A 3 Step Guide to Training Plan and Debrief Frameworks

Over the years of paddling, I have gone through many coaches and through their instructional methods, I definitely learnt alot from them.  Unfortunately, I never really went through a training session that was completely devoid of unnecessary talk that was far too long or far too off topic  where it basically lacks a framework that was concise, brief and to the point.

I will not choose to blame any of these coaches for handling debriefs in a slightly haphazard manner noting that they could have probably used "old school methods" to drill in paddling terminologies into young paddlers at the end of the race or training session in the hopes of achieving their objective of "teaching" the paddlers what they ought to have learnt over the session. However, it just leaves the paddlers confused as to what the coach was trying to drive at when he starts to talk about topics that may not have applied to the lesson the paddlers went through which may lead to distrust and frustration for the paddlers in believing in the coach's plan.

I believe fundamentally that there is a better way of instruction so that our paddlers can definitely be very focused in achieving the specific objectives of the training session or in certain cases, races. I would hope to highlight in this post how I arrive at every training session with a clear plan in mind leading up to what I would eventually say in a debrief.

Planning
A coach can only be as specific as the lesson he or she plans. It will only take a minute or two to spell out exactly the expectations that he will be setting for the training for that session that the paddlers will be executing.

I make it a point to spell out the objectives of the training programme for the day so that they will know exactly what we are looking to achieve today. Whether it be strength endurance training with resistance, speed endurance training, cadence training, or even technique checks. This would clear the paddlers mind in terms in performing to the specific objective of the training session without having to be concerned with speed on the GPS for example which would hamper the performance of a paddler if that was not part of his objective.

Of course, the coach has to has a consistent structure to his training program so that anyone who is going to take over training in his absence will be able to conduct his training without him. This will help facilitate a system from where his captains will easily be able to follow a simple plan directed in his absence.

Execution
As they say, planning does not necessarily lead to perfect execution and this is where following through the plan takes shape. I believe in strong fundamentals of keeping to timing in terms of duration of exercise and rest times to maximise the time available to the paddlers for training. However, contingencies will have to be arranged for situations where paddlers may not be fully prepared to take on the rigour of the program set out by myself and he has to cut down on training to match his paddlers potential. It would only make sense for the paddlers to achieve targets that they will be able to meet for them to push themselves abit more in future. Stretching the targets too far too early will only demotivate them further if not handled carefully.

Debrief
I would believe this is the most crucial part of the training because debriefs would highlight all the possible points that the coach has set out for the team and to give the team an overview of whether the team has met them. I would advise coaches to take on specific frameworks either derived from experience or specific influences from other areas in their lives to facilitate the team's progress and performance in every race. Personally I would stick to 3 points of observation based on 3 objectives that I set out before the training program is carried out to let my guys keep track of their progress of achieving the objectives or goals.

I guess this would really be too general an article to be very specific about how I conduct training and debriefs and I hope to be able to share more specifically step by step my thought process of planning, execution and debriefs. I hope that this would be the first for many more articles on training program planning.

Cadence Training for Dragon Boat

I recently used an metronome app and used it for cadence training for the teams I have been training with
and the results I must say have been particularly impressive.

Metronome training has traditionally been used for musicians such as guitarists, drummers to keep a consistent rythm for the beats of songs that they are playing especially for live events. I have seen many physical versions that require the metronome to be attached to a earphone and the drummer uses it to catch the beat per minute of the set.

Screen capture of the mobile metronome

Using a bluetooth speaker to amplify the volume of the metronome app on my trusty Xperia Z, my paddlers have been able to generate increased performance of over 10% within 2 sessions of using it. They find it a clearer assessment of the ability to gauge a constant pace and they are better able to judge pulling faster through the water to engage the next stroke. I have seen more consistent efforts at low ratings to generate more efficiency and synchronisation for every stroke applied to the water.

I never really expected to use this until I came across an article on cadence training in cycling which made alot of sense in cycling to increase performances at low cycling rates while improving on the effectiveness of the cycling technique.

Many of these sports apply similar principles in cadence training to improve performances over the long run.

I hope to see more benefits of using the metronome in time to come.

For those who are interested in getting the app, it is free on the Play Store for Android Phones - Mobile Metronome.

SINGAPORE RIVER REGATTA 2013: 3 TEAMS, 3 HOPES, 1 MEMORABLE SEASON...

As the race season draws to a close this coming weekend, it is a time of reflection for the things that have happened in the past year. The Singapore River Regaatta 2013 will be the first time in my life, I have taken on as a coach for 3 teams that will be racing both for glory and for one team, the first time they will race in such an event for the first time. It has been such a fulfilling experience coaching these teams and it will most definitely bring me to tears seeing these men and women paddle in a race under my guidance. It seems like I have never expected to have seen myself grow so much more from coaching just as I was when I was a paddler amongst a crew of 22. 

TEAMONESTROKE
Team OneStroke (aka Kaki Bukit CSC) gave birth to my first attempt at coaching and I have defnitely learnt alot from learning how a corporate team would handle my expectations and goals. It was an unusual experience for me knowing how I have been only competing in the past to take up a team that has unusual challenges. Many of these challenges are not new. Attendances, motivation levels, poor training performances and new paddlers coming in halfway through the season. Yet, it seems I have gained an understanding of how to face these issues head on and not allow them to get to my emotions. Somehow, somewhere there was this bit of faith that I had to pursue this challenge of making them a great team regardless of how things turned out and I have seen them grow through my tutelage. Many of the paddlers have begun to see a sense of pride paddling for the team and the bond has grown with each passing training. They begun to understand many facets of paddling in a dragon boat that they may not have learnt before which helps in their performance and seen improvements at a much more efficient pace. Fitness levels have significantly improved and time trial timings have been surprisingly impressive. Going up against their rivals in their category, I only can hope for the best that they can see all this training come to fruition and see the results in their upcoming race. These men and women deserve my salute for taking time off on their weekends to see through training sessions despite family commitments, studies and even time away from their children. 

MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT (MSF)
The year progressed with a small surprise where I took on coaching a team from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (aka MSF). This team is made up of a small band of colleagues, young and old, men and women who would like to take on a new challenge of paddling in a dragon boat team. It started off as a monthly affair, a get together session to build their fitness and  learning the basics of paddling but it slowly turned into a weekly Saturday morning session where they saw themselves grow together as a team and training towards a race. What makes this team so special is that they treat each other like family and they keep in touch to make sure there will always be enough to paddle a 12 men crew. Attendances started from 7 to 14 in the final weeks towards the races, which makes me even happier to see them grow as a team and from learning how to paddle together to learning race sets that I would teach to a typical competitive team. Performances are never the key driver but the relationships that drive their success as a team. They started from almost strangers to friends who would be there for that Saturday to have breakfast together before they start training. It will be a fantastic feeling to see them race. A feeling to have been involved in building up a team of nobodys to a team that will see themselves pit against the best in their category. My heart will light up seeing this team finish the race. I hope I would be able to continue coaching them. All the best to MSF!

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE (NUS) The year was coming to an end when yet another surprise caught me off guard. My alma mater took the opportunity to engage me when they realised they were stuck without a coach and they needed someone they could trust. I was initially hesitant knowing how little experience I had with coaching yet I knew I wanted to take them on to test out everything that I tried out on the above mentioned teams. It was almost a dream come true finally knowing that I could see my growth as a coach be tested out on a highly competitive team that would be able to see through plans that I had set out a year ago when i started coaching. This team has its challenges; stuck between school and team, many of them make the choice of pursuing a sport that would require hours, days, weeks, months to achieve the biggest prize of them all next July; the prime minister's cup. I had to be extremely clear with my instructions to get them to perform to my expectations and there is an uphill task trying to hold this team together long enough to see through their goals. I have more to expect of myself and I know its a tough job. Its only been a month since I took up this team so it would be too early to expect too much of them. They know they have to do well for their own sake. I wish them all the best and I would take no credit for their success in this upcoming race. The captains and team manager have worked well together and it will be soon when they will soar to greater heights. 

I must honestly say I have been truly blessed to have been given the chance to pursue a passion, a passion that I have lived through almost 10 years of my life to finally reach the stage where I can teach, coach and pass down values I believe create success in teams. The satisfaction of seeing these 3 teams just race under my coaching will be something I treasure for a long time to come. Thank god for everything. Thank you for the fantastic year, OneStroke, MSF and NUS:)

Race Piece Breakdown Part 2: Maintenance

Jack transitions into his a longer, more sustainable pace with his team coming back into the picture. He sees everyone as motivated to get to the finish line but it is still at least two thirds away. As he takes a quick glance to the side, he notices a team slowly inching ahead. Determined to make sure they don't pull away he lets out a loud cry.

"Come On GUYS!! Let's go!"

This moment in the race is typically known as the maintenance phase for most paddlers. In some countries I believe it is called the race body. Regardless of what you call it, it may be the most demanding piece of the race that requires the paddler to give a Herculean effort. The following factors may predetermine the speeds at which teams run at and also determine maintaining leads ahead of the competition especially in top level competitions or amongst teams who have similarly strong start pieces.

1) Aerobic Fitness
In the dragon boat, a paddler would have to paddle over 6000 kilograms worth of force throughout the entire 200m race. This is easily calculated by the number of strokes he typically takes in a typical 200m race (hypothetically speaking if he maintains a rate of 100 strokes a min and he ends the race in 1 min flat at a weight of 60kilos). You can imagine the immense amount of aerobic capacity he or she would need to ensure that his lungs will be able to last throughout the entire set. Novice teams would usually not be able to hold speeds beyond 30-40 seconds into the race for the fact that they most often than not, lack the time to build such fitness levels even if they were to build this fitness out of the water. Most top level teams however, have either the time to train their aerobic capacity leading ultimately to better overall average speeds.

2) Strength Endurance
Also related to aerobic fitness, strength endurance of a paddler refers to the amount of strength that a paddler is able to sustain throughout an aerobic piece typically found in the maintenance phase. That's why top teams who also have the ability to get access to proper gym facilities and a specific program targeted for strength endurance, will be able to hold speeds near the optimal. Repetitions may range from 20-40 repetitions with sustained effort throughout the set.

3) Coordination and timing
There are teams although they may lack that intensity at the starts, do pretty well at the maintenance phase due to their ability to feel the rhythm and glide of the boat. Together with better coordination and timing, they tend to get ahead of their rivals who may have punched out a few seats ahead to match them seat for seat.

Although I never put up anything extensive here, I still do believe the maintenance phase becomes more critical as the race piece extends from 200m to 1000m, something which I may have the chance of speaking about in future. With that I hope you enjoyed this post and share it with you fellow friends and paddlers alike!

Body Lean: Do you really need it?

In this post, I put up a very interesting article by Geoff  Fong from http://sfldbt.wordpress.comon Body lean. Although quintessential, is it necessary? Read the article to find out. 

Body Lean

How far does a paddler need to lean forward with their trunk to get a long pull?  How much lean is needed for a strong pull?  Probably not as much as you’d think.

What propels the boat?  The paddlers.

How do paddlers propel the boat?  They use their paddles.

Like I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the paddle blade is the business end.  Skillful paddlers can impart both great work and control to their paddle blade as it moves through the water.  Remember that work is defined as force over a distance.  Pulling the paddle faster through the water requires greater force.  The limits of human arthrokinematics and equipment leverage along with a paddlers physical strength determine some max value for work.  It probably looks like a bell-curve.  A paddler is only as strong as they are at that moment, but paddling technique has everything to do with paddling efficiency to reach the peak of that bell curve.

If you’re thinking of paddling from the perspective of how a paddle interacts with the water, the goal becomes how to move your body in a way that applies max leverage to the paddle through some optimum amount of paddle travel/displacement.  Several things happen when a paddler leans all the way down to the gunnel:

-  They lose reach at the paddle blade resulting in a shorter pull.  While it’s true that full lean to the gunnel may put the outside/bottom hand at its farthest forward distance from the bench, it doesn’t mean the same for the paddle blade (the business end).  Full lean takes away from our spinal mobility.  When your joints are taken to a maximum range in one direction, it becomes more and more difficult to move in other directions.  In this case, full trunk flexion takes away from rotation.  Try sitting in a chair, leaning forward and rotating your trunk to either side (don’t hurt yourself).  Now sit up straight and rotate in place.  You can probably rotate farther sitting up than curled over.  Decreased trunk rotation during the reach puts both hands at a similar distance from the bench, making a more vertical paddle angle on the entry, cutting actual reach at the paddle blade.

-  They have less strength.  Leaning forward fully during the reach puts most muscles used in paddling on full or very stretched position.  Glut max, hamstrings, lumbar extensors, lat dorsi, teres major, deltoids, rhomboids/mid and lower trapezei are out of their optimum zone for force production.  Your muscles are happiest and strongest in their mid-range.  For a simple example, think of curling a heavy weight.  It’s tough to start the lift from elbow fully extended and, when you’re fatigued, most folks struggle to get the weight all the way up to finish the rep (elbow fully flexed).  This is because 90 deg of elbow bend is about the middle of the elbow flexor muscle length (and coincidentally the joint angle of about the most mechanically efficient line of pull).

•  They are slower paddlers.  Sitting up from a fully reached position on a pull requires bringing up your whole trunk.  This takes a lot of time and energy because your trunk is a long lever arm.  Think of a long pendulum and how it swings slower than a short one (or takes much more force to swing faster than a short pendulum).  Slower movement sets paddling rate limitations.  When you’re racing fast, the water moves fast and you need to be able to move your paddle faster than the water to exert force on it.  Using a slow body movement like trunk flexion and extension will cap your ability to hold a faster rate to meet fast hull speeds.

How much lean is optimal?

The short answer is it depends.  The long answer is that there is no one answer and it depends.  (ha)

I am an advocate for a paddle stroke that has minimal trunk flexion/extension during the stroke and relatively more degrees of rotation.  My reason is that rotation allows for the paddle blade to get more positive on the catch and set the blade more forward than a negative/neutral angle, which increases the length of pull (possibly allowing more work to be performed).  Rotation is also mechanically more efficient for generating force to the paddle because the distance of your shoulders to your spine is less than the distance of your shoulders to your hips (shorter torque arm for rotation means less of a mechanical disadvantage compared to hip hinging alone).  One thing I am not a proponent of is sitting straight up and paddling.  It sets your shoulders way above the water line and, with it, your paddle resulting in less water contact and a shorter pull.  It also makes you work harder to resist the forces against the paddle (trunk as a long lever arm resisting paddle force at 90 degrees is the most mechanical disadvantage you can face).

I’ve never really paddled OC, but the stroke generally seems much more constrained than the typical dragon boat technique being used by local rec teams.  Part of the reason for less body excursion and more paddle movement is for energy conservation, which makes sense to me with OC’s racing for many miles.  I can see how allowing *some* increased trunk excursion may be desired in DB because the power gains may outweigh the need for energy conservation when you’re racing for sub 2 minutes or a 100-500 meter race.

On a side note, I think this is one of the reasons why senior/masters level teams can do as well/better than some youth teams is because masters paddlers may have 1) better water “feel” 2) physically less ability to flex their hips/spines so default to more rotation 3) better strength from a longer history of resistance training.

Credit to http://sfldbt.wordpress.com

Goals: How to Stay Focused When You Get Bored of your Sport

Having been a student athlete for the past decade plus of my life, I have had constant goals and dreams which i have always wanted to achieve in the course of my athletic pursuits. However, as many of you would have encountered, it can be difficult to stick to these goals. Every step of the way, I would hear of an athlete who comes in with lots of enthusiasm in the sport, seems to possess all the talents necessary of the sport; fit, athletic, extremely well built and runs like a bull on the track. Traits many might imagine may be perfect like a sport like dragon boat.
But as the drudgery of school, relationships and family commitments move along in their tertiary life, they fall out of the sport in pursuit of things that matter more. 

Photo by Getty Images

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

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 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!

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. 

5 reasons why Singapore Dragon Boat is Stagnating

More often than not, you will hear your dragon boat friends rave about the recent races at the Singapore Dragonboat Festival (SDBF) and exclaim how well they did during the races and how well the top teams did in the Opens Category. Congratulations to NTU for coming in first in the Men's Opens.While it seems like a true feat to be the best in Singapore, to the trained eye, I have seen a not much improvements to the timings clocked over 500m race distances. 

Before I touch on the 5 reasons why our dragon boat scene is stagnating, I would like to emphasize that none of these are gathered facts but truly opinions of my own. Based on observation and fact finding plus a few interviews from coaches, I think its fair to be a critic so that our Singaporean paddlers to continue to improve beyond the standards we have today. Maybe you may find a better reason and we could share over a cup of coffee:)

#1 Singaporeans are too impatient

Dragon boat paddling is a very very very very technical skill that requires years to master. Honestly, in my short athletic career I only really learnt how to paddle the best way to my ability when I got the experience after 4 years of paddling. Yes, you heard right. 4 years. But it seems many of us tend to treat learning this skill like writing your name. As long as you can write your name down properly, you can buy a Mont Blanc pen to sign your name on anything that needs it. 

This attitude of learning is probably a Singaporean thing. When we learn something in the workplace, it has to be learnt fast and as efficiently as possible to make sure we get the job done. Many paddlers bring this idea to the water, that when they can paddle with a wooden paddle after 1 month, they need a carbon fibre paddle. I only got mine after I paddled for 5 years. This impatience has created a big boom to the paddling business. Everyone can afford to buy one because it looks good, but sadly few know how to properly paddle with one. 

#2 Getting bigger and stronger is always the first priority

As I have covered in a previous post, generations upon generations of paddlers have come to believe that paddling requires monstrous biceps and a huge chest to be able to paddle well. Oh man, they are so wrong. One of my ex-teammates who was paddling for one of the tertiary teams in the PM cup was a mere dwarf at 48 kilos. But was he any weaker than the rest of the squad? His team came in 0.23 seconds behind another which had 2 thirds of them weighing over 70 kilos. The paddler's experience made the difference not his size. Of course size can be a factor especially in the eyes of coaches who were brought up in the era of big = strong, but these days, the complexity of the sport has evolved so much that winning teams require so much more than just brute strength to win races, much less clock world class timings. This myth has been debunked on many occasions but still, the legend continues. 

#3 Singaporeans are too vocal

As far as history is concerned, dragon boat is a Chinese tradition that has evolved into a spectacular sport that has gained many enthusiasts all over the world. The sport just like its original predecessors believed that it was a communal sport where it brought together people in the village together to row as one. It is very much "let's just follow what our seniors has taught us and not do our own thing kinda sport.". Well, that just doesn't happen in Singapore. Competitive teams face issues of paddlers who may have come from different backgrounds and experiences to dictate their own way of the perfect stroke. In the end, we end up with a mish mash of strokes in the same team that may not truly optimise the performance of the boat in general. Teams have been stuck at timings which they see year after year of races which sadly does not justify the number of hours they put into training. We put creativity in the wrong place in a very communal environment where everyone should be doing the same thing every time. 

#4 Paddling is only a hobby

In all honesty, coaching has brought me a new side stream of income that allowed me a few more luxuries in my life and I love it. Fact is we can NEVER make real money off dragon boat either as an athlete or a coach.  It is sad to see the turnover rate of many of our top teams in Singapore either due to the more practical reasons like work, NS or in some students' cases. overseas exchange which is something well worth giving up dragon boat for. Our standards will only improve if people take it as seriously as the PM cup, where the standards for winning races become high enough to our regional neighbours. But it will never take shape because we won't earn money from it. Yes I do, but not as a paddler. I have struggled through school because I chose paddling over working part time but that was a choice I made. But for many people who are definitely more pragmatic, who would want to give up 6 months of exchange for a race that lasts 4 minutes? 

# Singaporeans teams are generally selfish

I was having a conversation with another coach in the dragon boat fraternity and we were exchanging views of how the race timings were barely improving year upon year. We have never gotten to the levels our regional neighbours are at internationally and I was searching for answers. 

He explained to me in the most simplest of terms that Singaporean teams are a selfish bunch of paddlers. We like to come together to paddle and race but teams hate it when paddlers move over to another team better to improve ourselves. One example is how we gather paddlers for our National team (Nteam). It has been a well known fact that anyone joining the Nteam has to commit fully for all their trainings for obvious reasons, however these paddlers may come from many of the tertiary teams that usually prepare intensely for their most crucial races in the SDBF. Misunderstandings led to another and soon many of these paddlers lose the time to train with their tertiary teams causing a lot of rife between the National Squad and their tertiary teams. Today, it has almost come to a point that if you are ever in a tertiary team, you had better not join the Nteam because we will kick you out. Today, the Nteam has taken a beating knowing that the best talent that it can muster from the nation's limited pool of paddlers is clearly not trying out for the simple reason where these paddlers fear to be judged by their  "original teammates". Sad to say, as long as this persistence of being selfish stays, we will never be truly able to say that this National team is the best one that we have in the country. I guess it is really a mentality where being Asian, we have this stigma of being left out and being judged which is very unfair knowing how much we progressed as a "westernised" society. I guess some things are meant to stay in our very modern Singapore. 

Wrapping it up

I hope you have enjoyed this light-hearted article of 5 reasons why our dragon boat scene is stagnating. While there may be more reasons why we may be stuck, I guess these are the more salient ones for our situation now. 

Nevertheless, I always believe in the future of our sport and how well it progressed throughout the years. I will never discount the fact where many teams have seen incredible improvements in race timings on a local level. I hope this may generate discussions for people who are interested in a good debate. Till the next article!

5 Bodyweight Exercises that Work!

I've been into the calisthenics routine for a over 6 months now and I can sense a big difference in my strength gains. This post hopes to show the common man how 5 simple but electric body weight exercises can bring a whole new world of  strength into your routine as an independent workout or done as a hybrid with your weights training. So here goes..

1) Pull ups / One Arm Chin Ups

We overlook everything that is basic. Simply thinking that the most primal exercise of moving our bodies through space seems too menial. Many have done countless in our service in the army; thinking that we should progress beyond that to include lat pull down machine training to increase our strength. Much to our dismay we may never see gains as much as when you do pull ups. The most primal exercise that replicates our instinctive prowess to climb trees and branches. One arm chin-arms can be an excellent progression of the pull up for those who are seeking a need for an outlet to bust your guns. Its no mean feat to execute even one. But when you do, your confidence jumps by truckloads. 


2) Push ups / One arm push ups

Studying gymnasts, I have begun to understand very clearly how the human body is able to leverage its body to maximise the resistance on the body when it comes to doing push ups. Although it may look easy to some, try to do close push ups. Not the type you do one rep after the other but the type execute for for 3 seconds down, 3 seconds up. Just 10 of those will hurt your ego badly. Very badly. 


3) Handstand Push Ups (HSPUs)

I have yet to do more than 10 reps at each set but to push your own body weight (upside down!) through space (i weigh 72kg at the point of writing this post) is an exceptional challenge I have to overcome. Its extremely intense but it strengthens your shoulder rotator cuff joints while bulking them up. Forget the dumbbell shoulder presses. HSPUs are the way to go. 


4) Squats/ Pistol Squats

Everyone hates to squat. 1 out of 10 gym goers will use the squat rack. But no one can deny the power and strength that squatting brings. It forms an integral exercise to strengthen the posterior chain running from the lower back, glutes, hamstrings and not forgetting your quadriceps. Don't forget the pistol squat; a hardcore version of the squat that make grown men fall to their knees (literally!). No one that I know looks strong with stick thin legs. Go figure!


5) Towel hangs 

An exercise that I picked up recently from a book called Convict Conditioning. Never in my life have I been humbled by an exercise that took my grip to limits I have never reached before. The feeling you get in your forearms from just gripping a towel hanging from a pull up bar is pure adrenalin. Sugar rush to the brain. You will never feel anything like it unless you climb ropes for a living (something I doubt anyone does). Give it a shot and feel how the burn feels like. 

Those are the 5 exercises that I recommend as part of a strength training routine; a routine tried and tested to surpass the dozens of wanna be workout programs you can find on the internet. If you like this post, do share it and train hard!