Some teams only practice a few times before the race day. Some teams train throughout the whole year. It just depends how involved your teams wants to get. That’s the great thing about this sport...you can just do your community race or you can do more and venture out to other communities and participate in more distant race events. Or if you are really keen, there are possibilities to paddle internationally.
TECHNIQUE 1/ OFF-SEASON TRAINING Off-season training typically runs from October to January. Pool Practice could start in January. Weight training and Cardio should be done in addition to Dragon boat practice. The focus of the pool paddling sessions is technique and conditioning. Pool paddling consists of having the paddlers sit along side the pool with slimmed down paddles.
The practice starts with stretching and a three to five minute paddling warm-up. For the first half of the>practice, the paddlers work on specific drills to improve on various parts of the stroke technique. The second half of the practice is the work-out portion where the team will paddle as group for 20-30 minutes. Each paddler is video taped once per month and an analysis is done by the coach. The video is slowed down to check the various positions like 1/ paddle angle of entry, 2/ setup position and body rotation, 4/ catch, 4/ exit paddle position. As well, the three motions or phases are analyzed: 1/ entry, 2/ pull, 3/ recovery.
The technique that will be discussed is based on flat water sprint canoe style used by the two time International Dragon Boat Champions - The Canadian Men's Dragon Boat Team. There are six key parts to the dragon boat stroke. When done properly, a boat flies; executed improperly, the boat will feel sluggish and heavy. The first three components set up the stroke, while the last three are considered to be the work-phase part of the stroke. The six components are called: rotation, reach/extension, catch, pull, exit, and recovery.
Rotation The image some coaches use to help paddlers picture rotation is that a pole is inserted through the head,along the spine, and then anchored to the dragon boat seat. Another way of achieving full rotation is to present your back to the shore or have your chest facing your partner. Full rotation, or twist as it is sometimes called, allows for maximum reach/extension.
Reach/Extension This position in the stroke is crucial in maximizing the length of the stroke. The position of the outside paddling arm is equivalent to pulling a bow and arrow. The outside shoulder should be dropped slightly and also extended forward. The torso leans forward for additional extension.
A proper reach position is the foundation of a proper dragon boat stroke. The reach position is the extended position with the paddle a few inches above the water before the driving it into the water. This reach position determines the length of a stroke and a long stroke means more water is pulled. The reach position is the end point of the Recovery phase, but is the beginning of a new stroke cycle.
The reach position determines the rotation of the torso. If the torso is "rotated" forward upon the paddle entering the water, the torso will naturally want to "de-rotate" back to the normal seated upright seated position.
As mentioned previously, the lower arm position is similar to drawing a bow and arrow. The bottom arm is extended straight forward parallel to the water. The lower shoulder is dropped and is extended forward and therefore the shoulder on the top hand side comes back and up. In the Reach position, these four points on the body should be lined up in a vertical plane: (a) top hand , (b) head, (c) lower shoulder and (d) lower hand.
From the side view there should a straight line from the top hand, head and hip. The torso rotation, extension of both arms and the forward lean are important aspects of the stroke. The upper arm coming over the head. The lower arm is fully extended and is almost locked at the elbow. The lower hand grip should be relaxed and not grip the paddle too hard. The paddle flips forward into the reach position where it is at its highest potential energy level. From this position, the potential energy will be used to submerge the paddles as the stroke progress.
Catch The catch phase is the most critical to the speed of the boat. The catch is the moment the paddle blade first bites into the water. The top hand is held over the water, then drives down on the paddle with the outside arm relaxed and fully extended.
Pull Once the paddle is fully submerged or "buried", the next component of the stroke is the pull phase. The paddles should pull back directly parallel with the boat. The top hand stabilizes the paddle as the bottom arm and back muscles pull back. To use the back muscles effectively, the paddler sits up while pulling and continues to drive the paddle downward with the top hand. Maximum power and endurance will come from using the larger muscles of the back, shoulder and trunk rather than relying on the smaller arm muscles. Exit At the end of the stroke the paddle should exit the water at the hip. Allowing the stroke to go past the hip results in the paddling blade being at an angle that would slow down the boat. The phrase "out at the hip" is often used to correct a stroke that is too long. The outside arm blends slightly to allow the paddler to clear the water and then it is pushed or snapped forward.
Recovery This part of the stroke is the rest phase when the muscles are not working as hard; recovery speed plays a large role in determining the stroke rate. During recovery, the torso starts rotating and leaning forward to setup for another cycle of the stroke.
The boat crew is broken into three sections, the front which is the first six paddlers, the engine room which is the middle eight paddlers and the back which is last six paddlers. Weight of the paddlers must be taken into consideration when setting up the boat. Any serious weight distribution problems will adversely affect how the boat tracks for steering. The biggest paddlers are placed in the middle or engine room and lighter paddlers at the front and back sections. The front six paddlers set the pace and should be reserved for paddlers with good long paddling strokes. The rest of the boat needs something visual to follow. The rest of the boat will have short choppy stroke if the front has short choppy strokes.
The middle eight or the "engine room" is usually reserved for the heavier, stronger paddlers. During the middle of the race the engine room dictates the pace. The stroke rate of the crew is usually determine by the engine room. The stroke rate is not too fast as long as the big engine room paddlers can twist and reach. Once the engine room paddlers start shortening up on their stroke, you know the pace is getting too fast.
The back six paddlers of the boat should have the strongest people in the boat. It is not uncommon for a novice crew to setup the boat with weaker paddlers who get out of stroke. For an intermediate crew or an advanced crew this would be a missed opportunity. A series which is a sequence of more powerful strokes meant to advance the boat and is initiated by the back six paddlers and ripples to the front of the boat.
Side to side and front to back weight distribution must be taken into consideration when setting up the boat. The steersperson must have the knowledge of how to move paddlers around to improve the balance of the boat. Having the boat off balance can seriously affect how the boat tracks. The steersperson is 100% responsible for the safety of the crew. The steersperson has the best view of any obstructions on the water and must make the required commands to the crew to maneuver the boat. In race situations the steersperson must also be able to read wind and be knowledgeable of how the boat reacts in certain conditions. It is not good enough that the steersperson can just keep the boat straight, he or she must be able to bring the boat to the line in whatever wind conditions and make the maneuvers or commands to hold the boat on the line.
Racing can be broken down in to smaller elements: pre-race, start, middle, finish, post-race.
Pre-Race- Includes on-land stretches, positioning of paddlers in boat, warm-up to the start line that should include one practice start.
Start Sequence - The start that is taught to novice teams is "5 and 10" meaning five deep long strokes to get the boat moving from a stationary position followed by 10 sprint strokes that accelerate the boat to top speed. A series of transition strokes follow to bring the stroke rate down to allow the stronger and longer "power strokes".
Middle - For the purpose of advancing race positions, teams often include one or more "series". A series is a set 10 or more strokes that are harder and sometimes faster to help the boat speed up. Please note that the paddlers must still hit in-stroke, must not shorten up on the stroke reach for a series to be effective.
Finish - The last 20-30 strokes on a race has its own elements. At this point in the race the objective is to bring the boat up in speed for that last finishing kick. It is similar to the "10" strokes of the start. The paddlers are leaning forward and using their arms only to accelerate the boat. Paddling with arms is quicker than paddling using your back although paddling with the back is much more powerful.
Post-Race - Analyze what went right, what went wrong. Make the adjustments for the next race.
KEEP A TRAINING LOG: Many competitive paddlers have a detailed training log which records their training activities: on-water, weight training, pool etc. Usually a little booklet showing the date, work-out (ex: 3 sets x1.5 km paddling @ 60%, 2 min rest between), how they felt about it. Body weight and basal or morning heart rate is also sometimes included. Training logs will help you in the long term. If you have a bad racing year, you can look back at previous years logs and find out how hard you trained and felt in previous years. Good paddling years are usually a result of how well you have trained.
Coaches should also keep a log the team training from year to year. You can draw from this data base of work-outs each year and adjust accordingly. As a former paddler as well as a coach, I know how hard I can push the training by looking at my previous training logs. If I have done the work-outs myself I know other people can also do the work-out. The amount of training a team does will determine how well a team will perform in races. Remember, practice makes perfect.
