As part of my reductionist, simplification theory of whitewater slalom racing, I have come to the conclusion that it only takes 2 things to be really really good at this sport. Training on a good artificial course and strength training. And you could probably do fine without the second one.
This is what most of the top athletes in our sport do. They train on a good artificial course such as Augsburg or Pau or Charlotte or Nottingham. And they do some sort of strength training. You can probably get by with training on an easy course at home if you frequently get to a good whitewater course to train, at least once a month or so. And the strength training helps supplement the boat training, but isn't absolutely necessary. I have seen top athletes who weren't doing much out of the boat training. And I have seen others who mainly trained in the gym and only paddled at training camps and occasionally at home.
Some people don't like working out in the gym. There are very good alternatives to doing the weight lifting. I highly recommend doing gymnastics both for strength and for the varied movements and general fitness. Other good sports to work on strength include rock climbing and Parkour and bodyweight training. So, if you are one of the people who aren't gym rats, try some of these other sports to build strength.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I actually prefer the bodyweight training because it is very functional and can be done without much equipment. It works tendons and ligaments and muscles and it helps you perform great party tricks like one arm push-ups. And I don't favor the types of strength training that most people in the gym do- bodybuilding and the machines. They aren't functional and the movement speed is slow and they aren't really designed for athletic performance.
As for the training on a good artificial course, this is the main part of your training. Strength training only supplements it. Doing full length courses on a good whitewater course is great training. So are sections, where you do part of the course, then rest, then do another part, rest, then another part. If you get feedback in the form of coaching, or times or video, that is most helpful. It improves the quality of your training to get varied feedback. Also, it improves the focus of the workout if you know you are getting timed or watched by a coach.
So, that is my easy, reductionist theory of slalom training. It's not really complicated. There isn't some hidden secret handshake or magical formula to get really good at this sport.
Technique even at the highest levels isn't some secret known only to a few people. If you watch videos, you will see the technique of all the top racers, easily available on you tube. And it's not that esoteric. The majority of strokes are forward strokes. Second in frequency is the duffek stroke. Then, some back strokes and sweeps and that is about it. These are all strokes you learned in your first week of paddling probably.
I do teach some more strokes and stroke drills with athletes, especially c-1s. But half of the top racers don't use these less common strokes and stick with the common strokes- forward, back, duffek, draw, sweep.
I may generate some controversy with my reductionist theory of 2 things. But it's in coaches' interest to make things sound complicated, rather than simple so you will go to them for the complex knowledge only they possess. This sport isn't something you can't figure out by yourself. I write a series of blog posts mainly to give racers the general sports info. they may be missing. Most racers figure out more advanced technique by watching and doing. They were taught more in their first year of paddling and since then, they mainly figure things out by themselves.
Do these 2 things and nothing is stopping you from moving up in the ranks. Paddle on artificial courses and do some strength training.
