I like to hold onto a boat from shore in a flatwater location where the water is deep enough near shore. You can either hold onto the bow of the boat or the stern. Or loop a rope through the grabloop of the boat and have the boater paddle hard. I usually do 10-20 strokes all- out, then rest for a couple minutes and repeat 2 times.
Or, a boater can tow or push another boat. This provides a little less resistance than a stationary position of someone holding the boat on shore. Or, I have seen boaters ram their boats into a steep mudbank and then paddle hard.
In a pool, you could have people standing in the water, holding both ends of the boat for strength training. One advantage of this is you can do sweep strokes also while holding both ends of the boat. In slalom, we are constantly turning and sweep strokes are very important, not just forward paddling.
I have experimented with doing specific strength training with a partner on dry land. Hold the paddle while standing on shore. Have a friend face you holding the paddle from the other side. He resists as you air paddle. It's a little awkward, but could be fun. You can also do strength training for sweep strokes, back strokes, etc. using this method (unlike some of the other methods).
Some people have rigged up machines for specific strength training for paddling in indoor gyms. These are also effective, but not any more so than the in-the-boat methods.
Or, if you are alone, you can paddle hard forwards and backwards. Paddle hard forward for 4 strokes, then back for 4 strokes and forward again for 4 strokes. Rest and repeat 5 or more times.
Or, using a gate, you can do a timed course going through the gate, backing beside it, then going back through it again, then backing beside it on the other side, then back through the gate again. Rest and repeat.
Some boaters also put something on their boat to increase drag or tow something behind their boat. The important thing is to increase the resistance to build strength. This should be something short and powerful. Long slow paddling with resistance does not build strength- it just teaches the muscles to go slow.
It is usually better to do specific strength training at the beginning of the workout because then you are still fresh, so it develops strength. But you might want to do technique or speed work while you are fresh, then strength training. In any case, it's better not to do strength training at the end of a workout when you are tired.
You could conceivably do a workout that is just strength training and do a lot of sets of strength training. However, most people combine it with other types of training in the same session.
Go hard but keep good technique during your strength training. And don't increase the length of the bursts, but increase the number of sets to get more training effect. Allow sufficient rest between sets so it is a strength workout, not an endurance workout. This type of training is good to complement training on flatwater or easy gates, where strength isn't required as much as on courses with very strong current.
If training on fast whitewater, you could easily skip the strength training because you are probably already getting enough strength training from the training on the strong currents and eddies. But many of us normally train on easier courses where there isn't the strong resistance, so specific strength training is very important.
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