Common ACDC Questions

We understand you will have many questions about ACDC and starting a new sport. As the youngest club in Adelaide we have welcomed many new members every season and built up a handy list of questions and answers which may help you learn more about our great club and the exciting sport of dragon boat racing. Take a moment to check the Q&A below, and if your question isn’t there, please contact us and we will answer it for you. Most of the questions below have come from our own members at the start of their own journey. If you ask a really great questions we haven’t got here already, we’ll add it to assist members who join after you.
Thanks for visiting ACDC

Training & Fitness

1. Do I have to be fit to dragon boat?

Good news! You do not have to be physically fit to begin dragon boating,

in fact many of our members began having never played any sport and having only a poor level of fitness.  Dragon boating with ACDC builds your fitness gradually and safely over the season.   Our mission is for you to finish the season fitter, stronger and with better technique than when you started.  Our Season Plan is broken up into 3 main phases; Phase 1 is gentle, low intensity technique training and building paddling muscles for all levels. Phase 2 starts to increase the power and strength. Phase 3 brings in shorter, more intense speed sessions such as interval training. The Season Plan is designed for all levels to safely increase your fitness, strength and technique across an entire season. However if you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or have any medical issues, which may affect your physical activity; you should see your doctor for clearance on participating in the sport. 

2. Do I have to be strong to dragon boat?

Good news!  You do not have to be strong to begin dragon boating, in fact many of our members began having never played any sport. Dragon boating with ACDC builds your strength gradually and safely over the season.  Dragon boating in one of the most effective all over strengthening exercises you can participate in; working legs, glutes, abdominals, core, back, shoulders and arms in combination.

3. Do I have to be coordinated to dragon boat?

Like any sport, dragon boating takes some practice and getting used to. Coordination is not a pre-requisite to paddling, we have many members who started out with co-ordination challenges and still do when on land - ha ha. The technique does require you to be able to stay in time with the other paddlers however you have an entire season to work on this. You will be coached in technique throughout the entire season and are not expected to have coordination when beginning the sport. 

4. What should I wear?

Dragon boating is a very casual sport. You can wear comfortable clothes that you would normally wear in the gym. Shorts/leggings, a t-shirt or singlet, and perhaps a spray jacket or warmer hoody to add a layer in cooler months. You will get a little wet with some splashing and dripping up your arm from your hand in the water; so any clothes appropriate for the weather conditions that you don’t mind getting a little damp.  Footwear is essential, crocs, thongs or old sandshoes are all good to wear. Hat and sunglasses are always recommended.   Once you decide you love the sport and want to join (and you will) most members start to buy some more ‘paddling-friendly’ gear such as neoprene shorts or water resistant tops . We can certainly give you advice as we progress through the season and weather changes.

5. What should I bring to a training session?

The only thing that is not supplied for you is a water bottle. Everything else will be supplied on the day; a paddle, lifejacket if you require one, boat and laughter. We recommend bringing a towel and perhaps a change of clothes in case you get more splashing than you anticipate and have to drive home. There are hot showers and change rooms available at the paddling venue. 

6. I have a bad back/shoulder – can I still dragon boat?

Yes you can. Dragon boating builds strength and if done safely and regularly can be used to rehabilitate injuries. However we recommend you see a doctor or medical professional to seek clearance to try dragon boating. We also ask that you notify the coach of your injury before you begin dragon boating so you can be introduced to the sport safely and without risk of further injury. Contact the Head Coach at john.holland @senet.com.au for further information on managing an injury.

Paddling with ACDC

1. How competitive is ACDC?

ACDC is competitive in the sport of dragon boating both at State and National and level. We train and race hard, however enjoy social events and the sense of family and support our club is renown for.. While strong, we have realistic competitive goals and respect the diverse range of ages (8-65+) in the club. The eclectic blend of students, youth and older paddlers makes our club a family who enjoy sweating and working hard on-water and laughing, socialising and playing hard off water.

2. Am I too old to dragon boat? What ages are the members of ACDC?

ACDC welcomes people from the age of 8 onwards. We have around 90 members and pride ourselves on the diversity in the club. It is common to see a student racing with a 50 year old paddler, young and senior supporting each other. Dragon boating is not a sport where only the young can excel; some of our senior members are also the strongest. It makes for interesting challenges and loving rivalry. You will find friends of similar age in ACDC. As far as racing goes there are categories for competition of all ages. This means that we can combine all ages for a larger crew, or split ages into smaller crews for any competition.  There is no limitation what you can achieve in this sport regardless of age. 

3. How long are races?

Races are usually in the following formats:

• 200m – explosive, powerful, barely take 60 seconds.
• 500m – strength, using lactic acid and aerobic fitness, usually take 2-3 minutes.
• 2000m – endurance, using all fuel systems, usually take around 12-15minutes

Training throughout the season will prepare you for racing these distances.

4. How often do you train?

ACDC offers 4 training sessions per week to offer the most choice to members. It is not compulsory to attend all the sessions, we offer them to fit around lives, children, work schedules. There is a combination of morning and evening training to offer the most choice.   If you can attend 1-2 sessions per week that will be enough to build your strength, fitness and technique across the season.  Usually by around January we recommend attending up to 3 sessions per week as we build in intensity in the lead up to the Australian Championships in April.

5. When and where do you train?

ACDC trains on the Port River 4 times a week, as follows;

Monday and Wednesday 18.15 to 19.45

Saturdays 08.15 to 9.45 & 9.45 to 11.15

Our 9.45 Saturday offering is a development session geared to new paddlers

Our address is 1 Jenkins Street, Newport, South Australia, 5015

6. How hard do you train?

Training is planned to span an entire season and will escalate as the season progresses. Our Season Plan is broken up into 3 main phases;

Phase 1 is gentle, low intensity technique training and building paddling muscles for all levels.  This means from September – November the training sessions will focus on technique. Long distances but low intensity and effort.

Phase 2 starts to increase the power and strength. This means from December – February training sessions will be shorter in length but more powerful and strength building in nature. This is the phase where we practice racing, do resistance training on water and start to build your recovery.

Phase 3 brings in shorter, more intense speed sessions such as interval training.

The Season Plan is designed for all levels to safely increase your fitness, strength and technique across an entire season. You will be amazed at how many calories you burn in sessions and your body changes will creep up on you. Dragon boating will strip weight, add muscle to your arms, shoulders and back and work your core and abdominals. You will see results after only a month of paddling regularly.   All our coaches are accredited and will you take you through your paces in a safe environment.

7. If I can only make 1-2 sessions per week can I still join?

Absolutely! If you can only attend 1 session per week this is enough to build basic paddling fitness and technique and thoroughly enjoy the training and social paddling. However if you wanted to race competitively you would need to be supplementing your 1 water session with at least 2 gym sessions per week to reduce your risk of injury. Racing dragon boats is explosive and powerful and if you have not built your shoulder/back muscles adequately in the early part of the season you are at risk of injury during a race. Contact the Head Coach at john.holland@senet.com.au for further information on training sessions and whether you are worried you may not be able to attend enough to safely build performance.

8. I’m interested in training for fitness but not really the competitive racing – can I still try it?

Absolutely. We do have paddlers who enjoy the fitness, training and social side of the club however do not wish to race competitively. As long as the coach knows of your intent there is no problem with attending all training yet not racing at regattas and at the National Championships.

9. How long does the season go for?

The season officially begins in September and concludes at the Australian Championships in April. However Komodo love the water and miss it and each other too much. We continue to train all year round.

• September – April: we train 4 sessions per week.
• May: we gradually drop our early morning and afternoon weekday sessions as the weather turns colder and darker.  Around 2-3 sessions per week
• June – July: 1 session per week. We paddle on Sunday mornings only as the cold and darkness are prohibitive and unsafe.
• August: 2 sessions per week. We gradually add more sessions as the weather improves and the mornings/afternoons become lighter.

10. I can’t swim very well – does that matter?

Surprisingly it does not matter. Dragonboaters in South Australia must wear a lfie jacket, the only exemption is for racing.  However if you cannot swim 50 metres fully clothed you must wear a life jacket.  These are provided free of charge.

Membership

1. How much are fees? What do they cover?

Fees are split into 2 parts; Club fee and the Dragon Boat South Australian Assocociaton fees (DBSA). 

1. The club fee covers internal club costs such as purchasing safety bags, lights, batteries, equipment for training, accreditation of sweeps and coaches and operational costs of the club.
2. DBSA fees cover you for the season which runs from 1 Jul to 30 Jun. There is a reduction in fees from 1 Jan for new entrants to the sport.  The fee covers the fleet of dragon boats and their upkeep, boat storage, insurance for every single member of the association and operational costs.
3. There are no fees for the 1st year of a new entrant under the age of 18,

2. Do I have to pay straight away to try it? What if I don’t like it?

No. Every new paddler is able to try dragon boating for free for a period of 4 weeks.  You will not be tied down into any contracts or obligations while you begin the sport.  Just sign up for Dragonpass via our contact us page and away you go.

3. Who owns the boats?

The boats are owned and maintained by the Dragon Boat SA.  This is a large expense and partly covered by your DBSA annual fees.

4. Am I covered if I hurt myself or someone else at training?

Yes you are.  Membership of Dragon Boat SA provides you with public liability and personal injury insurance.

ANYTHING WE DIDN’T COVER?

If you have any questions you can shoot us a quick email and we’ll be happy to help with anything extra you need to know about ACDC and dragon boat racing.

email:  sharon.knights@outlook.com