Almighty Coach

Based off Dai Li’s past experience, in order to reach a national first-level athlete’s proficiency, one’s ability must be above 150 points. However, all five athletes were below 100 points, which indicated that they still had a long way to go.

For the shot put event, the minimum standard for a national second-level athlete was 12.50 meters, while the standard for a first-level athlete was 16.20 meters. There was a 3.7 meter gap between the two levels.

An important thing to note was that a performance was assigned value based on standard shot weight. A standard shot weighted 7.26kg, which was 16 pounds. In youth competitions, the U20 level used a 6kg shot, while the U18 level used a 5kg shot more often.

They don’t even have 100 points of ability, nor do they have any special talent. This team must be the worst I have ever met.

Li was disappointed, but while training he still treated it seriously. Even though his trainees were ordinary, he still hoped to make some achievements.

Shot put training was a basic training course compared to other athletic programs. Some cities would test the shot put on the high-school entrance exam. As a professional athletic coach, the shot put was a required course, so Li was confident. If it was coach Ma’s nephew in charge of the team, who had never received any professional training before, he wouldn’t be able to handle the situation.

Li didn’t start training right away. Because he was in charge of the entire team, he wanted to know what the athletes’ performance capacity was.

He conducted an assessment that had the five athletes perform the shot put one after the other. This way, Li could have a basic understanding of what their abilities were. As he looked at the results, Li looked disappointed.

The detector is quite accurate, their performances really matched their ability points.

The assessment gave everyone six chances. However, the best result didn’t even get above 14 meters. Most of their performances were around the 13 meter mark, which was far from the 16.20 meter standard for first-level athletes. These performances depicted their true abilities. Li didn’t use the explosive force halo.

Bad, so bad! The terrible results put an invisible pressure on Li. This was the first time he was leading a team alone. He didn’t want his students to be a group of losers.

I need to help them improve. I can do this! Li thought to himself, trying to calm himself down.

Techniques! I should start with techniques and enhance their skills. Li took out a notebook and listed his first training goal on the top of the page.

It was a common occurrence that young athletes lacked firm skills. Small blemishes could have little effects in the present, but they could become a big problem later on and cause irreversible outcomes.

I need to record and observe their actions so I can find out their blemishes. Li recalled the method he had learned at the Beikou Training Center.

Unlike the Beikou Training Center, the Provincial Youth Team didn’t have good equipment. Actually, they had no equipment at all. The team only received a limited amount of funding, so they didn’t have any extra income from advertising endorsements. It was no wonder they couldn’t afford expensive equipment. Many training devices were bought second-hand from the Provincial Sport Team.

Even though the team had enough equipment, Li still had to wait in the line. As a newcomer with little experience and no fame, he was not able to borrow a good device. Therefore, Li had to use his phone to record. Luckily in shot put events, athletes did not leave the delivery area, so he was able to record clearly. If it was something like the 110m hurdles, he could never catch a detailed movement simply using his phone.

...

"Zhanshan Zhao, you didn’t use your wrist properly when you pushed. Your fingers were loose. That’s why your push didn’t generate enough power. You need to hold the shot tight. Remember to balance the strength of your fingers and wrist. Also, there was an obvious pause after your slide. You lifted your left leg too high and didn’t put it down on time. You didn’t put enough weight on your right leg. And after you slid your barycenter declined too much. Do five sets of fast pedaling, fifty times each set."

"Lei Qin, you always lower your elbow unconsciously when you push. If your elbow is too low, your barycenter will twist beforehand, turning pushing into dropping. Go practice pushing movements 200 times, then sliding, then do 200 reps of body-lifting exercises."

"Feng Luo, your slide was not long enough. You lacked strength when you were pedaling and swinging your leg. These two actions lacked transition. Besides, you didn’t hold back your leg on time. Do 200 reps of the shot pedal-swing combination."

"Jiankang Chen, you lost balance when you slid. You had too many ups and downs. You held back your right leg too early, even before you stretched your leg. Moreover, your posture was wrong. You lifted your upper body too early, and then your barycenter moved down to your legs. But you didn’t complete your stretch-hold action. The distance was not long enough. Do 200 reps of stretch-hold practice with a shot."

"Bin Wang, your right leg didn’t pedal enough. You didn’t twist your hip on time, and when you push, the distance between your legs widens. Your left leg’s braking range was too large. You might break the rules. In addition, when you push, your body makes a small tilt. It was also due to the unbalance of the over-distant legs. Hold your left arm still, then push it 500 times."

Li carefully pointed out all the problems, then corrected them one by one. He believed that under his guidance, the five athletes would correct their behaviors actively and seriously. But the facts were cruel. Li had a strong feeling that the five athletes were saying one thing but doing another. They seemed to practice seriously when Li was present, but as soon as Li turned around they would immediately become lazy.

"Luo, how many times did I tell you, hold your leg on time! Why can’t you remember?"

"Qin, raise your elbow! Push your shot, do not drop it!"

Li emphasized the same things again and again, but all five athletes just did whatever they wanted. They didn’t correct their deficiencies at all. It was the first time Li had met trainees who did not listen to him at all.