Amanda Knapp
Dragon boat racing is an adrenaline-pumping water sport that originated in ancient China. Teams of up to 16 people compete in large canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails. Each boat has a drummer who leads the paddlers with rhythmic drum beats, and a steerer who directs the paddlers with calls and hand signals. The sport is now organised at an international level by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of people in a boat | 10 or 20, including a drummer and a steerer |
| Boat type | Large canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails |
| Distance | 250m |
| Drummer | Beats time to keep paddlers in unison |
| Steerer | Uses calls to direct the paddlers |
| Commands | "Paddles up", "take it away", "hold the boat", "let it ride" |
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What You'll Learn
The role of the drummer
Dragon boat racing is a water sport that originated in ancient China. Teams of up to 16 people compete in large canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails. Each boat has a drummer, who is responsible for keeping the paddlers in unison. The drummer leads the paddlers throughout the race, using a rhythmic drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronisation of the paddlers' strokes. The drummer may also issue commands to the crew through a combination of hand signals and voice calls, and will generally encourage the crew to perform at their peak. A drummer is typically mandatory during racing events, but if one is not present during training, it is typical for the sweep to direct the crew. The drummer's pulsating drum beats can be considered the 'heartbeat' of the dragon boat.
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The role of the steerer
Dragon boat racing is a water sport that originated in ancient China. It involves teams of up to 16 people racing in large canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails. Each boat has a drummer, who leads the paddlers using a rhythmic drum beat, and a steerer, who guides the boat.
The steerer can also use the steering oar to adjust the position of the boat by cranking. Cranking the steering oar moves the stern of the boat left or right, spinning the boat. This technique is typically used to turn the boat around during practice or to ensure the boat is lined up straight at the start of a race.
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The history of dragon boat racing
Dragon boat racing is a water sport that originated in ancient China and is now the fastest-growing water sport in the world. The boats are large, canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails. Each boat has a drummer who leads the paddlers using a rhythmic drumbeat to indicate the frequency and synchronisation of the strokes. The drummer may also issue commands to the crew through a combination of hand signals and voice calls. There is also a steerer who uses calls to direct the paddlers, such as "paddles up" to prepare to paddle and "take it away!" to commence paddling.
The first participants were Chinese villagers who held races on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. They believed that racing would show worship to the dragon, a traditional symbol of water in Asia, and so encourage the rains needed for prosperity and to avert misfortune.
Modern dragon boat racing is organised at the international level by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), the world governing body for the sport. There are two classes that compete in this discipline, 10-seater and 20-seater, referring to the number of paddlers in the boat. Both classes will also have a drummer and a steerer, with everybody in the boat paddling to the rhythm of the drum.
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The rules of the race
Dragon boat racing is a water sport that originated in ancient China. The races are held over a clearly defined unobstructed course, with teams competing to complete the course in the shortest possible time.
Each team consists of a crew of up to 16 people, who sit in pairs and paddle. There are two classes that compete: 10-seater and 20-seater, referring to the number of paddlers in the boat. Each boat also has a drummer and a steerer. The drummer leads the paddlers throughout the race, using a rhythmic drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronisation of the paddlers' strokes. The drummer may also issue commands to the crew through a combination of hand signals and voice calls. The drummer is typically mandatory during racing events, but if they are not present during training, the steerer will direct the crew. The steerer uses calls to direct the paddlers, such as "paddles up" to prepare to paddle and "take it away!" to commence paddling. They may also use other calls such as "hold the boat" to get the paddlers to brake, or "let it ride" for them to lift their paddles out of the water. The steerer can also use the steering oar to adjust the position of the boat by cranking, turning the boat right or left.
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The boats themselves
Dragon boats are large canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails. They are raced over a clearly defined unobstructed course in the shortest possible time. There are two classes that compete: 10-seater and 20-seater, referring to the number of paddlers in the boat. Paddlers sit in twos side-by-side and use a single-bladed paddle. Each boat also has a drummer and a steerer. The drummer leads the paddlers throughout the race using a rhythmic drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronisation of all the paddlers' strokes. The drummer may also issue commands to the crew through a combination of hand signals and voice calls. The steerer uses calls to direct the paddlers, such as "paddles up" to prepare to paddle and "take it away!" to commence paddling. The steerer may also use the steering oar to adjust the position of the boat by cranking, turning the boat right or left.
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Frequently asked questions
Dragon boat racing is a water sport that originated in ancient China. Teams of up to 16 people compete in large canoe-like vessels fitted with ornately carved dragon's heads and tails.
There are two classes that compete in dragon boat racing: 10-seater and 20-seater.
Crews sit in pairs and paddle to the rhythm of a drummer. There is also a steerer who uses calls to direct the paddlers.
The drummer leads the paddlers throughout a race using a rhythmic drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronisation of all the paddlers' strokes.
The steerer uses calls such as "paddles up" and "take it away!" to direct the paddlers. They may also use the steering oar to adjust the position of the boat by cranking.
