We use cookies to improve our site and your experience. By continuing to browse our site you accept our cookie policy
More Information

News

Home News

Review of Andrea Pace's new book on sprint canoeing technique

Complements to the Base Technique in Sprint Kayaking: Methods of Evaluation
 
Author of the book Andrea Pace graduated in physics and is a former sprint canoeing competitor and coach. Currently he works for the Italian Institute for Medicine and Sport Science in Rome and is also a co-worker at the Italian institute for Naval Architectures' ship model experiment tank.

In his book he systematically studies the physics phenomena observed in the best kayakers in the world only to compare them to the physics observed in less successful kayakers. In doing so he was able to:

  • define the kayaking technique with a set of new but very intuitive parameters (very useful for quantifying technique on one side and even more useful for coaches in everyday practice);
  • devise a set of hydrodynamics measurements that put under question a lot of old preconceptions about kayaking technique and also put under question a lot of anecdotal knowledge and practices many of us coaches were using so far (called Step 1 and Step 2);
  • devise a wide range of very useful tools and methods for qualitative analysis for the coach and sports analyst to use in daily practice (like in field quick assessments, drills or feedback tools);
  • devise a new way of analyzing race performances through a graph that in turn leads to very interesting new approaches to race evaluation (called the H-graph).
The key message of his book is a clear and scientific proof that who wins in sprint canoeing does so because he was able (most often intuitively) not to work against any of the physical phenomena the author describes. Furthermore he clearly demonstrates that working alongside these physical phenomena is much more important for success than training methods or physiology alone.
 
The text demands some focus from the reader. Translating it from the Italian original text to English language must have not been an easy task. But for those who will take the time to read the whole work and let it sink in, a whole new way of looking at paddling will suddenly click into place and you will be able to understand the sport on a much higher level. Coaches and athletes from countries such as Italy, Finland, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Slovenia, Israel, Romania and New Zealand are already studying and using it.
 

Jernej Župančič Regent

 

Get the  Introduction Chapter (PDF) here.

Download the whole book here: http://www.traininginparadise.eu/technical-resources/

Back
Visit our youtube channel