Paddler Drew

Early morning water sessions with the Cape Town crew

"The paddler sees today's session. The coach sees next season."

One of the hardest parts of coaching is knowing that not every session will be everyone's favourite.

As paddlers, we naturally want the exciting stuff—race pieces, high-intensity efforts, and the sessions that leave us feeling fast and powerful. But sometimes the most important work happens in the less glamorous moments.

Sometimes that means:
🐉 Drilling technique when everyone wants to race.
🐉 Focusing on timing when everyone wants more power.
🐉 Building fitness when everyone wants speed.
🐉 Prioritising recovery when everyone wants to push harder.

Every session has a purpose.

As a coach, I'm not just looking at how the boat moves today. I'm thinking about where this team can be in a month's time, at the next regatta, and next season. I'm thinking about the paddler each of you can become if you trust the process and keep showing up.

The best improvements aren't always immediate. Sometimes progress is hidden beneath REPETITION, DISCIPLINE, and CONSISTENCY. The sessions that seem simple today often become the foundation for success tomorrow.

My goal isn't to maximise one training session. It is to help build stronger, faster, more confident paddlers and a stronger River Dragons team for the long term.

Trust the process. Keep paddling. Keep improving.

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSQ8KdUXb/

Personal snaps of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival 2026.

If not paddling, or coaching, I'm somewhere shouting and timekeeping as a Race Official, hahaha😅