I agree. The levels of arousal, i believe may be a major issue here. I don’t beleive he is a choker, i just believe his arousal levels are to high.That could be due to his prep or injuries but the pattern was there in previous major meets such as the last world champs. Now it appears that we are questioning the coaches ability or managers, this is strange to me. I understand they have a major influence but seriously, Asafa is not a teenager he knows his body better than anyone and after all he is the one racing. As far as IQ’s go, assuming they are not high enough??? Thats just down right offensive.
Crazy Hops that IQ thing was not directed at you!
cheers!
Rainy,
Clearly SF is doing something right and knows something, as he’s trained the most consistent European Circuit runner ever, and the second fastest human ever.
Absolutely. I never have said he does not know anything. He does but does he know ENOUGH though? It is apparent to me that there are many areas that could be improved, and these areas are not necessarily related to Asafa’s training program. Picking the right competition needs a selective and calculated approach. Is flogging of your strongest horse a wise move? Has the coach made that decision or was it indeed someone else?
However, Asafa keeps getting hurt and this is interrupting his training.
Why has he been getting hurt? Has it got anything to do with his coach, and if yes, what is it?
Management issue!
He very well might get hurt in Brussels if it’s cold, as there are a couple of slightly speedy people he’s running against and those guys might not go easy if the weather is crap.
So, why go? Because of pay? Because his agent said so?
Management issue!
Asking for an 140 IQ might be asking a lot though. While there are several people on this board that can claim that, it’s pretty damn smart.
I do not want to sound blunt, rude or anything alike but when you hear Federer giving interviews you think - yeah he is a smart kind of a guy. But when one heard Frater, Powell etc. after the final, huh, ehh, hmm my legs…hmmm huh… give me a good indication that these guys are prone to be manipulated by people that call themselves “agents”, and therefore they keep getting hurt.
If you think IQ 140 is high, OK lets lower it down to 120 
I am not saying these people are dumb but they are inexperienced, naive and highly manipulative kind.
If SF does not know how to handle this issue he can have the BEST runner ever on his CV but in my book - he is not a complete coach. Period.
The same applies to Mills. I have never heard Mills giving an audio interview until recently. I have read though many quotes and studied his training methods but once I heard him my perception about him has changed. He is no different to SF.
“I read a lot…”
Finally, is 9.72sec. or let’s say 9.65sec. the best Asafa could ever do having been coached and guided by the people who got him to this stage?
Or could he perform even better under more capable coaching and management team?
That is something we need to ask ourselves. Bolt is in the same boat.
But then again, could they be coached by a team of experts as successfully as they have been by their JAM coaches, taking into consideration the mentality and all other anthropological and social, aspects that they are accustomed to? I do not know. Would it be worthwhile to try? Certainly. Is there anyone who would take the risk? I do not know.
Stephen Francis may not walk on water but Asafa has PRd every year for as long as I can remember.
If you want to change your psychology, the first place to start is your physiology!
It is a physiological problem that leads to his psychological state…
Excellent points. I don’t know the answers to your questions, but they are very good ones.
While your psychologist may or not be correct, because of her profession, she obviously attaches tremendous importance to the psychological component and her response is completely predictable. Psychology is the context in which she views performance.
Similarly, if I hurt my back and go to a surgeon, s/he is going to tell me I need surgery. A physical therapist is going to tell me I need therapy. And a psychologist is going to tell me it is all in my head.