Dragon Boat AtlasYour guide to dragon boat racing
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Dragon Boat Terminology

New to dragon boat racing? Start here. This page defines the terms and in-boat commands you'll hear from your first practice onward. Read it before diving into Technique 101 or Rules Explained, both of which assume you already know these.

Crew & Boat

  • Bow: The front of the boat.
  • Stern: The back of the boat.
  • Hull: The body of the boat.
  • Gunwale: The upper edge/rim of the boat's side.
  • Steersperson (or "helm"): Stands at the stern with a steering oar, responsible for keeping the boat on course. Not a paddler.
  • Drummer: Sits at the bow, sets and holds the stroke rate for the whole crew, usually with a drum.
  • Stroke seat (or "pacer"): The pair of paddlers in the front-most paddling row, whose timing the rest of the crew follows.
  • Small boat: A 12-person configuration (10 paddlers, drummer, steersperson), common at festivals.
  • Standard boat: A 22-person configuration (20 paddlers, drummer, steersperson), used in most competitive racing.
  • Bench (or "thwart"): The cross-boat seat where a pair of paddlers sit, one on each side. A standard boat has 10.

The Paddle

  • Grip (or "T-grip"): The handle at the top of the paddle, a short crossbar your top hand wraps around. It gives you control over the blade's angle.
  • Shaft: The long section between the grip and the blade. Your lower hand holds it.
  • Blade: The flat, wide part at the bottom that goes in the water and moves the boat.
  • Throat: The point where the shaft widens into the blade.
  • Tip: The very bottom edge of the blade, the first part to enter the water at the catch.
  • Power face: The side of the blade that pushes against the water during the stroke. The opposite side is the back face.
  • Wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber: The three common paddle materials. See our Equipment Guide for how they compare.
Labeled side-view diagram of a dragon boat from stern to bow, showing the dragon tail, steersperson and steering oar at the stern, paddlers' benches in 10 rows of 2, the gunwale, hull, and waterline, the drum and drummer's seat, and the dragon head at the bow, with a separate paddle labeled T-grip, shaft, throat/neck, blade, and tip

Stroke Mechanics

  • Catch: The moment the paddle blade enters the water at the start of a stroke.
  • Power phase (or "pull"): The part of the stroke where the paddler drives the blade through the water, generating forward force.
  • Exit: The moment the blade lifts cleanly out of the water at the end of the power phase.
  • Recovery: The motion of bringing the paddle forward through the air, back to the next catch.
  • Blade angle: The angle of the paddle blade relative to the water at the catch. Crews generally aim for a near-vertical entry.
  • Stroke rate: How many strokes per minute the crew is paddling, set by the drummer or stroke seat.

In-Boat Commands

These are called out during practice and racing, usually by the steersperson or coach, and every paddler needs to recognize them instantly:

  • "Paddles up" / "Attention": Get into the ready position, paddle poised at the catch, waiting for the start.
  • "Go" / the starting signal: Begin paddling at race pace.
  • "Wind it up": Gradually increase the stroke rate.
  • "Power 10": Ten strokes of maximum effort, often called to make a push during a race.
  • "Hold" (or "hold water"): Plant the paddle blade in the water and hold it there to stop the boat quickly.
  • "Draw in": A sideways stroke that pulls the boat toward the paddle side, used to steer or to move the boat laterally toward the dock.
  • "Draw out": The opposite of draw in: a sideways stroke that pushes the boat away from the paddle side.
  • "Easy" (or "let it run"): Stop paddling and let the boat glide on its own momentum, without braking.

Race Day

  • Heat: A single qualifying or preliminary race; crews are usually placed into finals based on heat results.
  • Lane: The marked course each boat races in, keeping crews separated across the course width.
  • False start: A crew begins paddling before the official start signal, typically resulting in a penalty or restart.
  • Buoy line: The marked line of floating buoys defining each racing lane.
  • Photo finish: A finish close enough that the official result is determined from a finish-line camera image rather than visual call.

Organizations & Governance

  • IDBF: International Dragon Boat Federation, one of two international governing bodies for the sport. See Rules Explained for the full IDBF vs. ICF picture.
  • ICF: International Canoe Federation, the other governing body, which includes dragon boat as one of its disciplines.
  • Sanctioned event: A race officially recognized and regulated by a governing federation, subject to its equipment and competition rules.
  • Division: A category crews are grouped into for fair competition, based on gender, age, or ability (see Rules Explained for the full breakdown).
  • BCS / IBCPC: Breast Cancer Survivor paddling teams, and the International Breast Cancer Paddlers' Commission that coordinates their global festivals.

New to the sport? We'd suggest reading this page first, then Technique 101 to learn how the strokes actually feel, then Rules Explained once you're ready for competition structure.