Do kayakers make better Dragon boaters??

[dragon08]

Bumped into this article today. A story about a dragonboater in Singapore and became a canoeist.

Quote:
“Rowing was introduced to us in my second year because one of the national rowers was in NTU,” Wai Mun recalled. “I wanted to stop dragon boating and switch to rowing but ended up staying in dragon boating on the advice of my coach.”

“Since I didn’t have a foundation in canoeing and kayaking (both Olympic disciplines), I focused on rowing,” said Wai Mun who eventually picked it up in January ‘07. “Dragon boat training in NTU helped me with the physical aspects of rowing.”

Read article here: http://womenoneverest.com/jane/?p=25

bryan79, Wai Mun is a national rower, not a canoeist. Rowing is a totally different sport from canoeing although both are paddling sports. Do take note.

You got it even more wrong!!! Rowing is rowing, paddling is paddling. Two completely different biomechanical motions.  Do not attempt to correct people when you get it wrong in the first place. It is hilarious... to say the least.

Ok. Cool down guys. Ha. I don't know Wai Mun personally. From the article, it seems that he is doing kayaking nowadays, not sure about about whether he is still doing dragonboating. I think the article just show somehow dragonboat is related to kayaking/canoeing or vice versa.

Whether it's paddling or rowing, I think the correct term debates has been going on for sometime. Anyway, we always say "left rowers" or "right rowers" for dragonboating, seldom we use "left paddlers" or "right paddlers". Guess both words can be interchanged and used depending on situation. Cheers. 

[amdragon]

No, they aren't interchangeable.

Here's the shortcut to tell the difference:

-If you are facing the same direction as the boat's movement, you are paddling (canoe, kayak, dragon boat, surf ski, etc)

-If you are facing the opposite direction as the boat's movement, you are using a lever as a mechanical advantage and you are rowing (like that big race between Oxford and Cambridge with those skinny little boats where the seat slides, whatever that is called)

It makes me want to pull my hair out when people refer to the paddlers in a dragon boat as rowers.  It's completely incorrect.  Some teams even have it on their team jerseys.

[MrPaddleshop]

In any case, I think its suffice to say that paddling in an individual craft does help to improve the dragonboater to gain better water sense. Then again looking at old school paddlers like those who started the sport 20 years ago may not have the advantage of kayaking trg. Sometimes I think the canoeists have the edge in dragon boating in the short run. I can tell that canoeists definitely got a better advantage in any watercraft because its the same dynamics in any craft they use. They use their knowledge to their advantage in a dragonboat to make the craft glide better on the water surface. Much of this knowledge I must say for dragon boaters becomes only apparent with more years and years of experience.. Knowledge can really mean the difference between winning and losing.

[DBrocks]

yup, kayakers do have a better water sense in a way, in a way that if they apply this stroke, they know the kayak will move more efficiently. so if u put 20 of these kayakers in a dragonboat, they can all apply this efficient stroke, therefore, enabling them to have an adv over dragonboaters. plus, endurance wise, they are definitely better. indeed, cross training to kayaking will help dragonboaters to increase paddling endurance. Cheers.

[MrPaddleshop]

yup, kayakers do have a better water sense in a way, in a way that if they apply this stroke, they know the kayak will move more efficiently. so if u put 20 of these kayakers in a dragonboat, they can all apply this efficient stroke, therefore, enabling them to have an adv over dragonboaters. plus, endurance wise, they are definitely better. indeed, cross training to kayaking will help dragonboaters to increase paddling endurance. Cheers.

Do you really know anything you're talking about DBrocks? Well I would have little to say if you were a canoeist. Then I thk this forum wouldn't mind more about how you can cross train in a kayak and the training programme you would do in a kayak to crosstrain for the dragonboat. What makes you think that kayakers have generally better endurance levels than a dragonboater. Unless you're in both, I don't suppose you can tell.

[DBrocks]

yup, kayakers do have a better water sense in a way, in a way that if they apply this stroke, they know the kayak will move more efficiently. so if u put 20 of these kayakers in a dragonboat, they can all apply this efficient stroke, therefore, enabling them to have an adv over dragonboaters. plus, endurance wise, they are definitely better. indeed, cross training to kayaking will help dragonboaters to increase paddling endurance. Cheers.

Do you really know anything you're talking about DBrocks? Well I would have little to say if you were a canoeist. Then I thk this forum wouldn't mind more about how you can cross train in a kayak and the training programme you would do in a kayak to crosstrain for the dragonboat. What makes you think that kayakers have generally better endurance levels than a dragonboater. Unless you're in both, I don't suppose you can tell.

well, isnt it that the case? we could already tell from some of the event results in SDBF that canoeists are indeed performing in the 800m race. well, lets hear your view on why do u not think that kayakers have better endurance levels than a dragonboater. Maybe i could see a different perspective.