You must have heard a thousand of times about rowing, but what is the sport? Is there any essential difference between canoe and kayaks? What are the rules applied to such a competition? And, finally, who governs the development of the sport? Let’s reveal the truth step by step.

Canoeing as the separate sporting discipline

It can never be mentioned as the same sport as kayaking, for instance. The main reason is that boats simply differ from kayaks by the shape of the hull. They have a raised, slightly curved nose and an open cockpit. In addition, in this type of boat, the rowers do not sit on the seats, but stand with one knee on the floor or on a special surface. Canoes have no rudder. Boats are controlled exclusively by the movements of the rudder, which is called steering. Simple canoes weigh 14 kilograms and are 5.2 meters long. The doubles have a mass of 20 kilograms and a length of 6.5 meters. The four weigh 30 kilograms and are 9 meters long. Kayaking and canoeing can be sports such as rowing.

Rowing slalom being the mirrored canoeing

The sport of slalom rowing is a very exciting spectacle. Here the athletes compete over rapids or distances in waters with fast water flow through the gates. You will go through rather difficult sections, which can be very complicated. Distances vary from 250 to 400 meters. Doors are landmarks hanging on the top on tensioned ropes. If they are white-green, the athletes have to move with the current, if they are white against it. The doors are numbered. If rowers make a mistake when overtaking, they get minus points. The first rowing slalom competition took place in Switzerland in 1933. The World Championship followed in 1949. In 1992, rowing slalom competitions were included in the Olympic program. They are held in single and double canoes between the women’s and men’s teams. They can consist of two or three crews.

TOP disciplines of canoeing to mind

For sure, this is a deep and ample sport, thus many subdisciplines and disciplines are included. If you have decided to pay attention to rowing, the best thing is to start with:

• sprint;
• slalom/extreme;
• paracanoe;
• marathon;
• polo;
• wildwater rowing;
• freestyle;
• dragon boat;
• ocean racing;
• stand up paddling;
• slalom olympics;
• sprint olympics;
• paracanoe paralympics.

The choice may be done easily as the selection line is big. Don’t hesitate and dig into the case today.

In layman’s terms about canoeing rules

The essence and rules of the competition in rowing competitions, the main thing is to overcome the track as quickly as possible. The positions of the participants are determined after crossing the finish line. The International Canoe Federation, based in Switzerland, is responsible for the development of this sport and plays a significant role here. It organizes competitions and includes the national federations dedicated to this sport. In general, rowing sports owe their appearance to Scotland. Its resident MacGregor created a kayak in 1865. It had a length of 4.5 meters and a width of 75 centimeters. McGregor christened the ship “Rob Roy” and went on a journey through the waters of Europe. At that time kayaking became very popular. And in 1866 the first club of his fans was founded in England. Similar clubs then appeared in Scandinavian countries, the USA, Canada and Denmark. In 1924, an international organization was founded. It established the permissible dimensions of small boats and the dimensions of distances. Sweden hosted the first World Kayaking and canoeing Championships. Now men and women can compete over distances of up to 42 kilometers, but these events rarely take place. Traditional competitions include races of more than one kilometer and are subject to very strict rules. First of all, participants on the boats are not allowed to approach closer than five meters. This prevents them from taking advantage of the water flow from nearby kayaks or canoes to increase their speed. Secondly, if the athlete has a broken rudder, the launch of the boat is considered invalid. You must have a spare paddle and use it.

Swimming distances are marked with buoys. The placement of the boats at the beginning of the competition will be determined by lot. The oars of pleasure boats are made of carbon fiber and have a very low weight. This design allows athletes to paddle a large amount of water and quickly move the boat forward. The oars of sports canoes have a single blade.

One more interesting facts about canoeing

Canoeing is a seasonal rowing sport. In winter, rowers train in a special place, developing their skills and strengthening their muscles. The rowers of the teams participating in international competitions, in this case, train in hot regions. They develop a strategy of behavior and tactics, follow their opponents, determine the distance, count the seconds of the last blow.

In this sport, the human body is heavily loaded, at the same time its muscles become elastic, and the body’s resistance increases. It is not necessary to train in the gym. Now there are many simulators that allow you to acquire excellent skills in handling kayaks and canoes. They make it possible to lose weight, strengthen immunity, prepare for the hot season, and then go hiking, rafting or water sports. An interesting case occurred with Olympic Rowing champion Bobby Pierce. He walked around the other participants, but in the distance he saw a duck accompanied by chicks. Bobby was going to lose, but still came to the finish line first. The highest speed developed by athletes in this type of competition was 23 kilometers per hour. The most famous competition today is held in London, where many sportsmen from Oxford and Cambridge take part. Fun thing to know is that the smallest rowing champion of the rowing competition was the only ten-year-old helmsman.

All in all, canoeing is your choice

As you can see, the sport itself is enormously fascinating and not to try your hand in it may be one of the biggest mistakes. Benefits are evident, so act and enjoy the result.