Vol. 67 The Pull

 

Information in this Edition 

• Focus on Fundamentals: The Pull cont. 
• As a Paddler

The Pull Continued.

by Coach Anita

Our arms are important in paddling. Together with the hands, the arms position and stabilize the paddle. Energy generated through the core and large muscles of the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lats, rhomboids, traps, and the erector spinae muscles) is transferred to our arms and hands to apply force against the paddle. 

The paddle is a tool. Force is applied against it to propel the boat against the water. Simply moving the paddle doesn’t create movement. If a paddler puts her blade in the water and swishes it around, water is moved, but not much of anything else. 

For a paddler to move the craft she is sitting in, she must apply force against the paddle and pull the craft in the direction she wants it to move. The pull comes from the muscles of the posterior chain, the core, and lastly the arms. The goal is to move the boat, not the paddle.

A picture is worth a thousand words so Coach Pat and I took a camera down to the dock. A shout out to Annette Johnson for helping us with filming.

https://vimeo.com/594192872 (link to higher resolution)

 

As a Paddler 

... Pat

How do you know as a paddler you are making the most of your body movement to get power in the stroke?  
I would say my most "AHA" moment was when I was able to keep my bottom arm straight through the stroke. Here's a hint,  it's easy to go in straight and keep it for the first 1/3 of the stroke.   It made every inch count and boy did I feel it.   When I add in the hinge and rotation with hip movement I again feel this in my body.  I feel strong,  but it is also tiring. I know that if I wake up after a practice night and feel fatigue in my lats and abs I did something right.  I can also have tired quads from pushing my hip back with my leg and foot. If my shoulders ache a bit thats probably ok, but if I feel like there is impingement or pain in the small shoulder muscles, that means my shoulders were not back and I let my arms and shoulders do too much of the work.  I need to keep my shoulders back and work on the movement of the stroke with good posture. The same is true if I get any lower back pain. This tells me I'm not synchronized with my hinge and rotation.  
  
Listen to your body,on the water and then off.  Question your soreness and what it means.  Is it because you are buildling skill with your stroke or because of posture or sequencing of movement.  As you develop your stroke and start to work harder you will feel fatique and some muscle soreness.  If you are sore, keep paddling, it goes away when you move and dial it back for a session to make sure it's your increased work and not a posture issue. If you are never tired or a little sore, ask what more you can put into the stroke.  
In dragon boat racing, technique will triumph over strength.  Yes, you need to be your strongest self, but teams with less overall strength often triumph over very physically strong teams because of their focus on technique. 
...
See you on the water

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Vol. 66 Twenty Five Years of Fun and Focus

 

Information in this Edition

• A Note from Anita 

• Focus on Fundamentals 

We all know this is not a normal season. We had a year off the water, restricted from wide social contact, concerned for the health and well-being of friends and family, and in a state of general unrest. 

In July things opened up and we have started reconnecting as well as reevaluating. Postponed trips have new departure times, time with family has taken on more importance, and people are making choices about how to spend their time in the period of uncertainty. 

I want to acknowledge that I know this season is different and you might be making choices this season that you wouldn’t make if it was a regular full season. 

We have a full practice schedule through October. We will be using the time to work on paddling fundamentals and workouts that build strength and cardio endurance. Even though practices are designed to build upon one another, there isn’t a point when you can’t join in. 

Whether you’ve made every practice so far or haven’t made it to one yet, you are welcome on the boat. 

And if life is pulling you in another direction right now, I look forward to seeing you soon.

....Coach Anita

                                 

Focusing on Fundamentals

Without any races to prepare for this season we have the gift of time to spend focusing on the fundamental elements necessary for a good stroke. 

Our stroke can be broken into 3 main pieces. The Plant, the Pull, and the Lift. The Plant is the first part of the stroke where the blade is buried, the Pull is the part of the stroke where we are pulling the boat up to where the blade is buried, and the Lift is where we exit the blade from the water and move forward to set up for the next stroke.

The Pull

We are going to start our focus on the Pull. It is the part of the stroke that lasts the longest amount of time and does the most to propel the boat forward.

When viewed from the outside of the boat it looks to the untrained eye like paddlers pull the blade/paddle back to their bodies. However, a powerful stroke requires paddlers to focus pulling with their body rather than their arms. 

While working alone in my living room, I created the video below to give you some things to think about before getting back on the water. 

Pull with Body ... Anita Stacey on Vimeo.

One of the most important parts of the Pull is that your bottom arm must be straight and you need to apply pressure/resistance with both your top and bottom arm to pull yourself up to where you planted the blade. It requires a mind shift from thinking of pulling the blade back to you to pulling yourself up to your blade. Watch the video and see if you can feel the difference by doing the same thing.

Do you have a chair with wheels? Try pulling yourself across the room using your paddle. 

Walking Workout

With Pat

Taking a walk ? You can easily turn your walk into a more demanding workout. I bet your dog would be happy too. Looking at a 30 minute walk you can add these little mixups.

1. Warm Up with some moves. Walking toe touches, high knees and butt kicks.

2. Walk 5 minutes:  Do 10 walking lunges on each leg

3. Walk 5 minutes then : Do 10 side lunges on each leg

4. Walk 5 minutes then: Do 20 seconds on 10 seconds off of speed walking or jogging intervals - 8 times for 4 minutes.

5. Walk 5 minutes

6. Stretch

      

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Vol. 65 - Stuck on Land Again

 

Information in this Edition

Dryland Playlist to Keep your strength
Making a Card Deck Workout as a Supplement

Sneak Peek into Next week

Using the Dryland Workouts 

by Pat

We will all be missing practice this coming week. Did you know that two weeks of missed workouts will diminish your strength? So ,how can we keep our bodies ready to paddle ? Use the Dryland Videos for this. Dryland training was designed to build strength in specific areas to get ready to paddle.

Dryland Playlist

Create Your Own Workout With a Deck of Cards:

with Coach Pat

On alternate days you will need something else to keep you moving . I took this from last summer's blog.

You can create any type of workout using a deck of cards and a handful of exercises. In this workout we used eight exercises with a strengthening focus. But I recall it was also very cardio centric.

Each suit is an exercise, the face value of the card is how many reps you do. Each face card has it's own exercise which will be done for 30 seconds.

Unlike our fixed exercise sets, what exercise comes next is a surprise. Go from each exercise to the next without delay. For this workout you will need something stable to do your tricep dips, a chair or bench against the wall. You might want to add weight to the Sumo Squats is you have them.

This weeks workout : Diamonds: Tricep Dips Clubs: Sumo Squats Hearts: Curtsy Lunges (for time each leg is one rep) Spades: Jumping Jacks

Jacks: 30 second plank Queens: 30 second wall sit Kings: Split side planks 15 seconds each side Aces: 30 seconds alternating bird dog

You can modify to lower or increase intensity on any exercise. Keep in mind that doing an exercise in good form is more important than the level of difficulty. You can also use the face cards as number of reps. Use jokers for a 5th exercise.

For instance:

Diamonds: Pushups Clubs: Jump squats Hearts: Shoulder Press Spades: Oblique Crunches Standing Jokers: 1 minute skaters or mountain climbers

Have Fun !

Next Week -  Sneek Peek 
Technique for Finding Our Power

As a paddler I am always looking for more power in my stroke.  In a dragon boat you don't have a direct measure but you can feel the change of effort when you make small differences to your stroke.  

Next week Anita will show you how to get 'on top' of your blade for more power.  We will start to talk about weight distribution and the difference between putting your weight outside the boat and leaning out of the boat.   

I'm so excited about this, we all need to revisit this technique boost every year. 

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Vol 64: Scrimmage 2021

 

Scrimmage News: 

We are looking forward to the PDX Women's Scrimmage which is scheduled for  8/15, this coming Sunday.  We will start at 8:30 am with a combined warm up and then move to races.   The races will be about 220 meters and hopefully each team will have 5 races. There might be opportunity to race with the other teams as well. Take advantage of the opportunity.  

Here are the two Pink Phoenix crews for the scrimmage: 

	Pink Ants
	Mo
	Anne
Amy Bunch - L	1	Sioux Kriss - L
PATRICIA BALLARCHE	2	Lynn Labasan
Marie-Louise Metzdorff	3	Tasha Teherani-Ami
Jeannie Long	4	Natalie Gaston
ROMNEY A KELLOGG	5	Cindi Coleman
Gabe Belmore	6	Rebecca Hamilton
Sandy Moore	7	Jetti Terry
Delo Fercho	8	Kristi Hickox
Carol Hagen-Hutchins	9	Sue Davidson
Marisol Rodriguez De Lort	10	Janice Johnson
Ying Zhou - ?

	Pink Beetles
	Audrey
	Lisa
Lori Godfrey - L	1	Rochelle Herge - L
Annette Johnson	2	Jamie Hurd
Carrie Boudreau	3	Lori Krasnowsky
Vanesa Mujcic	4	Linda Dailey Paulson
Tracy Podrabsky	5	Pat Schafer
Nan Pellegrini	6	Merle Sherman
Trish Sheie	7	Sarah Case
Theresa Garcia	8	Suzanne Frank
Mary Grant	9	Judy Kraut
Laurie Hanawa	10	Kathy Reuss
Sue Best - ?

These are not set line ups within the crew but simply a starting point. There will be open seats at practice that will be filled by non-crew paddlers. Callers will line up the boats at each practice so that everyone is accommodated.

These crews are based on the interest list and communications with the Race Coordinator.  However there are some opt outs on TeamSnap. Please let us know what your intentions are so we can plan accordingly. The number of paddlers dictates the number of crews, which makes a big difference to the race grid.  

My Thoughts on the Women's Scrimmage: 

I have paddled in this scrimmage for many years, it started over 10 years ago as a very small affair and has now become larger with more teams. It is one of the most fun events, allowing spontaneous paddling with other teams and a great way to meet other Portland paddlers. To me, this is a don't miss event.  

One of the big plus' this year is we have a chase boat. This means the coaches can video the races from outside the boat. As a paddler I learn so much about what I am doing by seeing myself in video. A great opportunity for all of us. 

... Pat

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Vol 63: Mindset Check In

 

Information in this Edition

Replay - Building a Growth Mindset 
Bench Bites

Building a Growth Mindset 

by Coach Pat

We have been practicing for several weeks. Now is a great time to check in on your mindset.

Mindset, specifically growth mindset and it’s counterpart fixed mindset, are terms that keep coming up in this newsletter and in conversations with the coaches. The concept of mindset is not new. It was introduced by Carol Dweck of Stanford University over 30 years ago. Professor Dweck was studying the effect of failure on students. Professor Dweck gives us this definition of a growth mindset.  

“This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience.” ~Carol Dweck

The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset.   Do you believe you have a certain set of skills and abilities that stay with you for life? Do you avoid effort and challenges because you don’t want to be embarrassed by failure? If so, then you are dealing with a fixed mindset. 

From Medium.com @lensbybenz

Don’t despair - we all have some of both mindsets and at different times one may be stronger than the other. Take this opportunity to talk back to your fixed mindset and work at allowing your growth mindset to prevail. How can you build your growth mindset about your training? Start with incorporating these things into your way of thinking.

• Acknowledge and accept imperfections, yours and others.   
• Face challenges bravely, look at each challenge as an opportunity which can lead to new adventure. 
• Pay attention to your thoughts and your words. Replace your negative thoughts with positive, replace judgment with acceptance.  
• Trust yourself. You are the only one you need to impress.
• Accept criticism as a gift. Open up to hearing suggestions.
• Value the process over the result. Fully engage and put effort into the process.  
• “Not yet” is OK. When struggling with a task, remind yourself that you just haven’t mastered it “yet”.  
• Own your attitude. Cultivate resilience along the way. 

Here is a quote from Michael Jordan that speaks to the power of a growth mindset:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed...I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan

If you would like to listen to Dr. Dweck here is a short TED talk link.   Here she speaks to the power of “not yet”.  https://youtu.be/_X0mgOOSpLU

References: 
Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. House Digital, Inc. Chicago

https://fs.blog/2015/03/carol-dweck-mindset/

https://medium.com/@lensbybenz_65973  How to Build (At Any Age) A Growth Mindset 

Bench Bites 

Bench bites, butt blisters, bone bruises,  what ever you call them once you start dragon boating your butt will never be the same.  One night on the boat in the wrong clothing and you may find yourself screaming in the shower when the water hits the abrasion.  Most commonly you will find you have a tender red area from chaffing and rotation.  This can also become a very real abrasion or blister.  

Any time you put in extra practice time or intensity you may have sore sit bones.   

Prevention :  

• Wear a tight under layer like a spandex or running tight with a dri fit layer on top.  
• Avoid baggy clothing, shorts with poorly placed pockets or mesh lining. 
• Be careful of your underwear, go without or make sure the fit is away from your sitbones.  Cotton is not your friend on the boat, even next to your skin. 
• When resting get the pressure off the gunnel side bum.  
• Use a butt pad on the gunnel side to help spread the pressure
• You can use petroleum jelly or butt paste on your rear end to prevent chaffing. 

Treatment: 

• If you have any broken skin make sure to put an antibiotic cream on the area.  
• When on the water cover any open areas with a waterproof bandage.  I like Nexcare waterproof knee and elbow bandages. 
• Blister pads,  New-Skin  and moleskin can also be helpful.
  
• Wear clothing that breathes to help the healing time.

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Vol. 62 - Race Starts

 

Information in this Edition

• Achievements
• Race Starts
• Body Care

Achievements

So much good work is being done in practice. I’m seeing strong hinging to plant blades, sitting up with straight outside arms, and inside hips moving with top arms to lift the blades at exit - Bravo!

Working on fundamentals builds a strong foundation of technique. We will continue to come back to these basics tenets. Use your warm up time and cool down paddling to give attention to the areas you've received coaching on. Everyone develops at their own speed, and you are great right where you are. If you want to improve your paddling, continue to show up to practice, apply what you've learned, and be patient with yourself. You didn't become a great runner/cook/cyclist/headstander/driver/parent/baker/sales rep/stylist/accountant/nurse without time and practice.

Next Step: Race Starts

With two crews preparing for the Paddle for Life event, our next step is learning the Race Start. 

When we start paddling from a dead stop, the boat is sitting low in the water. Light to moderate intensity paddling moves the nose of the boat through the water and it feels heavy. Our first objective in racing is to lift the boat on top of the water where there is less resistance and it can move more easily (i.e. faster). 

This is done through the race start. 

Our race start is broken into pieces: the first 3 strokes, the next 10 strokes, the second 10 strokes, and the third 10 strokes. The start sequence is 33 strokes.

The First 3 Strokes

To lift the boat up and get going, we start by taking 3 deep, hard strokes. Because we are starting from a dead stop, it feels very heavy and isn’t very fast because of the resistance of the water. 

The Next 10 Strokes

After the first 3 strokes the boat gains some momentum. To continue and build this momentum, we paddle 10 hard strokes at a building pace.   

The Second 10 Strokes

Then we paddle 10 strokes at a faster rate than we can sustain for very long. This is called the over-rate. The focus of the over-rate is stroke speed, rather than intensity. From this high rate we settle into race pace. Race pace is the pace that we’ll keep throughout the race. 

The Third 10 Strokes

The next 10 strokes are at race pace with maximum intensity. Because we've settled the rate, the focus is now on intensity.

The start strokes are slightly shorter than our regular strokes because we’re focused on getting the boat up and moving. After the start, we “get long” which means we focus on getting our full, long, hard strokes and regulate our breathing. 

Check out this video to see how a start begins, gets faster, and then settles down. There are several types of teams represented. I think the last example best represents what we are striving for. 

Get ready for Monday - we’re going to break it down and work the pieces of our start. 

...Anita

Pushing Your Body and Being Ready for the Next Practice

We have started to up the intensity of our training on the water.   This is happening both in improved technique and in more power focused paddling.   You might have felt this, in your legs, shoulders and lats.  It is usual to be tired and a little sore after a hard practice.  If you do have a twinge how do you stop it from getting worse ?  How do you address your whole body recovery? 

First and foremost ,  make sure you fuel after a workout.   You should aim to have about 20 grams of protein and a like amount of carbs (not sugar).   If you use an amino acid supplement, now is the time to take it along with the fueling or before.   This needs to be done within an hour of getting off the water.   A great way to make that time increase is to carry your aminos with you so you can start right away and then still get a meal in quickly.

Ice:  Yes this is the go to - if your shoulders are feeling a little pinched start with ice.  Then don't work your shoulders hard the day after paddling.  That means , no scrubbing floors or walls.  It might mean no vacuuming.  Definitely no pulling ivy or berries out of the yard. 

Stretch :  There are great stretches to do,  the rule is to be warm before you stretch. Paddle on Monday,  walk /run and stretch on Tuesday.   This link is to some great shoulder stretches to try.  I really like the windmill stretch , which our Pink Rebecca Hamilton showed me several years ago.  
Sit Bones:  No one told me about this when I started paddling.   We plant a sit bone with weight on one side while we rotate on the other hip,  then we switch. The sure result is soreness.  The soreness can come from your hips so that is where to start.  Stretch the hamstrings and piriformis.  Start again with ice and see if that helps recovery, then go to strengthening and stretching.  This is one area where foam rolling could hurt if you don't know exactly the problem.   For me, it is bruising and the piriformis and the stretches shown here are really helpful.  

The best news is that as you train and your body gets used to paddling it will be less taxing.   That means you can train harder and get stronger.  
See you on the water. 

...Pat

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Vol. 61 - Review of learnings and FAQs

We will use this space to provide information to augment what was covered at practice, announce roster crews, provide information designed to help you in some aspect of dragon boating, and maybe provide a little levity to your day.
~Coaches Anita & Pat

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