I note what I do when I paddle trying to determine if I am following all the rules. Looks good, but do I paddle the same when I am not observing? What do I really do? A few years back, MIT was recording peddeling techniques used by young, active racers. Pressure transducers were attached to top and bottom of both feet. Prior to the tests the racers were asked to estimate the percentage of peddeling effort delivered by the pull up on the toe clips. Estimates varied between ten and fifty percent. The transducers indicated a positivre pressure on the bottom of both feet for all racers while peddeling. mailto:jsanford_at_sundial.net Apopka, FL *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
In the recent class I took in preparation for instructor examination, we were told that the optimum stroke, specially if done with a wing paddle, requires the shaft to be vertical with respect with the water. The instructor had us put the paddle vertical on the water, and with the arms extended, sweep the paddle to the back using only our torso, no bend on the elbows. It makes sense, as one wants the lift of the wing paddle to be horizontal. However, I have not seen any race paddlers with straight elbows. What is the point of measuring the pressure on the feet? If you have a comfortable seat, with an upward slope to hold your thighs, the friction of the seat alone is suffcient to move the kayak forward. Or those those atheletes sit on seats with rollers, like the ones used in row boats? Otherwise the result of that experiment are not conclusive, as the shape of different rear ends have different friction factors on the same kayak seat. - Julio > > I note what I do when I paddle trying to determine if I am following all > the rules. Looks good, but do I paddle the same when I am not observing? > What do I really do? > > A few years back, MIT was recording peddeling techniques used by young, > active racers. Pressure transducers were attached to top and bottom of > both feet. Prior to the tests the racers were asked to estimate the > percentage of peddeling effort delivered by the pull up on the toe clips. > Estimates varied between ten and fifty percent. The transducers indicated > a positivre pressure on the bottom of both feet for all racers while > peddeling. > > mailto:jsanford_at_sundial.net > Apopka, FL > > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** > > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
On Thu, Jul 23, 1998 at 05:45:12PM -0700, Julio MacWilliams wrote: > What is the point of measuring the pressure on the feet? If you have > a comfortable seat, with an upward slope to hold your thighs, the > friction of the seat alone is suffcient to move the kayak forward. Unless I've misunderstood that MIT study, it referred to pedalling, not paddling (e.g. reference to toe clips). BTW, I rely on strong footbraces to stay in my seat -- I exert enough force when paddling hard forward that I once broke a footbrace during a violent 90-degree accelerating turn. I don't think just the seat is gonna do it for me. ;-) BTW #2, we *all* paddle differently when we're not concentrating. That's part of the reason for all the practice: to slowly teach the body to move correctly even when not closely supervised by the brain. But even though we all know that, videotape replay of bad technique is still really embarrassing. ---Rsk Rich Kulawiec rsk_at_gsp.org *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 22:08 7/23/98 -0400, Rich Kulawiec <rsk_at_gsp.org> wrote: > > >On Thu, Jul 23, 1998 at 05:45:12PM -0700, Julio MacWilliams wrote: >> What is the point of measuring the pressure on the feet? If you have >> a comfortable seat, with an upward slope to hold your thighs, the >> friction of the seat alone is suffcient to move the kayak forward. > >Unless I've misunderstood that MIT study, it referred to pedalling, >not paddling (e.g. reference to toe clips). that would be correct ... referring to "spinning" [bicycling is the one thing i know a lot about ;-] >BTW, I rely on strong footbraces to stay in my seat -- I exert enough >force when paddling hard forward that I once broke a footbrace during >a violent 90-degree accelerating turn. I don't think just the >seat is gonna do it for me. ;-) > >BTW #2, we *all* paddle differently when we're not concentrating. >That's part of the reason for all the practice: to slowly teach the >body to move correctly even when not closely supervised by the brain. >But even though we all know that, videotape replay of bad technique >is still really embarrassing. > >---Rsk >Rich Kulawiec >rsk_at_gsp.org i'm usually pretty embarrassed when watching videos of myself paddling ;-( mark #------canoeist[at]netbox[dot]com-------------------------------------- mark zen o, o__ o_/| o_. po box 474 </ [\/ [\_| [\_\ ft. lupton, co 80621-0474 (`-/-------/----') (`----|-------\-') #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~ http://www.diac.com/~zen/paddler [index of Paddling websites I manage] Rocky Mtn Sea Kayak Club, Colorado River Flows, Poudre Paddlers The Colorado Paddlers' Resource, Rocky Mtn Canoe Club Trip Page #-Fortune: The Roman Rule The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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