The one thing I have noticed from the few videos I have seen of his groups working is that it really does look like a lot of fun to show up at the track with all the camaraderie that must exist in such a large group. Sure group training has its down sides, but in my experience, I’d rather work with a group even if the program wasn’t anything to write home about. The ability to run with and against others trumps a lot of complicated bullshit.
Even retailers like the Running Room have basically ripped off the Kenyan style of large group distance training for the average athlete, and they are incredibly successful with getting people to turn up regularly for their runs simply due to the social aspect. I suspect that the impact of some of the “negativity” (e.g. calisthenics) that any coach shows toward athletes can be mitigated by the positive attitude and feedback from the other athletes on the team. I remember Wayne Gretzky saying that when the Edmonton Oilers traded Dave Semenko (a mediocre hockey player but a tremendous dressing room personality) it literally cost them a Stanley Cup.
Also, I am really wary of stereotyping cultures here, but I can’t tell you the number of times that sprinters of Jamaican origin who train at York University have told me often hilarious (in retrospect) stories of the spectacular whoopings they received from not only their parents, but teachers, old neighbours who live down the street, etc. I think it’s fair to say that fear-based leadership is still socially acceptable in Jamaica, and Stephen Francis is a product of that culture, but I don’t think it makes him a bad coach.
I really like what he had to say at the start about the provincial attitude you often find in former colonial countries- “I’ll never make it unless I leave this place.” Charlie Francis did a whole lot to change that attitude in Canada, and Stephen Francis has done the very same in Jamaica.