Chapter 169: “Walking Dead” on the Training Ground
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li couldn't help but be anxious at the thought of Sijie Yang. Technically speaking, Sijie Yang could not even reach the professional level. It was fair to say he had virtually nothing going for him except for his A-level ability.
However, on second thought, Dai Li felt this might be a good thing. The lousy technique of Sijie Yang meant his technique movements had not yet been fixed. Just like a piece of blank paper, Dai Li could do whatever he wanted with it.
The more disadvantages an athlete had, the more improvements could be made, and the larger room for improvement the athlete would have. This also meant there was a longer way the athlete could go before they reached their limit.
This Sijie Yang hasn't even fully reached his top speed, strength, and explosive force. He should have more elementary trainings.
"Sijie Yang, step forward!" Dai Li shouted. Sijie Yang stepped out of the line immediately.
"You have a lot of disadvantages. For example, your explosive force hasn't been completely realized; your acceleration is not good enough; your stride length is too short; your push-off force is too small; your leg swing is not active enough; your stride frequency is low; your movements are not flexible; your forward motion is poor; the time you take to push away from your supporting leg is too long; your flight time is short, and your reaction is slow…"
As Dai Li pointed out the disadvantages, he kept watching to see if there was a change in expression in Sijie Yang's face. Dai Li had expected that Sijie Yang would be shocked like the others after his instruction, or at least slightly surprised. However, Sijie Yang did not change his expression whatsoever.
Dai Li could feel that Sijie Yang was listening carefully and pondering the things he had mentioned. However, Dai Li had a weird feeling about Sijie Yang that he could not put his finger on.
"This is the training plan I prepared for you, just have a look." Dai Li handed the training plan to Sijie Yang.
After taking the training plan with both of his hands and saying "Thank you," Sijie Yang returned to the line. He stood there quietly, not communicating with his teammates at all.
This Sijie Yang is very introverted! Dai Li said to himself quietly. He looked at Sijie Yang, his heart filled with a weird feeling.
...
In the following days, Dai Li's training went on smoothly. Nothing got in the way of his coaching.
All the athletes on the sprinting team were completely convinced by Dai Li, so they really had no excuse to contradict the training arrangements he had made. Moreover, all of them were quite cooperative with the training plans Dai Li had made.
The athletes obviously hoped that their performance would get better and better. The students of Tsinghua University were virtuous and talented, and had always been the best among their peers. All of them were quite ambitious, and naturally would not be satisfied with their current states. They were constantly trying to perform better, and always tried to outdo themselves.
Along with the implementation of different types of training, the athletes felt the improvement in their performance. Dai Li helped them correct the deficiencies in their technique, which helped facilitate their improvement in performance. Meanwhile, the training effects of being a top-level coach yielded twice the results with half the effort.
For instance, if the athletes were asked to perform a leapfrog exercise 100 times, the Coaching System could help the athletes improve their explosive force. Of course, this effect was invisible during training. Performing the leapfrog exercise 100 times could not give the athletes immediate results. However, after days of training, the improvement could be seen clearly.
The improvements in performance made the athletes trust Dai Li more. They carried out the training plans formulated by Dai Li much more strictly, and would work even harder during training. This, in turn, increased performance improvement. A virtuous cycle had been formed.
Dai Li was quite satisfied with his disciples. These athletes were very gifted, and were not inferior to the athletes of the national team. These athletes were also very smart and had understood things quite well. Most of the time, Dai Li did not need to give them a very detailed instruction, and they could understand Dai Li's meaning. Their IQ was high, and their feeling for the sport was also very high. They knew how to do the right thing at the right time.
Although Dai Li was responsible for the daily training of eight athletes on the sprinting team, it did not require much attention. His job was quite easy. The only athlete that gave Dai Li headaches was Sijie Yang, who had A-level ability.
On the training ground, Dai Li was standing in front of Sijie Yang. Dai Li said, "Your leg swing should be faster!"
Sijie Yang said, "Oh."
Dai Li said, "Try to control the fluctuation of your center of gravity!"
Sijie Yang said, "Oh."
Dai Li said, "Relax, don't stiffen your muscles too much. You technique movements are too deliberate. Try to do them naturally."
Sijie Yang said, "Oh."
Sijie Yang accepted and carried out all the instructions given by Dai Li. However, Dai Li was very disappointed with Sijie Yang's effort. Dai Li got the feeling that Sijie Yang's training was problematic. But he could not figure out the reason behind it. When observing Sijie Yang's training, Dai Li always felt that something was missing.
What is actually missing? Dai Li thought for a moment with furrowed brows. He looked at other athletes, then looked back at Sijie Yang, finally finding his answer.
Passion! What he is missing is passion! Sijie Yang's training completely lacks passion. It seems like it is not him who is training, but a robot finishing its programmed actions!
But how could an athlete lack passion?
The training of Sijie Yang indeed lacked passion. Sijie Yang was like the walking dead on the training ground. You could not feel his joy, sadness, or any mood change at all. Sijie Yang was simply completing the training subjects robotically, going through the motions.
Is he slacking off? No. Is he checking the time? No. Dai Li shook his head silently. Sijie Yang was training inactively; however, his inactive training was vastly different than how inactive training usually looked.
When Dai Li had been in the Beikou Training Base, Feixiang Lin had also been inactive during training. He played fast and loose in his training, through which he wanted to tell everyone that he was clearly not training seriously. However, Sijie Yang was quite different.
Later when Dai Li had been in the shot put group, Jiankang Chen and the other athletes had also contradicted the training by slacking off during training. Sijie Yang was not like this either.
Sijie Yang did not slack off and mark time. He had no late arrivals or early departures. He finished all the training Dai Li had assigned him. However, during training, Sijie Yang seemed to be completely absent-minded. He didn't apply himself to the training at all, and seemed like he was not himself when he trained.
This should be an attitude problem. Dai Li formed his judgment immediately.
Sijie Yang's sprinting ability is of an A-level. I haven't even found an athlete on the national team whose ability is an A. He should at least be the best sprinter among his peers. He should not be like Jiankang Chen, who lost his self-confidence after not achieving anything for a while.
Sijie Yang is only nineteen. His current training can only be considered quasi-professional level training. That means he should not be like Feixiang Lin, either, who gave up on himself because of prolonged illness and injuries.
Resting his hands on his hips, Dai Li felt quite helpless. He knew Sijie Yang was much more troublesome than those who slacked off or checked the time during training.