10/13/2026
ᴡʜʏ ɪ ᴅᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ:
I recently made a video (link below) about one of the most important, and most misunderstood movements in the dragon boat stroke:
Rotation.
And this fall, I dedicated an entire three-day camp to it. Three days … One mechanic.
WHY? You have to know what matters, why it matters, and HOW to develop it so it matters in your stroke.
But First, You Have to Build the Power
One of the fundamental equations I use in my approach to paddler development is:
STRENGTH + SPEED = POWER
Dry-land training is where we build that foundation. Strength develops the ability to produce force. Speed develops the ability to produce that force at a high rate. Together, they create power. But here's the important part:
𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘳.
You have to learn how to take that power and on your blade to transfer the power to the water!
That's where mechanics come in. And that's why I separate physical development from technical development. The power you build off the water has to become usable on the water.
ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴏɴ ɪᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀʟʟ?
Because the end of the season gives me something incredibly valuable:
Information.
After a full season of paddling, I can look at what a paddler has actually developed.
I ask them:
• How much rotation did they gain?
• Did their range of motion improve?
• Did they become stronger?
• Did they become more aware of their movement?
And, then I ask them:
• Where are they still limited?
• Where do they feel stuck?
• What part of the rotation feels disconnected?
Because a lack of rotation isn't necessarily a strength problem. It could be:
• Mobility; they physically don't have the available range.
• Strength; they have the range but can't control or produce power through it.
• Awareness; they don't recognize what the movement should feel like.
Or all three
The assessment tells me what needs to be developed next.
ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ʟᴀʏᴇʀ
This is how I approach athlete development. Paddlers don’t need more drills just for the sake of doing more drills; they need training that has purpose.
The formula I work with that is specific to rotation is:
LOCK → LOAD → LAND → LAUNCH
LOCK the blade into proper alignment
LOAD the body through rotation
LAND your body and blade into the water
LAUNCH the boat with the sequencing of stroke mechanics
That's how the physical development of paddlers on land becomes paddling performance.
This Is What We'll Explore in My Free Webinar
We'll look at how to structure development across the season, not just what to train, but when and why.
You need to know when to build strength and speed, when to develop specific mechanics, when to increase intensity, when to recover, and when to translate that development into race readiness.
We're building the foundation for everything that comes after it. If you want to understand how I approach that progression and how you can use it for your own paddling or your team, join me for the webinar.
𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙧.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/RfbiT0jHeek
👉 JOIN the FREE webinar + get your Seasonal Training Roadmap here:
https://www.cherylroose.com/free-db-webinar
Dry-land training is where we build that foundation. Strength develops the ability to produce force. Speed develops the ability to produce that force at a high rate. Together, they create power. But here's the important part:
𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘳.
You have to learn how to take that power and on your blade to transfer the power to the water!
That's where mechanics come in. And that's why I separate physical development from technical development. The power you build off the water has to become usable on the water.
ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴏɴ ɪᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀʟʟ?
Because the end of the season gives me something incredibly valuable:
Information.
After a full season of paddling, I can look at what a paddler has actually developed.
I ask them:
• How much rotation did they gain?
• Did their range of motion improve?
• Did they become stronger?
• Did they become more aware of their movement?
And, then I ask them:
• Where are they still limited?
• Where do they feel stuck?
• What part of the rotation feels disconnected?
Because a lack of rotation isn't necessarily a strength problem. It could be:
• Mobility; they physically don't have the available range.
• Strength; they have the range but can't control or produce power through it.
• Awareness; they don't recognize what the movement should feel like.
Or all three
The assessment tells me what needs to be developed next.
ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ʟᴀʏᴇʀ
This is how I approach athlete development. Paddlers don’t need more drills just for the sake of doing more drills; they need training that has purpose.
The formula I work with that is specific to rotation is:
LOCK → LOAD → LAND → LAUNCH
LOCK the blade into proper alignment
LOAD the body through rotation
LAND your body and blade into the water
LAUNCH the boat with the sequencing of stroke mechanics
That's how the physical development of paddlers on land becomes paddling performance.
This Is What We'll Explore in My Free Webinar
We'll look at how to structure development across the season, not just what to train, but when and why.
You need to know when to build strength and speed, when to develop specific mechanics, when to increase intensity, when to recover, and when to translate that development into race readiness.
We're building the foundation for everything that comes after it. If you want to understand how I approach that progression and how you can use it for your own paddling or your team, join me for the webinar.
𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙧.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/RfbiT0jHeek
👉 JOIN the FREE webinar + get your Seasonal Training Roadmap here:
https://www.cherylroose.com/free-db-webinar
