Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board

Not necessarily...

Posted By: Craig Mackinnon
Date: Friday, 24 May 2002, at 3:38 p.m.

In Response To: Not necessarily (Brian Nystrom)

: Greenland style paddling actually uses the legs relatively little.

Mine doesn't. I didn't know there was a monolithic Greenland paddling style, either.

:Properly
: practiced, there is very little pressure on the foot brace or back brace.

Many people thought and still think that "properly practiced" Greenland style paddling is limited to low angle paddling. I nearly always use a high angle aggressive and very powerful stroke, which many people probably consider "improper".

: When paddling hard, you do pull up against the masik alternately with your
: thighs, but this is done to engage the abs and hip flexors which
: contribute the the cross-deck crunching component of the stroke.

That reads like using the legs to me. And the more powerful the stroke the more powerful the "pull up" with the thighs.

: During
: normal paddling,

What's normal? Normal for you may be typical for most folks, but not for me.

:my legs are typically straight, relaxed and lying on the
: hull. The driving force is primarily transferred though the seat, and to a
: lesser degree through the feet.

Not everyone paddles Greenland style with the lower body in this configuration. At least I don't. My driving force is transferred through the seat, thigh braces, foot pegs, etc.

: It seems to me that emphasizing pushing on the pegs, beyond what is necessary
: to maintain your body position during the stroke, is a waste of energy.

But the push and pressing at contact points to maintain body position will increase as the power behind the stroke increases. Also, a "push" may be required to help maintain a course in powerful current, waves and among other external forces acting against the kayak. Again, the greater these forces, the more powerful the push.

: All you're doing is isometric contractions of the quads, glutes, and
: calves - nothing moves.

That's the point--you're transferring the force to the boat and attempting to minimize energy loss and absorption by the body.

snip
: You will certainly feel like your legs have worked
: hard when you get out of the boat (they have), but nothing useful was
: accomplished other than toning these muscles.

My legs have worked hard. I hammer the Greenland paddle and use nearly my entire body doing so. But my goal isn't to paddle "properly", just powerfully, fast and with great intensity. And I don't necessarily have to adopt someone else's technique to do so. Hasn't the issue of "dogma" already been raised?

Craig

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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