash event. This is already your This is a world record at this level, but in normal competitions, this is only the level of high school students. Even in Asia, where track and field sports are the least developed, the minimum threshold for participating in intercontinental competitions is within 10.50 seconds, while the United States The level of track and field is far higher than that in Asia. If you want to stand out in American track and field competitions, you need to have a speed of 100 meters close to 10 seconds."
"It's impossible for me to run for 10 seconds, or even within 11 seconds. I don't have both feet. This is a factor of being a passenger. I can't overcome it." Philip shook his head.
"Don't worry, listen to me." Li Dai signaled Phillip to be quiet, and then continued: "We just talked about the 100 meters, and in the 200 meters event, your results are much better, you can run within 22 seconds , this result may even have a chance to enter the Asian Games.”
"Actually, my country has a rating standard for athletes in this regard. In the 100-meter dash, if you run 10.93 seconds, you can be rated as a first-level athlete. If you want to become a first-level athlete in the 200-meter dash, you need to run 22.02 seconds. .According to your current level, you can’t reach the standard of a first-level athlete in the 100-meter sprint event, but you can reach it in the 200-meter sprint. Do you know what this means?”
"It means that I am better at the 200 meters, which means that my advantage in the 200 meters event will be greater!" Philip returned.
"You're right, then do you know why?" Li Dai did not wait for Phillip to answer, but revealed the answer himself: "First of all, it is the reason I told you before, you lack the Achilles tendon, this It affects your explosive power at the start, so your start will be much slower than others. This process will take up about 10 meters, and in these 10 meters, you will inevitably lag behind other athletes."
"In addition, under normal circumstances, when a sprinter starts, his body will lean forward, and this unbalanced state will remain for about 30 meters. During this process, all the strength of the legs will be converted into forward motion. The forward pushing force achieves continuous acceleration. And if you wear a prosthetic limb, your prosthetic limb is worn on the knee, so your knee cannot bend very flexibly to maintain balance. To maintain the balance of the body, you must Keep your body as upright as possible, so you don’t get any push from leaning forward at these 30 meters.”
"At the same time, because of wearing prosthetics, your legs are actually in a state of 40 centimeters above the ground. You are a certain distance from the ground, which means that you cannot sense the condition of the runway at the first time. According to my Observe, after you start running, it takes about 30 meters to find your own running rhythm."
"These 30 meters are your disadvantage. If it is a 100-meter dash, 30 meters takes up almost one-third of the distance. If it is a 200-meter dash, 30 meters is only a little more than one-seventh. From this point on Generally speaking, the shorter the distance of the race, the greater the disadvantage the start will bring to you. On the contrary, the longer the distance of the race, the smaller the disadvantage the start will bring to you. For example, if you are running 5,000 meters Or if it’s 10,000 meters, everyone starts standing, so your disadvantage in the start is close to zero!”
"Next let's talk about your leopard-style blade prosthetic limbs." Li Dai pointed to the pair of black prosthetic limbs next to him, and then said: "It's elastic, right? Although carbon fiber is very hard, harder than steel. , but this does not mean that it is inelastic. As far as I know, carbon fiber is a residual material with high strength, low density and high elasticity."
Philip did not hide it, but nodded, acknowledging that the pair of carbon fiber prosthetics could provide extra elasticity.
Dai Li continued: "When you are running, the elasticity provided by the prosthetic limb will give you extra power. It is like the spring shoes in the playground. The longer you run, the longer you run. The greater the gain in elasticity of the prosthetic limb, which is why you will have an advantage at 200 meters compared to 100 meters."
"I understand what you mean. Do you want me to focus on the 200-meter dash? I can currently run under 22 seconds. This result should allow me to break through the qualifying rounds of some track and field competitions. Then I will It’s possible to compete with normal people!” Philip said.
"No, that's not what I meant." Dai Li shook his head and then asked, "Do you want to hear my advice?"
"Of course, you are my coach and I need your advice!" Philip agreed.
"I hope you practice 400 meters." Li Dai said.
Phillip had a look of surprise on his face. He had never thought of running 400 meters.
Strictly speaking, 400 meters cannot even be considered a sprint. When the 400 meters were included as sprints, there was a lot of controversy. Many people felt that the technical characteristics of the 400 meters were more inclined to middle-distance running, but the competition was It’s time to separate ways.
From a physiological point of view, 100 meters and 200 meters are both anaerobic exercises. Athletes run 100 meters in one breath without changing their breath, while running 200 meters only need to change their breath once or twice. This process is almost harmful to the human body. There is almost no need for aerobic metabolism of sugar to provide energy. The energy stored in the human body and the energy provided by cells decomposing creatine phosphate are enough to ensure that athletes can run 100 meters or 200 meters. However, this process will produce Metabolites such as pyruvate and lactic acid make people feel muscle fatigue.
The 400 meters is called a combination of aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise. The nature of its exercise is completely different from that of the 100 meters and 200 meters. The energy stored in the human body and the decomposition of creatine phosphate are not enough to support a person running 400 meters. Therefore, 400-meter athletes must perform aerobic exercise before the final sprint and rely on the aerobic metabolism of sugar to provide energy. , and in the final sprint, you need to perform anaerobic exercise.
But the human body is not a machine, and it is impossible to have such precise instantaneous adjustments. It does not mean that if you want aerobic exercise, you can do aerobic exercise, and if you want anaerobic exercise, you can do anaerobic exercise. When an athlete runs a 400-meter run, the body actually It is in a state of hypoxia, which means that the human body's motor organs and internal organs must squeeze out all the energy provided by aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Pyruvate and lactic acid produced by anaerobic exercise can cause side effects to the human body, such as fatigue, muscle soreness, accelerated breathing, arrhythmia, etc., and in severe cases, acidosis. In the process of running 100 meters or 200 meters, the anaerobic exercise process will not last long, and the athletes will feel these side effects only after the game is over. In the process of running 400 meters, when the athletes run halfway, their bodies will Sensing pyruvic acid and lactic acid, and continuing to run at high speeds under such conditions place extremely demanding demands on athletes' physical fitness. Therefore, the 400 meters is also recognized as the most difficult event in track and field.
Li Dai is not worried at all about whether Philip is qualified for the 400-meter event, because the detector has long told him that Philip's highest talent is the 400-meter event, which means that his physical talent is very suitable for sports in a hypoxic state.
Philip looked hesitant. If there was no suitable reason, he obviously did not plan to practice 400 meters, because he also knew that 400 meters was too difficult.
"Coach Li, can you tell me why you want me to practice the 400 meters? Do you think I can do it?" Phillip asked.
"Of course, I have a reasonable basis for making this judgment." Dai Li said, holding out a finger: "First of all, I have said just now that the starting process is a disadvantage for you. The longer the distance of the race, the smaller the disadvantage the starting will bring to you. If it is 100 meters or 200 meters, the starting reaction time is calculated in thousandths of a second. Being able to be 0.1 seconds faster is a huge advantage, and There are no such fine requirements for the start of the 400-meter race, and the gap of a few tenths of a second is easier to make up for on the track."
Dai Li stretched out his second finger and continued: "Second, and what I just said, your prosthetic limb is elastic. The longer the competition distance, the greater your benefit from the elasticity of the prosthetic limb. From this point of view, Look, the benefits of running 400 meters are obviously greater than running 100 meters and 200 meters."
"Third, let me talk about it from a physiological point of view. Your legs are partially cut off, so you have fewer muscles than normal people. Therefore, when you run, the pyruvate and lactic acid produced by your muscles are smaller than those of normal people. If it is less than normal people, your body's response to anaerobic exercise will be lighter, the muscle soreness will not be severe, and the muscles will not feel fatigue easily. This is very beneficial in the second half of the race. Normal athletes run 400 meters. Sometimes, the speed in the first 200 meters will be faster, and the speed in the next 200 meters will slow down due to fatigue. As for you, you may not be slower than others in the first 200 meters, but you will definitely be faster than others in the next 200 meters."
Phillip nodded, and then asked: "In that case, wouldn't it be more advantageous for me to run a longer distance, such as 800 meters or 1,500 meters?"
"Can your legs support such a long distance?" Li Dai pointed to the place where he was being massaged, and then said: "800 meters is too long, it takes more than a minute to run, that kind of long-term and high-intensity exercise Wearing a prosthetic limb will be a burden. You will definitely feel pain where you wear the prosthetic limb. In that state, it is difficult for you to run the entire distance. So even in the Paralympic Games, the T4 level competition only reaches 400 meters. , longer distances, such as 800 meters, 1500 meters, or 5000 meters, are for T1 and T5 level players."
In the Paralympic classification, 1 represents the visual impairment and 5 represents the wheelchair group, which means that disabled athletes running long distances either have eye problems or have to roll the entire distance in a wheelchair. For T4-level disabled athletes, the pain and damage caused to their limbs when wearing prostheses prevents them from running the entire long-distance race. The Paralympic Games will not set up T4-level middle-distance running.
In fact, in middle and long-distance competitions, the competition level of T1-level disabled people is not inferior to that of normal people. T1-level athletes only have difficulty in using their eyes, but their legs and feet are flexible. It has happened in history that the top four in the 1500m in the Olympics were not as good as the top four in the T1 1500m in the Paralympic Games.
…
Running 400 meters is indeed a good choice for Philip. His physical disadvantages will be smaller than those of normal people with sound limbs.
Philip started training for the 400 meters. At the same time, Dai Li also posted a recruitment advertisement and posted news online that he planned to hire someone.
Philip has started training around the clock, and Li Dai's main focus is on Philip, and he has no time to take into account the other 11 disabled athletes. At the same time, because of Phillip's success, people have begun to come to inquire about physical training. Dai Li is obviously too busy to handle it alone.
Recruiting coaches has become a necessity, but Li Dai's first choice is to recruit part-time coaches.
The labor cost in the United States is simply too high.
Many people compare prices with the United States and feel that American things are very cheap, including cheap food, cheap beef, cheap clothes, cheap cars, etc. After all, things in China are more expensive than those in the United States. Of course there are reasons for this, including the different tax systems, but if you are just satisfied with food and clothing, living in the United States is indeed more cost-effective.
People's eyes are always focused on meeting current needs. People who are in the subsistence stage will naturally focus on food and clothing. Only those who are satisfied with food and clothing will start to think about how to eat better and dress more beautifully.
But people don’t live in this world just to have a full stomach. Food and clothing are just basic needs. When the economic income reaches a certain level, there are always needs other than food and clothing, quality of life, and spiritual satisfaction. For example, get a beautiful haircut, go to a beauty and aromatherapy SPA, listen to an opera, watch a game, etc. The cost of dealing with the service industry is definitely more than ten times more expensive in the United States than in China. Besides, after the service is completed, there is nothing else to do. In addition to the money on the books, tips are also indispensable.
If Dai Li hires a regular employee, he will have to pay him a salary and buy various insurances for him. Although this is not something that Dai Li can't afford at this stage, it is still a huge expense. If you only hire a part-time job, your expenses will be much less, and you will avoid the trouble of buying insurance.
Li Dai doesn't need much ability from the part-time coach. The training plan is compiled by Li Dai anyway, and it is enough for the part-time coach to be able to follow the training plan. In a country like the United States, which has a broad base of sports, there should be many people who are qualified for this kind of work.
If you hire a part-time employee at the same time, you will be more flexible in terms of employment. If the part-time employee does not do well, he will be fired directly. If you fire a regular employee, the process will be more troublesome and will involve many legal provisions on labor security.
Of course, if there really is a high-level coach and the asking price is more appropriate, Dai Li wouldn't mind giving him a formal contract. The cost of human resources in the United States is expensive, but if they are real talents, they can create more additional value, and they will definitely make more money than lose money.
…
The day after the recruitment advertisement was posted, a red-haired middle-aged man walked into Dai Li's training center.
Dai Li looked at the other person. He was probably in his early thirties, with curly reddish-brown hair, a pair of dark circles under his big eyes, and a lot of freckles around his nose. He looked like a typical European and American white man. This man was dressed very formally, with a suit, tie, leather shoes, and a briefcase in his hand.
Dai Li sensitively felt that this person was not here for physical training, but he still walked forward and asked, "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Sorry, I'm not here for physical training. I saw your address on a part-time job recruitment website." The man with reddish-brown curly hair said.
"Are you here to apply for a job?" Dai Li looked a little surprised. This man didn't look strong, and he didn't look like a sports person.
"No, no, I'm not here to apply for a job either." The other party said, took out a business card from his arms and handed it to Dai Li.
The business card is very simple. There is no workplace, job title, phone number, etc. There is only one name:
"George Steven!"