Almighty Coach

Explosive force was very important for the 100m sprint. Although the explosive force halo Dai Li had could only increase the force 10%, it was still a significant advantage for an exercise that could be finished in 10 seconds.

The explosive force halo was Dai Li’s unique edge that he hoped would make the students stay. It was because of this halo that Dai Li had tested the students in the morning before the training had even begun. He wanted to run the test again in the evening and compare the two records to show his training results after one day. Dai Li had no idea if the 10% improvement in explosive force would show any visible improvement of speed, but he was sure that there would be some type of improvement on the timer.

Haiyang Chen’s father wasn’t really expect anything because he knew that sports training was about time accumulation. There was no shortcut—it was impossible to achieve anything in a day or two. Maybe after a month there might be some improvement, but one morning? Forget about it.

He is just playing tricks. It was just one day. How could there be any improvement? What could it be, 0.5 seconds? He is so eager to show his ability and keep the students that he doesn’t mind using dumb tricks like this. Shouldn’t he be worried that the record might be worse than before, since the training probably used too much of the students’ energy? the father thought to himself.

Dai Li had considered this as well, which was why he had let the students rest for half an hour. For professional athletes at a high level, half an hour may be insufficient. But for beginners, it was enough time for them to get back their energy for another round of the 100m sprint.

Haiyang Chen stood in front of the starting line again. His father was right next to the finish line, holding the timer. Haiyang Chen took off as soon as Dai Li pulled the trigger of the starting gun, and began to speed up.

I feel like I’ve gotten quicker! Haiyang Chen could feel that his speed was a little faster than it had been this morning.

1,2,3,4... Dai Li counted to himself silently since he didn’t have a timer. He was very nervous that Haiyang Chen might be unable to perform as he had expected. If so, he would lose this student for sure.

Whoosh!

The father saw a blur rush by in front of him and he stopped the timer immediately.

I wonder what the result is this time. He was actually expecting his son to get a worse result. His face turned serious once he saw the number on the screen of the timer: 12.39 seconds.

How’s that possible? 12.39 seconds? Am I seeing things? He blinked and looked at it again, but still, it was 12.39 seconds.

My son has never reached 12.80 seconds before on any test, and now his record is 12.39 seconds. He was more than 0.5 seconds quicker than this morning! Did I stop the timer too early? He searched his memory, but he was sure he hadn’t.

Is this timer broken or something? No way. If it’s broken, then it should be slower instead of quicker. He raised his head suddenly and looked at his son. Could it be that he actually improved during today’s training?

Dai Li walked up to him quickly and asked him, "How was it?"

"12.39 seconds," the father answered honestly, with a slight lack of confidence.

"I remember that his record was 13.03 seconds this morning. The training result is pretty good, then, since his improvement is 0.64 seconds." He made it seem like it was all because of his training without any hesitation. He continued, "The standard for a national third-class athlete is 12.40 seconds. He is already above the record. He could get the certificate of national third-class athlete if he took the test right now."

A certificate of national third-class athlete was nothing but a confirmation of one’s ability, but it was a very encouraging record for an ordinary beginner. Haiyang Chen’s father hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Coach Li, I want to test him again. What do you think?"

Dai Li smiled because he knew that Haiyang’s father couldn’t believe it, and thought that it had been a coincidence. Dai Li wasn’t going to reject him. "No problem. But before that, let’s give him 10 minutes to rest. Otherwise, it might harm his muscles. I’ll use the time he’s taking to rest to test the other students."

Dai Li looked at the list of names and shouted to the training ground, "Qingliang Xu, warm yourself up and get ready for the test!"

Qingliang Xu had come here this morning by himself and no one had come to pick him up. Dai Li could only test him by himself and tell his parents later.

Dai Li stopped the timer as Qingliang Xu crossed the finish line and looked at the timer. "12.42 seconds. It’s great. Your record this morning was 13.10 seconds, and after today’s training you are 0.68 seconds quicker! Don’t forget to tell your your parents how much you improved!"

Dai Li turned around and said another student’s name. "Congyan Lu, it’s your turn."

...

After Haiyang Chen rested for more than ten minutes, he stood on the starting line again.

"Get ready..." Dai Li raised his starting gun and then pulled the trigger. Haiyang Chen took off at the sound of the gun. He was more relaxed after the first test, and he was in better condition, but because he had only rested ten minutes between the two tests he had not recovered completely. This time he ran the 100m sprint in 12.51 seconds, 0.12 seconds slower than the first time. Even though it was slower than the first time, however, it still shocked his father since his record for both tests were amazing. Haiyang Chen’s father was forced to believe that his son really did make a lot of progress.

"This Coach Li must be a magician to have improved my son’s record in one day! I would never believe it if it was not me who had timed my son!" Haiyang Chen’s father looked at Dai Li with a different emotion in his eyes. Ten minutes ago he thought Dai Li was just bluffing, but now, he knew that this Coach Li really had some talent in training.

"I think he is even better than those coaches in the sports school. This is unbelievable. No wonder he dared to promise that he would give a refund if the student couldn’t reach the desired results. He really has something. Maybe I should leave my student here." Haiyang Chen’s father had already made the decision in his head.

...

Dai Li waited until the last student left, then he locked the door after packing things up.

"I wonder how many of the 13 students from today will stay with me." Dai Li looked down the road and felt very lost.

"I should call those parents to ask after I get home!" Dai Li said to himself.