With so many paddles in the market today, it’s already a headache to decide which one to buy and which one suits you.

I am going to show you how easy it is to find the paddle that is right for you and even give you a method on how to measure the length you need.

Let me start off by telling you that finding a paddle is easier than you think! I have literally done all the hard work for you and tested each of the paddles available in the market. Furthermore, I have written reviews and wrote down all the specifications for you and ensured that all of these paddles are IDBF 202a approved.

If you don’t know what IDBF 202a approved means, I suggest visiting this site to read more about it:

http://www.idbf.org/documents/Racing_Paddle_Scheme.pdf

It basically explains why you need to purchase an IDBF paddle to use for Dragonboat Racing.

Also, as I mentioned above I have written reviews for every Dragon Boat paddle currently available in the market and you can view them at:

http://www.dragonglobe.com/reviews/

Some of the reviews also have additional comments written by other paddlers and I suggest reading them as well. Also, you are most welcome to leave your own comments as well.

HOW TO DETERMINE WHICH PADDLE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

If you have visited the paddle reviews link provided above, you will notice the number of Dragon Boat paddles available. No doubt there will be more paddles added to the range as new suppliers pop up around the world. From wooden paddles all the way to carbon fibre paddles, it starts to become quite daunting.

The easiest way to understand paddles is to look at which category fits for you. Here are the categories we use to determine which paddle suits you:

AMATEUR PADDLER:

Just starting out and paddling with a team on a social level. Will be on the water at least once a week.

The paddles I recommend you try first are either the wooden or composite paddles. These are relatively strong and durable paddles which are relatively low cost to purchase.

MODERATELY WELL VERSED PADDLER:

Starting to attend regattas, interested in competing, though not completely committed. Will be on the water at least two to three times a week.

There are a variety of good paddles to test. The paddles you should be considering are the “Mid-Range Carbon Fibre Paddles” listed in the paddle reviews. Depending on your budget you can pick the best one of out the range to get a relatively light and durable Dragonboat paddle.

PROFESSIONAL PADDLER

Has a full commitment to train and compete as a Dragonboat paddler, aiming to participate in State and National Competitions. Ultimate goal is to represent their country. Will be on the water between four to seven times a week.

I highly recommend considering paddles that are in the High

Performance Carbon Fibre range. These paddles provide you will the best equipment for serious and competitive dragonboating. If you travel a lot as well, consider the Adjustable Carbon Fibre Paddles as well, so they can be packed into a smaller bag for easy transporting.

Pick a category that you consider your paddling experience level is at now and this will help you determine which paddles to start considering for yourself.

THE PADDLE COMPARISON INDICATOR

If you are still stuck, here is an additional tool to help you. If you visit DBV.com.au and view some of the paddles we offer, you will also notice a “Paddle Comparison Indicator” listed in each of the paddle descriptions. This indicator will also give you a good comparison of the performance, durability and weight amongst all Dragonboat paddles. Visit DBV.com.au to see:

http://www.dbv.com.au/

HOW TO MEASURE THE RIGHT PADDLE SIZE?

After you have decided and found the right paddle for yourself, you will need to determine what size will be good for you as well. It’s not a hard process and there’s a simple formula to follow. Visit the document I wrote about measuring a paddle:

http://www.dragonglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/how-to-measure-the-right-size-paddle-for-you.pdf

So hopefully you can see how easy it is to find the right paddle for you. It is also a good idea to try the paddle first before buying and give it a test run. Just like how you would test drive a car before you spend your hard earn cash! So good luck with your paddle hunting!

IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER

That’s it for this newsletter.

Here’s to your paddling success,

Tyrone Shum DBV.com.au and Dragonglobe.com

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Have you ever wondered how top athletes can continually improve and make it look so easy as though they are not trying? Well, they are training very hard but no one would know except for their coaches and closest people around them.

One of their secrets to their success is having a training log to record and monitor their progress. That way they continually review and improve. Isn’t that how it works back at school? We are given report cards every semester and it tells us if we achieved a high or low score. We can achieve similar results with this little secret and start recording our training… let me show you how.

Many competitive dragonboat paddlers keep a training log to record their training activities and race times. They record in their log the sessions about on-water training, pool, weight training and other aspects important to their success in Dragonboating.

You can also include body vitals, such as: body weight, body fat %, resting heart rate, girth measurements of waist, chest, legs and arms. These are usually recorded initially at the start of a training programme / season and not at each session. Then at the end of the season, a paddler can look back at their improvements, not just in race times, but in their overall body conditioning. If you are interested in putting a training programme together, visit:

http://www.dragonglobe.com/2008/12/mesocycle-for-dragon-boating/

HOW TO RECORD YOUR DATA?

A simple way to make sure your data is recorded accurately is to buy an exercise book with lines and draw some columns with headings (you can also type it into a computer on an excel spreadsheet and print it out as well, or even more advanced is to store it on a PDA, whichever way you choose just make sure you can access it easily after every training session). Here’s an example of what I do:

  Date: 1/12/2008

  Description of training:
  Water Training

  How long did I train for?
  1.5 hours

  Excercises Performed:
  3 sets x 1.5km paddling @ 60%, 2 min rest between

  3 sets x 500m paddling @ 90%, 1 min rest between

  How I felt?
  It was an intensive session, though I felt I struggled at the end
  with the power sets. I did feel the boat lag today as most people
  were tired from the race on the weekend.

WRITE DOWN YOUR FEELINGS

Also a crucial aspect is to be honest with what you do on the water and off the water. Write a brief summary of how you felt after the training session and make sure it’s dated.

Training logs will help you in the long term. If you have a bad racing year, you can look back at previous years logs and find out how hard you trained and felt in previous years. Good paddling years are usually a result of how well you have trained.

If you are like me and would prefer to keep everything electronic on the Internet, here’s a website called iLog that can keep track of your training sessions and results.

The website for iLog is: http://www.ilog.ca/

If you consistently record your training and race results, you can always look back and analyse your process with your coach and make adjustments to your training regime.

IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER

That’s it for this newsletter. In the next issue I’ll be showing you how to find the right paddle for you and give you a simple process to follow.

Here’s to your paddling success,

Tyrone Shum DBV.com.au and Dragonglobe.com

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Have you come home from training and felt really hungry where you could eat a 10 course meal? I bet you have because the amount of energy that you burn during training is more than what you do during the day. It’s important to understand how eating healthy in the right proportions will help replenish your body’s necessary nutrients and also keep you regulated for the next training session.

It’s important for you to eat healthy and eat at the right times because 70% of what you do within dragonboating is about your diet.

Check out a detailed nutrition explanation about the different types of nutrients within foods that you need to be aware of:

http://www.dragonglobe.com/nutrition-diet/nutrition-for-your-body/

These are the build blocks to eating right and having a fit body for dragonboating.

Many factors go into determining what food is ideal for your body. I will be giving a broad scope of the types of foods to focus on eating, which will give you a better understanding of what is good for you. Remember the same goes for this diet, eating and timing your food intake every 2-3 hours is critial, giving you an average of 6 meals a day.

UNDERSTANDING THE DIET FOR DRAGONBOATING

A Dragonboater’s diet is very similar to that of your average adolescent, with one critical exception: carbohydrates. Paddlers need more carbohydrates. The energy a paddler uses primarily comes from carbohydrate stored in the muscles as glycogen. The carbohydrate level in the muscle must be restored before the next practice in order for the paddler to “recover” and be ready to work hard again. If the levels are not restored, the paddler remains fatigued and training is not effective. If the problem persists, they will not be able to race well.

Many coaches and leading nutritionist suggest that calories be split so that 65% comes from carbohydrates, 15% from fats, and 20% from proteins, reflecting the greater carbohydrate needs. As nutrition is very important for supporting muscular development during training, supplements such as mult-vitamins are crucial and I would recommend taking a daily dosage to aid in a faster recovery.

WHAT TO EAT?

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the most important energy source for a paddler. They help maintain blood glucose levels and replace muscle glycogen that has been used for energy. Carbohydrates are also the only nutrient that the brain can use. Paddlers should aim to have 6-10 grams per kilogram of body weight (3-4.5 grams per pound) of carbohydrates each day. To put this into perspective:

• A serving of fruit, grain, or milk and alternatives contains about 15 g of carbohydrates.
• A serving of legumes (¾ cup) contains about 20 g of carbohydrates.
• Vegetables contain varying amounts of carbohydrates, from 5g in a cup of lettuce to 15 g in ½ cup of corn.

Protein

Proteins are the body’s “building blocks”, helping to rebuild muscle after intense exercise. Paddlers do have higher protein needs than the average person (1.2-2 grams per kilogram vs. 0.8-1 grams per kilogram body weight) and therefore need to incorporate protein supplements to help with muscle growth.

Assuming that a paddler needs 1.5 grams per kilogram protein a day, a 60kg paddler would be able to meet his/her needs just by having two eggs, a glass of milk and toast for breakfast, a wrap or sandwich with meat, cheese, and veggies for lunch, an afternoon snack of yogurt with granola and a balanced dinner with a little bit of meat, starch and a good portion of vegetables. Breaking this down:

• A serving of meat and alternatives contains about 15 – 20 g of protein.
• A serving of milk and alternatives contains about 8 g of protein.
• Grain products and vegetables provide a little bit of protein as well.

In order to get the most out of your protein intake, you should take small amounts of protein, like an egg or a glass of milk, every two to three hours to help the body convert it to amino acids and build muscle.

Fats

Because it provides over double the calories per gram compared to carbohydrates and protein, fat has gotten a bad rap in the past and has been the nutrient to eliminate in many diets. However, aside from providing energy, fat intake is necessary for the body to get the essential fats that it can’t produce itself. It also helps the body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

For a person who eats 2,000 calories a day, 400-500 of those calories should come from fat, which would be about 45-55 g. Choose sources of unsaturated fats like canola oil, olive oil, avocado, fish and nuts and seeds to prevent inflammation from high-intensity exercise and maintain heart health. In terms of food:

• All oils are 100% fat, and every millilitre weighs about a gram. Thus, a teaspoon of oil would contain about 5 g of fat.
• Nuts and seeds contain about 20 g of fat per Food Guide serving of ¼ cup. Although they’re a great snack, you definitely should watch the portion!
• An avocado contains about 30 g of fat.
• Most of your fat will probably come from the milk and alternatives and meat and alternatives groups. Choose leaner sources of these food groups to avoid overdoing your fat intake, especially saturated fat.

Water or replacement fluid

Although water doesn’t provide any energy, hydration is just as–if not more–important than maintaining a balanced diet. Any degree of dehydration can hurt an paddler’s performance. A good schedule for fluid intake is:

• 400-600 mL (1½-2½ cups) two hours before exercise.
• 150-350 mL (¾-1¼ cup) every 15-20 minutes during exercise.
• 450-675 mL (2-3 cups) after exercise for every pound lost during a workout.

Water should be perfectly fine unless you’re performing intense activity for over an hour or exercising in very hot/humid conditions where sweat loss is increased. At that point, you need to be more careful of fluid and electrolyte losses through sweat and depletion of muscle glycogen. Therefore, you should drink a quality sports drink containing sodium, potassium, and small amounts of carbohydrate during your workout in those situations.

As you can see, the importance of eating the right foods will not only enhance your performance for dragonboating, but will also make you stronger, more energetic and increase your longevity of life.

IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER

That’s it for this newsletter. In the next newsletter we will be showing you how to write your own Dragonboat training log. It’s important to know how you are progressing, otherwise why are you still training?

Here’s to your paddling success,

Tyrone Shum DBV.com.au and Dragonglobe.com​