The Science of Canoeing By Richard Cox

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Although it has already been pointed out that to date there has been minimal research which examines technique using the wing paddle and its derivatives, a number of coaching points based on experience have become established. The major points to note are that rather than pulling the paddle blade back along a straight line parallel to the axis of the canoe, it is important to let the blade move outwards to the side. The blade will have a tendency to do this anyway and so all the paddler has to do is to guide it on its natural course. During the final phase of the stroke a higher recovery is necessary to allow a good clean blade entry at the next catch. Dwane's analysis suggests that the wing paddle demands an action most akin to the Swing style. 62
Acquiring Good Technique Teaching and Learning The introductory phase of any teaching or training program should concentrate on establishing good paddling technique. That Is a mechanically efficient technique that feels natural and smooth and is executed with consistency even at the sub- conscious level Young canoeists, in particular, are likely to be anxious to improve their speed in order to win races. Whilst races can be won at lower levels of competition without first acquiring good technique this phenomenon does not usually pertain at international level. What is moor poor technique, once acquired is not easily corrected. Good technique takes considerable time and practice to acquire; in fact it is a never ending process since there is always room for improvement. As the paddler acquires greater strength, the more likely s/he will be able to refine his/her techniques. The greater the endurance s/he develops the longer s/he should be able to sustain it. It is important to realise, however, that as with the acquisition of any skill, the learner is likely to experience diminishing improvements to overall performance. Whereas the novice might improve his/her 500m time by 30 seconds in the first 12 months of training, it might take a further 24 months to reduce it a further 10. The learning curve is also likely to exhibit plateaus, that is, periods of no apparent improvement. This can be a difficult time for the learner, especially from a motivational point of view. As to how long these plateaus will last is unpredictable. A known fact is that they become more frequent as learning progresses. Such periods are not necessarily wasteful. They may provide the opportunity for certain aspects of the skill to become consolidated The way many paddlers learn their technique is by watching accomplished performers train and compete. The most competent performers are usually those who win races, especially at the higher levels of competition. Although it is helpful to observe competitors in full flight from the bank or from on the water, it is also useful to observe them on video or cine film, especially on a recorder that allows you to sloe down or stop the action so that you can observe all the different aspects of the skill (position of hands on paddle, angle of shoulders, point of paddle entry, etc.). If you have access to a video or cine camera then film both accomplished performers and yourself and make comparisons. Take shots from the front and rear as well as from the side and above. A good coach can save a paddler an endless amount of time. An educated eye will detect faults, however minor, almost immediately. This is far more efficient than attempting to learn by trial and error. With young paddlers, it is sometimes necessary to concentrate on one particular aspect of the skill and once this has been mastered, fit it into the overall movement pattern. With younger and novice paddlers it is also best to distribute practice into short but frequent sessions. This helps maintain concentration and prevents fatigue from interfering with performance and/or motivation. Naturally, there will be individual differences in the learners which will influence the speed with which they are able to comprehend and/or master the new skills. A number of these variables are discussed in Chapter Six. These factors should certainly be borne in mind by the instructor/coach in organizing and managing the learning environment, in his expectations, and in how he responds to the individual personalities. It has already been noted that executing efficient technique, especially at speed, is dependent upon possessing certain physical characteristics and abilities such as joint mobility and strength of muscle contraction. The anatomical and physiological factors determining performance in propelling the canoe forward at speed, form the subject of the following chapter. 63
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1 The Science of Canoeing
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3 Published by Coxburn Press Copyri
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5 A Word about the Author Dr. Richa
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Preface The impetus for this book c
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athletics, rowing and swimming. Bil
Page 11 and 12: List of Figures 2.1 Factors Affecti
Page 13 and 14: 7.11 Other Opportunities to Move Ah
Page 15 and 16: Acknowledgements Discussions with m
Page 17 and 18: Part A Introduction General introdu
Page 19 and 20: Introduction to Factors Affecting p
Page 21 and 22: An Introduction to Kinesiology The
Page 23: Figure 3.3: The Differences Between
Page 26: Trimming the canoe correctly is imp
Page 29 and 30: The canoeing technique utilises the
Page 31 and 32: Ball and socket joints allow a wide
Page 33 and 34: Control of the muscle fibres is by
Page 36 and 37: There are three types of muscle con
Page 38 and 39: symmetrical halves. Forward and bac
Page 42 and 43: Part B Factors Affecting Performanc
Page 44 and 45: (FromA.Toro,1986) (1) Here we shall
Page 46 and 47: (iii) View from Side 2. The Pull Ph
Page 48 and 49: Pushing too high with upper arm - o
Page 50 and 51: (iii) View From Side Coaching Tips:
Page 52 and 53: Table 4.1: Stroke Times and Percent
Page 54 and 55: The following tracings are taken fr
Page 56 and 57: Table 4.3: Paddle Positions and For
Page 58 and 59: Plagenhoef distinguishes between wh
Page 61: Neither paddler in figure 4.15 woul
Page 65 and 66: Stretching exercises should be perf
Page 67 and 68: Research on canoeists confirms what
Page 69 and 70: Strength Training There are three b
Page 71 and 72: Because movement is involved and of
Page 73 and 74: 73 Table 5.3: Movements and Muscle
Page 75: Joint Hip Knee Ankle Movement Abduc
Page 78 and 79: Ideally, subsequent loadings should
Page 80 and 81: Power Development For the developme
Page 82 and 83: Since it takes time for physiologic
Page 84 and 85: Table 5.6 Example of an strength En
Page 86 and 87: Table 5.12 Characteristics of Isome
Page 88 and 89: Energy Metabolism in the same way,
Page 92 and 93: of carbohydrate liberates 36 moles
Page 94 and 95: Table 5.14: Various Sports and Thei
Page 96 and 97: Since the demands of lactic trainin
Page 98 and 99: More sophisticated electronic devic
Page 100 and 101: The volume of oxygen that can be ab
Page 102 and 103: Oxygen Uptake The volume of oxygen
Page 104 and 105: Methods of Training Given that ener
Page 106 and 107: Table 5.15: Guidelines for Writing
Page 108 and 109: Cat and mouse is simply two or more
Page 110 and 111: weight each day. Although some athl
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Minerals Like vitamins, minerals ha
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and physically and produce a dehydr
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Post-Competition Since the most eff
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The Nervous System The nervous syst
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(I) A placebo causes an improvement
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haemoglobin and red (oxygen carryin
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Perhaps rather neglected in the lit
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Understanding motivation demands ca
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Personality is often the key to exp
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Intelligence Another important psyc
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Systematically relax different part
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and become more deeply involved. Th
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Tactical and Strategic Factors A Fe
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Knowing that they can then afford t
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eserves of muscle glycogen. If it i
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Fig 7.1 Off the Start (i) 1000m (ii
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If you get too far forward you will
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Figure 7.7 Figure Position This pos
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It takes considerable practice to b
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You should remember that as you app
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If you do wish to go for the lead a
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Environmental Factors We have alrea
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Other Factors There are undoubtedly
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female, will never make a successfu
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The extreme in mesomorphy is the cl
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Figure 9.4: C hart for Plotting Som
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Table 9.5 Descriptive Analysis for
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alance problem may place a high pri
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exceptionally light person can usua
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stroking and stop on the opposite s
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Since one has no choice over inheri
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Part C Planning, Administering and
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preparation before the main competi
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work. For the marathon paddler, the
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In the competition period, the grap
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phenomenon especially amongst marat
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Note that an endurance base is esta
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exercise lactic acid concentrations
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psychological manifest themselves o
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Men ((ml/kg/)min) Endurance Sports
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Canoeists often develop lower-back
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Phase 0 No pain or soreness Phase I
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Tyldesley, B. and Grieve, J.I. Musc
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Burke, E. J.(ed), 'Toward an Unders
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Heller, J. Euro, V. and Kuta, M., `
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Zuti, W., 'Heat Stress, Conditionin
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A guide to effective coping with in
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Appendix Seven Relaxation Technique
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Major Group 4 - THE LEGS AND FEET A
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Cue Words and Breathing You can tie
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Appendix VIII Pre-Competition Quest
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2) Example of a weekly Micro-Cycle
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6) Example of a 2 Week Micro-Cycle
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(4) Examples of O2 Sessions for Int
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On-the-water training sessions, ...
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The Science of Canoeing By Richard Cox

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