November 12, 2000, Boston.
9:00 AM, New Garden, President's Office.
On the large desk lay an open copy of the latest issue of " Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation." The page was filled with a paper by Mark Verstegen on "Human Kinetic Chains and Functional Compensation." The margins of the article were densely covered with pencil annotations by Lin Qi.
He picked up his phone, opened his contacts, and dialed the number located in State of Arizona.
The phone rang three times before being answered.
" Mark Verstegen." The voice on the other end of the phone sounded crisp and efficient, as if he had just finished training.
" Mark, this is Lin Qi."
"Mr. Lin Qi," Verstegen's tone softened, "How did it go? Did you finish talking to Hill?"
"We're done talking," Lin Qi said calmly.
"That's good." Verstegen paused. "How's his mindset now?"
"A little anxious, aren't you?" Lin Qi said. " Mark, I'd like you to fly to Boston this weekend."
"This weekend?" Verstegen hesitated. "I have a few players preparing for the NFL draft to mentor, so my schedule is a bit tight."
"You need to come," Lin Qi said gently but firmly. "Firstly, to see Hill's current condition in person and to reconcile the details of the first phase of rehabilitation with Dr. Lasset. But that's secondary."
"Oh?"
"More importantly, I want to talk to you in person about how to transform your training philosophy from a training facility in State of Arizona into a standardized system that can be promoted throughout the United States and even globally."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.
"Standardization?" Verstegen's tone immediately became cautious. " Lin Qi, we've discussed this before. My training system is highly customized. Every athlete's injury history, muscle length, and neural responses are different. Sports science isn't fast food; it can't be standardized."
"I knew you'd say that," Lin Qi smiled. "That's why I wanted to talk in person. I have a preliminary business framework that can resolve the issues you mentioned. But discussing it over the phone is too superficial."
Verstegen remained silent for a moment. As a pioneer who was at the forefront of his time but was often questioned by the traditional medical community, he found it difficult to refuse such a discussion.
"Okay. I'll be there on Saturday the 18th."
"I'll have my assistant arrange the flights and hotels. Oh, and by the way, the Celtics are playing the Knicks at home on Saturday night; I've reserved front-row tickets for you," Lin Qi said.
"No problem, see you this weekend."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Qi's gaze returned to the special issue.
There's a passage in Verstegen's article that Lin Qi circled heavily in red pen.
"The core of functional training is not blindly piling on high-difficulty movements, but rather establishing a precise assessment system. Only by finding weaknesses can we intervene in them."
Lin Qi stared at the passage for a while, then picked up his pen and wrote an equation in his notebook.
Accurate assessment = data-driven = the foundation for standardized mass production.
November 18th, Saturday, 11:30 AM, President's Office, New Garden.
Verstegen walked into Lin Qi's office. He was wearing a dark blue track jacket, stood tall, and carried a black briefcase.
" Mark." Lin Qi stood up from behind his desk, stepped forward, and the two shook hands firmly.
"Nice office, Lin Qi."
"Sit anywhere. Coffee or water?" Lin Qi gestured to the sofa.
"Water is fine."
Lin Qi handed over a bottle of mineral water and sat down opposite Verstegen.
" Hill will be here at three this afternoon, and Dr. Lasset will be there too," Lin Qi said. "Check on his condition and confirm his recovery progress. This part shouldn't be too complicated, right?"
"Yes, we've already established the framework," Verstegen. "I mainly want to see his movement patterns firsthand and confirm some details."
"Very good," Lin Qi said. "Then let's talk about something else first."
Lin Qi stood up and walked to the whiteboard in the center of the office.
" Mark, you said your training is a customized service that can't be standardized. Let me ask you a question: when a new player walks into your training facility, what's the first step in designing a program for him?"
"Assess," Verstegen answered without hesitation, "Test his flexibility, core strength, dynamic balance, movement patterns, and check for old injuries."
"Is this evaluation process something you come up with based on intuition each time, or is it a set of fixed test items?"
Verstegen paused slightly, then said, "Of course it's fixed. It's the standard, and the standard must be uniform."
"Very good." Lin Qi wrote on the whiteboard: [Evaluation (Absolutely Standardized)].
"And then what happens after the evaluation results are in?" Lin Qi continued to ask.
"Analyze the data to identify his biomechanical weaknesses. Then, based on his sport and positional characteristics, retrieve the corresponding corrective and strengthening exercises from my exercise Stephen Curry."
Approximately how many moves are in your motion library?
"With basic moves and variations, there are always hundreds," Verstegen said.
Lin Qi turned around and continued writing on the whiteboard: [Analysis (Personalized Algorithm) → Action Library (Fully Modular)].
Lin Qi put down his pen and looked at Verstegen.
" Mark, look. Your first step was 'standard testing,' and your third step was 'modular actions.' The only reason you consider it personalized is because in the second step, you provided different combinations based on each person's data."
Verstegen sat on the sofa, his brow furrowed, but his eyes darted around rapidly; he couldn't refute the logic.
"What are you trying to say, Lin Qi?"
"What I'm trying to say is that as long as you extract the 'combinatorial logic' from your mind, your method can become a replicable system." Lin Qi walked back to the sofa and sat down. "It's not about having everyone do the same training, but about solidifying your assessment process, action library, and training principles into a standard operating procedure (SOP)."
Verstegen leaned forward and retorted, "It's not that simple! It's like having the best scalpel, but how can you replicate the surgeon's experience? I've spent over a decade accumulating experience; how could any ordinary strength and conditioning coach possibly master it in a short time?"
"Therefore, we need a training and certification system," Lin Qi calmly revealed his trump card. "Just like doctors need to pass a licensing exam, or like Cisco certification in the IT industry. Only through your training and rigorous assessments can they obtain authorization to use this system."
Lin Qi pulled out a framework drawing he had worked on overnight from under the coffee table and pushed it in front of Verstegen.
[Standardized Training System Framework]
SaaS-based data system: Input player test data and automatically warn of injury risks.
Coach certification system: Level 1 to Level 3 assessment mechanism.
Phase pilot: The entire Boston Celtics team (15 players, one full season).
Verstegen stared at the document, his breathing gradually becoming heavy.
" Lin Qi, in theory, this framework is flawless. But what about in practice? Developing the system, training coaches, tracking massive amounts of data from dozens of people... it's a huge undertaking, requiring astonishing amounts of money and time. Moreover, the NBA is an extremely closed system; coaches and team doctors from other teams won't easily accept an external system."
Lin Qi gave a confident smile.
"So I didn't plan to start promoting it from the NBA," Lin Qi said. " Mark, have you heard of EBA ( Europe Basketball League )?"
"It seems to be a newly emerging top Europe league this year. I heard they're undergoing a commercial restructuring."
"That's right. They're going to increase to 21 teams next year. If each team has 15 players, that's over 300 professional players." Lin Qi leaned forward. "Moreover, Europe basketball is extremely eager to become more scientific. I have a friend who is the current president of the EBA."
Verstegen's eyes lit up.
"If we can prove the system is effective with the Celtics this season... he would be very willing to make it the 'official training standard' and promote it throughout the EBA."
Lin Qi took a pen and wrote a simple equation in the blank space of the document.
21 teams × system annual fee/consulting fee of $300,000 = $6.3 million/year.
Verstegen looked at the number, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Of course, this is just the beginning," Lin Qi said. "If it succeeds in basketball, the NFL, MLB, and the top five Europe football leagues are all potential clients. This is saving investors tens of millions of dollars in injury losses; they'll be lining up to pay for it."
Verstegen stood up and paced back and forth in his office, processing the massive amount of information. Finally, he stopped at his desk.
"But all of this is contingent on us proving it really works against the Celtics." Verstegen looked at Lin Qi.
"Yes. So from today onwards, you're not just Hill's trainer, you're the Celtics ' 'Chief Sports Performance Consultant,'" Lin Qi offered. "$250,000 a year, one-year contract. A raise is possible for the season depending on performance. If Hill successfully returns to All-Star level next year, there's an additional $200,000 bonus."
Verstegen's breath hitched. His $250,000 base salary was already more than three times his current annual income.
"Not only that," Lin Qi offered his final bargaining chip, "If the promotion with EBA is successful, we will establish an independent sports technology company. You, as the core technology provider, will hold 40% of the shares, and I will be responsible for funding and marketing, holding 60%."
Verstegen fell completely silent.
This was not simply a matter of monetary incentive. For a scholar who firmly believed he had grasped the Truth, Lin Qi was describing an opportunity to influence thousands of top athletes and become a global industry standard.
" Lin Qi, I don't understand business." Verstegen extended his thick right hand, his eyes becoming incredibly determined. "But I know how to make athletes stronger. If the Celtics are willing to be the first testing ground, I'll give it my all."
"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mark." Lin Qi stood up, his hands clasped tightly together.