I'm not sure that I agree with all of this. I'm a pretty intermediate paddler, but bear with me. My biggest doubt is the idea that you should pull the paddle straight back along the side of the boat, like in a whitewater boat. That's not the motion shown, it's not the motion anyone makes, and its rationale is weak. If you rotate around the vertical axis of your spine, the paddle will describe an arc, and the purpose of the wing paddle is to exploit the lateral component of that arc.
Exactly what I was thinking. This video says the opposite of what every couch has told me. Everyone says the paddle should start close to the ski and then let it naturally go diagonal away from the ski. If you pull it straight you will be using your arms, not abs and legs.
