The biggest challenge of dragon boat racing is managing team synchrony. Since there is no gym exercise for building synchrony, teams that spend more time practicing on water tend to have an advantage.
Basic execution, including flawless strokes and synchrony, is the most important part of competitive dragon boating.
There are four basic phases of paddling:
1. "Catch" as you lean forward, turn your body slightly toward your partner and submerge your paddle in the water. Make sure that the full blade catches water.
2. "Pull" as you lean back to pull water. Propulsion of the boat is based on countering that water resistance you feel. Therefore, the boat experiences maximum propulsion as the full blades of all 20 paddlers catch and pull water at the same time.
3. "Finish" as you pull the blade out of the water. This phase signals the completion of your first stroke and preparation for your next stroke.
4. "Reach" as you lean forward again to prepare for the "Catch" phase of your next stroke. The "finish" and "reach" phases are sometimes known as "ready-and-reach". Together, they are also addressed as the "recovery" phase.
As the saying goes: "Practice makes perfect." Perfect execution of the dragon boat technique requires physical conditioning outside of dragon boating. So remember, the key to success is training, training, and more training!
For more info on the dragon boat stroke, visit http://www.paddlersanon.com/stroke.php
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