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  :-)   

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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.

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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.

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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