BOSTON
DRAGON BOAT
FESTIVAL
TRAINING GUIDE
AGENDA–TrainingCourse
BEGINNERSCOURSE
2-HourCourse
INTERMEDIATECOURSE
2-HourOn-WaterTraining
ADVANCECOURSE
TBDOn-WaterTraining
AGENDA–SteerTrainingCourse
STEERINGCOURSE
TBD
April5,2016
TBD–AfterApril17,2016
TBD
TBD
Version_1.9_04.05.16
Copyright © 2016 Boston Dragon Boat Festival, Inc.
BEGINNERSCOURSE–2-Hour
Purposeofthiscourseissoyouareabletorunandcommandbasicdrillsforyourboat.
I.
INTRODUCTION–SafetyFirst
a. Safetyfirst!!Whenyouareonthedockandintheboat,alwaysfocusandpayattention.
Steerscommandswillalwaystakeprecedenceasth
eyareinchargeofthesurrounding.
b. Wearappropriateclothingandshoes.Dragonboatingisawatersport,youwillgetwet.
c. Hydrate!Alwaysbringfluidstodrink.
d. RemindPaddlerstoalwaysbreathe.
II.
BASICCOMMANDS
HoldWater Paddlesverticallystraightinthewatertostop/holdtheboat
DrawWater Usethepaddletodrawthewatertowardsthesideoftheboat
Weigh(Way)enough/Letitrun(ride) Setthepaddleonyourlapandlettheboatride
ForwardPaddle PaddleForward
BackPaddle PaddleBackward
Feathertheboat Setpaddlebladeflatonwaterandmoveslightlybackandforth
Sit-up Situprightwithpaddleonyourlap
Sit-ready(paddleoutofwater) Leanforward&getintoA-Framewithpaddleoutofthewater
Race-ready(paddleinwater) LeanforwardandgetintoA-Framewithpaddleinthewater
Attention Payattentiontopersonincommandfornextcommand
Go/Takeitaway Startpaddling
III.
SEATINGCHARTS–BoatFunctions
a. Strokes(1strow)–FirstrowistosetBoat’space.Paddlersshouldbephysicallyabletopaddle
throughthewholepracticeandnottireoutaseasily.Primaryfocusisconsistenttimingandform.
-Haveoneofthestrokeslead(akaLeadStroke)andtheotherfollow.
b. TimingBox(1st-3rdrows)–Rows1-3arethetimingbox.Theyareresponsibleofmaintainingthe
paceoftheboat.Timingismostimportant,ofcourse,withpropertechnique.
c. EngineRoom(4th-6throws)–Thestrongestpartoftheboat.Fourthrowshouldhavegood
synchronizationwiththetimingboxastheyaremorevisibletothebackoftheboattofollow.
d. Rocket(7th-8throws)–Stillpartoftheengine,however,notethatRocketswillhavetopaddle
fasterbecausethewaterismovingfasteratthetail.AlsoasthisisthetailoftheboatRocketneeds
tobemoreawareoftimingduetolimitedsightofstrokeandfasterwater.
Additionalconsiderations
e. Keeptheboatweightbalancedontheleftandright.
f. Ifpossiblebalancetheboatweightonthefrontandbackkeepingthefrontslightlylighter.
IV.
PADDLETECHNIQUE–PARTI
a. PaddlesHandPosition
o Properwaytoholdthepaddle:insidehandontopofthehandlewiththethumbhooked
under,outsidehandholdingshaftabovetheblade.
o Keepthepaddleperpendicularandclosetothesideoftheboataswellasperpendicularto
thewater.
b. Sittingpositions
o Hipuponthesideofthegunnel(Sideoftheboat)
o BraceFeet
1. Bothfeetinfrontor
2. Onelegforward/onelegbackor
3. Personalpreferenceaslongasfeetarebraced
c. A-Frame
Copyright © 2016 Boston Dragon Boat Festival, Inc.
Copyright © 2016 Boston Dragon Boat Festival, Inc.
V.
PADDLETECHNIQUE–PARTII–STROKEVARIATIONS/COMMAND
a. Quick
o Quickstrokesarefaststrokestobuildmomentum.
b. Reach
o Strokesthatarelong/fullandsteadyinpaceandpower.
c. Power
o Strokeswithmoreintensity,whichhelpsspeeduptheboat.
d. Finish
o Whenteamfinishstrong,byputtingeverythingtheygotinunison.
e. StrokeSequence:‘Starts’
o TypicalStartPiece
5Long–Toovercomeinertia
10Quick(commandbyDrummersaying“UP”)
10Power(commandbyDrummersaying“Power”)–(Therecanbeothermultiplesetof
powersinarace)
Pace(timingofstrokesdependentonracedistanceandteamability.)
VI.
Howtocommunicateeffectivelyascoach/trainer-TipsForCoachingNewbies
a. ExplainthereasonWHY-Presentanoverview/awhyandthenemphasizeoneaspectofthe
techniqueatatime
b. Helpsettangiblegoals
c. Talkwithconfidence-bespecificinthebehaviorsyouwant–knowyourcommands
d. Don’toverwhelmyourpaddlers
e. Giveadequaterestandwaterbreaks
f. Discouragepeercoachingtomaintainunison
Copyright © 2016 Boston Dragon Boat Festival, Inc.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
DRILLS
a. SITUP/REACH&ROTATEDRILL
Purpose:Tohavepaddlersfeelhowtheirbodymovementaffectboatpropulsion.
Withoutpaddles,paddlers'outsidehandongunnelPaddlersslowlyslideforwardastheyrotate
chestinwardtowardseatmatethensitup.
Command
o Reach&rotate
o SITUP(striveforthishappeninginunion),
o Reach&rotate,repeatfivetotentimesuntildoneinunison
b. PAUSEDRILL
Purpose:Togetteampaddlinginunison
PauseatthebeginningofeachstrokeinRotate/Reachposition
Command
o SITREADY-pause
o STROKE–pause(allpaddlesinthewaterandcompletestroke)
o RECOVERtosit-readyposition-pause
o Repeatandwaitfornextcommand.Asboatglidesandpaddlersareinsync,shortenthe
pauseuntilitisacontinuouspaddlemotion.
c. AlternatingRows-CoordinationEnhancementDrills
Purpose:Toimproveteamcoordinationandsynchronization
Havesinglerows,double,triple,orhalfboatpaddlewhiletherestarenotpaddlingorsomeare
draggingpaddles.IE:havethewholeboatpaddle10strokesthenchangealternatingrowsto
paddle.Toswitchonetypicallycall“3,2,1,SWITCH!”.Peoplejumpinginshouldbereadyandcan
startpaddlingonthe“2”calltogetintothetiming.Peoplejumpingoutshouldbringtheirpaddles
inandleanforwardsothepeoplebehinddonothitthem.Italsohelpsifyouassignonesideofthe
boatastheleadstrokesopeopleknowwhotofollowfortiming.
Command
o Focusongettingthetimingcorrect
o Focusonfullreachandsharpmovements(moreadvanced)
o Checkforanythingunusualorextremethatwouldimpacttheotherpaddlers.
o Onceyouaresatisfied,havethemcontinuouspaddleforanotherminutefocusingontiming
andform(mainlyreach).
d. Otherdrills
o Zig-Zagpattern
o Odd-Evenrows
o 1-3rowgroupings
PROGRESSION
a. Synchronizationoftheboat–Rate/Tempo/Rhythm
b. Technique-Rotation/PaddlePosition/StrokeLength
c. PowerofStrokes
d. TransitionsofStrokes
e. TheGlide
DRUMMER
a. Leadstrokesetsthepace,drummersetsthebeatoffoftheleadstroke
b. Responsibleofcallingoutdifferentcommandssuchaspowersetsandthefinishduringracebased
onthepositionandabilityoftheteambecausetheycanseethesurroundingsituation.
c. Adrummershouldhaveawellprojectedvoice.
STEERER
a. Responsibleforguidingthedirectionoftheboatasneeded
b. Ensuresthattheboatisnavigatingsafelyatthedockandonthewater
ATTITUDE
Copyright © 2016 Boston Dragon Boat Festival, Inc.