Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board

Re: Forward Stroke Pedal=Paddle

Posted By: dave mcadoo
Date: Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 6:18 p.m.

In Response To: Forward Stroke Revisited (David)

Paddling a boat is like pedaling a bike. Use the thighs to rotate and I love the brent reitz video. I use a plastic bag over my backrest so I can rotate without friction against my back. To prepare for the 90 mile race(www.saranaclake.com) , I became a great believer in "OUT IN FRONT". You are so comfortable and relaxed in your boat you can be 10 feet out in front of the boat- removed from the pain and fatigue and frustration. As in a good golf swing- you are not really conscious of trying to do anything- merely letting the club hit the ball the way it knows best. According to biofeedback- your body and the paddle knows. Be alert to what they are telling you. My paddle won the Canadian nationals. I have poured myself into it since I bought it used from the champion who used it. Some of us were born to paddle . It is our destiny just as some were born to play center in the nfl. I am of that greenland spirit that was born to rip holes in the water as my wing blade and I blast along in the power of God Almighty! And yes thank you Jesus even though I will be 52 this year, I am healthy of body to love the thrill of competition.

: The current guidelines for the forward stroke we use in Canada emphasize
: straight arms and full torso rotation. Despite my reservations about the
: reality of using this contrived stroke over many hours of paddling, I have
: had to adopt it to meet cert. requirements. Admittedly, it is an efficient
: stroke and it prevents tennis elbow and a host of other paddling problems.
: So let me start by saying this is the stroke I now use.

: Counterpoint: John Dowd, in Sea Kayaking, discusses this. He stated that the
: stroke is silliness, and that a reasonable rotation of the torso, just
: enough to have to shoulder come forward of the body, is more practical
: over the long haul. He states that even instructors who teach this
: modified racing stroke revert to simply push-pull with some rotation after
: a few minutes. I have to admit that I carefully watch other instructors
: paddling and when no-one is looking they bend both arms and you can't
: really notice much pronounced torso rotation to speak of. So this is
: something that maybe everyone advises, but no-one really does after they
: finish teaching it to someone else.

: I know it appears a minor point, but it isn't. Should the arms be held as
: straight as possible, using only torso rotation to complete the stroke?
: There is not doubt that emphasized torso rotation, especially in
: individuals with limited flexibility, is hard to sustain. Try it. Put a
: little bear bell on your PFD near your navel and try to ring it with each
: stroke. Now try just paddling, novice's push pull, with a bit of torso
: rotation. Which would you be capable of doing over 3 or 4 hours?

: Okay, any thoughts on the forward stroke, non-Greenland style paddle, long
: distance?

Messages In This Thread

Forward Stroke Revisited
David -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 9:45 a.m.

Forward Stroke Link:
Craig Mackinnon -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 11:15 a.m.

why you hide behind an authority? *NM*
risto -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 1:16 p.m.

Re: why you hide behind an authority?
Shawn Baker -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 1:20 p.m.

Re: teachers
LeeG -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 5:53 p.m.

re-inventing the wheel is fun....
risto -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 12:20 p.m.

Re: re-inventing the wheel is fun....
don flowers -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 1:05 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Link:
Ted Henry -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 3:59 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Link:
don flowers -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 6:40 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Link:
KenB -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 7:13 p.m.

Thanks for the link *NM*
don flowers -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 8:52 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Revisited
Shawn Baker -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 1:19 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Revisited
Randy Knauff -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 3:18 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Revisited
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 5:14 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Revisited
LeeG -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 6:03 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Pedal=Paddle
dave mcadoo -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 6:18 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Revisited
njkayaker -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 7:01 p.m.

Re: Forward Stroke Revisited
David -- Wednesday, 22 May 2002, at 10:50 p.m.

Dogma and Gurus
M.Hamilton -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 2:10 a.m.

Re: Dogma and Gurus
David -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 10:23 a.m.

Re: Dogma and Gurus
David -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 10:34 a.m.

Re: Dogma and Gurus
Shawn Baker -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 11:30 a.m.

Re: Dogma and Gurus
LeeG -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 12:16 p.m.

Paddling "styles"
Craig Mackinnon -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 12:20 p.m.

15 heads are better than one....
David -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 11:56 p.m.

Re: correction
LeeG -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 10:23 a.m.

Re: correction
David -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 6:15 p.m.

Re: correction
Jed -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 9:31 p.m.

Re: Dogma and Gurus
Brianne Corbett -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 8:44 p.m.

"Curls for the girls"
Craig Mackinnon -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 9:44 a.m.

Not necessarily
Brian Nystrom -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 1:24 p.m.

Not necessarily...
Craig Mackinnon -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 3:38 p.m.

Re: Not necessarily...
Brian Nystrom -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 5:02 p.m.

Re: Not necessarily...
Greg Stamer -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 6:49 p.m.

Thanks for clearing that up, Greg.
Brian Nystrom -- Saturday, 25 May 2002, at 9:21 a.m.

Re: Thanks for clearing that up, Greg.
Greg Stamer -- Tuesday, 28 May 2002, at 12:12 p.m.

Re: Thanks for clearing that up, Greg.
Brian Nystrom -- Tuesday, 28 May 2002, at 12:28 p.m.

Dogma Rulz, Catma Drools
Jed -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 12:32 p.m.

A good demo of torso rotation benefits
Pamela -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 7:36 p.m.

Maybe not dogma but it seems to help
Jed -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 8:08 p.m.

Re: A good demo of torso rotation benefits
David -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 12:00 a.m.

Over rotation
M.Hamilton -- Friday, 24 May 2002, at 12:39 a.m.

Not MH above,but a prank based on a conversation *NM*
MH -- Saturday, 25 May 2002, at 5:34 p.m.

Interestingly, no one used the word "cadence" *NM*
risto -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 1:40 p.m.

Re: or breathing *NM*
LeeG -- Thursday, 23 May 2002, at 10:14 p.m.

or,... synchronizing the lot... *NM*
risto -- Saturday, 25 May 2002, at 8:45 a.m.

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