Acceleration is very important in canoe slalom. We are constantly having to reaccelerate the boat. At every turn, the boat slows down. Every upstream means some loss of boat speed, although we try to carry as much speed as possible through every turn.
Much of the time difference between boaters is due to acceleration, not top boat speed. So, to get faster, we should try to improve our acceleration. Here is a link to a study that compared 4 different methods for improving acceleration in running:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21912294
The 4 methods studied were: 1. free sprinting 2. weight training 3. plyometrics. and 4. resisted sprint training. Each of the methods improved times from 0 to 5 meters and from 0 to 10 meters in a range of 9-10%. In other words, they all work to improve acceleration.
There wasn't a group in the study that combined the different methods of improving acceleration. It would be interesting to find out if doing 2 or more methods improved acceleration more than just doing one method. In any case, we know that doing any one of these methods is better than doing none.
However, if you train by just doing loops or just doing full-lengths, you aren't using any of these methods. Your acceleration is unlikely to get better unless you add at least one of these four methods.
You can vary which method or methods you use during different times of the year, but you shouldn't neglect acceleration training for very long. I suggest doing more of the weight training and plyometrics during the off-season, and more of the sprint training and resisted sprint training during the on-season.
However, I recommend doing at least a maintenance level (once/week) of each of these methods year-round. It is good to emphasize general strength and power during the off-season and then use that general strength and power to get really fast by doing more sprints and resisted sprint training during the on-season.
Comments