Northern Canoe Polo

Player Tips
March 2003 - Choosing a Paddle and Paddle Skills
Couple of things spring to mind here. 1st, not really a tip, but more of a did you know... It wont really matter what the shape of you paddle is as far as your ability/skill in blocking control to determine how well you deal with little tricks like balancing a ball on the blade or what's actually more use, controlled blocking to hand. The more you get used to a paddle and the time spent practicing will make you better. It's not a simple case of that person is great at doing tricks with their paddle - therefore I need the same paddle. The same goes for boats. Heavy paddle Vs Light paddle. You don't have to read all this if you don't want - the lighter one will win every time. Generally, the heavier paddle will reduce the amount of shock to your arm joints when blocking - particularly for GK'ers, and of course they wont break so often. Light paddles feel nicer in any measurable way. You will be able to swing them easier and this may actually mean you hit more people harder if you don't have good control from the outset. You will have a greater ability to dick-around with the ball while trying to block to hand if you are not good enough to black the ball in one action down to where you want it. They will break easily. Heavy paddles will help you in terms of stamina training though. Personally I prefer a medium weight paddle. Do not use Aluminium shafts. They are very bad for you. They bend permanently and so your wrists will have to cope with continuing to use something which will cause you long term problems - even outside the sport. Composite shafts might be more expensive (if they break), and they do flex or break, but they don't wreck your wrists. You can always get a composite shaft with more glass in it to increase it's life expectancy. Skypoles are nice. Paddles flex differently - mainly according to what shaft they have, but the blades will have some bearing on it too. If a paddle flexes a lot, when the ball hits it, it will rebound quite a way. If the shaft is rigid then the ball drops more. Likewise, the tighter you hold your shaft when blocking, the more the flexibility of the shaft will effect the distance of rebound. If you reach out towards the incoming ball and bring back as the ball hits the blade - absorbing the impact, then you have the greatest chance of controlling the block to hand. Also the harder you hold your paddle shaft while blocking, the more you rely on the integral strength of the paddle - this is where most paddle shafts break under the upper hand. They break under the lower hand while paddling. Last thing - Historic Symmetric Vs Fashionable Asymmetric This also has a bearing on the question of the number of Grips to have. I prefer 2 - so if for any reason the paddle is the wrong way, then I can still continue paddling with little problem and switch at the next convenient moment. Switching your paddles around is only really an issue if you have Asymmetric paddles. These mainly come in three varieties. Standard, Kinetic, or Tear Drop. This refers to the shape in plane of the blades. On standard the Large near corner is on the bottom nearest the Shaft and it the opposite on Kinetics (like using them upside down compared to Standard). Tear Drop is just as it suggests and is closer to being Asymmetric than Symmetric. If you paddle with an Asymmetric the wrong way to what you are used to, it will feel really odd. The Tear Drop is obviously less a problem. Symmetrical paddles never have anything wrong with them, but they had been around for quite a while and there was more money to be made by manufacturers by getting us to get into something new. Whatever you use, always try something else whenever you have the chance. If nothing else, it might just let you know what you like about what you have or tempt you for something different when you can afford it. I personally use the Kinetics - upside down. I think they give more power like this. After all, the whole concept of the kinetic shape is somewhat lost on lazy polo players who paddle with low arms anyway !!! Paul Hammond coached Denmark at the 2002 World Championships, and retired last year from the position of Chief Referee for Britain. He plays for Dragon Polo. He also manufactures and sells canoe polo equipment, and has his own sites: Clydes Polo Page and Clydes Polo Kit
February 2003 - Learning to Roll a Kayak
Lesson Plan 1.Introduction to Kayak terminology and equipment, Setting kayak for personal use, Getting into the Kayak 2. Safety, Lifting the boat, How to get out of kayak("Wet exit"), How to get water out of kayak, How to signal to be rescued and proper body positioning 3. Confidence Routines, Orientation, Body positioning 4. The roll, Set up at surface, Sweep and hip flick- hand position and head control 5. Practise! Run yourself through the lesson so that you are learning long term, rather than short term. Then add the ball and finally, try the other side (but be prepared to take a few small steps backwards in order to take a huge leap forward..) 6. Learn to roll in a game
November 2002 - Train all Year Round - Paul Hammond (UK)
Paul Hammond coached Denmark at the 2002 World Championships, and until recently was the Chief Referee for Britain.He plays for Dragon Polo. He also manufactures and sells canoe polo equipment, and has his own sites: Clydes Polo Page and Clydes Polo Kit Train all year round- with no more than 2 weeks break or you (and your coach) will feel like you'll be starting from scratch each time you restart. I know when I came over there in '94, it was fashionable to paddle WW half the year and play polo the other half. That's really damaging for the progress of the sport and your game on the world stage. To improve Nationally, you'll have to take it seriously that most of your players will need to specialise in polo over and above any other paddling. The other paddling then takes 2nd place and can be a bit of fun rather than an important part. Psychologically this will turn you into a polo player who does other paddling for fun. Physically you have to understand you body needs training and conditioning to learn how to do things just like your mind does. Summer training - It's nice to paddle in the sun, but take it seriously as often as you can - full kit including Body protection and helmet will put you in the right frame of mind to maximise the potential of the session. Train as you would play, and then you will play as you train - hard !
October 2002 - Play to the Whistle - Vashti Tymkin (NZ)
Often a player will expect a call in their favour and appeal to the referee. My recent experience in International competition was that you do your team a disservice if you don't know the rules, know what the referee is (and is not) calling, and adapt your play to suit. For instance, if they are not calling obstruction, then your fast break will be shut down. It isn't legal, but are you going to allow them a fast break when obstruction is being used as a tactic? Granted, every player should play fairly, but in many situations referees play to advantage. Get used to playing the best you can, as safely as you can, as dynamically as you can. If you wait for a whistle, the other team won't. One final warning- this isn't an encouragement for dangerous play. There is no excuse for injuring another player- you are there to score goals and defend them, not to brawl or cause injury. Vashti Tymkin, NZ Women's #8 2002
August /September 2002 - How to Choose a Kayak - Duncan Cochrane (AUS)
Duncan Cochrane explains how to choose a kayak, and how to look after it...
July 2002 - One on One - Vashti Tymkin (NZ)
The Press A press is an aggressive defensive tactic designed to gain possession of the ball. In general, the last half of the second half is a time when a press may help you to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. To do this, you must be evenly matched with your opposition. Communication is vital. If you lose a player, try to cover. Make sure you are between the opponent and the goal. Make sure you do not overcommit by overlapping the nose of your boat so that they are closer to your goal than you.Remember, the object is to pressure the ball carrier so that thay give away possession. Never leave your player to double team without good reason... Breaking the Press To break the press, T-off in the centre of the pool so that you protect a safe area for the ball. Look for a player to the side who also has a space to pass to. Provide the pass and then maintain your position so that other players can use your static kayak to screen off their defender.
June 2002 - Choosing Tactics - Vashti Tymkin (NZ)
Know your team mates The capabilities of your team will influence your decision.Pay attention to their boat handling abilities and their interpretation of the game. Do they anticipate the next move? Know your tactics If it's complicated, then you and everyone else has to remember what they're doing at the same time. Remember five other people have to think in almost the same way. Is it likely that you're going to work a complicated sequence on one practice a week? If you really want to make use of set plays, then everyone has to be motivated to use them. Know your opposition There's no point in drilling a tactic that involves a lot of muscle when you don't have it.If you don't have a good goalie, and they have good shots, you probably don't want a static zone that depends on forcing the shot over two paddles. Think about what they have, but in the end,when in doubt, work to your strengths. Noone ever said it was going to be easy But then noone said it had to be complicated either. As with everything, keep it simple.