I think your guy may find the longer split runs appropriate to his needs.
As for the young lady (Kylie) referred to, she dropped from high 53sec gradually down to low 52, but was really struggling on a variety of fronts right up until we got to Atlanta.
Then I think she just resigned herself to being “only a relay runner” and at the same time could celebrate being an Olympian now that she was injury-free, already named in the 4x400 and already in the Olympic city.
So it seemed that she allowed things to happen, no more fear of omission, not more fighting against me or the sessions.
She popped out a 200 in 22.3 (give or take a tenth) off a three step roll in. Three clocks on her. This was about 10 days before the Olympic relay heats started. She was selected only for the 4x400m, however she started moving so well and found a great rhythm on the Atlanta surface that word from the three timekeepers (all national team coaches) got back to the head coach and he used her on the backstraight in the heat and then the final of the 4x100m. She was given splits of 10.5 in her heat and final, although some of the “official” Atlanta splits were discredited so they all got thrown out. In her case, I think 10.5 was realistic on the fly.
In her heat of the 4x400m the day after the 4x100 final, she split 51.21sec despite being blocked on the third 100m by heavy traffic which messed up her rhythm and with 50m to go she didn’t have a lot left but held her form well.
Over 100m early in the year she placed third in her State final behind two girls who did not make the Olympic team. But she improved a lot, mostly in her ability to maintain her speed. Her acceleration was always OK, so improvement came via velocity maintainance in my opinion.
