Dragon boating is a thrilling blend of power, precision, and teamwork. With 10 to 20 paddlers driving a long, narrow boat at speeds of 10-15 kilometers per hour (kph), every stroke counts—especially in a race.
But here’s a game-changer: positioning your boat relative to others can slash the energy required. Two techniques, wash riding and nose-to-tail drafting, tap into nature’s tricks and lessons from other sports to reduce resistance.
NOTE: Before we go any further, wash/wake riding can be considered unsportsmanlike and even against the rules in some dragon boat competitions. It can also be hard to prove. Have look at the boat on the far left of the video below. Are they wake riding?
…. The remainder of this content is for members only…
