"SUP is extremely good exercise"

Dan Davis is one of the cornerstones of the Kona Racing Team with his knowledge of sports physiology and nutrition. For a long time, football was his main focus when he played at the elite level, now it is SUP . In addition to being responsible for the physical training at Kona, Dan today owns and runs the Sports Lab in Linköping.

Dan works with physiological tests, education, as well as training and coaching in various forms . The customers are all from beginners to elite athletes at the highest level. Dan also runs various cycling teams with the main focus on the Vätternrundan. The fastest team in 2019 recorded a time of 6:54 and one of the teams won VR bike games. In parallel, he runs his own venture into stand up paddle (SUP). The season's big goals are the Swedish Championships, the Göta Kanal SUP race and the 14 km long World Cup race on the Seine in Paris . 

Dan is passionate about SUP and is convinced that the sport will continue to grow, both as a main sport for many athletes and as a complementary training to other sports. For Dan, SUP is about functional holistic training and nature experiences together with others. 

Six quick questions for Dan 

1. What is your sports background?

- Football until 2010. Has played in Asker (Norway), Maif and IFK Norrköping , among others . I have also worn the Swedish national team jersey as a 16-year-old. Since then, I have been doing cardio with a focus on cycling, and one of my main goals for 2020 is the Nordic Road Cycling Championships, VR and VR bike games. 

2. What do you work on at the Sports Lab and what is your educational background?

-I mainly work with physiological tests, education and training and coaching in various forms with everything from beginners to elite athletes at the absolute top level in several different sports. To date, I have performed and analyzed over 3,000 lactate tests . I also participate in various research projects. One of my goals now is to be able to help develop the SUP paddlers of the future through testing and training plans . I am a trained elite trainer, test leader and crisis manager. 

3. How long have you been SUP paddling?

-Started paddling SUP summer 2019 when I came into contact with Joachim at Kona Sports . I lit it right away and We quickly started different events together. At the same time, I started training others in SUP and then I ran the Göta Kanal SUP race myself . A great start! 

4. What are your SUP qualifications?

- They 're coming! Ha ha! 

5. What are your big goals for the season?

- SM, Göta Canal SUP race, and Paris Crossing . 

6. Why is SUP a sport for the future?

-SUP provides functional holistic training at both a central and local level. Here you train balance, stability and large muscle groups at the same time. Plus, out in nature. SUP is perfect for “other” athletes to use as a complement but also as a main focus. SUP will also become even more accessible to everyone in the future. For all these reasons, SUP will only continue to grow.