• Missing the catch
This refers to pullback being activated before the catch is “locked”, thereby reducing the effective power in the first half of the stroke. If you are using good technique there will be heavy feel on blade for whole time blade is in water (from catch to exit).
• No or minimal rotation
Some people crouch forward with a bent back, and assume this is rotation. Think of having a rod up your back, and you are rotating around the rod.
• Bent bottom arm
• Top hand stays forward or drops toward gunwale
If either of these happens, and the bottom arm is pulling back, then the blade must go out of 90 dgrees, and into 45 degrees or worse, thereby losing most of your forward power. Putting water into the boat or lots into the air is an indicator of this.
• Poor timing
We not only need to enter the water together but also exit together. If you have a short stroke you will tend to exit early, which increases the chance of “pushing” (rating too high). People at back of boat especially need to be careful as it is “softer” water. They need to especially concentrate on reach and digging blade deep in water.
• “Dragging” the exit
This refers to a paddler taking pressure off the blade half way through the stroke. The paddler therefore starts to move forward through the water, instead of backwards, it creates drag rather than forward momentum. A lot of water is seen splashing behind the paddle.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Stay Active
Portland is snowed in! The most snow on record since 1968 this has tossed a hitch in some work out plans. Keeping in mind safety at all times, but don't let this weather halt your productivity in staying physical. With the side streets safe from most traffic, with any driving slow at best, get out and take a walk. Pack some energy and make it a hike. Snow shoes or cross country skis make for great exercising in snow and with the right attitude you can keep your heart rate up and keep your cardio steady during the storm.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Power, Exit, & Return
Power
Power propels the boat forward. Our goal is to maximize the power we can harness and have everyone lock in and pull through together.
After you begin your pulling back through the water your blade should remain perpendicular as long as possible. There should be strong resistance against the blade for the whole stroke in the water. If you pull back too far and either bend your lower arm or push your upper arm down too low you will lose the resistance and instead slow the boat down. The power phase starts well ahead of your body and ends at your hip - not behind you.
Points to consider for effective power:
• Leg drive with outside leg. This engages the leg, hip, abs and back.
• Sit up and maximizing your leg, abs, and back muscle groups.
• Outside shoulder should come back slightly behind inside shoulder, with back upright.
• Bottom arm remains substantially straight.
• Top hand remains parallel to water surface, comes back toward outside shoulder, not down toward gunwale nor keeping it forward as a pivot.
Exit
Your exit needs to be swift without a lot of displacement of water. Keep power throughout the exit.
Remember that the exit is quick out of the water but slow through the air during recovery. This can be challenging to master but important for sustaining energy over long distances or short sprints.
• Exit at hip. Arms should be straight at exit. Slightly bent after exit.
• Turn top hand thereby feathering the blade.
• Keep bottom arm reasonably straight. If arm is bent it will be “choo-choo” action, which takes much more energy, reduces effect toward end of power phase, and the blade will be too high above the water in the return phase.
Return
This is moving from exit toward setup phase. This is as important as the power phase as this is the period in the stroke where you are setting your body up for another burst of energy.
• Relax
• Keep blade close to water.
• Blade in feather position, especially in early stage.
• Relax arms, hands, back and shoulders.
• Keep bottom arm reasonably straight.
• Start moving into rotation and get ready for set up.
Power propels the boat forward. Our goal is to maximize the power we can harness and have everyone lock in and pull through together.
After you begin your pulling back through the water your blade should remain perpendicular as long as possible. There should be strong resistance against the blade for the whole stroke in the water. If you pull back too far and either bend your lower arm or push your upper arm down too low you will lose the resistance and instead slow the boat down. The power phase starts well ahead of your body and ends at your hip - not behind you.
Points to consider for effective power:
• Leg drive with outside leg. This engages the leg, hip, abs and back.
• Sit up and maximizing your leg, abs, and back muscle groups.
• Outside shoulder should come back slightly behind inside shoulder, with back upright.
• Bottom arm remains substantially straight.
• Top hand remains parallel to water surface, comes back toward outside shoulder, not down toward gunwale nor keeping it forward as a pivot.
Exit
Your exit needs to be swift without a lot of displacement of water. Keep power throughout the exit.
Remember that the exit is quick out of the water but slow through the air during recovery. This can be challenging to master but important for sustaining energy over long distances or short sprints.
• Exit at hip. Arms should be straight at exit. Slightly bent after exit.
• Turn top hand thereby feathering the blade.
• Keep bottom arm reasonably straight. If arm is bent it will be “choo-choo” action, which takes much more energy, reduces effect toward end of power phase, and the blade will be too high above the water in the return phase.
Return
This is moving from exit toward setup phase. This is as important as the power phase as this is the period in the stroke where you are setting your body up for another burst of energy.
• Relax
• Keep blade close to water.
• Blade in feather position, especially in early stage.
• Relax arms, hands, back and shoulders.
• Keep bottom arm reasonably straight.
• Start moving into rotation and get ready for set up.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Set Up & Lock
Set Up
Following is a detailed breakdown of proper technique to enter the water correctly.
• Start your rotating for the stroke from hip.
• As you rotate your hip forward lock into your core and reach paddle forward. Reach by showing your chest to the opposite shore.
• Keep top arm high but with the shoulder down. Your upper armpit should be at 90 degrees to your torso.
• Bottom arm straight reaching forward for the plant. Think in terms of lower arm doing a punch.
• Paddle at 45 degree angle forward for catch.
• Head up to expand chest and see what you are doing.
Blade Lock
Following is a detailed breakdown of proper technique entering the water and getting a good “catch” of the water.
This is a separate function to the power phase.
• While rotated and with chest to opposite shore think about keeping the blade moving forward, the same direction as the boat, before you hit the water. Goal is to maximize your reach and stoke length upfront.
• Enter the water at 40 degrees. • Blade should be fully submerged before you pull back.
• Bottom arm remains straight.
• Keep rotation to maximize reach.
• Keep head up to expand chest and see what you are doing.
• Should be minimal noise on entry. If you make a loud splashing noise it means either the blade is not fully buried and/or you are pulling back early.
• Activating the catch before pulling back is essential. These are 2 separate functions and this one is called “locking” the catch (beware not to take shortcut).
Following is a detailed breakdown of proper technique to enter the water correctly.
• Start your rotating for the stroke from hip.
• As you rotate your hip forward lock into your core and reach paddle forward. Reach by showing your chest to the opposite shore.
• Keep top arm high but with the shoulder down. Your upper armpit should be at 90 degrees to your torso.
• Bottom arm straight reaching forward for the plant. Think in terms of lower arm doing a punch.
• Paddle at 45 degree angle forward for catch.
• Head up to expand chest and see what you are doing.
Blade Lock
Following is a detailed breakdown of proper technique entering the water and getting a good “catch” of the water.
This is a separate function to the power phase.
• While rotated and with chest to opposite shore think about keeping the blade moving forward, the same direction as the boat, before you hit the water. Goal is to maximize your reach and stoke length upfront.
• Enter the water at 40 degrees. • Blade should be fully submerged before you pull back.
• Bottom arm remains straight.
• Keep rotation to maximize reach.
• Keep head up to expand chest and see what you are doing.
• Should be minimal noise on entry. If you make a loud splashing noise it means either the blade is not fully buried and/or you are pulling back early.
• Activating the catch before pulling back is essential. These are 2 separate functions and this one is called “locking” the catch (beware not to take shortcut).
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Feel
As paddlers get comfortable they tend to concentrate less on technique and more on power. If you are trying to develop good technique to optimize your power you must learn good technique first. If you do so you will be stronger than just muscling through the stroke.
Feel your body as it moves through the stroke. Feel the water and the varying conditions that you are paddling in. Feel the people around you and how you are blending together. Feel where the crew is applying power through the stroke. Feeling what you are doing is an aspect of mental training that translate into better technique.
Feel each one of these points of technique as you are performing them.
• Rotation from hip (not just leaning forward).
• Straight bottom arm (not bent like “choo-choo” action of broken arm going in motion of arm on train wheels). Bigger paddlers especially fall into this trap.
• Use whole body (including leg drive, abs and back), not just arms.
• Keep paddle as perpendicular to water on 2 planes (as seen from side and behind) for as long as possible.
• Timing is crucial (look diagonal and in front, take timing from top hand).
• Exit at hip.
• Maximise reach. The longer the blade is in water ahead of your hip, the more you are contributing. Reach farther than you have been without leaning farther forward. Rotate deeply through your core.
• Head up at all times.
Feeling what you are doing while you are doing it is difficult. It requires concentration and separation. Concentrating on what you are feeling in each part of your body. Separation from your need to be powerful and muscle the boat forward. Try to incorporate a concious effort to see yourself. Take the time to realize what you are doing. Don't let habit take over. Stop. Look. Feel.
Feel your body as it moves through the stroke. Feel the water and the varying conditions that you are paddling in. Feel the people around you and how you are blending together. Feel where the crew is applying power through the stroke. Feeling what you are doing is an aspect of mental training that translate into better technique.
Feel each one of these points of technique as you are performing them.
• Rotation from hip (not just leaning forward).
• Straight bottom arm (not bent like “choo-choo” action of broken arm going in motion of arm on train wheels). Bigger paddlers especially fall into this trap.
• Use whole body (including leg drive, abs and back), not just arms.
• Keep paddle as perpendicular to water on 2 planes (as seen from side and behind) for as long as possible.
• Timing is crucial (look diagonal and in front, take timing from top hand).
• Exit at hip.
• Maximise reach. The longer the blade is in water ahead of your hip, the more you are contributing. Reach farther than you have been without leaning farther forward. Rotate deeply through your core.
• Head up at all times.
Feeling what you are doing while you are doing it is difficult. It requires concentration and separation. Concentrating on what you are feeling in each part of your body. Separation from your need to be powerful and muscle the boat forward. Try to incorporate a concious effort to see yourself. Take the time to realize what you are doing. Don't let habit take over. Stop. Look. Feel.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Observe Technique
If you watch a paddler with good technique you will see the following:· The bodies large muscles doing most of the work
· Relaxation of the muscles not engaged during the effort
· Structurally sound body mechanics
These points are all intertwined and play an equal part in good technique. It's important to not only observe what you are doing but also to feel what you are doing while paddling. Without one of these items the others will, in time, fail and injuries or strained muscles will occur.
Rotator cuff injuries or strain
Coaches should be careful not to advocate technique that exposes athletes to injury. One of these injury causing movements is having the top hand above the head exposing the top shoulder to injury. Moving the arm up and down at the shoulder is asking for an injury involving the rotator cuff. Take the time to consciously look at yourself objectively while you are paddling. Where is your uper hand through the stroke? Can you draw on the above points during your stroke? Observation is key to improvement. You must observe and process to change.
The rotator cuff muscles control rotation of the shoulder. These muscles are put under a great deal of strain especially when your arm is above your head repeatedly. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles which work together to provide the shoulder joint with dynamic stability, helping to control the joint during rotation (hence the name). Due to the function of these muscles, sports which involve a lot of shoulder rotation – for example, dragon boating, outrigger paddling, kayaking, etc. – often put the rotator cuff muscles under a lot of stress. (notes from sports injury clinic).
While you are paddling concentrate on your shoulder and arm and feel what they are doing. Are they moving up and down instead of locking into your core and being an extension of your back. Watch the person ahead of you on the boat. What is their shoulder and upper arm doing during the stroke? Your shoulder should be down at all times and therefore providing a strong extension of your large back muscles to plant, pull, and move the boat forward.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Let’s Talk Technique
The best time to change technique is during the winter months or off-season. Fitting technique into a periodization plan is recommended. Technique training sessions fit well in the beginning/ends of cycles. Be sure to account for poor weather too when planning technique sessions. There is nothing worse than having a technique workout planned when one cannot feel the canoe because of many layers of clothing and numb hands.
Perfect technique is not the same for everyone. Different body types, different body geometries causes us all to move in slightly different way in order to achieve optimal efficiency. Water conditions, race distance, paddle length, boat speed, height above the water also change the best way to move the canoe.
Coaching technique is challenging. A Coach should not fix the symptom of poor technique but rather the cause of poor technique. Knowing what the root cause for an athlete’s non-optimal movement is the coaches’ challenge; communicating how to change is a joint responsibility; changing the technique falls to the athlete. Athletes must learn how to feel, how to change and adapt to different situations. Athletes ultimately own their technique, their success and injuries cause the athlete pain - not the coach.
Coaches should not cast their perfect technique on their athletes. I find it best to try to get the athlete to tell me what they are feeling, how they are trying to work towards changing technical issues. A coaches’ roll is to enable the athlete to perform optimally. The athlete must learn how to adapt their technique to conditions on race day. One of the most challenging parts of technical development is getting the brain out of the way. Letting the body move in its most efficient way is, most often, the best technique. Learning to do this takes time, but without enabling the body to feel good technique the braining must always be working on controlling the body. This is non optimal during races, long training sessions etc. The technique must be natural.
Perfect technique is not the same for everyone. Different body types, different body geometries causes us all to move in slightly different way in order to achieve optimal efficiency. Water conditions, race distance, paddle length, boat speed, height above the water also change the best way to move the canoe.
Coaching technique is challenging. A Coach should not fix the symptom of poor technique but rather the cause of poor technique. Knowing what the root cause for an athlete’s non-optimal movement is the coaches’ challenge; communicating how to change is a joint responsibility; changing the technique falls to the athlete. Athletes must learn how to feel, how to change and adapt to different situations. Athletes ultimately own their technique, their success and injuries cause the athlete pain - not the coach.
Coaches should not cast their perfect technique on their athletes. I find it best to try to get the athlete to tell me what they are feeling, how they are trying to work towards changing technical issues. A coaches’ roll is to enable the athlete to perform optimally. The athlete must learn how to adapt their technique to conditions on race day. One of the most challenging parts of technical development is getting the brain out of the way. Letting the body move in its most efficient way is, most often, the best technique. Learning to do this takes time, but without enabling the body to feel good technique the braining must always be working on controlling the body. This is non optimal during races, long training sessions etc. The technique must be natural. Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Winter Workouts for Best Performance
What workouts should athletes perform on and off the water in the winter in order to be best positioned to perform next race season?
The classic winter training plan is to develop base strength over the off-season. Time on the water paddling is very important. But what workouts individual athletes should do really depends on the weaknesses the athlete has identified for themselves.
Workouts on the water might include
· distance paddles at low intensity
· paddles with resistance
· long intervals at higher intensity
· technical sessions
Workouts off the water
· running distance and intervals
· weight workouts for supporting muscle groups
· weight workouts for sport specific muscle groups
· mental training(technical, isometrics and nerve system)
· swimming distance and intervals
· cross country skiing
· the list is long – erg…
One needs to have a plan. One needs to have a WRITTEN plan.
To achieve success one must define for themselves what success means. Then one needs to put a plan in place to achieve it. In order to put a plan in place one should utilize all resources available. In Portland there are many resources to use.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Mental Training for Optimal Performance and Training
Have you experienced a time during practice or competition where you could not focus? Are there times when the chatter in your head is negative? Have you ever heard about athletes doing mental training for their sport and you are not sure how to implement it yourself?
Mental training is a huge component of training and competing.
It is a tool that regardless of your sport, when used consistently, can help you stay focused, stop negative self-talk, improve your technique/skills, increase your confidence, prepare you for certain situations in your sport (like winter training), and much more. For example, Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest golfers, would run his own color movie in his head before hitting a shot, even in practice. His movie was very sharp and in-focus like he had actually performed it. This helped him to become a champion golfer of his time.February Seminar
In February you will learn some tools that will help you take your paddling to a whole new level by implementing mental training into your life. The benefits may even be beyond paddling and expand to your everyday life.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Nutrition Over the Holidays
Race season is over and we are now in the base-building phase of the paddling year. Use this time to work on your stroke, your fitness level and your goals. Don’t forget the important role nutrition plays in all of these areas. The athlete’s diet can help to improve strength, optimize workouts and increase strength to weight ratio, ultimately improving your paddling performance.
During the next few months, a variety of topics will be touched upon on this site to help keep you on track this winter. Specific questions about Nutrition can be directed to Holly at pdxpaddling@gmail.com. A more detailed discussion of Nutrition will follow at Session #5.
Holiday Eating
Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas………ahhhhh, the holidays are upon us! For many, that means parties and gatherings where food and drink is the center of the occasion. The athlete’s diet does not mean treats and delicacies are forbidden. However, remember that you are still fueling your body for optimal performance. Everyday. Try to maintain your usual whole grain-rich, moderate fat, fruit and vegetable laden meals and use these occasions to enjoy favorite foods and sample new dishes and treats in moderation. Go easy on the alcohol. Listen to your body’s hunger cues to stop when you have had enough. (Remember, if you take a break from training through the holidays your calorie consumption should go down too.) For those of you whom it helps, continue tracking your intake to help you stick to your nutritional goals.
Remember, food brings most people great pleasure and should be enjoyed! But, finishing off the leftover Halloween candy before November 1 may not give you the edge you’re striving for!
During the next few months, a variety of topics will be touched upon on this site to help keep you on track this winter. Specific questions about Nutrition can be directed to Holly at pdxpaddling@gmail.com. A more detailed discussion of Nutrition will follow at Session #5.
Holiday Eating
Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas………ahhhhh, the holidays are upon us! For many, that means parties and gatherings where food and drink is the center of the occasion. The athlete’s diet does not mean treats and delicacies are forbidden. However, remember that you are still fueling your body for optimal performance. Everyday. Try to maintain your usual whole grain-rich, moderate fat, fruit and vegetable laden meals and use these occasions to enjoy favorite foods and sample new dishes and treats in moderation. Go easy on the alcohol. Listen to your body’s hunger cues to stop when you have had enough. (Remember, if you take a break from training through the holidays your calorie consumption should go down too.) For those of you whom it helps, continue tracking your intake to help you stick to your nutritional goals.
Remember, food brings most people great pleasure and should be enjoyed! But, finishing off the leftover Halloween candy before November 1 may not give you the edge you’re striving for!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Fitness & Off Water Training Homework
This seminar's focus will be about developing the tools to put a training plan together to bring out the best in the athlete over several periods. It will not be a session where you will walk away with a plan handed to you for training. Instead we will be discussing the skills needed to develop a plan on your own or with the help of a coach.
In preparation of the upcoming seminar:
Please document what you have done previously to develop your fitness and sport specific skills or if you have put together a training plan previously review the plan for areas of improvement. Consider the questions below and write the ones that speak directly to your experience in your journal with your comments/answers. The amount of detail that you enter into your journal is up to you, however, the more you document the better the overall picture will be for your plan and its follow through.
For those attending the seminar on
November 8 please cut and paste the below portion into and email and send your answers/responses/observations to pdxpaddling so that we are one step ahead in understanding those that are attending.
In preparation of the upcoming seminar:
Please document what you have done previously to develop your fitness and sport specific skills or if you have put together a training plan previously review the plan for areas of improvement. Consider the questions below and write the ones that speak directly to your experience in your journal with your comments/answers. The amount of detail that you enter into your journal is up to you, however, the more you document the better the overall picture will be for your plan and its follow through.
For those attending the seminar on
November 8 please cut and paste the below portion into and email and send your answers/responses/observations to pdxpaddling so that we are one step ahead in understanding those that are attending. For the Athlete:
Did workouts support and have specific goals?
Was your time spent productive?
Did you work from a Training plan? What was its outline?
Did you feel that the plan reflected your goals?
Were you able to follow the training schedule?
Did you buy 100% into the training?
Did your training plan include periodization?
As a coach:
Did you outline specific training routines for your athletes?
Did you develop a training plan targeted at the right level for the athlete?
Did you focus the training plan on the most experienced athlete in the group and support the less-experienced?
Did the workouts have goals?
Did periods have goals?
Did the athlete(s) excel? If so why or why not?
Were the expectations put onto the athletes higher/lower than the athletes were willing to commit too?
How did you connect with the athlete to drive optimal performance?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Fitness & Off Water Training
The off-season is a perfect time to work on general fitness. Progress made on general fitness from October through April will pay big dividends during the on-season. This can not be stressed enough. Increasing your strength and overall fitness will increase your performance.
track your progress
There are many categories of fitness. Keeping a fitness journal is a great way to document your growth and measure present fitness level. This will also help you repeat tests to show how your training plan is working over time. Write goals in the front, a plan of attack, difficulties or problem areas, and add in some goal dates to help achieve you program.
categories
There are a several fitness categories athletes are encouraged or should train (commonly called “general fitness”). Good general fitness is needed to have good paddling specific fitness. An athlete must develop in all these categories.
cardiovascular fitness – the ability to feed muscle’s oxygen over a longer time period
anaerobic fitness - the ability to recover after sprints and to repeat the output again and again
mental toughness – developing a “never give up (even for a stroke) attitude”
core strength – developing muscles in the body (versus the arm/legs) so they can work together. A strong core is needed to maintain balance when working.
nerve system and fine motor control development – working to hone the ability for the nerve system to talk to muscles groups. Essential for separating the muscles that are working from those that should be relaxed.
Note: Paddlers need to have good strength to weight ratios. If you carry weight (muscle or fat) that does not participate in pushing the boat forward than this is not optimal.
overall strength – developing sport specific and sport non-specific strength helps with injury prevention.
As an athlete, own your development. Trust in your plan. You and you alone know if you have put everything into a workout. Progress is not made in a linear fashion; you must apply yourself over time and you will see progress. Do not expect immediate results. Continue to follow through even when progress seems halted. Working on these fitness categories is not easy. Working with a coach to develop a plan along with your personal commitment can be crucial to success.
coach as partner
Every athlete should work with a coach to help optimize their development. Coaches must learn how to develop athletes by building a relationship that is centered in trust. Every athlete will need a different training plan, different workouts with different focuses. Managing athlete's training plans is an important task and can be a delicate balance based on individual's abilities. Moreover, in team situations highlighting all the above categories during training is a skill that requires patience and experience. Coaches need to continually learn and advance themselves to be a strong coach partner.
How much training an athlete can tolerate changes over time (measured by years, not months). A well trained athlete can tolerate much more than an untrained athlete. Understand who you are working with and what their goals are. Plan on a year or two or more in order for an athlete to “step to the next level” depending on the starting level of general fitness. This relationship will continue to grow as each of you learn what the athlete is capable of.
most important
Lastly but not of least importance is ** sport specific fitness – training your specific muscles to perform optimally - e.g. paddling muscles**.
track your progress
There are many categories of fitness. Keeping a fitness journal is a great way to document your growth and measure present fitness level. This will also help you repeat tests to show how your training plan is working over time. Write goals in the front, a plan of attack, difficulties or problem areas, and add in some goal dates to help achieve you program.
categories
There are a several fitness categories athletes are encouraged or should train (commonly called “general fitness”). Good general fitness is needed to have good paddling specific fitness. An athlete must develop in all these categories.
cardiovascular fitness – the ability to feed muscle’s oxygen over a longer time period
anaerobic fitness - the ability to recover after sprints and to repeat the output again and again
mental toughness – developing a “never give up (even for a stroke) attitude”
core strength – developing muscles in the body (versus the arm/legs) so they can work together. A strong core is needed to maintain balance when working.
nerve system and fine motor control development – working to hone the ability for the nerve system to talk to muscles groups. Essential for separating the muscles that are working from those that should be relaxed.
Note: Paddlers need to have good strength to weight ratios. If you carry weight (muscle or fat) that does not participate in pushing the boat forward than this is not optimal.
overall strength – developing sport specific and sport non-specific strength helps with injury prevention.
As an athlete, own your development. Trust in your plan. You and you alone know if you have put everything into a workout. Progress is not made in a linear fashion; you must apply yourself over time and you will see progress. Do not expect immediate results. Continue to follow through even when progress seems halted. Working on these fitness categories is not easy. Working with a coach to develop a plan along with your personal commitment can be crucial to success.
coach as partner
Every athlete should work with a coach to help optimize their development. Coaches must learn how to develop athletes by building a relationship that is centered in trust. Every athlete will need a different training plan, different workouts with different focuses. Managing athlete's training plans is an important task and can be a delicate balance based on individual's abilities. Moreover, in team situations highlighting all the above categories during training is a skill that requires patience and experience. Coaches need to continually learn and advance themselves to be a strong coach partner.
How much training an athlete can tolerate changes over time (measured by years, not months). A well trained athlete can tolerate much more than an untrained athlete. Understand who you are working with and what their goals are. Plan on a year or two or more in order for an athlete to “step to the next level” depending on the starting level of general fitness. This relationship will continue to grow as each of you learn what the athlete is capable of.
most important
Lastly but not of least importance is ** sport specific fitness – training your specific muscles to perform optimally - e.g. paddling muscles**.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Fitness Seminar Saturday Nov, 8
1:00pm - 4:00pm
See sidebar details & sign up to come
Join us for this lecture and discussion about fitness; cardiovascular, anaerobic, mental toughness, core strength and motor control development. Come with thoughts on your own goals for the winter and where you see yourself in 5 months.
See sidebar details & sign up to come
Join us for this lecture and discussion about fitness; cardiovascular, anaerobic, mental toughness, core strength and motor control development. Come with thoughts on your own goals for the winter and where you see yourself in 5 months.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Introduction
Hello paddlers!
Over this past season, I have been approached by several paddlers who want to take their paddling/coaching to the “next level”. These paddlers ranged from dragon boaters, outrigger paddlers, to kayakers and the coaches that contacted me target the same groups. Every discussion I have had has made me more excited about encouraging paddlers to continue their efforts throughout the winter and strive for their goals of bettering themselves on and off the water. I began to realize that with the help of other local professionals, we could begin a forum for paddlers that would help maximize paddlers goals and fulfill needs in areas they might not yet realize are essential to what they want to accomplish. This blog will be half of that equation. The other half will be a seminar series detailed below.
This post is the first of a four part series sharing opportunities for anyone to move to the next level with their paddling. By continuing the conversation throughout the winter and working together to better understand what it takes to develop as an athlete we’ll keep up individual momentum on specific goals you set for yourself. Over the next five months health and fitness professionals will be holding off water seminars geared towards specific paddling focuses. These sessions will be local and affordable and are meant to add dimension to the goals you are structuring for yourself.
Seminar Focus Topics:
Fitness - November 8, 1:00pm - 4:00pm ~ See Sidebar Details
Off water fitness training & its benefits
Develop your core fitness in several categories
Expand your general fitness level to increase your overall performance
Widen your never-quit threshold
On water fitness training
Paddling
Paddling
Paddling
Technique
Water/boat awareness
Boat specific technique
Mental training
How to optimize daily training
Setting yourself up for success
Learn how to stop negative self talk
Be more confident inside and out
Learn how your thinking affects your daily performance
Nutrition
Pre/post racing
Athletic training
One thing that must be stressed regardless of the boat you are paddling is that if you want to perform you must PADDLE. There is no other activity that will make you a better paddler than to paddle on the water. This style of training is called ‘specificity training’. Taking time off during the winter season and beefing up on fitness off the water is only a small portion of the total equation of taking yourself to the next level. If you want to compete with those above you, you have to guarantee yourself consistent water time to build your endurance, strength, and overall wherewithal for the sport you have dedicated yourself to. When you are thinking about upping your level of performance you have to step up across the board. This means stepping up on all the stages listed above not just one.
The fall is a perfect time to get a jump start on next year! Specific training plans should be worked with your coach and targeted to your needs. My expectations on the athletes I coach who want to compete at the highest level vary with the season. The focus for our fall training is base miles and strength mixed with an effort to re-introduce technique lost during race season. For the competitive athlete nine hours on the water a week is the least amount I recommend for the fall. Time doing off the water fitness is also expected additional to these hours. Athletes need to have a plan – coaches must learn how to work with athletes to devise optimal strategies to achieve these objectives. Flexibility is key and setting realistic goals is imperative. Even if the bar is set above your reach with a solid support system we can all achieve more than we initially envision.
Technique will be discussed in an upcoming blog post, however, to touch base on it now lets remember that your coach knows best. To develop is to adapt and to adapt is to have trust in your coach. Coaches must be able to support their technique and execute by example. Athletes must be able to adjust and change, sometimes breaking habits that feel more powerful, but can quickly lead to injury or bad boat blending.
These posts and focus groups are meant to bring us all up together by building the strength in our paddling community and representing the Pacific Northwest to the standard you set for yourself.
We look forward to developing this blog and continuing to bring you quality information that will help you take yourself to the next level!
Please feel free to leave a comment.
Peter H
Over this past season, I have been approached by several paddlers who want to take their paddling/coaching to the “next level”. These paddlers ranged from dragon boaters, outrigger paddlers, to kayakers and the coaches that contacted me target the same groups. Every discussion I have had has made me more excited about encouraging paddlers to continue their efforts throughout the winter and strive for their goals of bettering themselves on and off the water. I began to realize that with the help of other local professionals, we could begin a forum for paddlers that would help maximize paddlers goals and fulfill needs in areas they might not yet realize are essential to what they want to accomplish. This blog will be half of that equation. The other half will be a seminar series detailed below.
This post is the first of a four part series sharing opportunities for anyone to move to the next level with their paddling. By continuing the conversation throughout the winter and working together to better understand what it takes to develop as an athlete we’ll keep up individual momentum on specific goals you set for yourself. Over the next five months health and fitness professionals will be holding off water seminars geared towards specific paddling focuses. These sessions will be local and affordable and are meant to add dimension to the goals you are structuring for yourself.
Seminar Focus Topics:
Fitness - November 8, 1:00pm - 4:00pm ~ See Sidebar Details
Off water fitness training & its benefits
Develop your core fitness in several categories
Expand your general fitness level to increase your overall performance
Widen your never-quit threshold
On water fitness training
Paddling
Paddling
Paddling
Technique
Water/boat awareness
Boat specific technique
Mental training
How to optimize daily training
Setting yourself up for success
Learn how to stop negative self talk
Be more confident inside and out
Learn how your thinking affects your daily performance
Nutrition
Pre/post racing
Athletic training
One thing that must be stressed regardless of the boat you are paddling is that if you want to perform you must PADDLE. There is no other activity that will make you a better paddler than to paddle on the water. This style of training is called ‘specificity training’. Taking time off during the winter season and beefing up on fitness off the water is only a small portion of the total equation of taking yourself to the next level. If you want to compete with those above you, you have to guarantee yourself consistent water time to build your endurance, strength, and overall wherewithal for the sport you have dedicated yourself to. When you are thinking about upping your level of performance you have to step up across the board. This means stepping up on all the stages listed above not just one.
The fall is a perfect time to get a jump start on next year! Specific training plans should be worked with your coach and targeted to your needs. My expectations on the athletes I coach who want to compete at the highest level vary with the season. The focus for our fall training is base miles and strength mixed with an effort to re-introduce technique lost during race season. For the competitive athlete nine hours on the water a week is the least amount I recommend for the fall. Time doing off the water fitness is also expected additional to these hours. Athletes need to have a plan – coaches must learn how to work with athletes to devise optimal strategies to achieve these objectives. Flexibility is key and setting realistic goals is imperative. Even if the bar is set above your reach with a solid support system we can all achieve more than we initially envision.
Technique will be discussed in an upcoming blog post, however, to touch base on it now lets remember that your coach knows best. To develop is to adapt and to adapt is to have trust in your coach. Coaches must be able to support their technique and execute by example. Athletes must be able to adjust and change, sometimes breaking habits that feel more powerful, but can quickly lead to injury or bad boat blending.
These posts and focus groups are meant to bring us all up together by building the strength in our paddling community and representing the Pacific Northwest to the standard you set for yourself.
We look forward to developing this blog and continuing to bring you quality information that will help you take yourself to the next level!
Please feel free to leave a comment.
Peter H
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