Dragon boat
A dragon boat ( Chinese 龍舟 / 龙舟 , pinyin lóngzhōu or 龍船 / 龍船 , lóngchuán ) is a particularly long, open paddle boat that originally came from China . Mostly it depicts a stylized Chinese dragon through painting or carving as well as a decorative dragon head and tail . Today the boats are used all over the world as sport boats or at events and are also referred to as dragon boats when the decorative elements are dispensed with.
history
The movement of boats with the help of paddles has developed independently of one another in several cultures. Typical of the paddle boats from Asia, to which this section is limited, is the stylized representation of the boats as dragons.
antiquity
The history of dragon boat races is strongly influenced by myths , but the focus is always on the dragon. Dragon boat races are part of the Dragon Boat Festival or Duanwu Festival , which takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month according to the Chinese lunar calendar . According to the most popular legend, the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the attempt to defeat the Chinese national poet Qu Yuan in 277 BC. To save from drowning. Allegedly, dragon boat races have been held since then in honor of the poet. However, the Duanwu Festival existed before Qu Yuan was born. The Duanwu Festival is the festival of the Wuyue ( 吳越 / 吴越 ), an ancient tribe whose totem was the dragon . The Wuyue made sacrifices in honor of the dragon that day. Another theory is that the boats with the carved dragon heads were used to calm the dragons in the water during floods. In the Chinese province of Zhejiang , however, the origin of the races is traced back to the king of Yue, Gou Jian ( 越王 勾践 ; ruled 496-465 BC), who trained his troops in dragon boat races after a military defeat and with their help was able to rebuild the state of Chu .
The origin of the dragon boats is believed by scientists in south-central China, especially in the area of the Yangtze , around 500 BC. Assumed. There were organized dragon boat competitions there very early on. Regulated competitions were already held in China during the Sui Dynasty (581–618) and Tang Dynasty (618–907).
- approx. 500 BC In China, dragon boats serve as a means of transportation.
- approx. 280 BC Alleged (unsuccessful) rescue of the Chinese national poet Qu Yuan from drowning
In Cambodia, too, beautifully painted longboats with paddles are firmly anchored in the culture. In Phnom Penh, for example , the water festival takes place on the Tonle Sap River every year from November 2nd to 4th, the highlights of which are competitions with long boats. The origin of the water festival is settled in the 12th century.
Modern times
In the 1970s, the Hong Kong Tourist Association (now the Hong Kong Tourism Board ) decided to organize a dragon boat festival to promote Hong Kong . The 1st Hong Kong International Dragonboat Race , which is considered to be the beginning of modern dragon boat history, took place in 1976 with ten teams. From then on, the festival developed into a popular, annual international regatta . In 1991 the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was founded in Hong Kong, which hosted the first world championships in 1995. In 2005 the International Canoe Federation (ICF) organized the 1st ICF Dragon Boat Club World Championships in Schwerin . Dragon boating is now an international competitive sport that is practiced in over 40 countries around the world.
Since the 1990s the dragon boat sport has become more and more popular in Germany, which is reflected in the number of regattas as well as in the number of organized athletes. Independent dragon boat clubs were founded in the early 1990s. At the same time, dragon boat teams came together in canoe clubs. In Germany, the first dragon boat race took place in 1987 as part of the supporting program of the Canoe World Championships in Duisburg . Two years later, in Hamburg , an international regatta with 75 teams from five continents held to mark the 800th Harbor Birthday which in 1990 the establishment of the German Dragon Boat Association (DDV) in Hamburg and in 1991 the first German Dragon Boat Championships in Dresden followed. In 2005 and 2009 dragon boat was represented as an invitation sport in the program of the World Games .
Large dragon boat regattas (e.g. in Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Hanover, Saarbrücken, Dillingen / Saar, Frankfurt / Main, Schwerin, Berlin) have the character of a folk festival and sometimes reach five to six-digit visitor numbers. In Germany the dragon boat sport is strongly influenced by regional engagement. Places in which dragon boat sport has a high priority (across associations) are Mannheim , Potsdam , Hanover , Wuppertal , Schwerin , Neubrandenburg , Wiesbaden , Saarland , Fürstenwalde / Spree and Bad Säckingen on the Upper Rhine.
Timetable
- 1976 1st Hong Kong International Dragonboat Race
- 1980 1st European dragon boat race in London
- 1981 Dragon boat show race as part of the program of the Canoe World Championships in Nottingham
- 1987 Dragon boat show race as part of the program of the Canoe World Championships in Duisburg
- 1989 Dragon boat race in Germany as part of the 800th port birthday in Hamburg
- 1990 Foundation of the German Dragon Boat Association e. V. in Hamburg
- 1990 Foundation of the European Dragon Boat Federation (EDBF) in London
- 1991 Foundation of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) on June 24th in Hong Kong
- 1991 1st German Dragon Boat Championships in Dresden (DDV)
- 1993 Master boat builder Andreas Stankewitz from Schwerin designs the first measurable competition kite boat
- 1994 Establishment of a standard for racing dragon boats by the IDBF and for paddles by the EDBF
- 1994 Foundation of the Swiss Dragon Boat Association (SDBV)
- 1995 1st IDBF Dragon Boat World Championships in Yueyang
- 2004 Foundation of the DKV department canoe dragon boat
- 2004 1st German Canoe Dragon Boat Championships (DKV)
- 2005 1st ICF Dragon Boat Club World Championships in Schwerin
- 2005 Dragon boat is an invitation sport at the World Games in Duisburg
- 2006 1st Dragon Boat World Championships of the International Canoe Federation (ICF)
- 2007 The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) is in the GAISF added
- 2009 Dragon boat is an invitation sport at the World Games in Kaohsiung
- 2012 1st all-German championship of the DDV and the DKV in Hamburg
Boats and accessories
Boats
Dragon boats are open boats with a long, slightly curved keel . It is driven by paddles. Dragon boats are designed in such a way that they represent a stylized dragon through painting or carving and a decorative Chinese dragon head and tail.
The following boat types can be roughly distinguished:
- Traditional chinese dragon boat
- Hong Kong dragon boat
- Singapore dragon boat
- International IDBF racing standard dragon boat
- European EDBF standard dragon boat
Traditional boats
The traditional boats include the traditional Chinese dragon boat, the Hong Kong dragon boat, and the Singapore dragon boat. What they have in common is the heavy construction made of teak. They are decorated with ornate, large dragon heads, which give them a particularly colorful appearance. In addition, painted Chinese characters show the special advantages of a boat. Large traditional boats can be up to 25 meters long and have up to 100 paddlers. Traditional boats are made of wood. Your body is typically without frames built and air boxes.
Pleasure craft
In contrast to this are the sports boats, which include the internationally standardized racing standard dragon boat and the European standard dragon boat. The standards of these boats were first set by the International Dragon Boat Association (IDBF) in 1994 and have been in their 4th version since then (as of 2006). Pleasure boats have little in common with traditional boats, even if the rift of the sport boats is originally based on the Hong Kong dragon boat. The dragon head and tail, the same for all boats, can be removed and is only used at events. The standardized boats are 12.49 m long, 1.16 m wide and weigh 250 kg (European standard) without their heads and tails. The fuselage is usually made of glass fiber reinforced plastic ( GRP ) in a double-shell construction. A standardized boat has 10 benches for a maximum of 20 paddlers.
Since 2014 short boats (international: Smallboats ) with 10 paddlers have also been included in the competition regulations of the IDBF and DDV. The current competition regulations (2016) provide for a length of 9.60, a width of 1.00 and a minimum mass of 135 kg.
paddle
The paddles consist of a paddle blade, shaft and knob . The leaves differ in length and width. The shaft connects the blade to the pommel. There are two types of handles for the pommel at the upper end of the shaft, the spade handle (T-handle) and the palm handle. The palette of materials used in the paddle ranges from conventional wood to modern materials such as aluminum, plastic or carbon. In competitive sports, the length of the paddle is just as regulated as the shape and width of the paddle blade.
Long rudder
The long rudder is used to steer the boat, is usually fixed to the steering block and mostly protrudes into the water on the port side . Just like the paddle, the long rudder consists of a blade, shaft and pommel.
crew
The crew of a dragon boat consists of paddlers who sit in pairs on benches next to each other and move the boat forward with paddle paddles. A drummer in the boat picks up the rhythm of the front pair of paddlers ("row" or " batsmen "), ensures a steady beat for all paddlers in the boat and motivates the paddlers by shouting to do their best. The helmsman stands in the stern and steers the boat with a long rudder. In some races, the team includes the so-called "flag catcher".
Paddlers
Depending on the type of boat, between 10 and 50 paddlers sit in pairs on a bench facing the direction of travel. Depending on your seating position, you paddle with the paddle either on the right or left side of the boat. The hitters paddlers named on the first bank set the pace and determine impact speed and race tactics. All other paddlers in the boat paddle synchronously with them on beat, which the drummer picks up from the batting people.
Helmsman
The helmsman stands at the rear end of the dragon boat and steers the boat with a long rudder , which is guided by a control block attached to the stern. A good helmsman can keep the boat on a straight course with minimal steering movements. By shifting the helmsman's weight, the heeling of the dragon boat around the longitudinal axis is compensated. Since the helmsman is also responsible for the safety of the boat with the entire crew, he must be familiar with the safety rules and the local conditions with regard to weather, right of way, currents, waves, shallows, etc. The helmsman can contribute significantly to the success of a race through loud instructions, commands and calls for motivation.
drummer
In most types of boats, the drummer sits in the front of the boat. He sits on a special seat, facing opposite direction of travel to the rest of the crew takes over the timing of the sitting by blow paddlers and proposes in this clock with a wood on the attached before him drum . He carefully observes the course of the race and his own team and coordinates the racing tactics with the batting men. When crossing the finish line in some traditional dragon boat races, a bell must be struck on the finish line. The drummer or another person in the front of the boat takes on this task. In traditional dragon boats with up to 50 paddlers, the drummer is often placed in the middle of the boat. In traditional dragon boats, the rhythm is sometimes given by a brass gong instead of a drum .
Flag catcher
In some races, the team includes the so-called "flag catcher". His task is to tear a flag from a buoy at the finish. If races are held with a flag catcher, the winner is the team whose flag catcher is the first to hold the flag. This type of race is rarely hosted in Europe.
technology
Dragon boating is one of the cyclical sports, which means that similar movements merge into one another. The stroke or stroke cycle is the name given to the sequence of movements consisting of two phases, the main and intermediate phase (also called the drive and free-running phase). After the main phase, the draft, the intermediate phase begins with the excavation and ends after the repositioning and water catching, which is followed by the next main phase. The beat frequency in a race is between 70 and 80 beats per minute . In the starting phase, however, a team can also achieve up to 150 beats per minute.
Starting position
The paddler sits on the bench in the dragon boat with one side of the pool on the outside wall of the boat. The paddle is held at the top of the handle with the hand facing away from the water . The hand on the water side grabs the shaft about a shoulder width lower. The leg on the waterside is called the standing leg and should be wedged firmly between the side of the boat and the bottom with the thigh as horizontal as possible. The pool axis is perpendicular to the boat axis, ie transversely to the direction of travel. The upper body is optimally twisted over the fixed pelvic girdle on the pulling side and slightly bent forward. The pulling arm, i.e. the arm on the water side, is extended, the pressure arm is slightly bent, the pressure hand is slightly above and in front of the athlete's head.
Water catching
The paddle is immersed in the water as far forward as possible (approximately at the level of the bench of the next person in front) without a break. To do this, the pulling hand pushes the paddle blade quickly and completely into the water with the help of the pressure hand using the extended arm. The pressure hand is slightly above the head when inserting; the angle of attack of the paddle blade is between 50 and 80 degrees.
Draft
Only when the paddle blade is completely immersed in the water is the paddle guided past the outer wall of the dragon boat and held as perpendicular as possible to the central axis of the boat and the water level. The pull begins explosively (the force curve rises steeply), then the pull takes place at a further increasing speed by turning back and at the same time straightening the upper body, coordinated with the pulling movement of the pulling arm. The pressure arm and the pressure hand perform static holding work and act as a joint and guide element for the paddle. By maintaining the basic posture, the pelvic belt and legs ensure the transmission of the force impulse generated by the paddle stroke to the boat.
Digging
After the pulling hand has reached the thigh of the standing leg, the pulling and pushing hand lift the paddle straight up out of the water quickly and with as little splash as possible. The lifting of the paddle out of the water should be finished at the level of the athlete's pool.
Implement
The pulling hand leads the paddle in a slight curve in the direction of travel to the bow, the blade remains about 5 to 8 cm above the water surface . The pressure hand guides the paddle knob very easily into the boat and up front in front of the head into the starting position. In temporal and spatial coordination between the pulling and pushing arms, the trunk supports the advancement through an optimal rotation of the shoulder girdle towards the pulling side with a corresponding curvature of the entire upper body in relation to the pelvic girdle. The lower body acts as an abutment and should be as firm as possible and secure the power transmission to the boat. The head is held as an extension of the spine, the gaze is directed obliquely to the paddler sitting in front of it.
organization
Association structures
Both internationally and nationally, dragon boat sport is organized in parallel in two sports associations: Internationally in the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and the International Canoe Association (ICF). After an originally agreed cooperation between IDBF and ICF had failed, the two associations could not agree on a right to represent dragon boat sport at the international level - especially in the world sports association GAISF and in the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The International Canoeing Federation, which is a founding member of GAISF, regards dragon boating as a branch of the canoeing sport it represents. The IDBF also tried to be accepted and was accepted (after two unsuccessful attempts in 2005 and 2006) on April 27, 2007 at the Annual General Assembly of the GAISF as a professional association for kite boating. Since then, the ICF and IDBF have been arguing about whether or not the IDBF is entitled to sole representation for the dragon boat sport. The dragon boat competitions as part of the World Games 2005 and 2009 were carried out under the responsibility of the ICF.
In Germany dragon boat sport has been organized in the German Dragon Boat Association (DDV) since 1990 , which has hosted German championships since 1991. After an already negotiated merger of the DDV with the German Canoe Association (DKV) failed due to the vote of the DDV members, the DKV founded its own department “Canoe Dragon Boat” in 2004 and has been organizing separate German championships since then. The DDV is a member of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and the European Dragon Boat Federation (EDBF); DKV is part of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and the European Canoe Association (ECA). Nationally, the DKV is organized as a professional association in the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and sees itself there as a representative of dragon boat sports . The DDV is also trying to get into the DOSB, an application for membership in the predecessor organization Deutscher Sportbund was rejected at the end of the 1990s (for formal reasons).
societies
There are dragon boat teams both in independent dragon boat clubs and as departments in other sports clubs . The latter are predominantly canoe clubs , as the corresponding infrastructure is available there ( boathouse near the water, changing and weight rooms, storage facilities). Some rowing and multi-sport clubs also have dragon boat departments. In October 2007 there were 11 clubs in the German Dragon Boat Association and 94 clubs in the German Canoe Association with a "Canoe Dragon Boat" division.
In addition to the dragon boat riders organized in the association, a large number of company teams or other sports groups that are not organized in dragon boat associations take part in regattas, especially in the context of summer folk festivals .
Competitive sport
The aim of the competitions is to cover a certain distance as quickly as possible. The established route lengths are 200 or 250 m (sprint), 500 m (short distance), 1000 or 2000 m (medium distance) and 3000 to 10000 m (long distance). At popular sports events and traditional races, the routes are usually not standardized. Competitions are often held on the already existing regatta courses for canoeing and rowing or on suitable water areas near inner cities.
The division into championships for national teams and championships for club teams (Club Crew Championships) is characteristic of international competitions .
Germany
The first German Dragon Boat Championships were held in 1991. In Germany, both the German Dragon Boat Association (DDV) and the German Canoe Association (DKV) have passed their own competition regulations, which regulate the implementation of competitions within the respective association, but differ little in essence. Both associations organize their own German championships and state championships. In addition, the Joint German Dragon Boat Championship (gDDM) of both associations has existed since 2012 .
International
Internationally, the IDBF has hosted the World Dragon Boat Racing Championship (WDBRC) for the best teams in a country every two years since 1995 . In the years between the World Championships , the IDBF Club Crew World Championships (CCWC) are held for the best club teams. The ICF world title fights, which alternate between club and national teams, have had the same rhythm since 2005. The European Dragon Boat Association EDBF also organizes the European Dragon Boat Racing Championships (EDBRC) and the European Club Crew World Championships (ECCC) every two years .
Both the IDBF and the ICF differentiate between the following team classes according to gender: Open or Men (men), Woman (women) and Mixed (mixed). In addition, the associations still differentiate between age groups .
tactics
Tactics play a subordinate role in dragon boat races compared to other sports. It is usually limited to the definition of a division of the forces over the route. Each race can be divided into a start phase, a track phase and the final spurt. Depending on the length of the route, the starting phase lasts 20 to 30 strokes. The starting phase is used to first accelerate the boat to racing speed as effectively as possible. In addition, a favorable starting position can be decisive for the later course of the race due to the wave formation of the dragon boats. The optimal form of the start phase becomes more important when you know that backlogs that occurred in the start phase could only be made up in exceptional cases. The starting sprint tactic tries to take the lead immediately after the start. For this it is necessary to either lengthen or intensify the start spurt. The objective in the route phase is to achieve a high speed level with an effective stroke frequency-propulsion ratio. From a biomechanical point of view, fluctuations in speed are to be avoided, as the water resistance increases with the square of the speed. In the final spurt phase it is important to exhaust the remaining anaerobic- lactic metabolic capacity up to the maximum possible acidosis .
literature
- Göran Aijmer: The Dragon Boat Festival on the Hupeh-Hunan Plain, Central China. A Study in the Ceremonialism of the Transplantation of Rice (= The Ethnographical Museum. Monograph Series 9, ISSN 0081-5632 ). Ethnographical Museum of Sweden, Stockholm 1964 (at the same time: Stockholm, Univ., Diss., 1964).
- Pat Barker: Dragon Boats. A celebration. Weatherhill et al., New York NY et al. 1996, ISBN 0-8348-0365-8 .
- John Bechtel: The dragon boat mystery. Wm.B. Eerdams Pub. Co., Grand Rapids MI 1943.
- Arlene Chan: Awakening the dragon. The dragon boat festival. Illustrated by Song Nan Zhang. Tundra Books, Toronto 2004, ISBN 0-88776-656-0 .
- Wang Dongyou: Dragon Boat Festival of the Miao Nationality. In: China Tourism. 1992, ZDB -ID 1130041-3 , pp. 66-67.
- George Tradescant Lay: The Chinese as They are. Their Moral, Social, and Literary Character. A New Analysis of the A new analysis of the language. With succinct views of their principal arts and sciences. London, W. Ball and Co. 1841.
- Frank Plewka: The Dragon within. Dragon boat - a consideration. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2008, ISBN 978-3-8370-4223-8 .
- Henning Wiekhorst: Hong Kong - Mother of Dragons. , creativ-dragon-works, December 18, 2007, ISBN 978-988-99195-0-4 .
- Meg Jones: Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival. Scholastic, Leamington Spa 2004, ISBN 0-439-97159-4 .
- T. Sofield, A. Sivan: From Cultural Festival to International Sport - The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Races. In: Journal of Sport & Tourism. 8, 1, 2003, ISSN 1477-5085 , pp. 9-20.
- Yoshirō Shiratori, Jōchi Daigakum: The Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong. Ethnohistorical Research Project, Sophia University, Tokyo 1985.
- Lockwood E. Wiley: The Dragon Boat. Row, Peterson, Evanston IL 1938.
Web links
National associations
International associations
- European Dragon Boat Federation (EDBF)
- International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF)
- European Canoe Association (ECA)
- International Canoe Federation (ICF)