I want to try this and see how it works. I have this video of Tom and I want to offer up my analysis. If you agree, or disagree or want to add your own comments, feel free. Tom, you may not want to read on in case the comments aren’t good. For those who don’t know Tom, he is a great Canadian contender for the C-1 entry this year, and one of the nicest people in sports. Good luck at the trials.
Here is what I think of Tom’s technique from last fall:
The exit and recovery are awesome. Good push from the hips when the paddle is still in the water.
The pull is obviously good and seems to be very efficient.
The setup right before the catch is a little bit high.
There is not enough body weight dropping on the catch. This means that there is too much emphasis on the top arm driving down and that some angle is lost between the setup and the catch.
Add your comments to this post.
If you have your own video and you want a bit of analysis, post your video to YouTube and tag it with “snappyexit”. Then just send me an email and I will get it on the site.
I recently was asked a question about foot position in Dragon Boat. SHould you be foot forward like a C-1, and if so, whcih foot? Maybe both feet back, or both forward? This was one of the first things I worried about when I got into a Dragon Boat. I assumed that the best way would be to try and emulate the C-1 position as much as possible by sticking my outside leg under my seat and putting my inside leg forward. But I found this to be VERY uncomfortable and made me feel like I was falling off of my seat.
I quickly settled into a both-feet-forward position where I put my outside foot on top of my inside foot and lock both feet as much as possible against the side of the boat so they don’t move around. It works well for me because:
1. I am able to keep my hip close to the side of the boat.
2. I am able to still get my weight on the catch.
3. I am comfortable enough in the boat to paddle for long periods.
I think that the relatively low position in the boat makes the stroke somewhere between a kayak and a canoe stroke and so you have to make compromises. My basic advice is - get comfortable, keep the weight moving forward, put your feet wherever you want.
There have been a spate of comments recently posted by Wade Farquharson. You can see them here and here and here. Wade was a former coach of mine in the days when I was a Midget-Juvenile paddler at Orenda. Wade has been a canoe coach for a long time, but I first met hime when he came to Orenda in 1987. He coached at the club with Tony and was instrumental in helping us win our first national Championship in Calgary. He stayed for few years after that, helping to make Orenda a powerhouse in the late 80s. He was also a great technical coach and was a very important part of developing my technique as a young paddler. His comments are definitely worth a read.
