Why Am I Talking About The History of Dragonboat?

Duan Wu Jie, the annual Dragon boat Festival, takes place in May 29th. The Dragon boat Festival was celebrated all over the world, bringing importance back to the great Qu Yuan's sacrifice and remembering as a great hero. With famous snacks presenting themselves during this event like the delectible zongzi, celebration of Qu Yuan's death has never been such a joyous event. Everyone, from the Bay Area to Hong Kong can experience the electric atmosphere of dragon boat racing and feel the joy in the hearts of everyone.

::Credits::
Mike Clarke, Getty Images, for the picture above

The Origins of Dragon Boat pt. 2

The boats were shaped into Dragons to avoid misfortune and disaster and encourage rainfall which is needed for the fertility of the crops. This created prosperity for the Chinese and their way of life. Celestial dragons were the controllers of the rain, the Monsoon winds and the clouds. As the dragon boat speeds down the rivers and lakes, it spreads with it the magic of the dragon. The magic allows for prosperity, rainfall, and fertility. Also, it is to be a tribute for the late Chinese hero, Qu Yuan. This belief and tradition made the dragon boat races and annual event. The Emperor was "The Dragon" or the "Son of Heaven", and Chinese people refer to themselves as "dragons" because of its spirit of strength and vitality. This heavy influence and reverence for Dragons in the Chinese culture made dragon boat and the Duan Wu Jie, the dragon boat festival held every year, a popular celebration.

The Origins of Dragon Boat pt. 1

Qu Yuan was a Chinese folk hero who drowned himself to protest the erroneous decisions of the Han dynasty. Qu Yuan was a political official for the Han dynasty and tried to prevent poor decisions from his government but ultimately failed and used suicide to protest it as a last minute act of desperation. Boats came in vain to his rescue as they were too late. They were man-powered and raced to save the drowning patriot. When the men reached Qu Yuan's lifeless body, they used loud noises to preserve his body from the fish in the river. His drowning was seen as a way to save China, to help provide prosperity to the farmers and peasants. Rice seedlings are annually 'drowned' underwater in the rice paddies, and this is annually symbolized by Qu Yuan's watery fate during the Duan Wu Jie, dragonboat festival. Qu Yuan's selfless actions have been revered and respected throughout the years with the yearly Dragon Boat Festivals held all around the world.

More Stroking Tips

With our paddling technique being our downfall in the Lake Merced Race, we will be improving it during practices. And here is a friendly reminder for all who have slacked on their techniques.

ROTATION AND EXTENSION AND FORWARD LEAN:
- Rotation starts from the (1) hips, (2) lower back, (3) upper back, (4) shoulders, (5) extend arms
- To maximize reach and extension, concentrate on bringing your outside arm parallel to the water before the catch and extend the bottom arm straight (see photos)
- Lean forwards at all times, it really helps with to get more length on the stroke - also if the person sitting in front of you is not leaning, it will shorten the stroke of the person behind. It is important that everyone leans and keeps leaning throughout the race/practice. Very tiring to those not used to it, but it gets better over the course of a month or two with regular practice
- Think about leaning and reaching and extending out slightly more than what feels comfortable

CATCH:
- Plant your paddle into the water before you start to pull
- The catch should be silent without any splashing (otherwise that means you are starting to pull before a full catch)
- Keep the stroke up-front, and do not pull back too far

PULL:
- Keep your core tight as most of the work during the pull is coming from your back and legs (not from the arms)
- Lock your bottom arm while pulling
- Think of the pull as if you are pulling yourself and the boat up to the paddle, rather than pushing the paddle into the water

EXIT AND RECOVERY:
- Exit when the blade reaches your mid thigh as pulling back too far will create drag
- As you exit the water, you can do a slight inwards twist with your wrists to break the pressure of the water against the blade of the paddle to aid the exit motion