Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board

Re: Not necessarily...

Posted By: Greg Stamer
Date: Friday, 24 May 2002, at 6:49 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Not necessarily... (Brian Nystrom)

: SNIP Greg
: confirmed this with other Greenlanders. That doesn't mean that you or I
: have to do it this way, but that's the way they do it.

Brian,

Opposite leg lift and "the crunch" appears to very common in Greenland. I am a fan of this stroke, and perhaps my enthusiasm for this technique lead you the assumption that it represents how all Greenlanders paddle.

Lifting the opposite knee and using an abdominal crunch is only one common technique used in Greenland, but it does reduce pressure against the footpegs and backrest. I found this quite alien at first, but now prefer it. You really need a true Greenlandic kayak to feel this. As noted below, even when you push with your foot on the same side of the stroke as your paddle, your opposite knee rises a little. In a high volume kayak with your legs deeply bent your opposite knee may not even touch the foredeck. In a very low volume kayak it can easily become the dominant source of pressure and foundation for your stroke.

I view this as a common and useful technique in Greenland but feel it would be a mistake to consider it THE technique. I am constantly learning more about Greenland stroke variations, and certainly can't afford to become dogmatic, as that is when your mind closes to new possibilities. It is my impression that a number of Greenlanders view a paddle stroke as a relaxed, yet powerful, fluid motion that can't or shouldn't be dissected into separate disjoint pieces as we are so fond of doing.

FWIW, following are my notes on this, that will eventually be the basis for a FAQ on Greenland paddling.

Solid foundation for your stroke (Fundamental).

Just as you cannot throw a hard punch while standing on ice, neither can you produce a strong paddling stroke if it is not solidly grounded. I asked a number of Greenlanders about the role of the feet and legs and received a number of delayed responses, and variations. Some responses were that the offside knee was lifted and some were that the onside leg was pushed forward. The consensus that I received is that a solid foundation is important, but different paddlers achieve it in different ways, either by leg resistance or by knee resistance or perhaps both.

• Onside foot and leg Resistance. This is similar to “Euro” teachings, for a stroke on the right side; the stroke starts with your left foot relaxing and your right foot pressing forward against the foot peg. This allows the entire right side of your body to brace and allows both a foundation and resistance to your torso rotation. The foot use resembles a “dance”; one foot goes forward while the other relaxes, alternating on each stroke.

• Opposite Knee resistance. A second method of grounding your stroke is to raise the opposite knee so that it provides a solid foundation for your stroke. This is easy to do on a true Greenland kayak due to the very low masik (deck beam thigh brace). For example, for a stroke on the right side, the left knee will lift to engage the masik and this allows the large muscles of your torso to help drive the paddle via an abdominal crunch. This can be very subtle for touring or pronounced for sprinting. Kaleraq Bech, president of the Greenland Kayaking Association warned that your kayak must not "bounce" as a result of this motion, or efficiency will be lost. This method was very much in evidence at the training camp I attended in Qoornoq. Maligiaq Padilla also coached me on the use of this technique, but also mentioned the first option above.

• Depending on the height of your deck or braces, both of the above methods can be employed. When your pushing leg moves forward to press on the footbrace the opposite knee will rise naturally. If you have a very low thigh brace or masik it will contact the deck, allowing you to use both foot resistance and opposing knee resistance.

Greg Stamer

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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