Half-mile pushes The Workout Breakdown - 5(0.5mi/3) at 80% - 10-min Warmup at 70% - 5 sets of 0.5 miles (or 800m) at 80%, 3 minutes active or full rest - 10-min Cooldown at 70% pErg - use damper 1 (for half mile, use 805m) row erg - use damper 4 Oc1 - no bungee Oc6 or DB - no pool noodle Technique Focus: - Dragon Boat Style: switch sides every minute - OC Style: switch sides every 12 strokes  - For Both: This is a solid pace for half a mile.  💬 Coach Tek's Weekly Update: Training Focus: This past week was all about building on the strength foundation from resistance training with 3 solid days of sprint work. Tuesday's Breakthrough: Made the trip to Foster City for intervals with Preston and his crew - and wow, what a difference training with others makes! There's something about having people around you that unlocks that extra gear. Solo training has its place, but when you need to truly empty the tank, nothing beats the pressure of keeping up with fast paddlers pushing each other. NorCal Festival Domination! 🏆What an incredible weekend! Our team has put in serious work all year, and it showed. While I've stepped back to coaching once a month and focusing more on team systems and structure, watching this crew execute was pure magic. The Results Speak: - 2 Mixed crews ✅ - 1 Open crew ✅ - 1 Women crew ✅ - 1 Masters crew ✅ - EVERY SINGLE CREW PODIUMED! 🥇🥈🥉 The Cherry on Top: SF Dragon Warriors Onyx took 1st overall by just 0.2 seconds - talk about racing on the edge! This marks our 5th championship in the last 6 festivals - a testament to the culture and standards we've built. What Made It Perfect: Racing alongside Eri with my kids cheering from the sidelines - those are the moments that make all the training worth it. On Resilience: Teams evolve, rosters change, but our mission remains the same. This championship proves that Dragon Warriors isn't about any single person - it's about the culture, the standards, and the commitment to excellence that lives on regardless of who's in the boat.

1’ sprints The Workout Breakdown - 12(1/2) at 95% - 10-min Warmup at 70% - 12 sets of 1 minute at 95%, 2 minutes active or full rest - 10-min Cooldown at 70% pErg - use damper 1 row erg - use damper 4 Oc1 - no bungee Oc6 or DB - no pool noodle Technique Focus: - Dragon Boat Style: switch sides every set - OC Style: switch sides every 12 strokes  - For Both: This is a near-maximum output for 1 minute 💬 Coach Tek's Weekly Update: Back to Business Mode! 🎯 After the Catalina high, it was time to get back to reality - catching up on school work and diving into the next training cycle. With 4 weeks until IVF Sprint Nationals, the countdown is officially ON! Training Focus:Week 1 of the new cycle hit hard with 6 and 8-minute pieces under resistance. My body is still remembering what Catalina took out of me, but that's exactly the kind of base I need heading into Nationals prep. Coaching Highlight:Friday after work, I made the drive down to Morro Bay for a final Nationals Tune-up clinic with SurviveOars. Seeing their progress and determination was incredible - they're going to bring the power at Nationals! Let's GO SurviveOars! 🔥 By the Numbers:30 miles of paddling for the week, which felt perfect for a recovery/transition week. Sunday was all about the long drive home and getting my head back into work mode for the week ahead. 🏆 MONTHLY PRIZES - TOP CONTRIBUTORS 🏆 Winners announced September 30th at 5PM PST! 1. **FIRST PLACE**: 4 weeks of Personalized Training Program ($400 value) 2. **SECOND PLACE**: 2 weeks of Personalized Training Program ($200 value) 3. **THIRD PLACE**: Gift a month of TLC Skool Community to a friend ($62 value) Prizes must be redeemed within the following month 👇 COMMUNITY QUESTION 👇 What's the best piece of paddling advice someone ever gave you?

Remember your first dragon boat or outrigger practice? The nerves, the confusion, wondering if you're doing it right? I created "Your First Dragon Boat Course" because EVERYONE deserves to feel confident on the water from day one. ✅ Proper technique fundamentals ✅ What to expect at practice ✅ Confidence-building basics ✅ Works for outrigger too! No more showing up unprepared. Let's get you ready! 🐉 Go to Classroom to access the Course!

12’ push pieces The Workout Breakdown - 4(12/2) at 90% - 10-min Warmup at 70% - 4 sets of 12 minutes at 90%, 2 minutes rest - 10-min Cooldown at 70% pErg - use damper 1 row erg - use damper 4 Oc1 - no bungee Oc6 or DB - no pool noodle Technique Focus: - Dragon Boat Style: switch sides every 2 minutes - OC Style: switch sides every 12 strokes  - For Both: This is a hard push piece for 12 minutes. 💬 Coach Tek's Weekly Update: Race Week Prep and Catalina Crossing Adventure! 🌊 The Lead-Up: With Catalina on the horizon, Eri and I made it out to Kilohana's Tuesday night practice session to dial in our timing. The rest of the week? Chaos! Kids' Back to School night killed Wednesday's paddle, Thursday was a blur, and then we were wheels up to LA on Friday. Sometimes race prep doesn't go according to plan - and that's okay! Race Day Magic: All those pre-race nerves? Gone the moment we hit the water. Catalina was absolutely incredible - I felt strong, paced myself perfectly, and remembered the golden rule from previous crossings: load up on salt early and often (because cramping at mile 20 is NOT the vibe). The Battle: Starting in the lineup and calling, we exploded off the line! Newport's Tahitian crew pulled away early for 1st, but we found ourselves in an epic 4-boat dogfight for 2nd place. For the first half, we were holding strong against Kai Ehitu and another crew. Then came the plot twist - after two changes, they snuck up and blew past us! Game on! 🔥 We switched up our strategy, and I ended up staying in longer than planned. The crew dug deep, we clawed our way back, and not only passed them again but actually started chasing down 1st place! The Finish: After 30 miles of pure battle: 2nd place by just 1 minute behind first, and only 1 minute ahead of third! Talk about racing on the edge the entire way. Gratitude: Massive shoutout to @Jin Yu and @Cara Lam for the housing and carpool magic - you made this whole adventure possible! 🙏

1000m work The Workout Breakdown - 6(1000m/2) at 95% - 5-min Warmup at 70% - 6 sets of 1000m at 95%, 2 minutes rest - 10-min Cooldown at 70% pErg - use damper 1 row erg - use damper 4 Oc1 - no bungee Oc6 or DB - no pool noodle Technique Focus: - Dragon Boat Style: stay on one side each set (yes, it’s going to burn) - OC Style: switch sides every 12 strokes  - For Both: This is one of my favorite distances to train. It’s more than a sprint, but not quite an endurance paddle. You’re pretty much going hard the whole time! 💬 Coach Tek's Weekly Update: New school, new routines, different historically underserved student population… let me tell you that I have my hands FULL! It was a culture shock and a jarring wakeup call. I was so beat after each day of teaching, but I took it out during my workouts. I had 200m sprints and 2 minute sprints and distance paddling with Kilohana OC6. I looked forward to the weekend. On Saturday, I decided to race Kula Anela with their special 16-mile iron course that went out the Golden Gate Bridge. Mentally, I told myself I needed my kids to NOT be there. Fortunately, we were able to coordinate babysitting via my parents, my brother, and my sister so that every kid was accounted for. It was my first race of the season (yes… first race) and it was one of the best. Next up is Catalina Co-ed race. NorCal Dragon Boat Festival. And then V1 Sprint Nationals. 🏆 MONTHLY PRIZES - TOP CONTRIBUTORS 🏆 Winners announced August 31st at 5PM PST! 1. **FIRST PLACE**: 4 weeks of Personalized Training Program ($400 value) 2. **SECOND PLACE**: 2 weeks of Personalized Training Program ($200 value) 3. **THIRD PLACE**: Gift a month of TLC Skool Community to a friend ($62 value) Prizes must be redeemed within the following month 👇 COMMUNITY QUESTION 👇 If your paddle could talk, what would it say about your technique?