There are a lot of things to see in Dragon Boat races and the most thrilling part of the festival is the crowd of people that are there to witness and participate in the event. Generally, Dragon Boats are brilliantly painted and decorated with some shades of Chinese old ancient tradition. It varies from 40 to 100 feet in length, including their heads which shaped-like a hearty dragons, while the firm end has a flaking tail. It has the capability to handle 80 powered rowers including drummer and a flag-catcher. Before the start of the festival, a dragon goes through a certain ritual called “brought to life”. This is done by painting the eyes in a sanctified ceremony. Races have no definite numbers of boats that wants to participate and compete, with the winner being the first team to grab a flag at the end of the course. Once a year, dragon races are held all over China, Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries around the globe.

Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, wrapped in corn leaves with fillings which are the traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival. The fillings can be steamed beans, egg, fruits, dates, sweet potato, mushrooms, walnuts, meat, or a combination of them.
Another part of the Double Fifth Day is the timing: at the beginning of summer, when infections are possible to strike, talisman is being worn by the people to dissuade evil spirits. At the doorsteps, you can find Zhong Kui’s picture, an evil spirits protector. During these days, adults can taste Xiong Huang Wine, while children can bring scented silk pouches, because they believe that these acts can avert evil. Some people believe that balancing a rare egg on its end at exactly noon on Double Fifth Day will bring you prosperity for the whole year.

Indeed, Dragon Boat Festival is filled with excitement and thrill. Not to mention the reflection of Chinese traditions and cultures that are so wealthy and interesting revealed through this festival.

Be sure to continue to checkout my dragonboat blog regularily for the latest Dragonboat news.

For more information, visit: http://www.azdba.com/Festival/festival_index.htm

Dates: March 28/29, 2009
Venue: Tempe Town Lake

The festival is held between the 5th – 7th June 2009.
Venue is at the Man made lake of Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Jon Taylor

13th October 1952 – 17th December 2008

The problem with trying to recognise the remarkable and extraordinary contribution of Jon Taylor when he was in the room, was that he was a man who prided himself on his ordinariness and his achievements as being too humble to deserve much fanfare. His passing away from illness, and his final farewell in December, has given the Australian and international dragon boating community an opportunity to finally speak freely and without interruption about the tremendous debt we owe Jon, and about the tenacity and vision of a man
which has moulded our sport and community.

Jon Taylor spent most of the last two decades as a central figure in NSW and Australian dragon boating. When he stepped aside as President at the AusDBF April 2008 AGM, he left an organisation that had grown a sport from being obscure and novel, into one that oversaw a successful, vibrant sporting community all paddlers were proud to be part of. His final act as President was to announce the awarding of AusDBF’s first life memberships to three people who had been in the trenches with Jon for many difficult and testing years, as they rebuilt and rejuvenated the sport – AusDBF’s first President Trevor Huggard, Ray Leung from Sydney, and Les Williams from Canberra. A couple of days later as the 2008 Australian dragon boat championships came to a close, I recognised how hard it would be to fill his shoes, but that – thankfully – his work and efforts meant the Federation’s and sport’s future was one of endless positive possibilities. To acknowledge that, the new AusDBF board’s first official action was to be the awarding of life membership to Jon. The crowd cheered and applauded (lasting that little bit too long for Jon’s liking) and then anyone who had known Jon nodded their heads in agreement that it was a well-deserved honour.

The AusDBF Board woke the next morning to an email from Jon highlighting the various rules and processes surrounding the awarding of life membership. It was not something to just announce as we liked, but there was in fact a time and a place and a way to do these things properly. He was already a life member of Sydney Tsunami and DBNSW, but if he was going to pick up the trifecta, it was damn-well going to happen right!

Jon’s humility and probity may have won that battle, but AusDBF’s presentation of a unique award acknowledging his contribution to the sport, when the three life members received their plaques, meant we finally won the war to put him in the spotlight for a few minutes and say ‘thank you’. At the 2009 Australian Championships in Caloundra, AusDBF will bestow one more tribute to Jon, creating a new award to be known as the “Jon Taylor Memorial Award” . This will be a perpetual award and presented annually at the AusDBF National Championships to a deserving recipient who has unselfishly contributed to the development of the Sport in Australia.

Jon Taylor – universally known as JT – made sure that he and AusDBF became victims of their own success. As dragon boating has grown and developed, and our membership numbers swelled to previously unimaginable levels, most of us have simply become accustomed to seeing the sport serviced by new boats, large clubs, and colourful and successful regattas. Everyone is now benefitting from JT’s vision and relentless work, but few can remember the ‘bad ol’ days’ when paddlers were secondary to profit. Those who were around in the early 90s witnessed JT’s efforts to transform dragon boating into competitive sport, and ensure the needs and desires of paddlers became the priority for administrators. At a time when dragon boat racing was essentially a business opportunity for a handful of people, who had all the money and resources, and operating in a closed-shop environment, this was seen by many as biting off way more than you could chew. But JT chewed it. He came to the sport through his involvement with the Barclay’s corporate crew, which competed at Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival. He became the crew’s President and coach, and raised the Lord Mayor’s Trophy above his head, following great back to back wins in 1994 and 1995. After winning the trophy twice, the crew moved to the ‘sports’ division and raced under the Barclays banner for a couple more years. When the sponsorship ceased, the club we now know as Sydney Tsunami was formed. While he went about guiding Tsunami on the water, he was also busy coordinating and organising political battles on behalf of the paddlers with the sport’s previous organisers – at both state and national levels. Eventually, this lead to the formation of DBNSW Inc. with JT as the first President. The Tilbury Hotel in Woolloomooloo played host to a number of ‘secret squirrel’ meetings, where a cunning plan to purchase four Geelong-built dragons boats was hatched. JT was joined by four others who wanted ‘in’ on the covert operations – George Louie from Dragon Sports Association, Grant Brewer from Mavericks, Darren Ma (aka Stevenson) from the Pacific Dragons and Steven Davidson, JT had a vision and goal and he never let go of that vision. He was driven and full of passionate energy.

Jon was central to Dragon Boat Racing in Australia and he put many years of energy and passion into sharing his vision of growth of Dragon Boating in Australia and the world.”

Among his legacies are the large and colourful events we now take for granted on our calendar. In 1998 JT helped resurrect the Chinese New Year Dragon Boat Festival at Sydney’s Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour. It is the biggest dragon boat event in the southern hemisphere and showcases our sport to thousands upon thousands of spectators. The newly formed Oceania Dragon Boat Federation – an organisation that will promote and build the sport throughout our region – was put into play by JT. His work with New Zealand in particular, and our other regional neighbours has ensured development and opportunities for years to come.

His crowning achievement though, is undoubtedly Australia’s hosting of the 2007 IDBF World Dragon Boat Championships. JT was instrumental in having the Worlds awarded to Australia, where the green and gold crews bagged a record haul of medals at Penrith’s Olympic rowing course. By then, he was well into his battle with the cancers that were destroying and overcoming his once broad, muscular body. While his struggle was visible to every paddler and spectator and his health poor, there was not a chance he would miss a moment of Australian dragon boat racing’s finest moments, or diminish JT’s pride and pleasure in the Australian crews’ performances.

In November 2006, Jon was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He undertook all the treatment and fought courageously. By the time of the Worlds he was presenting as having beaten his nemesis and was on the mend. Officials and dragon boaters from across the country and around the world saw him bravely continue to lead our sport, but it was heart wrenching for them to watch on while JT sacrificed his comfort in order to continue chairing the regular meetings during his treatments. But for those who knew JT, this was a hallmark of his courage and determination, and a clear demonstration to all he was determined to carry on, and ensure the sport progressed and every paddler could make the most of the landmark event.
As 2008 came, JT’s health seemed to improve, and he began to resemble his old self physically and emotionally. But he was to again be struck by poor health, and surgery was required for a brain tumour. JT’s determination was again on display as he dusted himself off and continued to throw himself into giving to the sport and the paddlers he loved so much. He seemed to recover well and spent some time at AusDBF’s Strategic Planning weekend – determined to contribute and guide right to the end.

JT and his partner Anne were about to head to Hong Kong to watch his beloved Wallabies in November’s Bledisloe Cup clash, when his health took another turn for the worse. A blocked bile duct and a tumour near his liver meant immediate hospitalisation and treatment, and although doctors tried several procedures even Jon’s famous fight and courage could not stop the dreadful disease.

JT spent much of his last few weeks in his red AusDBF hoodie top – a dragon boater to the end – and saying final farewells to so many paddling friends he had helped and inspired over the years. He told close friends that his wish was for his final journey to the afterlife to be on a golden dragon boat, taking him to the next world. Finally, he passed away peacefully with his loved ones around him at 4.55am on December 17th . The mourning and dark feeling of loss that has gripped so many in the dragon boat community reflects the impact JT had on paddlers around the country and throughout the international dragon boat community. As news of his passing filtered out, the messages of condolences came flooding in.

The constant theme was recognising the great loss we suffered, and the collective debt we owed for his vision, dreams and ambitions for the sport, which drove him until they were realised. His loss is immense, but the celebration of his life will take place every time Australian Championships are contested, and whenever a green and gold crew takes to the water to battle against other IDBF teams. Whenever someone picks up a paddle for the first time this summer, they are in their own way ensuring JT’s legacy of a national sport run for the benefit of paddlers, continues to be realised. English historian and historical philosopher Arnold Toynbee once noted that “it is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.”

The Australian dragon boating community can be grateful that our longest serving President – Jon Taylor – had ambitions and goals, and lived that principle. We will long remember him as the father of our modern sport in this country.

JT – thank you, and good bye.

Kel Watt
AusDBF President

After many years Qua Yuan learned about a planned invasion of his kingdom and his love for his country and his distress in knowing that it would be destroyed led him to commit suicide. Once his followers heard that he planned to drown himself in the local river, they raced down to it in an attempt to save him. His followers formed groups and jumped into boats. Banging loudly on drums and splashing their paddles around in order to deter the fish from eating his corpse, they searched up and down the river but never found him.

Thus, a sport emerged where a boat full of men raced to the sounds of drums in order to keep the beat. Every year on the date of his death, a race is held in this same river to commemorate Qua Yuan’s death.

Dragon boating is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world. It’s easy to participate in, requiring minimal resources and skills. It is truly a team sport and includes teams at all levels of competition. On the water, dragon boating is a widely colourful and loud sport.

Some teams that emphasize stroke rate might put their strongest members in the front to set the stroke rate for the team. Others that emphasize the mechanical science of propulsion put their strongest members in the back to deal with water resistance. There are also those who theorize on the centre of gravity of the boat and the best lineup to lower the centre of gravity. Whatever the lineup, there is a rationale for it. Yet, basic execution, including flawless strokes and synchrony, is the most important part of competitive dragon boating.

A dragon boat race course could be 200m, 500m or longer. The question we ask is how much endurance and strength your teammates have? This is a key factor to determining whether your team can sustain multiple heats and beat a close rival at the right moment putting you in the final race. This is where physical conditioning plays a role in addition to on-water practice. Your team also needs to carefully plan the conditioning exercises not only to build your strength and cardiovascular capacity but also stimulate the muscle movements, breathing pattern and heart rates during a race. In the weeks leading to a race, it is important to tailor your exercises to your team stroke energy. Common stroke strategies begin with a launch sequence.

The launch sequence generally includes a couple of short strokes (normal sweep range), followed by 3 or 4 regular strokes and then by a series of ultra fast, short strokes.

After this launch sequence, some common stroke series used in races are:-
1) Incrementing stroke speed every 25-30 seconds
2) Alternating slow and fast strokes
3) Keeping stroke speed constant but varying the pressure applied to the paddles every 15-20 strokes. For instance, alternate 20 regular strokes with 20 high-pressured strokes
4) A combination of the (2) and (3) as above.

Many teams also have a finish series. which is a series of ultra fast strokes in the last 50-100 metres.

In the next few days I will break down each sequence in more detail and explain the technical background behind why these are important for a race.

One issue that I see happen time and time again from any paddler and even myself is staying focused and motivated in this sport. When you first start, it’s easy to learn so many new techniques and improving the quality of your paddling. Though, there reaches a point when you start to plateau and this is the time when we need to boost our motivation and set new goals. Whether you have just started or have been paddling for years understanding how goal setting can work for you will not only get you motivated, it will take you to another level of paddling.

I use the S.M.A.R.T approach when it comes to setting goals for Dragonboating. It is a simple principle to follow and can help you take your paddling to another level if you apply it properly.

The S.M.A.R.T. principle

1. Set Specific Goals. Research shows that specific goals are the most motivating. For example, a specific goal is to reduce your 200m water time trial time by 30 seconds within 6 months. Many people just say they want to get faster. This goal is far too general to really motivate you in your training.
2. Set Measurable Goals. Simply saying that you want to get faster is not enough detail. You need to be able to chart and document progress toward your goal. One way to measure your progress is to document your performance at set intervals. In the above example you may want to record your 200m water time trial performance every 2 months so you have a good measurement to work on.
3. Set Adjustable Goals. This means your goals are flexible enough to accommodate unexpected challenges without becoming obsolete. An injury may force you to modify your goal. If your goal is to compete at the Dragonboat National titles in 6 months and you are injured, you may need to change your goal to allow for an extra 3 months to recover from injury. It doesn’t mean you abandon all your plans. At the same time, you may find you are progressing quickly and need to raise your goal. Set Action-Oriented Goals
   Another important aspect of goal-setting is to keep focused on personal action. Don’t forget to consider not only what you want to achieve, but how you plan to achieve it. I will discuss this in another post.
4. Set Realistic Goals. Start where you are, and increase your goals accordingly. If you haven’t ever paddled a 1000m race, it’s probably not a wise goal to say you want complete this in 20 minutes. While that may be your long-term goal, in the short-term you may want to shoot for the a 500m race first and condition your body for racing conditions. This sort of progression is healthy and realistic. Also, keep in mind that as you become more fit towards your full potential, the room for continued improvement gets smaller. Similarly, if your goals are too simple, you won’t feel much satisfaction by attaining them. Only you truly know what is realistic for you.
5. Set Time-based Goals. Look again at first example: reduce your 200m water time trial by 30 seconds within 6 months. This is specific and time-based. Without a time line there is a tendency to procrastinate or get bored. You may also need to set interim goals with shorter time lines to keep you on track. Consider the previous example of working up to a 1000m race by completing shorter distances first. This is breaking down your goal by being time specific. In general, goals that stretch out beyond 6 months are too long to keep you interested and motivated. Try to re-evaluate your goals every 2-3 months.

Goal setting is an art as well as a science, but if you make sure your goals follow the S.M.A.R.T. formula, you will find you are more likely to stay motivated and reach goal after goal.

With this in mind, start putting down your goals for Dragonboating. I would love to hear your goals for 2009, so please add your comments below.

The definition of a Mesocycle:

“Part a training programme that lasts between 1 and 3 months. It usually consists of a number of microcycles and focuses on the development of a particular training component, for example, the development of general aerobic fitness in the pre-season stage of training.”

Mesocycle for Dragonboating

As Dragonboat training varies with each team’s style and individual’s goals, there is no set training programme that everyone has to obide by. Though there are some ‘ideal’ Mesocycle programmes that top dragonboat teams have been using leading up to State and National titles during a season.

Below is a sample training program used by the Hong Kong Island Paddle Club (HKIPC). They have explained it in quite some detail and may take you some time to read through, but it is worth the read:

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The basic concept is that a weekly micro-cycle varies intensity from one day to the next allowing us to balance hard work with recovery time. Macro-cycles prescribe increasing levels of intensity week to week in order to achieve specific performance goals within a 4-8 week period. Our bodies tend to respond best when stressed and then are allowed to heal. The healing process is what makes us perform better in the next cycle.

The three main Macro-cycles are:

• General Fitness Preparation
• Strength and Endurance Development
• Speed Development and Race Preparation

General Fitness Preparation (4-8 weeks)

The objective of this Macro-cycle is to create a performance base. Development is to be more general allowing for a broad range of distances and variety in exercises during this phase. Work should never-the-less be more specific than in the off-season and focus of paddling related activity to build up local muscle endurance ie. the muscle groups which will be used for racing.

a) General Aerobic Conditioning

Work in the boat will focus on low intensity, larger volume exercises such as steady state intensive paddling sessions mixed with longer extensive sessions if training seeks to develop marathon abilities. Work should be comfortable but strong earlier in the cycle but should progress to uncomfortable and fast paddling. The cycle will end with a level of intensity which borders in painful ie. Maximal Aerobic work.

There are two objectives for this Cycle. To improve our the general cardio-vascular potential such as cardiac stroke volume, VO2 max. etc. and to increase capillary density in our paddling muscles. This will provide the staying power for races even as short as 500m.

Alternative sessions to the boat would be running, swimming, kayaking or rowing (boat or ergometer) as long as it’s working to the same level of intensity and duration. Effort should be made to raise anaerobic threshold levels and to achieve maximum aerobic functioning.

b) Base Strength Development

Muscle mass should increase (hypertrophy) and base strength should be developed in the gym for all muscle groups (see section 2.2 for dryland strength development — Hypertrophy Phase). Even a simple routine of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and dips at home can go a long way in developing a base strength that can contribute to better paddling performance.

A small amount of resistance training in the boat is good at this stage as long as the resistance level is also low eg. dragging a tire or having 1/2 of the boat paddling for 50-60 strokes.

Strength and Endurance Development (2 cycles @ 4 weeks each)

This Cycle seeks to make improvements to paddling strength and specific race endurance. Neuromuscular recruitment is important, so effort both in the boat and during dryland training should be intense striving to ‘feel’ for maximum resistance during a paddle stroke. Speed work should begin in the later stages of the cycle.

The Paddling Programme includes two Strength and Endurance Macro-cycles allowing for a period of transition. The second Cycle starts from a lower level of intensity builds to a higher level much faster that the first Cycle. The purpose for this is achieve a better balance between aerobic and anaerobic conditioning exercises which are taken to greater extremes in the second Cycle.

a) Aerobic/Anaerobic Endurance Training

The range of work should begin with Anaerobic Threshold training and advance to Lactic Tolerance training later in the Cycle. The emphasis is on intense interval sessions at least once a week alternating with intensive steady state paddling on other days in the week. Close attention should be paid to heartrates during activity to ensure that work is targeting the appropriate intensity. This is air-sucking, heart-pounding, rubber-leg kind of work, so don’t expect improvement if your going for an easy jog.

b) Maximal Strength Development

The initial Cycle should accompany the dryland Strength Phase (see section 2.2) and the latter Cycle should correspond to the Maximum Strength Phase of the Dryland Weight Training Programme. The level of resistance in the boat should also be increased during resistance training sessions. Care should be taken to avoid back to back strength training sessions ensuring that proper recovery time is allocated.

Race Preparation (4 weeks)

This is the Cycle where speed becomes the main feature, converting the strength gains which were made in the earlier Cycles to power. Maximal intensities will be stressed with a duration of work which is closer to the actual race. Race rehearsals will be conducted where all of the trained aspects will be put together for a specific target performance. Smoothing out the transitions from utilization of one energy system to the next is the goal in discovering the optimum racing pace.

a) Race Specific Aerobic/Anaerobic Conditioning

Maintenance of aerobic conditioning is important in this Cycle both in the boat and on land. Longer distance steady state paddling sessions will provide recovery activity for extreme lactic tolerance training. Specific endurance for the sprint race distances is the goal to the extent that there may be some decrease in long distance endurance.

Interval training on land should continue to stress improvement to VO2 max. and anaerobic thresholds.

b) Development of Power

Strength work should focus on converting absolute strength to power. Fast contractions and less load should replace maximum loads early in the Cycle (see section 2.2 – Power Phase). Acceleration drills and maximum speed exercises will be carried out in the boat the stress maximum application of power throughout the race distance. Endurance of strength is important and is best to be improved in the boat, paddling.

The Taper

Critical to top performance is tapering down activity to limit damage to muscles and let our bodies recovery for a race event. It does not mean that work stops all together, particularly for sprint races. Generally the density of practices is reduced, but is replaced by extremely high intensity work for short duration to maintain speed. Alactic activity is stressed, limiting extreme work to 15-20 seconds in order to prevent accumulation of toxins. Low volume is also a must to avoid over-stressing central energy stores.

The duration of the Taper Cycle if difficult to determine. Where the density of training high ie. 10 to 12 sessions per week then typically the taper is longer, perhaps 2-3 weeks. For a lower density training of 3-4 sessions per week, the taper probably needs only 1 week.

Combined with proper nutritional preparation, the end result is a performance peak.

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If anyone else has a Mesocycle training programme for their team, I would love to hear about it – simply leave your comments below.

Recently I came across some people who were being invited to attend a dragonboat session on the weekend. When the weekend came around they didn’t turn up. That gave me an incentive to find out why they didn’t come rather than just go, oh well, they had other things on. I think these are the top 5 excuses people make:

1. Time / Priorities – My partner (wife or husband) needed me to home or with them for something
2. Fitness – It looks really hard and I’m not fit to do it.
3. Money – I don’t have enough to be able to afford the dragonboat equipment
4. Friends – I’ll wait until so and so joins and I’ll try it then.
5. Lack of Motivation – I’m too lazy and I can’t see myself rowing. It looks too tiring.

Until their perfect scenerio is met then I doubt any of these people would even try dragonboating. Maybe we could think of ways to counteract these excuses with some other incentives.