Karl Adam (2 May 1912 in

Hagen Hagen () is a city in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme meet the Ruhr (river), Ruhr. In 2023, the ...

– 18 June 1976 in

Bad Salzuflen Bad Salzuflen () is a town and thermal spa resort in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. At the end of 2013, it had 52,121 inhabitants. Geography Bad Salzuflen lies on the eastern edge of the Ravensberg Basin, at the confluenc ...

) was one of the most successful and innovative

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

coaches. Although he was never an active rower himself, he helped win 29 medals at major rowing events, including three Olympic gold medals, two world and five European Championships.

Early life

Adam was born on 2 May 1912 in Vorhalle; at the time an independent district but since 1929, it belongs to the city of Hagen. He received his secondary education at the Oberrealschule in Hagen. In 1931, he started studying towards a teaching degree in the subjects mathematics, physics, and physical education. After obtaining his degree, he joined the in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 1937. That year, he became student world champion in heavyweight boxing in Paris. World War II finished his sporting career and Adam received serious injuries in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, France. After a time in hospital, he became a prisoner of war with the French forces. In 1948, he had his first job as a teacher at the in

Ratzeburg Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by Ratzeburger See, four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the distri ...

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

. It was at the Lauenburgische Gelehrtenschule that he was put in charge of school rowing.

Coaching career

Adam was co-founder of the

Ratzeburg Rowing Club The Ratzeburg Rowing Club was founded in 1953 and is located in the town of Ratzeburg, Germany. Karl Adam (rowing coach), Karl Adam was one of its founders and was head of the Rowing Academy there. Between 1959 and 1968, the Ratzeburg Club won s ...

in 1953 and head of the Rowing Academy there. He never rowed and learned the rowing and sculling techniques by reading and observation in the late 1930s. He was a competitive boxer and a Student World Champion in 1937. He accompanied the German rowing team to the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

as sculling coach. Germany performed poorly, and Adam returned determined to revolutionise their program to improve performance. A great innovator of rowing and training techniques, Adam's methods had a major impact on the further development of rowing. His rowing technique became known in the rowing world as the "Ratzeburg" style. Adam was the first to adapt

fartlek Fartlek is a middle and long-distance runner's training approach developed in the late 1930s by Swedish Olympian Gösta Holmér. It has been described as a relatively unscientific blending of ''continuous training'' (e.g., long slow distance t ...

, also known as speedplay, and

interval training Interval training is a type of training exercise that involves a series of high-intensity workouts interspersed with rest or break periods. The high-intensity periods are typically at or close to anaerobic exercise, while the recovery periods invol ...

from track (athletics) as well as heavy weight training to rowing. He pioneered a new, more efficient, oar design and was the first coach to use "bucket" or "German" rigging. He wrote that he did NOT object that his rowers were using anabolic steroids. But it ought to be the decision of the rower himself. Officials, the coaching and medical staff should inform of the advantages and dangers, but never tell the athlete which decision to take.

Arnd Krüger Arnd Krüger (born July 1, 1944) is a German professor of sport studies. Krüger earned his BA (English major) from UCLA in 1967 and his PhD from the University of Cologne (Modern and Medieval History) in Germany in 1971. He attended UCLA on a ...

: Olympische Spiele als Mittel der Politik, pp. 35-54. Eike Emrich et al., eds.: Olympische Spiele noch zeitgemäß? Saarbrücken: Universitätsverlag 2012. . See Karl Adam: Leistungssport. Sinn und Unsinn. München: Nympfenburger 1975, , p. 169.

Death

Adam died suddenly and unexpectedly on 18 June 1976 in

References

External links

Website about Karl Adam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, Karl German sports coaches Rowing coaches Sportspeople from Hagen 1912 births 1976 deaths Nazi Party members