ENTRY 39

Heres a place to get your base layer clothing, Priced at 17$ from Korea, about £12 inc postage

Base layers

Update, 30/11/11 just had 3 items I ordered delivered today from this company, quality's good and shipping took a week, these are not winter thermals, their skin/base layers and the materials similar to Lycra 

Here's another one from Korea

Skin tops, base layers

ENTRY 38

ON BOARD VIDEO CAMERA

Ive been playing around with some on bard video cameras, one to use as a tool for evaluating paddle technique, either on board with the paddler or on an companying boat,  great too for showing  POV shots that you dont get from the bank filming.


Heres one I would recommend at the bottom end of the price range......................


Waterproof video camera

Priced at £39.99 and will take up to an 8GB sd card (not supplied) it will give up to 3 1/2 hrs recording time, very easy to use, it takes 2 x AA batteries, I would recommend using the 3000Mha rechargeable batteries to get the extended run life, standard alcaline batteries dont last long, I have tried it underwater and on the boat and has proved to remain watertight,
It comes complete with cd and download cables but is easier to remove the sd card and download through your card reader, there is also a selection of fixing attachments.
The unit is slightly larger than some but I liked the AA set up as the smaller ones had an internal power sauce which never lasted long.

Heres a couple of quick videos I did using the camera, plus a quick bit of editing just to make it a bit more fun (editing software link at the bottom)

Video pad editor (free 30 day trial)


Ive used quite a few video editing software packs but this one come out on top for user friendly and the tools available and twin audio track availability.....

Just down to your imagination to create something interesting to watch

Good luck.................

ENTRY 37

Ive managed to get myself behind with the Blog, hope to catch up with 2 race reports and what's been happening with the K2 training and the start of the winter series over the next few weeks.
There will be some reports covering race tactics and portaging, exercises off the water including an American company called MAXWORKOUT covering many areas from diet to circuit training and weights, use of the Garmin satellite watch, and a few more tips as you move up through the rankings.
I cover all our club boat repairs, working with carbon fibre and glass has been an offshoot from a previous hobby which has given me the skills to do the boat repairs so Ill be dedicating a few entries on how to do some of the repairs, from cockpit damage to nose damage and some of the more exotic repairs, Ill cover material sources and how to tackle the repairs yourself.
My last waterproof video camera managed to die after it became un-waterproof, new and better one is on its way so Ill be able to get some more footage as the season goes on.
Due to an accident at work and cracking my ribs I had 6 weeks of the water and missed the Hasler finals at Bedford, but I will give an entry covering the day


Happy Paddling

ENTRY 36 Medway Marathon Race 21/08/11

The Medway marathon starts at Maidstone (Kent) and Finishes at the Tonbridge canoe club, just over 18 miles and 9 portages.


For me this was a hard race, I knew it wouldn't be an easy one for me as this was the first race in the really wobbly boat, although I'm really comfy in the boat when I'm in calm waters out on my own, add a few boats and a bit of chop I'm not quite as comfy, although it is rare that she kicks me out, the first race in it hasnt been something to look forward too.


Leading up to this race I had got one of the summer colds which knocked me out of training for a while, then I made the classic mistake of over training to near the event, I got on the start line with aching arms and a back that was sore, lesson learnt on that one and if I had been wise I should have cross trained that week.


This race for me had the personnel goal of completing this race in the Supersonic and staying in it and a reasonable finish/time would be good enough.
My first dread was waiting for the start, I still don't like sitting stationary for too long a period, falling out on the start was defiantly a no no, out of sight would be better further up the river, a bit jittery on the nerves but managed to stay up for the off, option was to take it a little easier of the line and keep in the boat, the river was quite wide here so plenty of room, but didn't take long before the wash started to hit, 
it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be, still managed forward speed but the occasional support stroke was needed, speed was well below what I can do in that boat, the faster guys had got a few yards ahead and a smaller group was near to me, keeping with them wasn't too hard and was quite happy to set my sights to stay with them.
That worked for a while until I got to close to guy next to me and the front of my boat decided to veer towards him in the wash which nearly caught me out and had to put the brake on sharpish to avoid colliding, didn't help with the struggling of the wash from all the boats in front and a couple of large size motor home boats coming down the river,
I had been knocked another 20 yards off the small group, the support strokes were having to be more often, my back was screaming from over training and only about a mile covered, nerves and too much adrenalin wernt helping, took me at least another mile before I started to settle down, I was still able to keep pace with the smaller group and the main group about 60 mtr's ahead, guess it wasn't too bad as support strokes were about every 5 strokes.


hadn't bargained for how busy the river was with motor boats, nor the wash they created, was pleased I was coping with them reasonably well but the mind over matter bit wasn't working which kept me on edge a little too much,
Then to cap it a big paddle steamer type boat was approaching, oh gollocks, the bow wave was huge then I could see the wash ripples behind the boat, they looked more like tsunami's approaching one after the other, they hit the boat sideways which was uncomfortable, but I stayed in phew, was wishing Id stayed in bed I really had.  
The worst part of this race was being uncomfortable in my back from the start and not having the best mind set and having never been on this part of the river I never knew what to expect around each corner or no real judgement as to how far away from the next portage, must admit on the mental side Id let it slip. 

The run to the first portage was really dragging and just so uncomfortable with the wash from the bigger craft.
Rounding one corner fairly tight to the bank I hadn't spotted someone tucked behind the bushes fishing, at the last second I spotted the line going in the water, I shouted out but it was too late and the line went over my bow and got caught on my Garmin satalite watch taped to the cockpit rim, normally I cant even press the button on the watch without falling in, but manage to try and get the line off, didn't help the fisherman was keeping a tight line, the line cut clean through the strap, manage to free the line of the watch and pulled the line over, couldn't move off until Id come to the hook end, didn't want that in me, finally it came up and I threw it off to one side in discuss but in doing so it tipped me out, was surprised Id lasted that long, gollocks that water was cold, there wasn't much of a choice where to get the boat sorted, found a concrete wall with a big metal ring that looked the best choice, could just about stand on tip toe to get the boat emptied, but was a trapeze act to get back in the boat which put another couple of gallons back in the boat, but I was in and would have to carry the water to the next portage, I relaxed a little bit after that, by now I was totally on my own, but luckily I was'nt being caught by the group behind.
It was a long stint to that first portage, wet, cold and aching like hell, I felt like giving up, but my car was at the finish line so that wasn't an option.
All the first group of portages were quite spaced out, got to the 3rd portage and greatfull for the drink station to get a drink and 3 jelly babies, wished I hadn't eaten them as they were to repeat on me for the rest of the race, this was the portage where people can go the wrong way, there was only a small space to get back in after this lock, I was so hoping this was the right way, got round a tight corner and could see a boom stretching across the river and presumed this was another portage, mmmm no decent portage stage, wasnt sure, I did get out and saw the river some feet below with no easy route down, nope this didn't seem right, thankfully a women said "they went that way"  which was back where I had got out, the river winds back on its self and feels like youre doubling back on your self, getting back in the water 2 boats went past, at least I could do follow the leader, caught the first one fairly quickly and was gaining ground on the next one, the river had narrowed a little more and everything was a little more stable and I had settled myself and felt a little more drive in me, al be it I could not get that damm boat above 9.4kph, on the river back at home I constantly hit 11/12 kph cruising, a head wind didnt help and wasnt sure how much flow there was on the river as we were going up stream.  

I got to a point where I had lost count of how many locks I had done, getting nearer to the paddler in front but lost a load of ground at a portage as my arms were like lead and a little confusing as to what set of steps to take to get the other side, real down side of never having seen the portage before, got round the first corner after that and 2 large motor homes had just set off in between me and the paddler in from, I really didnt want this, the wash from both boats was a pain but I was pleased that I was coping with it far better than  the beginning, wash hanging motor boats was defiantly a bit trickier than another canoe, I was defiantly faster than them but the river had narrowed and to try and squeeze past was gona be suicidal especially as they hadn't seen me, wasnt prepared to play chicken lol.
I pulled right behind the first one in the prop wash which was more comfatable than in the main wash, once the river opened up it was fairly easy to pull past them, the next portage over and back in the water something wasnt right with the steering and, the tiller bar was like pushing a bag of cement either side, I must have knocked it on the portage, didnt help as it was now the windiest part of the river, just my luck.
A quick twist on the rudder to stop it catching and with the news there was only 3 more locks left I had a bit more energy, a young lady said at least youre still smiling.
Come across a stretch with a load more fishing rods poking over the bank, this time the middle of the river after the last time, finally the last lock and a stretch of the river I recognised from years ago in Tonbridge, round the last corner and a big sign that said "FINISH" what a welcome sight, thank god.

That was defiantly an eventful race personally for me but on reflection Ive got the first race out of the way in the wobbly boat and had coped with everything except the fishing line, managed a 7th and wasnt last, lessons learnt about over training at the last second, and a clearer picture as to what Ive got to work on in the future, achievements can come in big steps as I have managed in getting into the wobblier boat but most come at small steps, Ill look forward to doing this one again next year.


Next race is the Hasler finals on 2nd October in the K2 

ENTRY 35

I have found the balance ball quite helpful and a 5 min session can be fitted in easily, start of with one foot on the ground and gradually both feet and follow what they say on the video, when you're getting better add the paddling motions, to start with clear any breakable items out the way :-)

ENTRY 34 Bets are on

As the competition is heating up with a group of us at the club there's a £10 bet on for the first to get to division 4 and the winner gets to push the losers in whilst there wearing their budgie smugglers and filmed.


Just a note for Captain weasel one division ahead now and only one more to go, get your Budgie smugglers ready 

ENTRY 33 First K2 Win at Huntingdon 17th July

We've just had our last Eastern area Hasler race for this season before the Hasler finals at Bedford in October, as a club we won the overall event with loads of first places for team members.

Decided to have a crack at racing the K2 with club member John, were both about the same ability and both at the same stage with the wobblier boats, staying in them but not quite getting the power and speed out of them for a full blown race.
Me and John have crewed together once before for a short club race and 200mtr sprints, that was done in a bath tub K2 and considering we didn't do too bad and stayed in it, 
with the race approaching we needed something a little faster, but as with these boats faster also means wobblier with the addition of a second person wobbly can get wobblier sometimes.
John has his own K2 but I cant get on with it sitting in the back and prefer the front but we've also got on well in the club "Regina", so we put both of them to the test over a set distance and found we were faster by 10 seconds in the Regina and more comfortable so with decision made the Regina was the boat for the first race.


Race day:  weather was British summer with threats of rain, normal lol, as much as were both stable in the boat sitting around stationary on the start line is not our forte, didn't help there was quite a delay getting the races under-way, a quick scan around to see who else was in the division 6 teams, John pointed out a couple of known quick teams, perhaps finishing this race may be a good enough result.
Finally got on the start line and thankful to get moving, well for at least for 2 seconds as the crews either side of us seem to converge across our bow off the start line and with all the wash I found out how un-responsive the steering was in this K2, there was no choice but to back off which put us in the thick of the wash, I was finding it impossible to correct the steering and get it straight, the front of the boat seemed to be permanently under the water, John was the dedicated back seat driver as hes had experience at racing K2's, the instructions coming from the back were loud and clear but just couldn't get the steering under control until the wash had settled and got some clear water, with all the muck about we were still with the group with ease, John instructed to take the clear wide route around them which was starting to work but just as a canal boat came round the corner they all dived in front of us to avoid it and so went the steering again, but back on the clear water we took the lead quite easily, mmmmmm wasn't expecting this, we had one crew to our left hanging of our wash and couldn't shake them off, by this time we had settled down to a decent rythym, it was very noticeable that when the catch was as far forward as possible and the paddle in full depth how much more power was in each stroke. 
I was woken out of my trance for the first portage by John as I was ready to cut left for a corner and hadn't recognised the portage, mmmm I've been there before lol, we had been warned the portage was high and the weren't wrong, but must admit with 2 of you its easier with one out first then the other, this was a long portage compared to what we normally have, this is an area I normally like and can make up a lot of ground but running was not Johns fastest area, in the boat hes a V8 powerhouse, back in the other side again nice and high with no problems but we hadn't shaken off the other crew and there sticking like glue in the wash, I started to squeeze across to them but John reminded me they were a young girl crew, dammed quick ones too,
We still kept to lead but with the turn point ahead and with them on our left we felt it wasn't worth trying a possible suicide tight turn so we kept put wide which allowed them through on the inside but we also got tangle with some division 4 K1's on the turn, so by the time we got straight we had lost at least 50yds, we went past team mate Sophie and John was having a chat as we went past as if we were on a leisure cruise, had a chuckle at that, quick look behind and he WAS paddling lol, we pulled in the 50yds quite easily and were neck and neck coming back up to the portage, we had an option of going for the high portage or a cut away on the bank, John quickly decided the cut away and this time we had the advantage being on the left and planted the nose of the boat to the right hand side making it a little harder for the other crew, quick as a flash before we planted into the bank I'd lent back and brought both legs out of the cockpit and had my feet in the water and on my feet with the cockpit grabbed and was off, think I'd caught John out as the boat wasn't going forward as he was half in and half out on his side, with other crew getting out I just grabbed the boat and went, he had to follow but had put him on the wrong side for the entry back in, we'd taken water in and had to bail it before we got back in, off we went and had got away first, the ground made up was enough to stop them getting back on to our wash and we both realised that we had to start digging a lot deeper and concentrate hard, keeping up the encouragement to each other we were gaining on anything in front.

  
Past the start line and out to the final turn, my arms were starting to hurt now which wasn't helped by the first time using some new extra large wing paddles, John was in the same position with the top of his legs killing him and finding it hard to get comfortable, there was some confusion as to whether the first bridge was our turning point, we couldn't see anyone else turning there, I hesitated and Johns scream echoed under the bridge to keep going, that woke me up,
we had caught a small group of division 4 paddlers who made good use of our wash for the next mile, I could see the boat nose's either side of us in our wash, I had to be reminded a few times not to cut too close on the corners as they were there and it was easy to forget that there was someone else and a lot more boat behind me, it mad life difficult for John as his paddle was going under the K1's bow and in danger of pulling us over, the mile out from the start to the turn was getting narrower and busy with traffic returning from the last turn point, was a pain with the steering as it was unresponsive and very sluggish so keeping to the middle was the best option and others would just have to avoid us,
At the final turn it was perhaps on the narrowest part of the river with very little room, turning was not our strong point and we had no choice but to go as wide as possible, John told the K1 on our right that were were going wide for the turn, it seemed to take forever to turn and not helped by a K1 having difficulties getting round the turn, the second place team were only about 50 yds away from the turn after we completed, I knew that would open up after they had completed but by no means was the race in the bag yet, we got a little sloppy for a while, Johns legs were hurting even more now and tiredness was creeping in, with encouragement we picked it back up and dug as deep as we could, 1/4 mile to go, 500yds the 100 and over the line to take the win, couldn't believe we had our first win in the bag on our first race together, we were both over the moon with it and it such a relief to stop, the last 2 miles had really been a slog. 
Couldn't have done it without the V8 powerhouse John nor his back seat driving instructions to which I was greatfull for and needed, and we've now got the promotion to division 5, a great day and very enjoyable.


We've opted to do the Hasler final in October in K2 together to finish of the series, we've found a more comfortable and faster boat than what we used for the race and for me its got responsive steering, now I know what I'm up against and with the time available before the finals I'm sure we can produce another good result..............................cheers for the race John 

ENTRY 32 Club fun day

Heres a few pictures of our clubs fun day, including the sinking of the Titanic twice, water was only cold the first time in

Forgot one shipmate

Ready for the off......push of war

Boats filling with water quickly 

She's going

Gone

Ballon bursting

One slippery customer

Hes gona have leg ache tomorrow

ENTRY 31

Ive finally got my self into my new boat the VAJDA Supersonic 02, I put it off for a while whilst I got used to a slightly more stable boat, if Im honest I was also putting myself off a little as well, not long ago I was in a stability 6 boat from Marsport the epsilon and struggling in rough water.


With the winter timing I ended up spending a bit longer in the stable Marsport cirrus, when the warmer waters finally came I was still a little reluctant to go the next boat up, but after the mileage put into throughout the winter series it was straight off,
the blue boat came next, officially more wobbly but to me it felt more stable, does have quite a large forgiving tilt and the whole boat felt like it fitted compared to epsilon, its quite a bit faster too and an ideal marathon boat. 
Finally quite quickly into the Supersonic, I had put it off for a while, finally realised the waters weren't ever going to get above arctic tempuatures,  but I had also been determined not to get to it too quick and constantly spending my time being thrown out and knocking my confidence.
Nearly chickened out from the first launch, John held the stern to steady me whilst I sat in it with the paddles, 2 minuets later I was still upright, gave her a couple of strokes and away I went, stability really changed with some speed, she was a lot more stable than I thought it would be, wooops now its time to do a slow tight turn, nope still quite stable, back to the jetty still dry I was really pleased with it, far more stable and forgiving than I ever thought it would be, the whole boat is so comfortable and fits me and the seat is comfy too.
Just to prove it wasnt a fluke I did the run again and no problems, next day I did an 8 mile run in her and 8 portages, still dry and really happy with her, the only problem was the sprint rudder, it picked up every weed and Lilly pad going, feels like someones got hold of the back of your boat, so a new marathon rudder is on order to overcome the weeds, the nose being a sprint shape too picks up nearly everything, where the nose is deep its hard to shake of anything caught, again really surprising what a difference it can make in speed, with no weeds you really feel the boat glide through the water.
Overall Im very pleased with the boat and would definatly recommend a VAJDA, Ive heard from a few people now that they are a surprisingly stable and forgiving boat.
Its taken a few miles and a few steps to get in the wobblier boat, most of all its surprising how much its a mind over matter with stability.





Ive got 3 weeks to get used to her before the next race, Im expecting its going to take a couple of races plus quite a few miles training to get used to her before I can really push her and myself, for the moment staying dry's been a good result :-)

ENTRY 30 Core workout

These bunch of exercises are worth doing on top of any normal training routine to help with stability, there is so much advise out there for training programs to suit Kayak  marathon racing, Ill post my training schedule that Im able to fit in round my lifestyle.
I dont feel qualified enough to suggest routines for individuals, but the exercises below will help with stability, ever wondered why the top guys are so quick, STABILITY..........to get the best from your fitness and  paddle technique you need stability, its the main platform for everything else, so core strength is not to be ignored and essential.
Dont forget the cardiovascular side, from running to second sports like squash, if you dont like running skipping is spot on, its harder than you think    4 x 5 min x 4 twice daily with a 2 minute break in between, sprinting is good as well and training schedules with 2 minuets hard paddle and one minute off repeated.


Last one which i see very few people doing is warm up exercises before a race or stretching after a race, 
think about a race car, would you start it up on the start line and floor it, nope you'd get the engine up to temputure first, same after a race, if its an ali/turbo engine you leave it running to cool down first before switching off.
5 minutes skipping or jogging before you get on the water and as much time as you can get on the water warming up with some short sprints, and then dont forget to do your stretches after your race  :-)   

---

Core Workout for Month 1

The first month’s workout focuses on core stability. During core stability exercises there is little to no movement in the lumbar spine. The goal is to re-train your deep core muscles so that they keep your pelvis and spine stable.
Here are the core exercises:

Core Exercise #1: Bridges
Core Exercise #2: Plank (half or full)
Core Exercise #3: Back Extensions on the Floor
Aim for 12-20 repetitions per set (10-60 seconds for the plank) Complete 2-3 sets. Move in a slow and controlled manner. Rest 10-60 seconds in between sets. Do this workout 2-3 days a week for 3-4 weeks and move on to the next workout.

---

Core Workout for Month 2

The second month’s workout focuses on core strength. During core strength exercises you move through the full range of motion for the spine.
Here are the core exercises:

Core Exercise #1: Ball Crunches
Core Exercise #2: Back Extensions on the Ball
Core Exercise #3: Bicycle Crunches
Aim for 8-15 repetitions per set. Complete 2-4 sets. Move in a steady rhythm. Rest 30-60 seconds in between sets. Do this workout 2-3 days a week for 3-4 weeks and move on to the next workout.

---

Core Workout for Month 3

The third month’s workout focuses on developing power and speed. In order to develop power you must move in an explosive way.
Here are the exercises:
Core Exercise #1: Medicine Ball Soccer Throw
Core Exercise #2: Medicine Ball Sit Up Throws
Core Exercise #3: Medicine Ball Rotational Chest Pass
Aim for 5-10 repetitions per set. Complete 3-4 sets per exercise. Move in a fast and explosive manner. Rest 60-90 seconds in between sets. Do this workout 2-3 days a week for 3-4 weeks.

ENTRY 29 Pull Bars

Pull Bars!!!!! none of the club boats were fitted with pull bars so I never got introduced to them when I first started, most of the faster guys had them fitted, mmmmm must be a reason. 


They are not as their name suggests, first thoughts were you pushed with one leg and pulled with the other against the bar, same as you do with cycling, I was adamant they would work with the same principle, after a few conversations and trying it out my self, any pulling energy exerted on the pull is wasted and can quite quickly result in toe cramp, and thats horrible, looking into the bio mechanics it does confirm theres no benefit in pulling.


Ok!!! so why have a pull bar!!!! whats the advantage's,  what I have found is comfort, the feet (toes) fit snuggly, keeps the feet in the same place, guess you could call it that locked in feeling, especially when youre sprinting hard the feet are kept on the foot plate and reduces your foot lolling around, but saying that they dont trap your feet in so if you fall out your feet still slide out with ease.


The main advantage I have found is with stability, when youre pushing your paddle stroke hard theres a little more body movement and leg extension, the tendency for the boat or yourself is you can become a little more unbalanced on your left and right, more so when youre starting out in a  wobbly boat and still trying to get to grips with balance, what I have found is on the full leg extension side I tend to feel a little tippy to that side, I find that if I do pull (just enough force to keep up-right) with the opposite leg I can keep my body more upright and oppose the wobble direction and result in keeping my core more upright.
I defiantly feel more stable overall and has been quite helpful when Ive got my self in a spot of bother with balance.

Disadvantage, is on your steering, your feet movement is restricted for when full rudder is need on a slow turn as the support bolts restrict your left and right movement, I tend to take my left foot away when doing a left turn, not ideal but the best solution I have found is to change your rudder wheel to a smaller diameter, this reduces the tiller input for more responsive steering, also prefer this by miles when wash hanging and  have to keep playing with the steering to keep on track, nothing worse than having to Keep playing the tiller bar full left and right just to keep on track which results in a lack of getting leg extension and torso twist.

Available from Marsport

  
After wanting one I couldnt find a supplier that was selling the pull bar, Marsport were doing one but only with a foot plate assembly priced at £65.
The one in the above pictures I made myself using aluminium tubing and stainless steel threaded rod, to buy the items needed it worked out expensive for a one off. 


Now I have full workshop facilities available I can offer the Pull bar under 
CEDAR RACING PRODUCTS  or cedar_racing@yahoo.co.uk  for £25 inc p&p or fitted for the same price if local, just drop me a line with your requirements, hopefully coming soon will be custom made aluminium/steel V bars and a new web site for Cedar Racing with shop should appear over the next few months

ENTRY 28

I found this clip today, you may find it useful, does emphasize how much effort has to be put into technique and an organised training regime, I hope over the next few weeks after a couple of training courses to put together a training program of my own for on and off the water for those that have just started

 

Training Talk with Oscar - Technique

Oscar Chalupsky

In your estimation, how important is technique training compared to fitness training for the average paddler?
Is it 50/50?

I love this subject as I spend more than 3 sessions a week doing technique. I constantly try to reinforce with people that technique is far more important than fitness! All of us, including the pros, can only improve and paddle our best with a dedicated focus on technique as part of our training routine. Training hard with bad technique will get you nowhere.

It is so important, I believe that newer paddlers should be spending up to 80% of their training time with a focus on technique, and 20% pure fitness training. For more experienced paddlers the balance can shift to around 50/50. Most top sportsman in all sports have personal coaches that stay with them 80% of the time, from practice to competition. This is especially true of sports with a focus on technique and form, such as golf, tennis and swimming. Today, many of these athletes maintain high levels of fitness, but they excel through refining their specific skills.

I recently worked a young swimmer who had no paddling experience. In just 2 months of technique work in a K1, he broke 2 minutes on a 500 meter course.

What is the most important factor in technique? (efficiency, injury prevention, reducing fatigue, etc.)

It is a combination of all of these. By refining your technique, you are learning to utilize your whole body to paddle, not just your upper body. You are maximizing your own strength, and utilizing the paddle to its full performance. This increases your speed, reduces your fatigue and helps prevent injuries. You’ll end up paddling faster over longer distances. It can take a long time for people to realize how important the legs are in the kayak forward stroke, and even longer for them to get comfortable with it. Practice is the only way.

If a paddler has 5 days to train on the water in a week, say 10-15 hours, how many hours do you think should be spent on form and technique?

I might be a bit biased, but I would do technique training 3 times a week. Some people get paranoid about losing focus on fitness, but in my technique sessions we are actually accomplishing both. For experienced paddlers, technique training can be done just by controlling the workout a little more, staying conscious of your blade placement, hip rotation, etc.

Would you rather be very fit with poor technique, or moderately fit with excellent technique?

Again, I would rather have better technique. These days I often end up having to rely on technique to get me through some of the bigger races, as I simply haven’t had the time to train the way I would like. For the Durban World Cup I had to get by on three 50 minute sessions a week leading up to the race, so my focus was form and technique.

Where do you work on technique? Ocean, flat water?

Flat water is the best for technique work. All my technique sessions are on totally flat water. This is the only way you can be totally focused on your form and all the components of the stroke. When I’m paddling downwind, I treat that as a separate discipline, and my “technique” training is aimed at catching runs and surfing.

What is your most important piece of advice when it comes to paddling technique? (blade placement, leg extension, blade exit, etc.)

There are several different components of the kayak forward stroke, and they have to work together to be truly efficient. Proper blade placement is essential, but can only be achieved with good leg extension, hip rotation, etc. If you have a kayak forward stroke DVD, study it. If you don’t, get one and watch it repeatedly. When practicing, spend different segments of the session focusing on a different component of the stroke. Paddle 500 meters at a controllable speed while paying close attention to your leg drive. Paddle the next 500 meters focusing on paddle angle, etc. Or break it into time segments. Personalize the training so it remains fun, but productive

ENTRY 27 Norwich Hasler 22 May 2011

If you look at the picture of the Norwich clubs lake it looks fairly placid, wait until you actually get on it, we were blessed with sunshine but the wind was gale force, it was around the 50mph mark.
I traveled up with Toby and Paul and we were all looking forward to this race, think we all changed our minds once we got out on the water, because of the balls up with the timing and placing at the last Hasler race my promotion to division 5 had been reduced to division 6, looking at some of the div 5 paddlers perhaps I was better of in  6 lol,
it was still double the distance from my previous races which I prefer and 2 portage laps around the lake then the next 2 with a portage each before the finish line.


Out on the water for a warm up and my mind changed about this race, the wind had suddenly picked up more and with the lake being exposed you felt like a pea being pushed around by someone blowing down a straw, a few hundred yards out and then a turn to come back youre hit with the full force of the wind side on, everything suddenly became a lot tippier, I opted to use the Epsilon, Im stable enough but just cant get comfy in this boat and dont like it, with a white knuckle turn and confidence knocked I wasnt too sure how this race would go, staying in was the biggest priority, a second practice turn wasn't much better, better just to shore up and wait for the race I thinks and let fate do the rest.


The start area was fairly sheltered, that was good lol but this start was backing up to the main jetty for the start, a bit manic and fraught with 18 boats trying to maneuver in place, especially as I dont feel comfortable in this boat.

My start was lousy as usual, why cant they go "ready steady go" lol instead of suddenly "go" wasnt worried too much as it was easy to get in a group and wash hang, 2 on the front went like rockets, no body seemed too bothered about catching them up, unlike my cycling days if someone got out front and thought a threat they'd stay there everyone worked together to catch them, not with this racing or at least this level, the group was a little slow so I had to pull out and was doing quite well then we hit the full force of the wind from behind, low paddle strokes now as the wind catches the paddle and try's to rip it out of your hand, the waves were quite high now with nose to cockpit being underwater when you catch a wave, not been used to that and was a little un-nerving, it was surfing now when you catch a wave, a totally new experience but fun, 

I was expecting nice calm waters at the turn, how wrong could I have been, it was like sitting in your bath in a rictor 15 earthquake, instead of 1 buoy it was 3 which prolonged the exposure to the side wind and the waves being whipped in with the wind also tried to stop your turn into the wind, it was an extreamlly ungraceful turn all made up of support strokes that somehow had some forward motion, finally got the nose into wind, phew, how I stayed in I dont know, how the hell I was going to do that another 3 times I didnt know, 

into wind wasnt too bad, head forward and low paddle, frustrating you cant get the speed but I wasnt struggling with the strength side and was easily making up distance on the others, then I would struggle with stability and loose ground and the catch up again, the second turn was like the 1st but I still stayed in, just lol,

time for the first portage, a small area to get out of then a short run and into a beech launch, would have gone ok but a K2 suddenly appeared on the left and another on the right just as the wrong time, landing space taken up completely, no choice but to wait, mmmm to gentlemanly I think, Ive gota get more aggressive and push in.

The 3rd lap was when the wind reached its maximum, downwind was surfing and reaching speeds of up to 15kph and looking down and seeing no water under the cockpit in between waves, the waves now getting higher were washing from behind and each one putting more water into the boat, mmmmm this wasnt good, I was loosing ground not because I was exhausted but just trying to stay in the damn boat, the 3rd turn was worse, turns 1 and 2 put together, someone up there liked me and kept me in, into wind with the wind whipping up the white horses this time and the nose of the boat permanatly buried underwater, was starting to notice loads of boats the wrong way up and the rescue boat busy, so did not want to go in the water in the middle of this huge lake, at the winds worse the best I could manage was 2.2 kph and couldnt get the paddles any lower, loosing loads of ground now, the 2 I had been chasing had vanished, think one had gone in and the other I dont know, that was very draining lap, the last portage and there was a few boats anchored up doing nothing and 2 club mates standing there, It looked like the race had been stopped, phew!!!!!!    how wrong, the anchored boats were from other class's and had finished, it was made clear that when finished to get out the other side and not at the portage, no choice but to get out of the boat in the water, lol try doing that gracefully, place behind had caught up and a mad dash to get in the water and off, struggled again to keep the speed in the wind and lost the place to him at the last turn, wasnt as bad as the other 3 times, I opted to take the straight route to the finish line whilst the guy in front took the longer sheltered route, it worked for him and pooped back out in front of me and left me trailing him by 50 mtrs, with 500 mtrs to go I wasnt going to be beaten that easily, this close to home it was s*d the wind and falling in, gave it everything and was catching, not quick enough, this Epsilon boat does not go any faster than the old bus Cirrus and is still like pushing a brick, with 50mtrs to go no choice but to dig even deeper, im not going to be beaten, made it by 1 second in front, long long time since Ive had ab's screaming like they were, the 100mtr saunter to the portage was like 5 miles and had nothing to even get out of the boat. Final position was 5th, under the conditions I was pleased with it, if it had been calm im confident I could have finished a lot higher.

I think it was an achievement for anyone just to have finished that race, it was an experience and a confidence builder staying in the boat as nearly a 1/3 of the entire entries had dunkings and retirements, it has helped me with stability and my blue boat feels so comfortable and stable and can even sit stationary in wobble 2 boats with no paddle, that was an impossibility 6 months ago, Im going to stay with the blue boat a bit longer and do a race in it before tackling the red boat head on, having a break from the next Hasler and concentrating hard on technique and distance training for the next race.

Congrats to team mates Spencer who won his Div 8 race to get promoted to Div 6, and young Paul getting a good finish in Div9 in lousy conditions and well done to Toby who had 3 dunkings and avoiding Davey Jone's locker, the next race has to be a CALM one, fingers crossed it is....................till next time :-)

ENTRY 26

I had a go at our club summer sprint series last week, 500mtr and 200mtr, we had the 500mtr down what we call the channel which has the concrete sides and notorious for the waves bouncing around as if in a bath tub, what can i say, what an experience, Ive never been the quickest of the line but most of the races were against guys a lot faster and 4 abreast  I was finding within 10ft i was firmly in their wash and struggling just to keep upright together with the wash bouncing straight back of the walls it was a wild rodeo, the boats nose was buffeted from side to side and a pain to keep straight, the first 50 mtrs were just a hang on before i could get the paddles working, managed a 2.36, ive done a 2.22 in calmer conditions,
the 200mtr races followed the same format and was a struggle, dont think im ever gona make a decent sprinter as I do very much prefer the longer distances, but all good experience and I stayed in the boat.


Thought that was the end of the racing for the day but Mo put me and John together for the K2 distance race, haven't done much K2 work and me and John had only done a short trip together in the winter, but this time is was going to be 5 min's practice then full on sprints for 2x 200mtrs before the distance one, took a few minutes before we could get our paddle speed to match, had a couple of good runs actually and fairly good on paddle timing, there were no official timings so a little hard to judge how we did against the faster crews, we used the old bath tub "Condor" as it was our safest bet to stay dry, all be it its like being in a washing machine sitting on the back.


We set of in the second group for the distance race, most of the younger ones were in our group and the faster ones were in the first group, the first corner was fun trying to get the tub round quick, think we pushed one crew out wide, no problem getting out front, paddle timing was good and the old bus was picking its skirt up, could see we were closing ground on the group ahead, 
We had a really good race, stability was not a problem in this boat and allowed for the first time to really get some power down, we did finish fairly high up and had beaten some of the faster crews, not bad in a tub and our first ever race together

Next Hasler race this Sunday at Norwich, not sure what Im up against for this race, The Bedford race results were really mucked up and my previous promotion to Div 5 has now been reduced to Div 6, not bothered really as its still the longer distance race which I prefer, and this race I dont have to wear a\ life jacket as the other Divisions were mandatory, I so hate wearing them whilst racing, think ill have 2 portages, ive got a faster boat to use and hopefully my non smoking may give something back to me, 

see you soon

ENTRY 25

Decided to up the stakes a little and spend some dosh and got myself a new boat, Its going to cost me a few swims im sure as its quite a few steps up the ladder, thankfully Ive got the rest of the summer to get used to it before the winter comes back, so its bite the bullet now, just wished someone would turn the heating up in the river lol

Its a VAJDA SUPERSONIC, Ive gone for the XXL as it suits my height and weight and should mean no more scraping my back on the cockpit, and ulimatly faster and hopefully a step nearer to getting to Division 3 as my goal this year, well I can dream for a bit

Fellow club mate gave the boat a quick run for me, thumbs up all-round, faster than the 01 version, very good at tracking, quick to get up to speed on the sprint and very manouvarable with one of the better shaped sprint rudders, will have to change it for a marathon one as the shape does pick up a lot of weed which is abundant this time of year, Ive had  quick try in it and definitely finding it tippy just beyond my ability at the moment, but I dont think it'll take too long, got some club mates Ive got to overtake lol.
Ive been using my other boat "Lazer" although its supposed to be a bit tippier than what I have been using Im finding it far my comfortable than any of the others as it fits nice and snug on my hips and feels more comfortable on the foot plate, I find it easier too as its a snug fit that the knees stay together a lot easier compared to the larger beam boats and therefore aids in the boat staying more stable when pushing the paddle stroke, wished id started using this boat a long time ago rather than the club boats ive been using, so dosent always mean the so called wobblier boat will be wobblier for YOU,