“How far behind were we?”
A common question in regatta season is “how far behind were we?” A good rule of thumb is each second (each stroke) is ten feet, or approximately four seconds (four strokes) per canoe length. For example, a team does a half mile in 4 minutes 10 seconds at 60 strokes per minute. Subtracting ten seconds for the turn, that gives two minutes (120 seconds) per quarter mile or 1320 feet (5280’/4). At 60 strokes per minute (spm) there are 120 strokes in a quarter mile or 11 feet per stroke/second (1320’/120). Assuming a canoe is 43 feet long there are approximately four strokes (seconds) for every canoe length. This rule holds up pretty well even for better crews. Assuming a 3:50 time at 72 spm: Subtracting ten seconds for the turn gives a quarter mile in 110 seconds or 132 strokes (1.82 minutes x 72 spm = 132 total strokes). Over 1320 feet that is exactly ten feet per stroke. There are approximately 31 boat lengths in a quarter mile (1320’/43’ per canoe =30.7 lengths). At 110 seconds per quarter mile over 31 lengths this equals about 3.6 seconds per canoe length. So, take heart, if this morning's Star Bulletin results show you “missed out” by three seconds, you’ve got all year to improve less than the length of one canoe.
Submitted by dblane on Mon, 07/20/2009 - 6:43am
Awesome stuff dblane.
I will store this info away and dazzle everyone with it further down the line.
cheers for sharing
#1 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 12:59pm
I when learn book at Kalani High School and was wondering if you could help me figure out our loss on Sunday by three tenths of a second. Mahalo nui loa in advance.
#2 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 2:42pm
DBlane,
Awesome. Can you tell me the effect on the above if 3 of the 6 paddlers dranks a Red Bull 20 minutes before the race?
Thanks
KGB-I went Konawaena, so you way more smart than me. I use Google Translate "English" to "Pidgin" to read most stuff on OcPaddler
I dream about Kalani at least you get some smart classmates-the ones who got kicked out of Kaiser, Iolani, or Punahou or got caught by Kaiser High pretending to live with their "Aunty" in Portlock and had to go back to Kalani.
#3 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:11pm
Eh Kona J, Back den no was Kaiser. Even some Waimanalo guys wen Kalani. Da kick out ones came from Punahou and Kailua which also included hot kolohe babes. Try ask Boy Kalama. He knew all da hot Kona Kai babes close and personal.
#4 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:33pm
ocone
To KGB, My example wasn't just hypothetical. Our crew came in third by .33 seconds at about 2:10 for the half mile, which equals 3 feet seven inches or about one seat length. More math: at 60 strokes per minute and changes at 15, that's exactly 8 changes per quarter mile. Improving 1/10 of a second on each change would give you almost a full second in a quarter mile. That could be the difference between first and third!
#5 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:35pm
ocone
Ooops. Sorry, I meant 4:10 for the half mile or 2:00 per quarter.
#6 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:38pm
Thats pretty good - the 2:10 for half mile through me for a tailspin - thats damn fast even for a BMW V4 turbo engine.
But heres another math one - inspired by my high school math teacher, Ms. Brandi...
If two canoes leave the beach at the same time at 4 PM - one from Hale o Lono and the other from Fort Derussy beach, one with a stroke rate of 66 spm, and the other 72 spm, taking into consideration high tide at 4:30 PM with winds traveling at 15 to 20 mph from the S/SW direction, at what time would the canoes meet in the ka'iwi channel?
#7 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 5:17pm
Hey dblane, I was by no means making fun of your calibrating post. Quite the opposite. I am impressed with it. Cleaning up changes as in your scenario is something to think about. Every little bit helps.
#8 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 5:43pm
This is one of those humdinger post and definitely very insightful.
However, i don't know if I'd really care to know in feets of measurement how much I lost by since losing by 3 feet is the same as losing by 10 feet, you're still in the lost column.
In trying to apply some of the concepts of this knowledge in a practical manner, how's about this.
Forget about what you did yesterday and move on to how you can improve on your distance per stroke (efficiency).
Have the crew paddle a straight course for one mile (no turns) at a constant stroke rate (either using a metronome or stroke watch) at 60 spm - something ez to maintain timing. Count the number of strokes it took to reach 1 mile marker.
For reference:
1 mile = 5280 feet = 528 strokes (based on dblanes numbers)
Return to start.
Then, place a black tape on the gunnels of each seat where the blade needs to enter. Ensure each paddler is "hitting/reaching" that black tape on entry.
Repeat the spm and distance, counting strokes needed to cover that mile.
Gradually increase the stroke rate, measuring efficiency - find the threshold when efficiency drops and work at around that stroke rate to improve the "weak point' of your crew. increase stroke rate as technique and timing improves.
The point is - don't worry how much canoe lengths you lost by, focus on how much distance you can cover per stroke, everything else will take care of itself.
Just my thoughts on a wonderful post for inspiration. ;-}
#9 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 6:44pm
ocone
I don't want to belabor the discussion but I think the math is fun. At 120 strokes in a quarter mile just one more inch "up front" per stroke at the same rate will equal 120 inches or ten more feet. But I think Kamamakakaua has touched on the $64,000 question. Is it better to use a longer stroke with more power or a shorter, high rpm stroke? This is the essence of the Hawaiian v. Tahitian techniques and this discussion should probably be a new thread. The top crews at OHCRA were flying at around 68-72 beats per minute. But the slower crews were trying to hold the same rate and they were just splashing and "spinning their wheels". I think there is too much emphasis on maintaining a high stroke rate. The non-elite crews would be better off with a slower, cleaner, more powerful (i.e. "old fashioned") technique. Using some of the suggestions in the post above at a rate at 56-58 with proper timing and good stroke mechanics might yield better results. Every crew needs to find their own "sweet spot" and not just try to emulate what the top teams are doing.
#10 Mon, 07/20/2009 - 7:27pm