| Power & Touring Forward Stroke |
Torso Rotation (10 to 2 o’clock)
Bottom Arm Extended at Catch
Top Arm Extends During Power Phase
Boat Travels in Straight Line
First make sure that
you fit correctly in the kayak. Your foot braces should be adjusted
so that when the balls of your feet are on them and you push away,
your knees will be pressed against the bottom of the deck. There
should be minimal room between your hips and the sides of the
seat. (Proper fit is of utmost importance in rolling a kayak).
If not, then get some minicell foam and glue it in place.
Starting Position. The blade is held above the water, left arm fully extended, body straight, leaning forward somewhat and slightly rotated to the right. The right hand is held at shoulder height with elbow low.
The ‘catch’. The blade is lowered cleanly into the
water near the feet with minimal splash as close to the boat as
possible.
The ‘pull’. As the left forearm is drawn back parallel
to the water, the body is turned from the waist, and the boat
being pulled toward the paddle until the left elbow just passes
the hip. At this point, the blade should be just past the cockpit.
The object being to push the water rearward, parallel to the kayak.
If you continue too far, the blade turns toward the stern and
pushes the water into it causing it to turn slightly. As you are
pulling with your left arm, you are balancing the motion by extending
your right arm and shoulder forward. You are not actually pushing
with this arm although you must resist the pressure placed on
it and extend it forward smoothly with your wrist straight and
fingers open to avoid cramping.
The ‘lift’. The left arm must now slice the paddle out
of the water cleanly. This lifting action automatically dips the
right blade down into the water to complete the cycle.
While this is going on above deck, the movement is supported by
corresponding leg work. As you are pulling with your arm, your
leg should be pushing against the foot brace on the same side
thereby transferring the power from your upper body through your
lower body into the kayak.
This is the starting point for good forward paddling technique. As you practice this, you should exaggerate the motions until it comes naturally to you. After awhile, slight modifications may be made to suit the individual since we’re all built differently but the basics are the same.
For general touring, the paddle should be held in a more horizontal
attitude, the blades somewhat away from the boat and the arms
not lifted as high. This will conserve energy. When you need more
power such as fighting a current or the wind, the blade in the
water should be right next to the gunnel. This will put the paddle
in a more vertical position.
The correct hand position on the paddle shaft is somewhere between just wide of shoulder width and where your hands would be if you would let the paddle shaft rest on your head and your hands positioned so that your elbows are bent ninety degrees. This would be the maximum distance your hands would be apart, with the absolute minimum being shoulder width apart.
The forward paddle stroke:
Keep both arms only slightly bent according to the positions mentioned
above
Put the paddle blade in the water as far forward while rotating
your trunk, without having to bend forward from your seat
Keep your arms fixed while rotating your body
The body rotates from the hips
The top arm swings past your face at eye height
The bottom arm sweeps outwards keeping only the blade area immersed
The stroke is complete when the top arm has just crossed over
your face
The bottom hand should not go further back aft of your body
The bottom hand now lifts the blade out of the water without bending
the elbows more or bringing the blade closer to the kayak, while
the top hand has a momentary rest
Now drop the top hand and start the next stroke
When paddling hard use your thigh muscles by alternately straightening
and flexing your legs at the knee - push against the pedals or
foot bars
You push on the same side as you are paddling (this transfers
the power from the paddle to your kayak)
One way to learn to paddle and use your whole body is to try to
paddle while keeping both arms totally straight through the stroke
and rotate the body excessively. Try this for a few minutes at
a time every time you paddle during your first few months. Practice
the reverse of this stroke as well. Initially, switch over to
any old style, even if the stroke is not as powerful and efficient,
to use different muscles and keep up the same speed. Later you
will find it easier to switch to the above stroke when you get
tired.
The paddle shaft, your wrist and your elbow should all be in a straight line when pulling or pushing. The wrist must stay straight as it would if you were throwing a punch. Any bend or angle (more commonly seen with the pushing arm) will weaken a strokes power and effectiveness. To minimize the stress on your wrists do not bend the wrist back excessively to control a feathered paddle and also hold the paddle with as loose a grip as you can. Pull with the hand nearest the water and allow the paddle shaft in the top hand (the hand that is pushing) to rotate and the wrist to straighten during the stroke. This ensures that you will paddle with a straight wrist, minimising injury and maximising power
