I dont recall where I read it, but someone, from another sport....I think it was basketball...... was talking about how important it is for their opponent to make mistakes and that they try to force them to do so. i.e., turnovers, fouls, missed shots, etc. They were talking about how this is just as important as they, themselves, not making mistakes. My question to the elite paddlers is: Does this strategy play a part in paddling? Do you try to force your opponents to make mistakes or is winning based entirely on being the fittest, most skilled?
Submitted by aquafiend65 on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 7:53am
Well I know myself that paddling is as much a mental race as a psychical one. If your head isn't in the right state of mind then you can easily lose a race.
Paddling strategies during a race can fluster and sometimes even crack your opponent into just giving up. Then at the same time you can make the mistake and fire the other guy up.
The biggest thing to look at is if you have local races get to know your opponents and there tendencies. If a guy is training hard, how long is he going to last during the race. Is he going to shoot off the line and then crack at ten minutes. Or is he the type to stay steady and then get stronger and stronger as the race goes on.
Can you mess with someone with the way that you paddle ie how easy you make it look. In a long race, like something over hour half, are they going to be able to keep pace for the whole time. If you can under stroke the guy next to you and keep the same speed he might try to paddle a little harder to keep ahead. This in turn might waste his reserve energy and when that goes you just cruise right on by still making it look effortless.
Just some of my flat water and long race experiences.
#1 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 8:11am
I agree with Tpopler on the flatwater assessment.
But then I go and say that he or she (Lauren) who catches the most waves wins. And if your running different lines and your main opponent is a mile away are you really going to know if they made a mistake?
#2 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 8:35am
Well in the open ocean I always assumed the rule was, "Surf or Die"
#3 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 9:18am
I did this to a guy in a race once; The course was Hawaii Kai to Kaimana...we were going along Diamond Head past Black Point and approaching the surf spots (Cliffs). I had a guy on my right only a few feet away. I couldn't shake him so as we got closer to where the surf starts to break I started to slowly drift right which forced him to drift right, also. I knew this guy was from the other side of the island and didn't know this course as well as I did so I figured he didn't know I was forcing him into the surf. Sure enough we got to where the waves start breaking and he got taken out by a wave and I made it over and kept going.
In another race the same year we were doing the same course. I had the same guy next to me but this time we were coming into the finish at Kaimana Beach (we used to finish right at the beach back then). We were coming in the channel and again he was right next to me on the right so I started to slide over to the right as we approached the windsock. When we got to the windsock he had to stop paddling or hit the pole. I beat him again.
Both times he never mentioned it and we are friends still.
#4 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 9:32am
Ur buddy needs a pair of glasses if he did not see the Wind Sock in his path!!! Maybe he needs glasses period. Did he not see the breaking surf in front of him off the cliffs???
Man .... I hope I'm ahead (or far enough behind) VeryLowTide the next time I race in Hawaii ... that's just cruel. :-)
#5 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 9:55am
aquafiend65 -
I think another way to pose the question is what athletic qualities are the most advantagious in Hawaii conditions, tahiti conditions, flat water conditions? I come from a rowing background. There are tons of scientfic evidence on the body types, muscle types (red vs white muscle fibers), VO2 capacity, ect, that excel and dominate at elite rowing races.
How about for paddling? What god given talet allows certain athletes to excel in paddling? I've got to believe there are different attributes for different conditions (flat / surf / sprints, etc). Who's the expert in this field? Rambo, any thoughts?
Ross
#6 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 10:01am
Those are interesting questions, but I was just wondering if there is "defense" in paddling. Especially in regards to winning and making others make mistakes.......kinda like VLT mentioned. Are there "taught" strategies? I'd love to hear from some of the Vets.
#7 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 1:00pm
I've heard that it's important to cover your competition, especially in a big open ocean race like the Hoe, meaning to mirror their movement, especially when ahead of them. To do this effectively, you first have to know who your competition is, of course.
#8 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 2:39pm
if i were on someone's right side and they were pushing me into the reef, i'd just park my ama against the right side of their canoe and force them to paddle on the left till they were tired of playing games. but what the hell, anything is worth trying. on the other hand though, use the ama shtik too much and it will eventually be grabbed and shoved forcefully backward by your nemesis.
covering course is good, but if your about a mile ahead like shell va'a or junior usually is, it prolly doesn't matter too much. sticking with your competition is a good idea when they can be found.
#9 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 3:01pm
And the opposite of covering. If you're back far enough that there is no way you're going to catch someone, try a totally different route. If you're lucky you pick up a better current, swell, wind, whatever. If you're not lucky, well you would have lost anyways.
#10 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 3:55pm
I don't know any winning strategies, but I know that "ama shtik" is German for ama
#11 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 5:45pm
That could come in handy,
My winning strategy is to get out in front of everyone else and stay there, or you could go with the tahitian style and get off the line and over the horizon so fast that it doesn't matter what you do after that...
#12 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 6:56pm