Coaches Corner #1 Don Cherry Redux

In this section of the forum I hope to provide guidance and feedback for paddlers who are training to race long distances in canoes. A few comments before I get into it:

1. There are many ways to train effectively. I know of some disciplined athletes that trained only a third of the time/distance of their event and performed very well. I know of people who have seriously overtrained and are completely unaware of the fact. I have seen people train themselves into injury and misery. We want to avoid that happening to any of you.

There are objective ways to see how you are doing but when people are still honing skills it is hard to know if an improvement is from better technique or better fitness. So we will design a program that attempts to encompass older athletes, younger athletes, skilled and less skilled athletes. Please note that we are looking for athletes and you are all athletes but you must reach in and get to that inner racer.

2. There are many effective techniques. There are actually some very fast people out there whose technical skills are poor, but still effective (some even win many of the races and admit their technique is not technically perfect). If any of you run with a group you will know there is a wide range of styles exhibited in that group. Go to any 10 kms fun run and watch people go by; some very fast and very weird runners. While paddling is not as free style as running, it is more-so than cycling or rowing for example. There is no fixed point from which you perform work. The levers are created by you, not attached to your machine. We like a stroke that is easy on the body, that employs the whole body, and that is effective for folks not paddling at the elite level. Elite paddlers would be forced to become more aggressive. Most of us are too old to become elite and our bodies can't take the beating that would dish out. I expect you have heard people on the dock saying "well that is just one way to paddle" and that is true. We are teaching a style that allows for the most overlap of power phase between paddlers in a big canoe, that permits people to bring their body strengths to bear, whether arms or shoulders or trunk or hips or legs, and most importantly we have to paddle alike or we won't make the canoe go. Good crews look like cookie cutter paddlers. The canoe seems to move effortlessly (though it is not without effort). The bodies are quiet and body motion makes the canoe go and allows you to rest and to breathe and nothing else.

3. If you want to race long distance you simply have to train. You cannot dabble in this sport. Most of you could climb off the couch and paddle or even race a thousand meters and maybe not too badly. but you could not climb off the same couch and paddle 20 kms. You are in crew canoes and if you don't pull your weight someone else has to. That is not okay. You should expect that if you do not come to practice your crewmates are going to be resentful and are going to begin to confront you about your fitness and your contribution to the canoe's progress.

Please give the above some thought. When you come to practice come prepared to become a better paddler by the time the practice is over.

Brent