Almighty Coach

In the athlete’s lounge, Shawn Ford seemed withdrawn. He changed his outfit while seated in the corner. The athletes around him were chit-chatting with each other without noticing his existence.

He used to be the champion of the track and field world championship. He had been one of the best 200m sprinters in the world, but now, he had long left the glories of the world championship behind. Ever since that world championship tournament, he had never achieved a decent result again, and he couldn’t even make it through the domestic trial tournaments in the US.

The tan flower appears only briefly. That was people’s general assessment of Shawn Ford. Looking across the sports industry, there were many athletes like that. Ford wasn’t the first, and he wouldn’t be the last. However, athletes like Ford who stood at the peak of the world and then immediately fell from grace were few and far between.

When mentioning Shawn Ford’s name, everyone would be reminded of the world championship that he won, as well as the unfruitful career that came after. They would look at Ford with a peculiar look in their eyes. Within it was sympathy, regret, and even delight!

It was especially true when other athletes saw Ford. The most prominent feeling was a sense of delight. After all, being in the same line of work meant that they were enemies, and there was always only going to be one winner. If someone won first prize, then someone else couldn’t. Weakening an opponent who was better meant that the person was one step closer to winning the championship.

Ford hated those strange stares, but he couldn’t control the behavior of others. All he could do was distance himself from them. He held onto his peace of mind by not seeing. It was more like avoiding the issue, and at the same time, it made Ford increasingly withdrawn.

The sound of footsteps drew nearer and stopped in front of Ford. Ford lifted his head to see the face of a Chinese man.

Ford recognized Dai Li. It’s that Coach Li from LA.

In track and field, Chinese coaches were a rarity. So in the afternoon, when Dai Li appeared in the athlete’s locker room, he attracted the attention of all of the athletes. After exchanging information with each other, everyone found out quickly that the Chinese man was the owner of Coach Lee’s Physical Fitness Training Center, the famous Coach Li of Los Angeles.

“Shawn. Is it alright if I call you that?” Dai Li was the first to speak.

“It’s alright, Coach Li. This is probably the first time we’ve met. Is there anything I can do for you?” There was a slight hint of hesitation in Shawn Ford’s tone, as if it had been too long since he last talked to a stranger, which made him forget how to speak.

Dai Li said straightforwardly, “Shawn, are you interested in coming to my training center?”

Ford was instantly baffled. He never would have thought that Dai Li was there to look for clients for his training center, but what surprised him most was that the client Dai Li searched for was himself. That was because there were many athletes who were more affluent than him. Not to mention that Dai Li was the boss; he didn’t have to act like a salesman looking for clients.

As if Dai Li knew Ford’s thoughts, he added, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m coming here as a track and field coach. I just want to ask if you are interested in working with me, and letting me be your coach?”

Ford finally understood. He asked, “There are so many athletes here. Some of them are younger than me, more talented than me, and have better results than me. Why have you picked me?”

“In this room, it is true that there are people who are younger than you and have better results than you, but when it comes to talent, that might not be the case.” Dai Li smiled and continued, “You have congenital scoliosis, which made your right leg half an inch shorter than your left leg. This has affected your speed. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“How did you know this?” Ford looked surprised, but calmed down immediately after. “It’s normal for you to now. All my previous coaches knew this, so it’s not odd for you to have found out.”

“Which is why I believe that my training suits you. I can help you solve this problem,” Dai Li said.

“How would you solve this?” Ford looked at Dai Li half suspiciously. His leg length discrepancy had been troubling him constantly. Now that someone suddenly told him that it was possible to solve the problem, Ford’s first reaction was to not believe him.

“I definitely have a solution, but I can’t tell you yet.” Dai Li shook his head and said, “But I would like to ask you to believe me. I really can solve your problem. Your trouble is only a leg length discrepancy. I’ve seen more serious situations, like having no legs at all!”

It was then that Ford remembered, Dai Li was the one who groomed the “Blade Warrior” Barron Philip. Dai Li had helped a disabled person without both legs to appear on the stage of the world championship. Compared to Philip, Ford’s leg length discrepancy was nothing.

This Coach Li can help a disabled person without both legs to appear on the stage of the world championship. The “Blade Warrior” had a more severe problem than me, so perhaps this Coach Li really is better at training athletes with physical defects. As Ford thought of that, he was slightly moved.

However, in the next second, Ford shook his head and said, “Coach Li, I’m sorry, I’m currently in Coach Thomas’s training camp.”

“Thomas’s training camp is similar to my place, so why not try out at my place? The equipment of my training center is top-notch in America, and I can guarantee that you will be afforded a lot of individual guidance,” Dai Li said.

“What I mean is that I don’t have that much money…” Ford said awkwardly.

The US did not have provincial training teams like in China. Athletes who had money would naturally hire specialized coaches to provide personal training services. Some might even spend money to create a coaching team. Athletes without money could only join training camps by other coaches or train at some clubs.

It was the same for coaches. Wealthy coaches could own and operate a training center, and reputable coaches could also open up clubs under their names, or rent a place to conduct training camps while recruiting athletes. It was similar to the private training courses in China. Coaches who weren’t as good could only work for others at these sports clubs.

Ford was obviously not a wealthy athlete. Although he had won the first prize in the world championship once, he hadn’t achieved any good results since then. An inconsistent achievement like that didn’t earn money. He couldn’t hire a specialized coach, as well as an agent. He knew better than anyone he couldn’t afford the expensive training fees.

Ford said that he didn’t have money. However, Dai Li laughed without paying it any notice. “Perhaps we can change to a different payment method. You don’t have to pay my training fees, but the bonuses that you earn in the future, and your appearance and endorsement fees as well, you have to share your earnings with me. The same amount that you would pay an agent!”

It was rare for a coach to demand profit sharing, but it did happen, especially among big shot coaches. They would ask for various things, including a profit-sharing scheme with the athlete. In truth, a lot of athletes were willing to accept this sort of payment method. The more the athlete earned, the more the coach earned. The prerequisite of earning more was that the results had to be good, so the coach would definitely put more effort into training the athlete.

However, Ford shook his head. “Coach Li, with my current condition, it’s practically impossible to win any rewards, and I barely pay attention to the appearance fees the organizers pay me. As for advertisement and endorsement fees, the amount is so minuscule that it is depressing. If I told you, I’d be afraid you would laugh. My current main income is from my part-time job at a track and field club. There is no profit to share.”

“That is why, to avoid making losses, I have to train you into a world champion, isn’t that right?” Dai Li smiled confidence.

“World Champion?” Ford opened his mouth slightly without saying anything.

After all this time, the words “world champion” sounded like an insult to Ford, stating that he hadn’t achieved any good results since getting the world championship.

As the title slipped out of Dai Li’s mouth, a dark cloud loomed over Ford.

Ford stared at Dai Li. Dai Li’s confidence came through his smile like sunshine on a winter morning, suddenly giving Ford hope.

…

Blake shook the contract in his hand and asked, “You’re sure about only taking 20% of his income? And only for income above 10,000 dollars? You’re sure we won’t lose money like this? With Shawn Ford’s current form, it’s difficult for him to attract any advertisement sponsorships, not to mention getting any prizes from races.”

Dai Li paid it no heed and said, “Ford won the world championship once, that should count as having proven himself before.”

“That’s true, he has had one victory. The one, and only, victory! After that world championship, it was difficult for him to even make it through the domestic trial races of the US, so the world championship win for him does not prove that he is talented. It’s just like winning the lottery; it can only say that your luck was great on that day, but it doesn’t prove that you’re good at making money,” Blake said.

“Then I will let you in on a secret.” Dai Li lowered his voice and said, “Ford has congenital scoliosis. It makes his right leg half an inch shorter than his left leg.”

“There’s such a thing?” Blake was surprised. “But this shouldn’t be regarded as a secret, right? The coaches who trained him should know about this. It’s something that can be found out, not a real secret. Besides, I’ve trained in track and field before, so I know that for a sprinter, a leg length discrepancy would affect speed. This sort of congenital defect is fate, and it can’t be remedied no matter by training. No matter how he trains, there is no way for Shawn Ford to become faster.”

“You think so too?” Dai Li’s smile was brighter than ever.

Blake looked at Dai Li with a face of puzzlement. From what he knew of Dai Li, when Dai Li looked like that, he already had a plan in mind.

“Did you discover some special circumstance?” Blake asked with interest.

Dai Li nodded and said, “Because of his leg length discrepancy, it is fate that the time for each of his feet to touch the ground is different when he is running. The time on the ground for his shorter right leg will always be shorter whereas his longer left leg will touch the ground longer.”

Blake nodded. “I understand that the length of time the feet touch the ground affects the landing force, which ultimately causes an imbalance in stride. In sprinting, an imbalanced stride would slow-down the runner’s rhythm, and in turn, affect the speed.”

“That’s straight-track running. What if it were at the bend?” Dai Li took out a blank piece of paper and a pen, and explained as he scribbled. “At the bend, the athlete has to turn to the left. Due to the centripetal force, the body will naturally tilt towards the left. If the left leg stays longer on the ground during this time, the left leg will generate more force, and the body will become more stabilized, have a stronger centripetal force, and a faster speed during the bend. Which also means that Ford’s condition where his left leg is slightly longer than his right leg will give him an advantage that no one else possesses. Especially during the acceleration process, this advantage will become more obvious.”

“You mean to say, back then, the reason he won the 200m sprint world championship was that he ran better than everyone else in the bend? It was precisely because it was a 200m sprint, his speed advantage during the bend made him win the first prize during the world championship,” Blake said.

“I believe that is the case. Ford is faster during the bend, but exactly how much faster, I am not sure. I’m also not sure if the speed he gains during the bend is enough to offset the speed he loses in the straight track.” Dai Li continued, “According to my research and understanding, I think that there is a need to change Ford’s sprinting method. I’ve observed his race videos, and he’s been chasing after a balance in timing for both legs when touching the ground, but because his left leg is slightly longer, he intentionally tries to shorten the amount of time the left leg stays on the ground. I don’t think he needs to do that, and it is also my future training direction for him.”

“I understand. You mean that there is no need to intentionally decrease the time the left leg touches the ground to make sure that the striding rhythm of both legs matches each other. You want him to run exactly the way he feels comfortable, even if it means that he will lose a stable stride rhythm?” Blake said.

“That’s exactly what I mean. I’m guessing Ford’s previous coaches all knew about his leg length discrepancy, and their training for Ford all tried to remedy his physical defect in the hope of achieving a balance of force in both legs, and as a result, a balance in running rhythm. But what never occurred to them was that it had adversely affected Ford’s speed.” Dai Li paused and continued to explain, “Ford’s body already has a defect. Regardless of the method or technique used to remedy the defect, it would never reach a normal person’s level. It is impossible for techniques to make both his feet the same length. Instead, attempting to force a balance in his running rhythm made him slower. I believe what Ford needs is a running rhythm that suits his leg length discrepancy, and not to simply pursue a balanced rhythm.”

“That’s reasonable. But are these your deductions? Or are they results that have been proven?” Blake asked.

“Of course it’s only deductions. Isn’t the contract agreement in your hands? We’ve just signed the contract, where would I have found a chance to prove it.” Dai Li pointed towards the contract in Blake’s hands.

“Then, have you ever thought about if your deductions are wrong? If Shawn Ford’s results don’t improve, we will have made a deal that loses money.” Blake was still expressing his worry.

“Just relax, even if my deductions are wrong, I still have a plan B!” Dai Li said with confidence.

Dai Li’s plan B was to use the athlete’s patch. After all, Ford had a talent potential grade of A+. If one could use the athlete’s patch to remedy his physical defect, he could still become a world champion level athlete.