Re: [Paddlewise] Re paddles (fwd)

Margi Bohm wrote via Jim Croft;

-(SNIP)
>
>About fitting paddles to paddlers or paddlers to paddles ... My experience
>is that the guidelines are really quite broad and, in my arena, they have
>been wrong more than once!  The ideal situation is to have a collection of
>different paddles available for the beginer ... paddles with different
>shaft lengths and different size blades and also an ability to alter blade
>angle.  Let the beginner muck about until they find something they feel
>comfortable with.  Then work on technique for a few months.  At this stage
>of technique learning, the paddlers is learning the general basics ... the
>kinds of things that are pretty much standard across paddles of a given
>general shape (and I'd define there being two general shapes - flat and
>prop - although I am a bit out of touch with the latest in flat blade
>design, how ever I suspect they work the same at first cut).  Then go back
>and relook at the paddle size, shape and angle.
>
>This is an iterative process ... technique does not lead the paddle and
>paddle does not lead the learning of efficient technique.  They interact
>with each other and with the natural optimisation process that the paddler
>inacts to produce an efficient end result.  I have had several paddlers
who
>started off with one kind of prop blade design and loved it.  Then they
>became stronger and in the next iteration tried a more "powerful" design
>and never went back.  Their style changed slightly to accomodate the new
>blade design but mainly in the fine-tuning mode.
>

I wonder if Margi is talking only about low aspect ratio paddles or if she
is also including high aspect ratio paddles. I found it difficult to use
the wing stroke with a high aspect ratio paddle of typical length for the
type.

When I wrote to Margi I said that I thought the paddle influenced the
stroke mechanics. It still seems that way to me. Perhaps Kevin or Julio who
both have more experience with the high aspect ratio paddle can elaborate
on this. The stroke they described (if I read it properly) seems different
from the stroke that racers use.

Is the difference due to the paddle influence? Could one effectively use
the low hands stroke with a wing paddle? It didn't seem that way to me.


If I recall correctly Bruce said that his stroke mechanics changed with the
effort he put out. I think Kevin said something similar. Maybe it is effort
that determines the stroke mechanics.

As an aside, those of you with access to C.A. Marchaj's "Sailing Theory and
Practice" might find the graph on page 154 interesting in terms of lift and
net driving force coefficient.


Cheers,
John Winters
Redwing Designs
Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft
http://home.ican.net/~735769/

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************