Ron Lugbill Whitewater Slalom Racing Blog

Fabien Lefevre

Going Through the Motions in Practice

You want to have high-quality, focused practice sessions.  You don't want to just be "going through the motions", lacking intensity and enthusiasm in practice.  Every practice should be focused.

Here is an article about the issue of athletes just going through the motions in practice:

http://www.educ.msu.edu/ysi/articles/lauerpracticeintensity.pdf

The going through the motions syndrome has various causes.  Sometimes the athlete is tired.  Sometimes the athlete is uninterested.  Sometimes there is something else going on in the athlete's life that is distracting and lowers the focus.  Often, the athlete is over-trained and tired.

In order to avoid going through the motions syndrome, try to do practice races as often as possible.  Also, vary the workouts- don't just do the same thing every time.  Try to get feedback in your workouts, such as having a coach, getting timed and scored, and getting videoed.

And avoid over-training.  Do active recovery training.  Get a good night's rest. 

It is better to skip a day of training than to do a low-focus, poor quality workout.  Because your practices establish habits.  You don't want to establish poor habits by having poor quality workouts.  Practicing bad technique does so much harm that it is better to just skip the workout altogether and get a good night's rest and come back tomorrow with a better attitude towards training.

Sometimes coaches unwittingly foster conditions under which the athletes are more likely to be just going through the motions.  Coaches should emphasize the focus of the workouts, rather than emphasizing telling the athletes about a particular energy system that is being developed during the workout.  Coaches should hold frequent race simulations.  And coaches should keep the workouts varied to keep the interest levels high. 

If you keep moving from one type of training to another during the workout, it helps keep the athletes focused and interested.  For example, do 10 minutes of stroke technique, followed by 10 minutes of gate technique, followed by a timed and scored short course for 15 minutes, followed by a timed and scored 60 second course for 20 minutes.  This is more interesting than just doing one hour of all stroke drills or one hour of all sprints, for example.

Having a group to train with also helps avoid the going through the motions syndrome.  It is much more interesting to train with a group than to train alone.  The social support of the group helps keep people motivated and enthusiastic about training.  And you learn from others- you watch their runs and figure out how to do your own run better.

The best athletes have the best practices.  They bring a high focus to practice sessions.  The practice sessions are well-planned to keep the interest high.  Then, the best athletes simply use the good habits they have developed in practice on race day.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.educ.msu.edu/ysi/articles/lauerpracticeintensity.pdf

Addiction to Exhaustion

Addiction to Exhaustion

There are some very popular fitness programs now that will get you very exhausted, such as Crossfit, Insanity, etc.  People sometimes get addicted to the feeling of exhaustion after such strenuous workouts.

Likewise, paddlers can get addicted to the feeling of being exhausted after a workout.  It feels like it was a good workout if you get really tired at the end of it.

Here is a link to an article about being addicted to exhaustion:

http://jimkielbaso.com/balancing-intensity-with-intelligence/

Hard work is a good thing.  And you will often be very tired at the end of a workout.  But the purpose of training is not to get exhausted.  It's to get better at your sport- whitewater slalom racing.

There are some basic principles of training that have research support.  One is that quality work should be done early in a workout.  Do your speed work first.  Do your technique work before you are too tired.

Do not do your speed work at the end of a workout.  Don't start working on technique when you are exhausted.  Don't do power work at the end of the workout.  Don't do power work for more than short bursts.

It is actually very easy to design workout to make you very tired.  Just go fast for long periods with very short rest.  Do 10 upstream sprints for 3 minutes with 10 seconds of rest between runs.  You will be exhausted at the end.

But we are not aiming to be exhausted.  We are aiming to be the best whitewater slalom paddlers we can be.  So, instead, focus on doing quality work, such as sprints, power training, and technique work, particularly during the first half of your workouts.

Yes, there is a place for hard work and for endurance training.  But generally, they should not be at the beginning of a workout.  And quality training such as technique, power and speed should not be done at the end of a workout when you are tired.

And don't feel that you have to be exhausted after every workout.  The idea is to have quality runs in your workouts so that you will do likewise in races.

And if you are exhausted during a workout, it is vitally important that you maintain good technique.  If you are so tired that you can't have great technique, it's time to stop and come back and train again on another day.  Don't continue paddling with poor technique because you will ingrain bad habits.

And don't become addicted to exhaustion.  Feel that it's a good workout if you had top quality runs or learned a new skill.   Here is the link to the article:

http://jimkielbaso.com/balancing-intensity-with-intelligence/

transition from small races to big races

Transition From Smaller Races to Bigger Races

There is often some difficulty in paddlers who move up from racing at the local races to racing at the big races on artificial courses.  It is a difficult transition for many because there does not seem to be much middle ground between the smaller, class 1-2 local races on natural rivers and the major races that are held on artificial courses and are much more difficult.

This can be discouraging to paddlers trying to move up, since it does not seem like there is a normal progression of difficulty, like any coach or teacher would like to see.  In school, you gradually move up in difficulty.  No one would expect a first grader to finish first grade and then move on to college.  Yet, that is what we seem to expect of paddlers trying to move up the ranks.

Here is one helpful suggestion in making the move.  First, move on to more difficult whitewater without any gates.  Get comfortable on big water.  Practice running rivers, surfing waves and holes, making moves, catching eddies, doing ferries, rolling, playing, etc. on big water.  Swim down some rapids for fun.  If you get comfortable on big water, you remove the fear factor which gets in the way when you move to the bigger races.

If you are good on the class 2 type race courses and you are very comfortable on big water and have a bomb-proof roll, then and only then can you make the move to bigger races.  It is too difficult to make the move from class 1-2 natural rivers to class 3-4 artificial courses that are international level of difficulty.  Instead, if you separate the 2 skills- the gate skills and the big water skills first, then you will have a sufficient foundation to start paddling on the big race courses.

Notice, I said you could paddle on the big races at that point- not race on them.  Even if you have great skills on easy water gates and big water skills, you should first practice on the bigger courses with gates before you race on them.

With smaller races, you can arrive and then just race on the course.  With the artificial courses, you can't do this.  You need some practice time on the course before you race on it.  You can't show up and your first run on the course is a race run.   Don't bother going to the race if you can't get there at least a day ahead of time to practice on it, unless you already have a lot of practice time on the same course.

This transition is a difficult period for many young racers when they make the move up.  They may be used to winning local races and then they get to the big races and find themselves in last place.  They need to be prepared to have realistic goals.  For your first big race, just making all the gates may be an appropriate goal. 

But the big water race experience is crucial if you want to move up the ranks.  You just want to make sure that it is done in a proper progression so that the athlete isn't set up for failure.  You want it to be an enjoyable experience.  Separating the skills of big water paddling and gate skills first is the way to make the transition more appropriate for developing boaters. 

Just 2 things- 1. paddle fast and 2. stay on line.

Only Takes 2 Things to Win

I admit that reading all this training advice might make things seem complicated.  So, let me clarify how to succeed at whitewater slalom racing. 

You only need to do 2 things- 1. paddle fast 2. stay on line and clean.  That's all.  Paddle hard and keep the boat on line and don't hit the poles.  I put the "on line" and the "don't hit the poles" both in the number two because if you are on line, you are probably going to be clean.  It's when you are off- line that you get penalties.

Most of my blog posts are about no. 1- how to get fast.  I will include 7 points about how to get fast:

1. Short courses for time and penalties.  Less than 20 seconds.  Do these at least once a week, preferably 2-3 times/week.

2. General strength training.  Lift weights.  Heavy weights to get strong.  At least once, preferably twice or three times/week. 

3.  Specific strength training.  Have someone hold your boat and paddle hard.  10-30 strokes hard, then rest and repeat.  Do this at least once/week, preferably 2 or 3 times/week.

4. Fast power training.  Do plyometrics or ballistic training or fast weight training.  This can be done after building a base of general strength.  1-3 times per week.

5. Active recovey training.  Do this daily, if possible.  Examples include massage, yoga, easy run-shower-stretch-combination, foam rollers, ice bath, compression garments, etc. 

6. Never train slowly over long distances.  Training slowly keeps you from developing your power.  Avoid sessions lasting more than 2 minutes.

7. Speed endurance training.  In order to keep up your speed over the length of a race course, do some 30-100 second courses for time and count penalties.  Do this 1-3 times/week.

That's all it takes to get very fast.  And you don't even have to do all of the above.  The more of them you do, the better, but some champions only do about half of the above. 

But all champions learn how to do no. 2- stay on line.  Beginning racers are off-line most of the time on the course.  They don't seem to even know they are off-line or what the proper line should be.

I don't include a lot of posts about this because it is complex and hard to explain every situation in a blog.  However, I can suggest 7 methods  to learn to stay on line.  Here are 7 different educational techniques for learning to keep the boat on line:

1. Study videos of other racers, especially top racers.

2. Get timed and scored on your practice frequently.

3. Get coached in practice frequently.

4. Get videoed frequently and study the videos.

5. Practice under race-like conditions as much as possible.

6. Watch other boaters and study their moves.

7. Document your mistakes in a notebook so you learn what your weaknesses are.  Learn from your mistakes and practice the types of gates or combinations that have been giving you trouble.  Soon, your former weaknesses will be your strengths.

So, there you have it.   It is straight-forward.  Just do this- 1. paddle hard and 2. stay on line and clean and you will do well at this sport.   Training isn't complicated.  You only have to remember 2 things.

Look for every advantage to improve your performance.

Look for Every Advantage

Here is an article about how top Olympic athletes now are looking for every possible advantage to improve their performance:

http://www.wired.com/playbook/2012/06/ff_superhumans/all/

 Rather than just getting coached, they are using slow-motion, high resolution video and data about performance to analyze how they can improve.  Rather than just eating standard fare, they look for the best nutrition, such as beetroot juice.  Instead of just resting between workouts, they use active recovery, such as hydrotherapy to enhance their recovery.

Athletic performances have improved over the years as advances have been made in technique, training methods, equipment, etc.  Top athletes look for expert advice on how to improve their speed, technique, nutrition, psychology, recovery, etc.  There are experts who have spent their lives studying these areas who can provide information that will improve your performance.

Most of us just eat what everyone else eats.  We just train like our training buddies train.  We just use the local coach, buy the same boats the others use, and use the same techniques that have been passed down to us.

But champions stand out from the crowd.  They don't just conform to the accepted standard.  They look for improvements in training, technique, equipment, etc.  They look for every advantage they can.

If you just do what the others do, you will get the same results they get.  If you want superior results, you have to do better.  You need to research options.  You need to look for the best techniques, the best training methods, and the best equipment.

This blog is meant to help provide you with the means to do that.  We frequently look at research for ways to improve your performance.

But for some things, there is no research available.  You may have to do your own research.  You can't be a follower if you want to win.  You have to be looking yourself for the best way to do things.  Here is the link to the article about how top Olympic athletes look for every advantage possible:

http://www.wired.com/playbook/2012/06/ff_superhumans/all/

 

deliberate practice

Deliberate Practice

In order to get really good at this sport, you need to engage in deliberate practice.  The newer research points toward deliberate practice, rather than innate talent as the key factor in achieving excellence in any activity.  Here is an article describing what deliberate practice is:

http://expertenough.com/1423/deliberate-practice

Deliberate practice is not just repeatedly doing something.  You have to be motivated to do it well.  The thing itself may not be fun or interesting but somehow you must find the motivation to do it well.

And you need to get feedback on it.  Without some form of feedback about how you are doing, you might not improve much.  Feedback can be in the form of having someone time you and count penalties.  Or, having a coach give you feedback.  Or, watching a video and analyzing how you are doing.  Or, watching others perform the same course and learning from their example.  Or, a combination of the above.  Just paddling alone does not provide you with feedback.

And you must be performing the same activity you are trying to perfect (specificity).  Although there is nothing wrong with cross-training, to get good at something, you have to do it.  So, race-specific training is important.  Make your practices more race-like in terms of the course, the pace, etc.

And you have to be focused on what you are doing.  Just going through the motions isn't sufficient.  You have to be concentrating on what is happening and always trying to improve upon your runs.

The key to getting good at our sport isn't talent.  You can do it.  Our sport does not require unusual physical characteristics that you have to be born with such as great height.  It does require some physical qualities, such as technique, strength, speed, endurance, power, and quickness that can be developed through training.  It also requires some mental skills of analysis, concentration, visualization, and memorization that most people are capable of learning.  But to get really good at this sport, you mostly just have to do as much deliberate practice as possible.

Here is the link to the article about deliberate practice:

http://expertenough.com/1423/deliberate-practice 

train smarter, not harder

Train Smarter

This blog is all about training smarter.  You can do lots of different things to train.  But which methods will be most effective?  Not all training is equal. There are thousands of different types of training you can do.  But only a few of those methods will get you where you want to be.

Many of us tried all kinds of different training methods over the years, both ourselves and by observing other athletes.  We wish we had the kind of knowledge that is available now.  But very few athletes are even using the new information that is available now.  They are using training methods from 20, 30, and 40 years ago.

Old is not necessarily bad.  Some things are tried and true.  However, there are some methods that have been proven to be ineffective.

And there are many training programs that have different goals in mind.  There are lots of fitness programs out there.  But few of them are designed specifically to bring you good results in canoe and kayak slalom racing.

Some programs are designed for overall fitness, or to lose weight, or to make your muscles bigger or to look better.  That's great if that is your goal.  But if you goal is to become a better, faster whitewater slalom racer, you need to have a training program with that as the priority.

So, just working out or just maxing out or going to failure or whatever, even if you are training every day, working very hard won't get you good results unless your training plan is specific to your sport and it is well-planned. 

Here is an example of what I am talking about.  You could do a normal bodybuilding weight program 3 or 4 days per week.  And do cardio for an hour every day.  And paddle daily for an hour.  You train 2 or 3 times per day, dedicate your life to training, and go to failure every day, putting every ounce of your body and soul into your training.   And you wouldn't improve very much.

Here is why.  The bodybuilding program isn't building strength so much as size.  So, you are making your muscles bigger without improving your strength to weight ratio nearly as much as you could.  You will be muscle-bound, rather than just being stronger.

And the paddling isn't high enough quality.  Should be coached often, timed and scored often, on whitewater often, and at or above race pace often.  More technique and less slow paddling.  Just paddling straight on flatwater won't get you anywhere, regardless of how much you do.

The hour of cardio is essentially training for another sport.  Good sometimes as cross-training perhaps, but it won't really make your boat go any faster or cleaner.

This type of training is perhaps popular, and maybe it makes you feel like you are working hard.  However, it won't bring you very good results.  It's not designed to.   It is just a mishmash of various other types of sports that will leave you exhausted but not on the medal stand.

So, rather than just doing standard sort of training, train smarter.  Use the knowledge available now that will help you improve more rapidly.

power training

Power Training

Whitewater slalom requires a lot of power.  Power is a little different from strength.  Strength is the ability to perform an action, such as to move a heavy object.  Power is the ability to do an action quickly.

We can all pull a paddle through the water.  What differentiates boaters is how fast they can pull it through the water (actually, you aren't really pulling the paddle through the water, you are pulling the boat past the paddle).

Here is an excellent article on developing power:

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/power-training.html

The article talks about different methods of developing power, such as strength training, fast resistance training, plyometric training, and ballistic training.  Ballistic training involves throwing an object, usually a medicine ball.  Plyometric training is quick movements using the body such as jumping down and then jumping back up to develop explosive power.  Strength training is resistance training, using weights.  Fast resistance training uses lighter weights and the movements are done more quickly to develop power.

All of these methods are effective in developing power.  I have also written posts on doing specific power training by holding the boat in place and paddling (in this case, you do actually move the paddle through the water).

Power is also important in our sport because of the constant slowing of the boat for turns and then reaccelerating the boat after the turn.  Throughout a slalom course, the boat gets turned, for example in an offset sequence or in an upstream gate.  Because the boat only carries a portion of its speed through the turn and loses some speed, it has to be reaccelerated after the turn.  This takes power.  The harder you can pull, the faster the boat reaccelerates.  Thus the need for power in slalom.

Power cannot be developed at the same time as long distance endurance.  Any significant amount of long endurance training will keep you from developing your power.  Therefore, long endurance training should be minimized or eliminated.  Shorter speed endurance workouts such as 60-120 second courses do not prevent you from developing power.  Longer endurance sessions should be replaced by shorter endurance training in order to not interfere with power development.

Besides developing the specific power you need for slalom racing, it's important to work on general strength training.  Otherwise, there could be muscle imbalances that lead to injuries.  Usually it is advantageous to work on general strength training first before moving to power training, such as plyometrics or ballistic training. 

Also, be sure to train with the correct form.  Instead of concentraing on the amount of weight, concentrate on having quality technique.  Straight back, head up, use full range of motion, good posture on every exercise.  It's best to use a trainer to show you the proper technique when you start your training.

The article about power is research-based and is well worth reading:

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/power-training.html

use video analysis to improve performance

Video Analysis

Interestingly, video analysis can be useful or useless, depending on how it is used.  Just showing videos to developing athletes might not be helpful unless skills of analysis are developed.  There is little research support to simply showing videos to developing athletes.

However, if the video is accompanied by questioning and/or analysis, critical thinking and analysis skills can be developed that will carry over to other situations.  To develop analytical skills, first use video modeling, where you watch a video of a champion athlete.  Point out aspects of his technique, strokes, boat position, etc.  Then, show the athlete a video of himself.  Ask questions.  Ask the athlete to compare his boat position, technique, etc. to the model.

Then, start applying the analysis to other boaters.  Watch different videos and ask the athlete questions to raise his level of analysis.  Soon, the athlete will apply this level of analysis when he is observing at every race, watching the other boaters. 

Notice the steps to this approach.  First, the athlete sees a champion racer with very good technique and this image is implanted in his mind.  Then, the champion's technique is analyzed, so the athlete learns more detail about the champion's techniques. 

Next, the athlete sees his own performance and compares it to the champion's so he learns the differences between his technique and the champion's.  He develops his own ability to analyze at this point by the questioning.  At this point, further analysis of other boaters deepens his ability to analyze and criticize the technique of all boaters.

The athlete has gone from not really understanding much about his sport to where he understands completely what is happening and then develops a habit of analyzing every run he sees at a very high level.  This type of structured video learning is very helpful to developing athletes.  You can do it in a coach-led process as described above, or if no coach is available, an athlete can go through the process on his own to deepen his understanding of the sport.

Be an athlete

Be an Athlete

To be tops in our sport, you need to be both an athlete and a great boater.  You can't just be one or the other. 

Boaters have all the skills- strokes, ups, ferries, rolls, edging, reverses, offsets, surfing, etc.  But if you aren't an athlete, you won't have the strength, speed, endurance and movements necessary to be truly great in the sport.

Athletes are not like the general run of the population.  They take care of their bodies in special ways that enhance their bodies' performance.  Athletes are strong, healthy, flexible, and tough.  They spend a great deal of time developing their bodies to perfection. 

People off the street can't compare to athletes.  Most people in our modern society fail to take care of their bodies in important ways and athletes can't afford to act this way.  Most people fail to eat properly to provide the best nutrition possible for their bodies.  Most modern people do not get adequate rest or sleep. 

Many people stay out late and short-change their bodies on sleep.  Athletes can't fall into the trap of acting like the people around them.  Athletes have to look for optimal conditions, not the normal conditions of our society.

To be an athlete, you need to develop your strength through strength training.  You need to increase your range of motion and flexibility.  You need to develop your endurance.  You need to take care of your body by providing it with optimal fuel and getting plenty of quality rest.

Simply acting like a regular person in our society and then going out on a slalom course is not being an athlete and won't lead to top performance.  Most competitors fall into this category.  They essentially act like non-athletes, yet they get in a boat and race.  Because they are decent boaters, they will have decent results.  But they won't have the top results.

The top placings are reserved for those who act like boaters and athletes, not like the general run of the population.  They take the extra measures necessary for top performance, such as strength training, stretching, active rest, good food, quality sleep, etc.

Look at the top athletes for guidance in how to be an athlete, rather than the people around you.  Rather than simply accepting normal standards of the people around you, look to the best possible way you can help your body be in top condition.  If you act like the others, your results will be the same as the others.  If you treat your body like a top athlete, you will become one.