What can you do to improve as a dragon boat paddler?

Liisa Reimann

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4d • 💬 General Discussion

1. Video review

2. One-on-one coaching

3. Improve fitness

4. Watch other paddlers

5. Practice

VIDEO REVIEW is one of the best tools to help you become a better paddler. Video doesn't lie 🤣... seeing yourself on screen is like nothing else: it shows you exactly what's happening: are you sitting upright through the stroke, are you rotating enough, are you getting a negative or positive catch, are you pulling too soon, etc. etc. If you haven't had an opportunity to do video review, ask your coach if they could set up a session for the team. If this isn't something your coach has experience with, you can grab a video review session in the classroom.

ONE-ON-ONE COACHING will help you improve fast. An experienced dragon boat coach can guide and correct you in the moment, demonstrate and model for you, and break down complex concepts. 1:1 coaching sessions really allow a coach to give you individual attention, which isn't usually possible in full team practice. If you don't have proximal access to a qualified coach, ask us about virtual coaching.

IMPROVING YOUR FITNESS will give you huge gains. The stronger and fitter you are, the better your dragon boat stroke will be. Your training program should include a balance of resistance training and cardio. Many paddlers think they should focus on specific body areas but you really need to focus on the full body: legs, arms, chest, back, and core. Pushing, pulling, and rotational movements. Intervals, sprints, and longer pieces. Find a trainer who understands the sport and get a good program. Please note: this probably will NOT be your team coach unless they are also a certified personal trainer.

WATCH OTHER PADDLERS. YouTube is full of race videos... watch them. Watch front, back, and side views. When you're at races, watch the other dragon boats. Watch how the paddlers move, how they are maximizing their energy and power—or wasting it. Is the back of their stroke soft? Are they chopping at the water? Or do they load their paddle at the catch and maintain a strong connection throughout? The more you watch the more you'll start to see patterns and insights that you can then apply to your own paddling.

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. All the theory, individual coaching and analyzing of others won't do you any good unless you implement what you've learned. Getting out twice a week on a dragon boat, and then one or two times a week on an outrigger canoe (OC1) or SUP is ideal. When you're the only one pulling water, you get immediate feedback. When you're one of 20 paddlers, it's easier to just go with the flow and miss how much your paddling is contributing (or not).

So there you have it: 5 things you can do to improve your dragon boat stroke.

Which ones are you already doing?

Which do you want to add?

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What can you do to improve as a dragon boat paddler?