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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: greenland paddle
Posted By: Greg Stamer In Response To: Re: greenland paddle (Dave Isbell)
Date: Thursday, 29 June 2006, at 11:45 a.m.
Dave,
Good post, I have a different perspective on a few points and used your post to provide some comments. I hope you don't mind, and that these comments are helpful...
: SNIP The paddle is canted by rolling your wrists down so the top edge of the
: paddle is forward of the lower edge.( This flatter wrist-hand angle is
: very natural position).The top edge of the paddle IS inclined toward the bow of the kayak but I like to keep my wrists as "flat and quiet" as possible to avoid injury. I view the forward tilt as happening simply from holding the paddle *blade* in your hands. Since the back of your hand (and palm) is tilted forward slightly when you do a forward stroke, the paddle blade simply adopts the forward tilt of your hands in a very ergonomic manner. You can certainly "tweak" this angle but I find it happens very naturally if your paddle fits you such that your thumb and forefinger drapes around the base of the blade naturally.
: SNIP You have to counter the tendency
: for the blade to dive and on a narrow boat will feel as though it is
: pulling you over(because it is!) You end up compensating for that. I find
: myself leaning a very small amount away from the side the stroke is on to
: do that and it is so automatic I don't know I am doing it.FWIW, I find myself driving forward, rather than leaning from side to side. But I agree that it takes a while to learn how to "control" the diving paddle sensation. Most people seem to feel a great deal of additional "bite" when they master this. It is a unique sensation (that may come and go for awhile until you nail it). The thrill that I felt when I finally "got this" was as big as the thrill when I got my first roll.
: The natural
: buoyancy of a Greenland paddle also compensates for the diving action.Or, to view it another way, the diving action is a technique refinement to efficiently deal with a very bouyant blade, as it allows you to bury that bouyant blade very quickly and fully. When I try a pure wing stroke with a very bouyant carbon GP, the main problem I have is just pushing the blade underwater. Without the canted angle I find that I just can't get all of the blade into the water (and you want ALL of that blade in the water -- not just the tips).
Greg Stamer
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