Fequency Asked Questions

You can wear any type of clothing to paddle, as long as you are comfortable and also don't mind getting them wet
Waterproof Shoes or Sandals
Gloves in the Winter as the water get below zero degrees...

[Back To Top]

FAQ 2. What muscles hurt when you start and what exercises can you do to help build these up

Dragon Boating is an extreme sport that works on all the muscle groups.
Arms, Shoulds, Back, Core, Legs are all engaged when paddling
Exercises to build up your strength can include Bodypump classes, general free weight and cardio for stamina training

[Back To Top]

FAQ 3. How often do you race

We partake in the British Dragonboat Association (BDA) League which normally consists of 8-10 events a year, we aim to put a team forwards for each event when possible.
As well as the BDA League, there are other worthy charity races which we also take part in such as the Lions, Rotary and Bewl Waters events.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 4. How competitive is the league

Since Dragonboating is an Amateur Sport, it may be considered as not competitive as other sports (this is true when going to Charity Races), however with the introduction of the BDA League we have competitve races all through the year and this is of the highest standard when facing the top teams in the country

[Back To Top]

FAQ 5. How often do you train and what times

In the Winter we train once a week on the Saturday
In Spring time we train three times a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
As well as on the water training, we also have group Gym training depending on where you are located.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 6. How much is membership

Membership varies from year to year, please see the membership page for updated information.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 7. Do I need to know how to swim?

Ideally you would know how to swim as least 50m, however swimming is something that Typhoon members lack... From our creation in 2003, Typhoon has never once capsized and we do not plan on doing so anytime soon.
We have safety procedures to make sure each person is looked after in the event of an accident/capsize.
We provide buoyancy aids for non-swimmers.
In rough conditions, buoyancy aids are a MUST!

[Back To Top]

FAQ 8. What is the size of the team?

Every year the team grows in size and number, this year we already have over 50 full-time members

[Back To Top]

FAQ 9. Is this sport for girls too?

Dragon boating is often viewed as a "big arms sport", which often deters girls. In actual fact the sport utilizes the whole body, from the back to the waist to the legs.
Girls tend to have better timing and technique, whereas guys tend to have more brute force. Rather than pure power, the important factor is the strength-to-weight ratio.
In our club, there is roughly an equal split of girls and guys.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 10. What are you looking for in a paddler?

We don't look for anything in a paddler, it is more of what the paddler wants from Typhoon?
We can offer top coaching advice and techniques to help the progression of a paddler, but at the end of the day it is up to the paddler on how seriously they take the sport.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 11. Is paddling experience required to join Typhoon?

No paddling experience is required to join Typhoon, we have three teams that cater for all skill levels, Typhoon Tigers is the first team, Typhoon Fury is the second team whilst Typhoon Scratch is the newbie boat.
However, if you are able to prove yourself, you can rise up the ranks pretty quickly

[Back To Top]

FAQ 12. Why should I join Typhoon?

Typhoon has a lot to offer new members, there are loads of hobbies within the club, Badminton, Rollerblading, Gym, Snowboarding, Rockclimbing, in fact any event that you can think of there's probably someone at the club that is already part of a club.
Apart from training, we know how to have fun, we believe in work hard and play hard!!!
See our Recruitment Page for more information or click on Contact Us in the menu

[Back To Top]

FAQ 13. If I join the team do I have commit to go to every practice session and races?

All paddlers have their own commitement and goals, we as a club understand that and put no pressure on paddlers dedicating their whole life to the sport. We have three teams that cater for all paddling levels and depending on what your goals are we are happy to place you in whichever teams you feel best placed. We have a few paddlers in the team that paddle to keep fit and not race.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 14. Why the name Typhoon?

The name Typhoon was given to the team back in 2003, at that time there was loads of other teams with the name 'Dragons' in them, so to be different we wanted a powerful name to be feared whilst also taking into account that it was a watersport. So instead of picking a mythtical creature we picked a natural occuring force of destruction and that being a 'Typhoon'. However... I still don't know where we got the Tiger from :)

[Back To Top]

FAQ 15. Where can you buy a specialist paddle?

Paddles comes in three types, the heavy plastics, the wooden paddle and the cream of the crop, carbon fibres. You can refer to our links page for suppliers of paddles, however we will provide you with wooden paddles during training.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 16. How can I find out who drives to training so that I can share lifts?

The best way to find out who drives to training is by talking to people, don't worry we don't bite, well... sometimes :)

[Back To Top]

FAQ 17. Would Dragonboating give me big arms?

You will never get 'big' arms unless you hit the gym on a regular basic.
It is a myth as Dragonboating actually helps tone up the arms and get rid of them 'bingo' wings, imagine doing dumbells with light weights of only 1kg for over a hour, that is basically what Dragonboating is about as the paddle weighs less than a kg.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 18. What do Typhoon do when they are not paddling?

Typhoon Members enjoy other hobbies such as Badminton, Rollerblading, Gym, Snowboarding, Rockclimbing, Poker, in fact any event that you can think of there's probably someone at the club that is already part of a club.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 19. Do you raise money for Charity?

In 2008 we raised over £10,000 for Charity by doing three events, Great River Race and the Venice Vogalonga.

[Back To Top]

FAQ 20. Do you do any races outside of the UK?

We have done a few international races in the last two years, Venice Vogalonga (2008) and Hong Kong Stanley Cup (2009)
We are looking to add to our international experience this year and hope to participate in races in either New York or Vancouver.

[Back To Top]

Fequency Asked Questions

Newbie FAQ:

Typhoon FAQ:

Site Login