Which is more important? Power or Tech for OC6 & OC1 ???
Regards,
Koka
Submitted by KR68 on Thu, 05/25/2006 - 10:36pm
Which is more important? Power or Tech for OC6 & OC1 ???
Regards,
Koka
Submitted by KR68 on Thu, 05/25/2006 - 10:36pm
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I think it depends. I'll always remember what my OC6 paddling coach told me about what factors "move" the canoe. 1) Gorillas; 2) Timing; 3) Technique; and 4) Touch. Although my coach's comments were in reference to OC6, I think they are still appropro to OC1s.
BTW, the word, "Gorillas" is in reference to power.
The priority of these four elements change depending on the type of race and/or the distances you're talking about. If you are talking about sprints such as regatta races, technique, IMO, is less of a factor than power. Let's face it, If you've got Gorillas in the boat, chances are, they'll move a canoe faster over a 1/2 mile sprint than a bunch of synchronized Chimps with excellent technique.
On the flipside (pun intended), power become less of a factor in distance runs where the advantages afforded by efficiency often overcome the advantage safforded powerful flailing musclebound paddlers. I remember one season in which I steered a preseason long distance race and paddled past a frustrated musclebound crew while they bailed their canoe. They flipped no less than 3 times during an 8 mile race and that was enough to put them in DFL. The flipping was caused by poor timing and technique.
I know some will disagree but like I said, "IMO."
#1 Fri, 05/26/2006 - 9:37am
I now have a very vivid mental picture of a canoe full of sychronized chimps. Thanks for cracking me up!
#2 Fri, 05/26/2006 - 11:09am
I think for OC6 the elements are reversed; 1st is timing, 2nd is technique and last is pure power/fitness...at least in the beginning. I'm sure we've all had the experience of working very, very hard and being passed (usually by a Senior Mkaster crew that does not seem to be working at all and yet are going way faster...and the more you 'crank up' to stay with them, the farther ahead they pull.
I got to ciach a High School team here this Spring and we were 2 weeks behind the other crews getting started. I didn't think i had time to get them 'strong', so instead concentrated on teaching all the paddlers (none of whom had ever paddled before) timing first, then some technique, and last worked on intervals and strength training. All the other crews were doing nothing but pulling tires, push-ups, shuttle runs, etc. My girls won 12 of 14 races, the boys and mixed were in front by the end of the season (I guess girls get it quicker).
Obviously, I'm not dismissing fitness; the fitter and stronger you are the longer and harder you can pull...but I think feeling the boat glide and recognizing what makes that happen and learning to do THAT part
is way more important than brute force.
#3 Thu, 06/01/2006 - 2:44pm
Timing and Technique is how small can beat big. Now if the big guys have timing and technique the small guy is F*%#ed. However usually the bigger stronger guys have diffuculty with technique because they've been able to muscle their way through things their whole life and have never needed technique. But lately I've seen many bigger stronger guys with good technique and kicking everyones ass.
I feel that technique and endurance is first, then strength. Technique and endurance will make you way faster and is easier to achieve than if you try and get stronger.
#4 Mon, 06/05/2006 - 3:10pm
Thought I bring a little controversy to the topic. I think it is a little different for women in the OC6 because they aren't as strong as men (politically incorrect I know but I am a woman) and it is a 400 lb boat. Personally I would rather paddle with 5 female gorillas with marginal technique than 5 female chimps with perfect technique. I think my order for women in an OC6 would be timing, fitness (very close 1-2) then technique. Then again this is a little like disgussing what is more important in hitting home runs... bat speed, sheer strength, technique, or timing. It takes varying degrees of each depending on the circumstances.
#5 Sun, 06/11/2006 - 3:55pm
I will toss in my thoughts as well.
Physiologically, the gorilla type athletes (big & muscular with more fast twitch muscle fibres) take longer to become aerobic athletes. This can be 2-3 x longer than the chimps or more aerobic athletes. And no matter how you look at outrigger, it is an aerobic sport.
The hours of training needed to learn proper technique ensures this aspect of the sport, whether sprint or distance racing. So, while the gorillas may appear to bonk or fatigue faster, investing in them as a long term prospect is a good bet. As long as you can keep them motivated through the novice years they will be a huge (no pun intended) asset to the team/club.
That being said, I believe that technique is very important as it directly impacts stroke efficiency. Even superhuman strength / raw power output is useless unless it makes the canoe move forward and in the correct direction. A paddler with poor efficiency may be able to blast off the start line but they will be burning energy a such a high rate that they will fatigue very fast. The more efficient they are the longer thay can maintain a high hull speed, so as a gorilla slowly gains efficiency they will last longer and longer, going faster and faster.
Swiming is similar in that poor technique can be 16 x less efficient than World Class technique.
Now, while technique is important, each individual paddler needs to bring their best paddling specific fitness to the canoe along with good technique. Good technique and sport specific fitness will allow the paddlers to performance well in the crew. A gorilla with excellent technique but poor fitness is a potential liability and can turn into a 200+ lb passenger holding a paddle, or worse yet can actually hinder the crew by being unable to stay in time or finish their stroke properly.
Then again, even a 150 lb chimp hitching a ride would be an unwelcome passenger!
I have heard of some clubs/crews (i.e. Tahitian) that use weighted OC1 time trials, or OC2 time trials where the second person (the coach?) does no paddling to simulate the additional weight incurred in an OC6. This would favour fit, efficient gorillas with good technique.
Geeky physiology/math alert!
In non-weight bearing long distance sports, aerobic power is often expressed as simply oxygen consumed per minute of exercise (i.e. liter O2 / min), in weight bearing sports it is oxygen consumed per minute of exercise per kg of body mass (i.e. mililiter O2 / min / kg). In sports where there is an advantage to higher muscle mass (gliding sports), the aerobic power can be expressed somewhere between the two measures above; say mililiter O2 / min / [half body mass]. For example cross-country skiing is ml/min/(kg 2/3>) overall, while steep uphills are highly weight dependent, flats are not really weight dependent, and downhills favour bigger athletes.
Alert over
So my ideal crew selection?
Alan Carlsson
http://eascoaching.blogspot.com/
#6 Tue, 06/13/2006 - 12:49pm
Great response Alan. Thanks for the technical aspect. I think I was responding from some bad experiences paddling with gals who got wrapped up in technique and wouldn't paddle long enough to get their fitness up. And I've paddle with some great athletes who were new paddlers and it was sooo much better racing with them. So I guess my response was more emotional than technical. I did love your physiology math!
Thanks so much,
frosso
#7 Tue, 06/13/2006 - 5:53pm