Dragon boat racing - Any tips for a brand new team?

Question

I've never been in a dragon boat before. however, I'm competing in an upcoming race. The entire team are brand new and frankly would love some tips, strategy, experience. anything you can offer would be useful.

Answer 1

If as you say the entire team are all brand new to the sport and if you do not have much time before the race then the best tip is to paddle in time with each other above all else.  A well coordinated team will be faster than a stronger and fitter less coordinated crew. I see from some of the previous answers you have had to your question that you got a lot of tips on launch sequences etc, I suspect that it may be a bit too ambitious for a new crew to be thinking of variable stroke rate and so on in your first race.

Answer 2

Is this a serious racer, with some friends or is it some silly corporate "team bonding" event.  If it is the former two,  the answer from Ascent should give you all the information you need to know.  If its the latter, unless you are a great athlete and have good coordination I suggest you find any excuse possible to get out of it.  We did this with my company and  it was incredible embarrassing especially for the women.   (in particular If there are some guys in your group that think they are athletes then the experience will be even worse).  Dragon boat racing requires a lot of coordination and strength, otherwise the boat can be really wobbly, won't move fast or even possibly tip over.  If you have some time to prepare, I would hit the gym rowing machine and build up some of the necessary arm strength.  If not, I would suggest trying to sit as far back in the boat as possible.  If you are up front, then everyone behind you can see that you aren't keeping pace or that you aren't strong enough to keep up.  

For me, I didn't find it an enjoyable experience and the fact that it was embarrassing with my fellow workers made the experience worse.  However, I am sure that if you are just out with some friends that it will be fun and you won't care how good/bad you are.

Answer 3

The biggest challenge of dragon boat racing is managing synchrony. To do that, teams that spend more time practicing on water tend to have an advantage.

Some teams that emphasize stroke rate might put their strongest members in the front to set the stroke rate for the team. Some 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.

Though a dragon boat race course could be 500 metres or longer, how much endurance and strength you and your teammates have is a key factor determining whether your team can sustain multiple heats and beat a close rival at the right moment which may put 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’s stroke energy. Common stroke strategies begin with a launch sequence.

The launch sequence generally includes a couple of short strokes (with ¾ of the 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 “power 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.

If none of you have any experience in dragon boat before. You may want to consider engaging an coach. You local dragon boat association (if there is one) should be able to help you or recommend some experience rower who could coach you team.

He'll certainly offer you good advise on rowing, training, rowing strategies if he/she has seen the team rows.