<<However, when I resumed using the standard paddle, I didn't usually feather it. I did feather it sometime to stay in practice, but I found an unfeathered paddle much more effective. First, the unfeathered paddle is more conductive to a correct stroke, meaning not using the arms by keeping them almost straight and twisting at the waist. Cocking the wrist with the feathered paddle seemed to cause me to bend and use my arms more. Also, that cocked wrist was a weak point, which didn't allow me to paddle as hard. As a result, my stroke is much stronger with an unfeathered paddle. Second, using a unfeathered paddle is more ergonomically correct. Cocking the wrist with a feathered paddle begs for a repetitive strain injury.>> I find this very interesting from the POV of a new paddler. I started out trying to feather my paddle but decided it was too dangerous because I wasn't yet coordinated enough with my strokes. I would slap the water, which unbalanced me rather badly if I was paddling hard. Last week we went out in a fair wind and I decided to try it again to see if it helped because I felt the wind was adding to the strain on my shoulders. I found that I was much more able to really use the feathered position without the problems I had originally encountered. I did have to be very aware of the paddle, though. I need a lot of practice to really use the feathered paddle but I did like it. The one thing that worries me is the strain on my right elbow. I hold the paddle with my right hand and that is the one that gets the workout. I wonder if I'm doing something wrong. I've quit holding the paddle so tightly and that helped the issue of blisters and the paddle turning in my hand. But I am very concerned about the joint issue. I never had this problem when I wasn't having to cock my wrist in the up position. The way I used the paddle, my right hand is in the same position as it would be unfeathered but it is cocked up/back to paddle on the left. Is this incorrect or do I just need to work on the elbow or what? Joan Spinner *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Apr 02 1999 - 04:50:51 PST
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