Canoe racing
Canoe racing is a water sport in which one travels as fast as possible a set distance on a straight water with a canoe.
It occurred per race up to nine canoeists on tracks marked with buoys against each other. The canoeist who (more precisely, with the prow of the canoe ) with his boat runs over the first to the finish line, won the race.
As a race course natural waters such as lakes and rivers with low flow or artificially created race routes come into question. To improve the starting conditions starting systems are used.
Boats
It starts in the boat genera kayak ( K) and Canadian (C). The boat genera are divided into the following classes of boat:
- One kayak ( K1, maximum length: 520 cm, minimum weight 12 kg )
- Double kayak (K2, maximum length: 650 cm, minimum weight 18 kg)
- Four - kayak ( K4, maximum length: 1100 cm, minimum weight 30 kg)
- One - Canadians (C1, maximum length: 520 cm, minimum weight 16 kg)
- Two - Canadians (C2, maximum length: 650 cm, minimum weight 20 kg )
- Of four Canadians (C4, maximum length: 900 cm, minimum weight 30 kg)
- Eight - Canadians ( C8, maximum length: 1100 cm) ( national class of boat in Germany )
The hulls must be in the longitudinal and transverse directions convex ( outwardly curved ). Formerly a minimum width and height were prescribed. This has led to increasingly challenging constructions ( for example, " wings "). The elimination of the minimum width in 2002 and the minimum height Established in 2004, the boatbuilders new ways to optimize the boot shapes.
Restrictive provisions are the above-mentioned convex shape; Also, the driver must sit in the boat or kneel (not on the boat such as the Surfski ), and the highest point of the boat has the front edge of the seat to be Luke.
In racing kayak athletes sitting on a mounted in the boat, adjustable seat; the boot is controlled by a control fin located in the rear, which is operated with a Fußsteuer. The seat hatch is sealed with a spray skirt to prevent splashing water from entering the boat.
The race has no Canadian tax system, it is controlled by the kayakers paddle by rotation. He has an open top.
Technology
The kayak is sitting down with a double paddle, which is used reciprocally.
In Canadian athletes kneel with one knee on a pillow or block of hard foam and move the boat with a single bladed paddle forward, which is used on one side (on the side on which the athlete kneeling ). Stroke rate and speed of rotation are slightly lower than in a kayak, since a relatively long road must be traveled through the air when lifting the paddle. The focus of the paddlers in the boat is higher than in a kayak. Together with the very small width of the boat ( about 30-40 cm in C1), the boat is therefore relatively unstable and requires a good sense of balance in order to control the boat. Control is provided by a J- shock.
Canadian races were traditionally contested only by men, until 2010 Women's Canadian race was first officially included in the World Cup program.
Competitions
The German Canoe Association defines the Boat and power categories and path lengths for official competitions in the national competition rules. Since 1936, the canoe flatwater racing is also discipline the Olympics, after it had been introduced in Paris in 1924 as a show competition. The most successful German Olympic athlete is the canoeist Birgit Fischer.
In the years without Summer Olympic Games since 1938 are held world championships. In addition, a World Cup series is performed. There are also other international regattas. Are held each year over 100 other small, medium and large regattas in Germany. Since 2009 there will be a national and international race for people with disabilities held in Paracanoe.
Olympic disciplines
At the Olympic Games is not started in all disciplines. The disciplines from 2012 are:
- Men kayak 200 m K1, K2
- 1000 m K1, K2, K4
- Ladies kayak 200 m K1
- 500 m K1, K2, K4
- Men Canadians 200 m C1
- 1000 m C1, C2
The changes to the Olympic program for 2012 were adopted on a proposal from the ICF to the executive session of the International Olympic Committee in August 2009 in Berlin. Originally a change had only been scheduled for 2016 and been added for 2009-2011 Season trial - and long-distance competitions in the World Championship program in order to test their suitability Olympia. The removal of the 500m race in favor of the 200m should help to expand the circle of participants and reduce duplication starts because 200m and 1000m very different claims put to the constitution of the athletes. It was also dispensed with men discipline (C2 500m ) in favor of another woman discipline (K1 200m ), which the numerical preponderance of men disciplines (now 8:4, 9:3 previously ) is intended to reduce.
From 1964 to 2008 there were the following Olympic program:
- Men kayak 500 m K1, K2
- 1000 m K1, K2, K4
- Ladies kayak 500 m K1, K2, K4
- Men Canadians 500 m C1, C2
- 1000 m C1, C2
Until 1960 there was also relay races in which start four boats per team one by one in the opposite direction. The track length was 500 m each.
Performance classes
In order to give athletes the opportunity to compete with their peers, the competitions are divided into performance classes. Apart from the basic distinction women / men, start the race in the following classes:
- Take children under 7 years are generally not in competitions and regattas
- Student C ( 7-9 years)
- Student B (10 to 12 years)
- Student A (13 to 14 years)
- Youth ( 15-16 years)
- Juniors ( 17-18 years)
- Power class ( from 19 years)
- Senior A ( 32-39 years)
- Senior B (40 to 49 years)
- Senior C (50 years)
- Seniors D (60 years )
It can also be vintage race held up in the student -A region.
Apart from age, also the success a criterion dar. So it is in the power class (SC ) possible separate race in the SC I and SC II perform. A classification of the athletes in the less powerful LK II takes place after negative fulfillment of criteria ( eg no victory at German Championships or other races category A in the previous year). In contrast, one will automatically be upgraded end of the competition in the LK I, if you win in such competition.
Stretch
For races races can be evaluated on the following routes:
- Sprint distance: 200 m
- Short-distance 500 m
- Middle distance 1000 m
- Long distance 2000 m ( for male and female student A )
- Long distance 5000 m
Track lengths of over 10,000 belong to the canoe marathon.
Since 2010 there is also the canoe -around for all ages through adolescence. These involve several individual disciplines, which are added together and give an overall result. Following is made in the canoe -around:
Training
The training for this sport is usually offered in local sports clubs. Wherever there existing water permit (rivers, lakes, canals ), there is often also canoe sports clubs.
In addition to direct training in the boat, which trains the technique and endurance of the canoe racers, various elements of the sports running and strength training are used to form the body of the canoeists and avoid a one-sided loading. In winter, when most Central European waters are frozen over, is also operated indoor sports in many canoe clubs or trained on special paddle ergometers. Balance training will counteract a too one-sided development of the musculature recommended that accompanies the entire training process.
Biomechanics of canoe racing
The interrelationships between the movement of canoeists, the boat and paddle movement in response to both hydro-and aerodynamic properties and causal driving force effects, and the water movement is the subject of the biomechanics of the canoe racing. The overall objective is to find solutions that lead to high rates of movement with maximum energy transformation and lowest energy losses.