Dragonboat Blog | The Dragonboating Resource

dragonboat talk for dragonboaters.

I believe that setting up a crew properly is a very crucial factor that makes or breaks a team’s racing time, and it has been proven time and time again through results. Let me explain below how the boat can be setup:

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 strokes 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. (This is why steersperson have to be take official courses in order to be qualified to steer a boat).

Overall, setting up a Dragonboat crew is not the easiest task as well, because teams chop and change paddlers every session, every race and every season. I admire good team coaches and steersperson who are flexible and have the ability to work with the resources they are provided as this is not the easiest job for any team. Feel free to comment below about your experiences in this area.

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 maximising 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 stabilises 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.

These six components are basic in nature but go a long way in achieving great results. There are more advanced techniques that can be used, but as far as building a strong foundation for a team, these are what I recommend focusing on doing best for each individual.

I have been very encouraged to see thousands of visitors come to read the Dragonboat blog in the recent months and this blog is continually growing with new articles and reviews about Dragonboating.

Last night I was listening to an interview that was Podcasted from another blogger on a totally different topic and she gave me the idea to ask what readers wanted. So far, since the inception of this blog I have been writing about everything related to Dragonboating, from Dragonboat equipment, events around the globe to general fitness and it has been great for me to express my views and opinions and also receive comments from others. Though I believe that you (as a reader) would be interested in many different areas of Dragonboating and I am more than happy to write about stuff that you want.

So please, feel free to comment below and considering these questions:

1. What do you like most about Dragonboating?
2. How would this blog help you in your Dragonboat journey? (whether you are a beginner or an expert in this field, everyone wants to improve)
3. Would it benefit you to hear from experience Dragonboaters and other people in the fitness field?

Lastly I would love you to write about some of your experiences in Dragonboating whether it was good or bad. These comments will help us as a community to improve the sport better and also for us to write good stories for you to read about.

I am very excited to read your comments and I will reply back to them as soon as I can.

If you’re an enthusiastic paddler and have a team who loves to train all year round, but it’s too cold outside (especially during those winter days….), then this Dragonboat Pool boat is ideal for those situations. It is the middle 1/3 section of a standard Dragonboat and is approximately 15 feet or 4.57m long allowing for 10 paddlers. You’ll get exactly the same spacing, sitting height and best of all you won’t be freezing in the cold! As it’s designed to be used inside a pool environment you won’t need a steersperson and the boat is simply tied to the edge of the pool. You will need to provide your paddlers with paddles that have appropriate holes to stimulate a similar resistance and paddling rate for still water.

I think this is a great idea and clubs should consider getting them for off season training sessions. Now you can train all year around and be inside with warmer conditions!

With any dragonboat team you paddle with, there will be the standard paddling commands that any member of a crew will know to follow. Here are commands below:

SIT UP
Part of what is important here is that all paddlers in the boat are sitting up in the same position with their paddles held in the same position. This gives a comment start point for all team members in the boat. When the next command is given all paddlers are making the same coordinated movements. This gives the team a faster response time, organised with no confusing movements and almost as important you look good as a team, when you look good you feel good, this is empowering.

Common sit up positions are paddles in the relaxed position, parallel over the water pointed at 90 degrees to the side of the boat. Most teams sit with their paddles pointing forward to the front of the boat at about a 45 degree angle. The water side hand resting on the paddle shaft which is on the gunnel rail. This puts the paddle closer to the paddles up position reducing response time and simplifying the movement from sit up to paddles up.

REACH
Extend your body further up on your reach towards the water.

PADDLES UP
Paddles above the water ready to take a stroke. Commonly used for starting the movement of the boat.

TAKE IT AWAY or GO
Command to start paddling. Paddle in sync with the person in front of you and also look up the boat at the stroker (1st paddlers at the front of the boat) to keep timing.

LET IT RUN
Paddling stops and boat coasts to a stop on its own.

HOLD THE BOAT
Bringing the boat to a full stop with the use of the paddles. Most commonly the whole crew would dig their paddles into the water until the boat stops. Keep holding till the steersperson says let it run/ride.

READY or ATTENTION
Race command in a start situation for paddles to be placed in position for the first stroke (submerged or out of water).

BACK PADDLE
Paddle backwards to back up the boat from the dock. Always look forward and time the paddle in front of you.

TIMING
Timing is very important, when you hear this it means someone is off and everyone must refocus on the Timing Box / or call of the Cox.

SERIES
A combination of strokes during a race, often a set of 10 or 20 strokes that are quicker and more forceful.

COXSWAIN (koksn)
Steers person of the boat who stands at the back of the boat holding a long oar, often incorrectly referred to a Cox man. For short, most people call them the “Cox”.

DRY START
This is when everyone starts the race with their paddles out of the
water at around 45 degrees

WET START
Paddle is in the water with outside arm straight just before the start.

There you have it, a common standard list of commands used in Dragonboating. So next time when you’re in the boat, pay more attention to these commands as they are crucial to your success in Dragonboating.

In the last 3 years of selling dragon boat paddles equipment to the Australian market I have seen some ‘real’ breaks. It can be quite amusing to see a paddler lose it when their paddle breaks and so far the common breakages I’ve seen are between the shaft and blade. Some of them are clean breaks (like someone has used a saw), others look like cracks from walls running down the shaft and blade (showing splinters of materials sticking out). I have some pictures of different paddles showing their breaks below and I’ll go through the TOP 5 WAYS to break a dragonboat paddle:

1. Drive over a dragonboat paddle with your car (it’s been done on a Trivium paddle before)
2. Place the paddle on a ledge and jump on it
3. Use a heat gun and melt the joint then hit it against a wall
4. Use a drop saw and cut it in half
5. Throw it off a 10+ storey building

Here are some photos of breakages I have collected over the years: