Chapter 102: A New Hope
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Track and field sports included track, field, and combined events. Field events referred to jumping and throwing events held in the center or outskirts of the open field, enclosed by the running track. The high and long jump, as well as any throwing events, were measured for competition. Track events were any foot racing events held on the running track, such as sprinting. These events were timed for competition. Simply speaking, field events were aiming for distance, while track events were aiming for time. Combined events were composed of both field and track events.
In track events, only short-distance competitions required explosive power. In events like long distance running, endurance was more important. For field events, explosive power was needed for both jumping and throwing. Based on this information, Dai Li concluded that the explosive force halo would surely boost the performance of the shot put athletes.
He was right. Lei Qin threw over 15 meters on one of his attempts, which was not only his best performance, but also an indication that he was making significant progress. That progress was partly because of Dai Li’s instructions, but mostly because of the explosive force halo.
Yet Qin had no idea the explosive force halo was helping him. He thought his progress was entirely because of Dai Li’s instructions.
All I did was lower my elbow, and now I have already made so much progress. If I had done this earlier, I would have been chosen by the sports team. I wish that I had met Mr. Li earlier. No! It’s not too late. If I can throw more than 15 meters after only a few minutes of his guidance, and he teaches me for a few more months, I can surely make paradigm-shifting progress!
As this thought came to him, Qin regained his confidence. He spoke with enthusiasm all over his face. "Mr. Li, I will listen to you from now on. I will surely dedicate myself to the training!"
Dai Li nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the other four athletes. "Who else wants to try?"
The four other athletes were still in shock. Qin had thrown more than 15 meters after only a few minutes of instruction. It was incredible! They were unable to make this type of progress after months of training, yet Dai Li had made it happen within a few minutes. The remaining four athletes could hardly believe it.
"It’s you then, Zhanshan Zhao. Come over here." Dai Li pointed at Zhao directly, given that he was relatively obedient compared to the remaining four.
"Zhao, your first problem is that your fingers are too relaxed when you are throwing. You don’t grab the ball firmly. You have big palms, but short fingers. It takes more force for you to hold the ball. This is easy to overcome. Just grab the ball firmly. But you must pay attention to your pause after the glide. Try to pull the full force from your right leg while controlling your center." Dai Li began his one-on-one instructions with Zhao.
It took longer to help Zhao, whose main problem was the incoherent movement caused by the excessive lowering of his center of gravity. This was because of the under-use of his right leg, which was caused by the excessive swing of the left leg. It was a chain reaction. Therefore, Dai Li had to start by correcting the root problem, and teach him to adjust his center of gravity step by step.
"Zhao, you’ve been doing well these last few practices. Let’s give it a test. Here, take the shot and do a serious put!" Dai Li handed the ball to Zhao.
...
Zhao stood in the throwing circle, staring far ahead of him.
Qin threw beyond 15 meters. I don’t know if I can do the same! Zhao looked at the 15 meter white circle painted on the ground ahead of him. He took a deep breath, went over Dai Li’s instructions in his head, and threw the shot with a quick thrust.
Soo...Pong!
The shot touched the ground with a dull sound. Zhao turned his head immediately to look, and saw that the ball had landed beyond the 15 meter circle.
"15 meters! I can throw 15 meters too!" Zhao looked at Dai Li with admiration. He also attributed his significant progress to Dai Li’s instructions.
"Qin just threw over 15 meters. Now Zhao has also thrown over 15 meters!" The remaining three athletes were filled with amazement. If it had only happened to Qin, they might call it a coincidence. But Zhao had also thrown 15 meters, which clearly proved that Dai Li was indeed gifted.
After a brief pause of disbelief, the remaining three men began feeling uneasy. The five of them had started out on almost the same level. Yet after less than half an hour, both Qin and Zhan had achieved an impressive 15 meters, leaving the three others far behind. The gap that had now grown between them was unsettling.
"OK, Zhao, now go and keep doing what I showed you. Your throwing will get better with practice," Dai Li told Zhao.
Zhao nodded attentively. "Yes, Mr. Li. I will put my heart into the training."
Dai Li turned around and faced the remaining three athletes. Before he could utter a word, Jiankang Chen stepped forward. "Mr. Li, please give me some instruction!"
Chen was undoubtedly the smartest one among the five, and also the quickest to switch sides. He had been indifferent to Dai Li’s words earlier, but after witnessing the progress Qin and Zhao had made, he changed his mind right away.
"Chen, you have a similar problem to Zhao with your center of gravity. Zhao lowers his center too much. Your center is unstable, with too many ups and downs."
Dai Li started his one-on-one teaching with Chen. After about 20 minutes, Chen had one throw. He also threw beyond 15 meters, and was only thirty or forty centimeters away from the 16 meter milestone.
I can’t believe I can throw this far! Chen was beginning to have hope once again.
...
Dai Li looked at the five young athletes with a sense of relief. The improved performance of the five athletes had only partly been due to Dai Li’s instructions. The main cause of the sudden progress was the explosive force halo. Using the halo made a huge difference. That was why Dai Li had been able to boost their performance significantly in only a few minutes.
But more importantly, the five athletes had regained their confidence, and were given a new hope! They were no longer reluctant to train, which made Dai Li’s work productive.
The talent level of the five athletes was only a C+, but Dai Li had the Coach System, a game-changing advantage. He was now at the senior stage of the junior coach level. In terms of training ability, he was absolutely comparable with an excellent coach of the national team, which made him more than qualified to train athletes on a provincial youth team.
Dai Li’s previous trainees had been high-level professional athletes, such as Aiguo Jiang, who had mature techniques and was approaching the end of his career due to his age. Feixiang Lin was another one, who was already standing at the top of the world and at the limits of a human’s capacity. Dai Li, a junior coach, could no longer help Lin improve.
But now, Dai Li was facing a group of youth team athletes, whose techniques were immature and shapeable. Their bodies were also growing stronger with age. Dai Li, the late-stage junior coach, was finally serving a powerful function. Under his instruction, the five young athletes were progressing like birds with wings, gradually approaching the qualification standards of national first-class athletes.