In the athletes' lounge, Sean Ford looked withdrawn and unsociable. He sat in the corner changing clothes alone. The athletes around him were also talking to each other, as if they didn't notice his presence at all.
He was once the champion of the World Championships in Track and Field and the best 200-meter sprinter in the world, but now he has long given up the glory of the World Championships because he has never achieved anything decent since that World Championships. His results were so high that he couldn't even break through in the domestic trials in the United States.
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, and he will definitely not be the last. But there are very few athletes like Ford who once stood at the top of the world and then immediately fell from the altar.
When everyone hears Sean Ford's name, they always think of his World Championship win and his lack of success since then. They will look at merit in a strange way, with sympathy, regret, and even more gloating!
Especially other athletes, they are more gloating about Ford. The so-called peers are enemies, and there is always only one champion. If others win the championship, they will not get it. If they weaken an opponent who is stronger than themselves, then they will be only a few steps away from the championship. Go one step further.
Fu Fu 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 and keep out of sight. This is more like an escape, and it also makes Fu Fu De became increasingly withdrawn.
A footsteps came closer from far away, and then stood in front of Fud. Fud raised his head and saw the face of a Chinese American.
"It's Coach Li from Los Angeles." Ford recognized Dai Li.
In track and field sprinting, Chinese Americans are extremely rare, so in the morning, Dai Li attracted the attention of all the athletes after he appeared in the athletes' locker room. After everyone inquired about each other, everyone soon knew that this Chinese American was Li. The owner of the coaching training center, the famous Coach Li in Los Angeles.
"Sean, um, does it matter if I call you that?" Dai Li was the first to say.
"It's okay, Coach Li. This must be the first time we've met. Do you have something to do with me?" Sean Ford's tone was a little hesitant, as if he had spent too much time not interacting with strangers, 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 suddenly a little confused. He didn't expect that Li Dai came to find clients for the training center. What made him even more unexpected was that Li Dai came to find clients for him. You must know that there are many athletes here who are richer than himself, not to mention that as the boss, Dai Li does not have to act like a salesman and attract customers himself.
Li Dai seemed to sense 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 become 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?"
"There are indeed people in this room who are younger than you and have better grades than you, but the talent may not be the same." 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 looked surprised, but then calmed down immediately; "It's normal for you to know. My previous coaches all knew this, so 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." Li Dai said.
"How do you solve it?" Fu Fu looked at Li Dai doubtfully. This problem of leg length had been bothering him. Suddenly someone told him that this problem could be solved. Fu Fu'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 just the length of your legs. It’s just different, I’ve seen situations that are more serious than yours, such as not even having any feet, and only half of the calf left!”
Ford just remembered at this moment that Li Dai had trained "Blade Runner" Philip, and Li Dai could enable a disabled person who had lost his legs to compete in the World Championships. Compared with Philip, Ford's long and short feet are not even a drop in the bucket.
"This Coach Li can allow disabled people without feet to compete in the World Championships. The problem with 'Blade Runner' is much more serious than mine. Maybe this Coach Li is really better at training athletes with physical disabilities." Fu When De thought of this, he felt a little excited.
However, the next second, Ford shook his head and refused: "Coach Li, I am very sorry, I am still in Coach Thomas's training camp."
"The format of Thomas's training camp is similar to that of mine. Why not try mine. The training equipment here is top-notch 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 an embarrassed look.
The United States does not have the kind of provincial and municipal training teams in China. Rich athletes will naturally hire specialized coaches to serve only themselves, and even spend money to form a coaching staff. Athletes who don't have money often just go to other coaches' training camps, or maybe even train in some clubs.
The same goes for coaches. Rich coaches can open their own training centers; famous coaches can also open their own clubs, or rent a venue to open a training camp, and then recruit athletes, which is similar to some private training classes in China. If you don't have enough coaches, you will have to go to a sports club to work for someone else.
Ford is obviously not a rich athlete. Although he won the World Championship once, he never achieved decent results after that. Of course, he can't make much money from this kind of short-lived event. He couldn't afford to hire a professional coach or an agent, and he knew he couldn't afford the high training fees.
Ford said that he had no money, but Dai Li laughed indifferently: "Maybe we can change the payment method. You don't have to pay me training fees, but the game bonuses you get in the future, the appearance fees you get, And give me a share of your advertising endorsement fees, just like you give to your agent!"
Coaches require income sharing. Although this situation is rare, it does exist, especially some big-name coaches. They will ask for more, which will include income sharing from athletes. In fact, many athletes are willing to accept this method of payment. The more the athletes earn, the more the coach earns. The prerequisite for earning more is good enough results, so the coach will inevitably work harder on training.
However, Ford shook his head again: "Coach Li, with my current situation, I can hardly get the prize money from the game, and almost no organizers are willing to provide me with appearance fees. 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 have to train you to become a world champion, right?" Dai Li smiled confidently.
"World champion?" Ford opened his mouth slightly but said nothing.
For a long time, the title "World Champion" has been like a mockery to Ford, because he has never achieved results since winning the World Championships.
But today, when this title came out of Li Dai's mouth, it gave Ford a different feeling.
Fu Fu looked at Dai Li. The confident smile on Dai Li's face was like the sunshine falling in the early morning in winter, suddenly giving Fu Fu 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 revenue above 10,000 US dollars, so we won't lose money? With Sean Ford's current state, he It’s hard to get advertising sponsorships, let alone get prize money in competitions.”
Dai Li didn't take it seriously and said: "Ford has also won the World Championships. He has proven his strength."
"Indeed, there was one victory, the only victory! After that World Championship, it was difficult for him to even qualify for the domestic trials in the United States, so winning the World Championship does not mean that he has strong strength, just like this Just like if you win a lottery ticket, it only means that you were lucky that day, but it does not prove that you are good at making money." Blake said.
"Then let me tell you a secret." Li Dai continued with a stressed voice: "Ford suffers from congenital scoliosis, which causes his right leg to be half an inch shorter than his left leg."
"Is there such a thing?" Blake was surprised at first, and then said; "But this can't be considered a secret. Those coaches who have coached Ford should know this. This is information that can be found out. It’s not really a secret. And I have also practiced track and field. I know that for sprinters, the length of the two legs is different, which will affect the speed. This kind of congenital disability is destined, no matter how hard you train the day after tomorrow, it will not matter. It may be possible to make up for it, that is to say, no matter how hard he trains, Sean Ford cannot get up quickly."
"Do you think so too?" Dai Li had a smile on his face.
Blake looked at Dai Li with some doubts. Based on his understanding of Dai Li, if Dai Li behaved 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 runs normally, the time for his feet to touch the ground is different. The shorter time for his right foot to bottom out must be longer. Short, and the longer left foot takes longer to bottom out.”
Blake nodded: "I understand this. The length of the ground contact time will cause the force to hit the ground to be different, which will eventually lead to uneven steps. In sprinting, unbalanced steps will slow down the runner's rhythm, thus affecting the final result. speed.
"That's a straight track. What if it's in a curve?" Li Dai picked up a piece of white paper and a pen and explained while drawing: "In the curve, the athletes have to turn to the left. Because Due to centripetal force, the body will naturally tilt to the left. If the left foot touches the ground and stays longer, the left leg will exert more force, and the body will gain higher stability, greater centrifugal force, and faster speed. The cornering speed. In other words, Ford's left leg is slightly longer than his right leg, which will give him an advantage that others do not have in corners. Especially during acceleration, this advantage will be even greater. It’s obvious.”
"You mean, the reason why he won the 200-meter championship at the World Championships that year was because he ran better than others in the corners? Because it was a 200-meter race, his speed advantage in the corners made him Won the world championship." 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 gains in the corners can make up for his speed in the straights. Loss of speed." Li Dai continued: "Based on my research and understanding, I think Ford's running method should be changed. I have observed his game videos and he has been pursuing the balance of both feet on the ground. And because his left leg is longer, he deliberately shortens the time when he touches the ground with his left leg. I don’t think he needs to do this, and this is also my future training direction.”
"I understand, what you mean is not to deliberately shorten the time when the left foot touches the ground in order to maintain the same walking rhythm of both legs. You want him to run completely in the way he is comfortable, even if this will cause him to lose a A steady pace?" Blake said.
"That's exactly what I mean. I think Ford's previous coaches must have known about Ford's problem with his long and short feet, and their training for Ford was all about trying to make up for Ford's physical shortcomings, hoping that his feet can be healthy. Achieving a balanced force in order to achieve a balanced running rhythm. But what they didn't expect was that this would actually affect Ford's speed." Dai Li then explained:
"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 and force him to achieve a balanced running rhythm. On the contrary, it makes him slower. I think Ford needs a rhythm that suits his long and short running style, rather than blindly pursuing a balance of rhythm."
"That makes sense. But are these your speculations or are they verified results?" Blake asked.
"Of course it's just speculation. Isn't the training contract in your hands? This contract has just been signed. How can I have the chance to verify it in practice." Dai Li said, pointing to the contract in Blake's hand.
"Have you ever thought about it, what if your guess is wrong? If Sean Ford's performance cannot improve, we will make a loss-making deal." Blake was still expressing his concerns.
"Don't worry, even if my guess is wrong, I still have a backup plan B!" Dai Li said confidently.
What Li Dai calls Plan B refers to the athlete patch. After all, Ford has A+ sprinting talent. If he can use athlete patches to correct his physical defects, he can still become a world champion athlete.