Movement and Speed
When we watch dragon boat racing, we see fast movement. The boats are moving, paddles are moving and bodies are moving. What we see in a race is the end result of the steps learned in practice.
I’ve provided information about the body’s energy systems, how they are trained, and the role muscular conditioning plays in paddling. Now let’s talk about how we get to be fast.
When a child is learning to write, her movements are slow and require a lot of effort to make the straight line in the M and the curves in the letter B. And until she’s had a lot of practice, the act takes effort and it doesn’t look polished. Learning the techniques of paddling follow the same path. Movements are slower and methodical to learn how to set up the stroke, enter the blade, get a catch, initiate the pull, exit the blade, and recover back to the set up of the next stroke. Like learning handwriting, ease of movement and pace increases with repeated behavior because of the development of neural pathways. Handwriting becomes effortless over time because of the volume of repeated efforts. After the individual parts of the stroke have been developed and appropriately sequenced, stroke movement becomes more fluid.
But that’s not the source of speed.
Speed in paddling requires power. Power is the amount of force generated against the resistance of the water. After a base of technique is established, the next step is developing power in the stroke.
Power is an expression of strength. Generating force against the resistance of the water is how the boat moves. The source of that force is your strength, which is developed through strength training and sport-specific movements.
Once power is developed in the stroke, then we can train for speed. The goal is to move the boat as far as possible with every stroke, not take as many strokes as possible. Repeatedly applying power to exceed the resistance of the water results in boat speed.
But we need to start back at the development of a “base of technique” to talk about speed. The most important part of the stroke for generating power starts with the catch. The catch is the resistance of the water against the blade that you feel after it is fully buried. Imagine you are sitting on an office chair with wheels on a smooth surface. Your objective is to move yourself on the chair across a gymnasium-sized room without using your feet. You have one tool - a toilet plunger. If you stick the plunger firmly onto the floor ahead of the chair you can pull yourself to the plunger. If the plunger doesn’t stick firmly to the floor, when you begin to pull on it, it just comes back to you and you don’t move in your chair more than a little bit. With practice you can become adept at getting the plunger firmly attached with each plant. With strength training you develop power in the muscles used to bring the chair up to the plunger so you are able to do it more forcefully. Over time you are able to firmly plant the plunger each time, forcefully pull yourself up to the plunger, and because of repeated practice of the movement in real time, you are able to perform the sequence faster which reduces the amount of time it takes you to get across the room. Our boat is the office chair and our paddles are the toilet plungers.
This is how we start to be fast. There are myriad details for every step but the big picture is simple: Train to develop strength. Plant then pull. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Healthy Skin
by Suzanne Frank
It's hardly news that exercise is great for your heart, lungs and mental outlook. Here is another reason to get moving: Regular exercise is one of the keys to healthy skin. Anything that promotes healthy circulation also helps keep your skin healthy and vibrant. By increasing blood flow, exercise helps nourish skin cells and keeps them vital. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body including the skin. In addition to providing oxygen, blood flow also helps carry away waste products.
How to care for your skin prior, during and following your workout.
Before you workout:
- Wear clothing that fits well. Avoid skin irritation and chaffing by wearing fabrics that can help wick away sweat from your body.
- As part of your pre-workout routine, always remove the make-up from your face. Sweating and make-up can clog your pores. If you don't have on make-up make an effort to wash your face to remove any dirt and oil from your face.
- Keep your your hair away from your face. Oily hair products travel down your face or hair and can clog your pores.
- When you are dripping in sweat halfway through your workout you might be tempted to wipe the sweat off with your hands. Don't do it! Try to avoid mixing bacteria by using a clean towel to dry the sweat in between sets. You may also consider wearing a headband because it catches the sweat at the hairline and prevents it from running down your face.
- Stay hydrated. Replenishing fluids lost during a workout is critical for maintaining blood volume, regulating body temperature and for muscle contraction.
- Protect yourself. If you are taking your workout outdoors make sure you protect yourself by using sunscreen. Keep in mind that an oily formula mixed with sweat will end up clogging your pores, so stick to a lightweight formula.
- Clean, moisturize, hydrate. As soon as you are finished with your workout, wash your face to remove the sweat that's on your skin. Using a facial moisturizer or serum will help to hydrate your skin from the outside. If you drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, this will also help with the appearance of the skin.
- Change out of your exercise clothes quickly. Now that exercise clothes have become quite fashionable, it's easy to get into the routine of running errands in your exercise clothes.This can allow moisture to sit close to the skin. Many fungal infections grow easily in a moist environment.
- Shower as soon as possible and put on fresh clothing.
Getting in the Right Headspace
Chapter 3
by Coach Oden
Now that I had made the decision to move forward and go for it, what was my next move?? I needed to extend to my mind what I knew my body was capable of. I was in the best shape of my paddling career and although I had so much to learn about being on an international team, I also knew there was no time like the present. The opportunity had presented itself. Take it!
If we wait
until we are ready for everything that we want to do in life, we will never be
ready. This was my mantra. I needed to push myself beyond what I was ready for
in order to get ready. You see, I was in the company of athletes way more
qualified to be on that boat. What was going to make me stand out? How was I
going to fit in?
What started
as one type of training in order to even stand a chance of advancing forward in
the process soon became something different altogether. My strength would continue
to grow with my physical training, but I needed an edge. I needed mental focus.
I needed to be in the right headspace. Not exactly what I had focused on in my prior
athletic training. This was the focus I was looking for.
The next
three months I read several articles and books. I began training with the pursuit
of excellence as my focus. In December 2016’ I attended my second time
trial that consisted of a weeklong paddling camp with the head coach and
several atheletes wanting what I wanted, A seat on the boat!!
Winter Fun
By Coach Pat
At this time of year one of the best things for you to do is get outside. Find a break in the weather or not and look at taking your workout outdoors. It is well documented that getting outside when it is cold and the days are short helps you stay healthy and improves your mood.
Here are a few reasons to get outside today :
- When it is cold you burn more calories
- Sunlight is a mood lifter
- You pick up some Vitamin D
- Being in nature enhances your creativity
- Even a short walk outside reduces stress
In the Portland metro area it is really easy to get outside. Try a new place. If you usually walk along the river, head up to Forest Park and pick a trail in the trees. A good on-line resource to find Oregon hikes by area and type is https://www.oregonhikers.org/. The Portland Bureau of Transportation also has on-line resources for walks and bike rides here : https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/335752
Challenge Change Week
