Race Piece Breakdown Part 1: The Starts

The starts in a dragon boat race set has been and still is the most adrenaline pumping moment for any racer who takes part in a race. Let me paint the scenario a little more clearly through the eyes of a racer called Jackson. 

Courtesy of Boston.com

Jackson is a strong and powerful athlete, weighing in a mere 70 kilos but has the strength of a bull on a rampage on a good day. Sitting in the pace group as the second pair of paddlers, he has the responsibility to set the pace for the rest of his team with mininum error to maximise the potential of his team heading at the start. His team has practiced doing the starts during practice sessions at 90-100 strokes per minute and he knows he's not holding back. As soon as race horn sounds, he will pull with all his might to push the boat up to speed and hit the team's intended top speed as soon as possible. He is going to release every ounce of energy on the first 20 strokes or its nothing at all. His heart is pounding furiously as he awaits the inevitable sound of the horn. Adrenalin is pumping into his veins like never before. Its the finals of the National Championships and it is now or never. A second later, the announcer makes the final adjustments..

Are you readyyyyy? 

Attention!!!

(Sounds Horn)

For the split moment of a second, Jackson shifts himself into a self-induced trance like state, adrenalin surging through his veins as he pulls the immensely heavy pool of water in front of him with his newly bought carbon fibre paddle. The water boils past him as he moves in for his second stroke, then his third and before he realises it, his team is running at an incredible pace at 100 strokes a minute. It seemed like forever when at the 20 stroke into the starts he transitions into race pace at 80 strokes a minute. He catches quick glance at the team beside him and he sees no boat in sight. He knows his team got it but there's still two thirds of the race to go. 

In sprint races or 200m to 500m in length, this behemoth of the race piece is one of the most difficult parts of the race to execute to its maximum potential due to the sheer physical strength and speed that it requires from the paddlers to reach the boat's critical maximum speed. Teams in Singapore have been known to hit speeds of up to 16-17km/hr based on actual GPS readings but on the international front, I'm sure it has went closer to 19km/hr. 

So what makes a good start piece? 

Having been a padder myself for the past 7 years, I've seen myself hitting 90 spm (strokes per minute) starts to really initiate any sort of advantage against the competition. Yet, technically it is really difficult to achieve due to the following factors:

1) Technical Proficiency of the paddlers
This is meant in the sense of the paddler understanding what he is doing to the water when he is at that rating. I've been to races trying to race at 90spm and I really felt that I basically didn't do anything to the water other than shove it out of my way. But when a more technically experienced paddler does it, he has a clear understanding of the essence of the catch every time he pulls the water even at high ratings. 

2) Physical limitations 
Going in depth into the muscularity of the paddler, the stroke rating may very well be defined by how well conditioned his fast twitch muscle fibres are able to move at high speeds. Many paddlers at the recreational/novice stages may not have fully developed fast twitch muscle fibres in their body to initiate any form of power through the starts nor hit high stroke rates due to lack of conditioning. 

3)Weight of the boat. 
As far as I remember, I only managed to hit these high ratings and high speeds in boats like the Champion or the German Buk. Never have I hit my best timings in heavier boats like the Malaysian Kim Tuck Huat boats. Its very much more challenging to push a 15-20 stroke start piece in a KTH than trying to hit it at 80-90 strokes per minute in a German BUK or Chinese Champion. 


Typical vs the 5-5-5 method
Typical starts that are very common in Singapore are known as the extended starts; made up of a 5-6 stroke slow stroke followed by 20-30 strokes at a rating of 80-90 spm. Many in the community deem it the NORM which I find a fallacy when it comes to racing at the international standard where boats like the Champion are used. 

The New Starts: 5-5-5 method
A recent blog I read suggests using a 15-20 stroke routine broken up into 5-5-5 strokes to increase the instantaneous increase in speed to hit the top speed of the boat.Each of the 5 stroke increase in spm of 10 strokes spm to ramp up as high as the paddler possibly can handle. I find this radical but yet very logical at the same time. Why? Because extended starts although suitable for heavier boats, do little to increase instantaneos boat reaction at the start. It ramps up the speed over a longer time which also hampers total timings. 

The new way of doing starts emphasises the importance of the use of ATP in the muscles in the window of opportunity where it comes and goes within a span of 10 seconds. Any energy expended beyond that is in the part aerobic region which defeats the purpose of using all out Power at the part of the race. Therefore an extended starts that run almost 20 seconds into the race do little to the athletes to maximise their aerobic energy systems which could have already been expended in the starts. 

I don't mean to deny the merits of the starts that we already have been using for the years that i've been paddling for. However, it does not hold ground when we really figure out the energy systems that we use. I think talk is cheap so I'm trying this new method out with my team to really see if we can get any results from this method. I hope this information has been useful to you guys. Till then! Paddles Out!

Featured Team of the Month: OneWest Dragon Zone Canada

As part of my exclusive takes on Dragon boat teams around the world, I will just do a simple feature on dragon boat teams in the world for my readers to really think about what it takes to be a phenomenon in the dragon boat world. As this is my first post on a feature and without  much information from the team themselves (I'm sure they prefer to keep their training secret), I shall have to just base on facts that I have picked up on videos and the type of training methods they employ to achieve the level of success they have today. 

ONE WEST Dragon Zone (Canada)

This team was initially built from a backbone of under 23 paddlers who have come from all sorts of backgrounds in Vancouver Canada. they are a competitive team based out of Dragon Zone Paddling Club in Vancouver. Only in their 3rd season, they have climbed the dragon boat ranks to become of the most prolific dragon boat teams in Canada.For those who have trouble figuring out where Vancouver is, the google map screenshot will give you a really good idea. 

Courtesy of Google Maps

Accomplishments  (from their FB page) 

2013:

- Gold, Division A (FCRCC Spring Knockout)
- Gold, Division A (Dragon Zone 500m Regatta)

2012:
- Gold, Premier Open (Canadian National Championships, Montreal)
- Silver, Premier Mixed (Canadian National Championships, Montreal)
- Gold, Competitive A (Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival)
- Gold, Division A (Harrison Dragon Boat Regatta)
- Gold, Division A (FCRCC Spring Knockout)
- Gold, Division A (Deep Cove Dash)

2011:
- Gold, Comp A/Open/Women/Visitor's Cup (San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival)
- Gold, U23 Division (IDBF World Championships in Tampa Bay)
- Silver, Competitive A (Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival)
- Gold, Division A (FCRCC Spring Regatta)
- Silver, Division A (Deep Cove Dash)

At the Rinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival

Sunny acting weird.. I think its a Korean thing

Club Crew World Championships 2014
Anyway, it has come to my attention recently that they have just recently qualified for a place in the upcoming Club Crew World Championships aka CCWC in Ravenna on the east coast of Italy. Of course, there are definitely better teams with better timings with the likes of Slip and Ares. But this bunch of people I felt were very special because of the uniqueness of the crew and ultimately most of them being Asians. A friend of mine, Sunny who was involved in dragon boat when he was on exchange in Singapore, ultimately moved on to paddle for this team when he went back to Canada. It was really a good feeling to see how we have contributed to his achievements in the sport. 


The CCWC will definitely be an exciting race to watch in such an exotic location (at least exotic enough to Asians anyway). FYI Ravenna is about a 2 hour bus ride away from Florence which is where you can find all the romance you can get apart from Rome. Congratulations again to Team ONEWEST for their achievements. The following are the race timings they achieved over at the Canadian National Championships where they pitted themselves among the best in Canada. 

Premier mixed A Final

Premier opens A Final

Time Trials in OC1 with a Dragon boat paddle

Sunny racing his heart out in his OC1

Having clocked a 2:02.35 min for a mixed team is indeed a feat many would admire because few teams can ever reach these timings as far as they have been training. Of course, there may be many other factors that have favoured them to get these remarkable timings as a club team which in Singapore only achievable by the tertiary teams. Indeed, the use of champion boats in local races in Canada has allowed paddlers to fully maximise efforts in training as they are able to race in the boats they train in which is far from the case in Singapore. Our teams in Singapore can only dream about these timings as they don't see the possibility of doing so unless they come from the few top level teams in Singapore. But what exactly makes One West so strong? 

Apart from the usual training in a dragon boat as well as trainings in the gym, OneWest has clearly emphasised on the ability of the paddler to take up personal accountability through paddling an OC1 (Ocean Canoe 1 single paddler). Although I may not have tried paddling on the OC1, it definitely has very similar benefits to paddling a flatwater C1 or kayaking in terms of building up individual fitness and refining technique on the dragon boat. I did mention about this in my previous article here. They have a strong sense of camaderie nonetheless understanding that the goals of the team are made of up of the sum of the individual's goals. 

Coaching takes a different approach in the West (no pun intended) where the coach is more of a facilitator to manage the team's expectations and apply his teaching skills to maximise the potential of the individual. Very different from that of the Singaporean team coach where he is mostly instructional by nature; whether it has been by habit or by copying styles and approaches that his previous coaches have used for him. Such is this "western" style very suitable as an approach to mould the paddler at the highest level possible. These guys have jobs and other stuff to do, but their unwavering effort and determination to get them towards their goals are deeply inspiring. 

Yes I'm pretty sure that they are not the best in the world, knowing how much other teams from around the world train as well. But this team is definitely going places and a team to watch. In fact, I am largely following their stroke style to the team that I am coaching because they have a simple stroke that fits the style of my team. 

All the best to Team OneWest! For those who want to find out more. Catch them at their Facebok Page @https://www.facebook.com/oneteam.onewest

Quote of the Day

Do it at your best! 

Kim Kardashian in a Dragon Boat Race; Seriously?

I was just surfing through the web for hot chicks in a dragon boat (Nothing of the erotic sort I swear), and guess who I found.. Kim Kardashian actually paddled in a dragon boat before! Much of this story was publicised openly in many news and tabloids I couldn't believe she was actually paddling in a dragon boat. As you can imagine, her whole family and friends were in on the act but who am I to judge when someone so famous tries out my beloved sport. Enough of the talk. Its time for the pictures!! 

Who else can look as cool as her scratching her crotch? 

Warming up: Stretch!

Of course don't forget to do a few squats

And remember to bend over

Time to get wet and wild

  

She's probably laughing at her ex-husband

I think wearing Ray Bans are gonna be the next in thing.

Photos courtesy of http://celebrity-gossip.net/

I'm never gonna look at Kim the same way again! . If you like this post please share it!

Why Dragon Boat is Still and May Not Be an Olympic Sport

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” – Joe Louis

Will dragon boat be able to raise its torch?

Brazil seems to have its work cut out when it was recently announced to be successful bidders for the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Who wouldn't want to be part of the Olympic movement and have their sport played as a medal event in the quadrennial Olympic Games; watched by millions around the world, gaining millions more in followers, possibly leading to an acknowledgement in the sport like how the Iranian ladies have astounded the world, paddling for the World Dragon Boat Championships in 2010. However, it may mean sacrificing more than what we wish for,  just to harbour a hope of representation in the biggest sporting event the world has ever seen. As dragon boater myself, I seek to really understand why there have been roadblocks in this path towards the Olympics and I hope that my readers will be enlightened by my findings. 

You Know You are a Bad Ass Dragon Boat Chick If:

1. You're just too lazy to get a manicure because your nails are going to chip anyway.. 

At least they match your CF paddle color..

2. There is spilled protein powder some where in your home and you're just way too tired to clean it up after training

3. All of your training tights that you buy will eventually have holes in them. 

4. Your friends ask you why you go to the free weights section instead of the elliptical machine

5. You get stares from the guys in the gym when you step into the free weights section and you look comfortable being there. 

I know they are checking me out.. 

6. You spend more money on oakleys, Skins and shorts than you do on heels. 

7. People wonder about the weird tan lines on your back and face (for those oakley aficionados) when you show it off at your best friend's wedding (or yours)

She looks pretty happy doesn't she?

8. Fried food is off your menu until after the races. 

9. Cute looking Havaianas are your best friends (other than your best friends)

10. You'd rather wear your sports bra to work because you know you have training later in the day. 

11. When a guy friend says dragon boat is easy, you almost always want to take your paddle and swing it to their faces. 

Finally, 

12. Guys look at you; for doing pull ups. 

Till my next post! 

No Space in the Gym? No Sweat! Team OneStroke trains @ Hougang ClubFitt Gym Singapore

Do you often feel demoralised when you don't have enough space to train? 

Do you always think that your team needs every weight imaginable to train effectively for trainings? 

Are you afraid of other gym goers thinking that you are using up their all important weights? 


Well no fret, a solution is at hand!

My back was feeling abit itchy.. 

I always believed in the coming up with a training programme on the spot regardless of whichever equipment is available and the amount of space that we are given in a public space.My team ONESTROKE from Kaki Bukit CSC had a short training session in one of the most packed gyms in the country. Coming from a country of 5 million inhabitants, don't be too surprised if I say you can find more human beings than rats in a single square feet. Well, to give you a clearer picture these were the conditions we were dealt with;

Not enough space
1. We only had as little as a 4 by 4 meter space to train with free weights not inclusive of another 5 by 5 meter space where we decided to park ourselves at to do some bodyweight exercises. 

Not enough weights
2. Everyone else who was at the gym was basically hogging free weights from 10kg onwards. Obviously most of them guys who insist on making sure they don't lose out to each other. 

Overcrowding..
3. It was a noisy and crowded Wednesday night which had almost everyone walking in and around our training area. It was as full as a Zouk on a Saturday night. Just that it was brightly lit.

So my solution was to: 
Do a circuit of 3 rounds of 1 minute sets of 8 exercises, alternating exercises between each pair. In layman terms, 

For every station, each pair of trainees are to do the following exercises;

Station 1: 
Bent over row

Janaine and Jojo in action. Next time i'll ask them to smile. 

push ups

Station 2:
Standing barbell press
One arm rows

Station 3:
Squat curl press
One arm dumbell snatch

Station 4:
Plank
Burpees

Each pair will do 1 minute of each exercise at each station before moving on the next station. Time alotted to each exercise, 1 minute. They only get a 3 minute break after finishing all 8 exercises. I ended the 3rd set with a 30 second set instead to boost up morale and increase the intensity. 

Of course, everyone was asking me.. Coach, can we get heavier weights, but we don't have enough weights leh? 

You realised these guys shave right?

I told them " just go with the lighter weights trust me.. *hint hint

We ended up using weights as little as 10 kilos for the barbell shoulder presses and 17.5 kilos for the bent over rows. Well, I already knew what was going to happen. 

I think these guys look bewildered he's too strong for the weights.

By the first minute of the first exercise in, I could see everyone's faces turning blue from the build up of the repetitions over a minute. Even a simple exercise like push ups can be incredibly torturous to hold for 1 minute straight. As each round was completed, I could almost hear a huge sigh of relief for finishing all the exercises. At the end of the day, it was nice to see smiles all round because they knew they accomplished something different in the gym than most gym goers that day. 

Essentially, what I did that evening was a simple example of circuit training. Something that can be done with a few friends and a few simple weights as long as the technique of the exercise performed is sound.You will encounter a new level of fitness that most gym goers will never understand and experience. 

I want to make a personal invitation to you readers out there to join us to take part in our workout just to feel the intensity of the workout and also to make some new friends.We will be doing a similar session next Wednesday at 730pm @Hougang Gym. Take the first step and I will promise you a fulfilling session full of fun, laughter and sweat!  Do post a comment or text myself @98415142 to for more details!! 

How to choose a paddle - Part 2: The advanced guide

Upon request of friends who are have enjoyed my first article How to Choose A Dragon Boat Paddle, I have decided to come up with a more comprehensive guide on choosing your paddle which may help the paddler who has been paddling for at least a year to pick up some tips before your next purchase. With the numerous paddles around in the market place, I will give you my top 5 tips to look out for and also sizing the paddle.

10 reasons Why LKY Could Have Been an Awesome Dragon Boat Coach

To commemorate our founding father's, Mr Lee Kuan Yew's 90th birthday, I thought I'd put up a tongue in cheek post of something no one thought about.. If he could have been a dragon boat coach.. Here's what I imagined him to be... 

How to Choose a Dragon Boat Paddle

Choosing a paddle can be a nightmare 

I guess choosing the right dragon boat paddle for your own individual needs is no less important than choosing which colour of the next oakley shades you're gonna buy. There are a variety of dragon boat paddles that range from many different prices and materials that you can choose from. Yet, the most important considerations would have to be your skill and style, Strength and Fitness and of course your budget. 

You can be sure that no two paddles that you try out while shopping for one will be the same and it's performance can vary tremendously based on the individual. You can always base on the few guidelines that we will be looking into and that we have to seriously consider before you make your virgin purchase of your paddle.

5 Step Workout You Can Use Today with a TRX!

Suspension trainers have been out on the market as a big hype to the fitness industry as the next big thing in body weight training. Few, however have utilised the potential that suspension trainers can result in the ultimate functional workout for your body. The TRX suspension trainer has been my best friend ever since I bought it and it has allowed me to train almost everywhere and anytime I want. I just want to share with my fans how I tried out a 5 step workout with my TRX and just bodyweight movements to provide the most ultimate workouts you can imagine. Get ready and hustle!

Paddle comparisons 2013!

courtesy of asia.ru

Paddles have developed over the years from its wooden predecessors to its current Carbon fibre iterations. For those looking to shop for a new paddle, look no further and check out the paddle comparison chart, courtesy of http://sfldbt.wordpress.com. 

All rights to the information are to the blogging team from SFLDBT!

Here it is!

Paddle comparison 2013

Have a good weekend everyone!

5 Things the Singaporean Dragon Boater MUST HAVE!

Ever since I started paddling in 2003, I have seen dragon boat in Singapore evolve from the days of yore. I never used to have the things we have today due to the access to more information on the internet and the influence that dragon boaters have had on the sporting community in Singapore. From my observations, many dragon boaters have become more involved in the sport that we have created a subculture in the way we look, feel and act like a the uniquely Singaporean dragon boater. In this post, I just wanted to highlight the TOP 5 things that the dragon boater in Singapore MUST HAVE to announce to the world, "Yeah! I'm a dragon boater.."

5 Tips I Use to Teach Novice Paddlers

It seems like its been forever I've been in Dragon boat but the my path through coaching has only just begun. I'm still tackling multiple problems on site on the water and I recently figured out a way to coach novice paddlers how to paddle properly. I feel I just have to find a way to teach them the proper basics; not like how I was taught way back almost 8 years back I though I could share with people how I teach paddlers especially people starting out how to paddle properly and with form. 

1. Teaching how to hold the paddle properly.

This must be quite a duh step to put in but I believe it is one of the most critical to teach a novice. Handling a paddle and holding the it properly must be an essential step to how to paddle properly because if the paddler is holding it too far up or too far down the shaft of the paddle, he/she will essentially stick to that position for as long as he will go on in their dragon boat career. I think as coaches we should emphasise this even more because a minute difference in the way the paddler holds the paddle can make a difference into all the steps that follow. 

2. Look at your blade!

I always emphasize to each and every paddler on my team to keep a clean catch in the water. They should keep a clear and precise 'catch' with every entry and avoid any visible splashing especially when they are learning. 

3. Listen to the water!

With reference to entry of the blade, I also like to emphasize an extremely silent catch where theoretically they should hear a pin drop when they enter the water. No sound, nothing. All they should hear is an insertion of the blade into the water that brings an orgasmic feeling of perfection. No pun intended. Yet, i make it clear to them that it is all about the catch that will prevent the loss of any distributed water across the blade of their paddle and allow them full resistance as they pull through the water. 

4. Focus on one thing at a time. 

I think many of the paddlers try to get everything right the first time but I never like that. As a coach, I feel it is important to emphasize how important it is to do one thing right and then move on to another mistake in your stroke. For example, if both a paddler's entry and exit in his stroke is lacking, I will just get him to focus on just the entry. Think about that and that and nothing else. He will become better at his entry and eventually when he gets better, we move on to his recovery. Its that simple. 

5. Posture, posture, posture!

Sitting posture in a dragon boat is one of the most critical factors that always elude the novice paddler. They fail to take notice that dragon boat is a sport that requires a full body range of motion that requires perfect posture to execute. If you hunch, its as good as paddling with your arms. If you straighten out, you acquire more than 90% of your body to execute the stroke. So small stuff do make sense in the long run. 

I don't think this list is as exhaustive, but I stick to this system to really teach them the basics. Paddling through their habits will only serve to deprive them of future performance improvements and its only right to get the basics in their subconscious as quickly as possible.