Skip to main content

Why Dragon Boating and Singing are good together



This video is from our second race in Salem. I'm in the green vest in the very last row.
During practice Sunday I started thinking about Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink. The book talks about how when people reach an expert level at something they approach it differently when approached with a problem. It's because they know what information to discard, what's relevant and what's not. I think once you've reached an expert level at something (for me it's singing), you start to really understand how to analyze new things that you try and how to latch on to what you already know.

That said I've been trying to find parallels in the technicality and physicality of boating that relate to what I know already and so far I have a pretty good list going.

Here's what I got so far.



Dragon Boating Singing
Requires controlled breathing Requires controlled breathing
Has you engage core strength to rotate and pull the paddle Has you release your core and engage it again to control breathing
Coach yells at you if your face gets tense Voice teacher yells at you if your face gets tense
Has multiple physical and technical elements that all have to work together for maximum efficiency (posture, rotation, blade angle, specific muscles engaged and disengaged, arm position) Has multiple elements that have to work together for maximum efficiency (posture, placement, resonance, breathing, expressivity)
Requires time and practice to perfect. Requires time and practice to perfect.
Must be in perfect sync with your teammates by keeping time with the paddler in front of you. (in choir) Must be in perfect sync with fellow singers by keeping time with the conductor in front of you.
Is ten times more difficult if you use the wrong muscles and technique. Is more difficult and unpleasant with the wrong muscles and technique.

These are just some of the comparisons I can think of right now. At any rate, I find myself thinking about these things every time I'm out on the water. If I can teach people to sing, I can get good at paddling! 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oh why not?

I try not to post too frequently - like twice a day - because I don't want anyone to stop reading my blog! But I can't help myself. I'm watching the biggest loser. This is dangerous for me because it's so inspiring that I want to get out and do all this crazy stuff to get healthier. I think that what I'm doing is probably sufficient for the time being. However I do have some different things I want to try once I've gotten a bit further with my couch to 5k program. Here's my list so far: Water Aerobics - I started to do this once and I loved it, but then I had a bunch of snafus that prevented me from getting into it regularly. I think that these can be resolved now since we've moved and I got a card for the local parks and rec. Some form of Martial Arts - I did this some as a teenager and I really enjoyed it. Problem is that it's not cheap and it's a bit embarrassing to do as an adult in a beginner class. I'm sure they have classes for t...
6 comments
Older Posts >

If only I had stuck with it

While we were in Los Angeles this last weekend we went to visit Paul's cousin Emily (Hi Emily!), her husband Nick, and their daughter Kate. She had asked me how the exercise was going and I told her that it was hard but I needed to stick it out. We ended up talking about all of the things we've started but quit somewhere along the way. And I started thinking about what it would be like if I'd just stuck to weight watchers or an exercise routine or any of the things I've started that would have had me looking and feeling better by now. There's a book by Malcolm Gladwell called "Outliers". Gladwell talks about a study by Anders Ericsson that shows most people that have mastered a skill have had to spend 10,000 in their life up to that point practicing and working on that skill. I've always considered this relevant to my career but I've never really related it to my weight loss goals. But now I am. If I want to not only improve and succeed at takin...
5 comments
Older Posts >

Three Realizations

1. I stopped at the restroom in the hotel by the waterfront on my way to dragon boat practice tuesday. There's a full length mirror there. As I came out of the stall to wash my hands I noticed my reflection in it to the side of me. On my way out I stopped in disbelief. I was wearing a very form fitting tank top that dries quickly. Usually I expect to look like a stuffed sausage in it. But I didn't. I had to turn to the side and turn back again to make sure the mirror wasn't at an angle or something that would make me seem thinner. But it wasn't. I actually look better in my clothes. 2. On the way home from dragon boat practice I was thinking about this and also thinking about how I'm tired of counting calories. It occurred to me that I only have to count vigilantly until I weigh what I want to weight. And since I don't, I need to keep doing it. I would be devastated if I gained any weight back. I've reached this point in my dieting many times before. The d...
4 comments
Older Posts >