The Kayak Forum is Sponsored By
|
|
|
| |
Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: If Ive got this straight
Posted By: Greg Stamer In Response To: Re: If Ive got this straight (Don Beale)
Date: Wednesday, 3 January 2001, at 11:12 p.m.
Don,
My knuckles are not in line with the blades, they are set well back. Also Maligiaq and Kalerarq Bech both teach a very long stroke -- the paddle exists past the hip. This is consistant with what I observed during the championship. I don't recommend holding the elbows against the side. This will kill the push-pull component to the stroke. I keep my arms fairly close to my side but they are free to move.
I have the paddle that Maligiaq used to win the Greenland Championship in 1998, he kindly gave it to me after it got destroyed in a freak escalator accident in the airport (It was in a PVC tube and he made the mistake of setting the tube vertical and it got wedged between the ceiling and the steel escalator steps and bent, snapping the paddle in two. The noise was so loud that one security officer brandished his gun thinking it was small arms fire. But I digress...) At a point three inches from the tip, the blade is 17/32" wide and the edges are only 5/32" wide. Some of the paddles at the Greenland training camp had very sharp edges. Some of the paddles from other regions had blunt rounded edges. As an experiment, my next paddle will have as sharp an edge as is comfortable to hold.
My paddles are oiled with linseed oil. I want a good purchase on the blade with my hands so I avoid wax. Before you modify your paddle, try experimenting with technique and you might find that the paddle drippage problem disappears.
Best of luck and have fun!
Greg Stamer
| |
Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board is maintained by Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks with WebBBS 5.12.
|
Kayaking Technique |
|
|
|
