Training Talk With Erik Cadee
Twenty-seven year old adidas discus thrower Erik Cadée brought a fresh new idea into the discus ring last season. The Dutchman was already among the world’s best, but he took a risk and began training with a new technical style. It paid off and Cadée threw a new personal best of 66.95 meters in the spring. That ranks him just barely behind former World Championship medalists Erik de Bruin and Rutger Smith on the Dutch all-time list.
For years the major difference in technical styles at the elite level could be boiled down to whether or not a thrower ‘reversed’ at the end of the throw. Cadée’s style plays with the orbit and adds another quarter turn of rotation at the start of the throw. After seeing him train and throw in Turkey last year and talking with his coach about the technique, I figured it was time to ask him a few questions directly.
The style itself is so unique that it doesn’t even have a name yet. Feel free to share your thoughts on the technique and a potential name in the comments after the article. My suggestions are either ‘540’ (for the number of degrees you rotate to get to the power position) or ‘Neu’ (after a German who used a variation of the technique in the seventies; the word also has the relevant meaning of ‘new’ in German).
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“I really think that everybody can throw like this as long as the basic technique is explained in a correct way… ” could Erik and/ or coach Damkat please explain?
This technique seems to strongly address two of Max Jones’ key principles:
1. On-balance on the left-foot in the back.
2. Proper orbit.
My son Bryn used this technique back in 8th grade (he is now in 12th) and he won the state of Ohio meet for 8th graders with it. Again he was not as strong as others but his techique was superior. The 360 was easy for him and I just added to the throw. I don’t believe the orbit was as high but it set him for the finish, which the other way he struggled and it gave him so much better visability for the sector, which young throwers struggle with. He is going to Ashland University (Jud Logan) for hammer and the orbit is the same. I think we may go back to his technique and see how it goes early. I was made fun of alot back then by our head coach and we only switch to make Bryn fit in. I don’t think he will care now. He loves the article. Thanks for publishing this.