> Michael Daly wrote: > > > Daniel Key wrote: > > > Every flatwater kayaker I have seen pushes with the onside leg. That is, > > they drive with the leg that is on the same side as the stroke. I have > > studied quite a few racers and videos of races and I have yet to see an > > exception. I believe the idea is to increase the rotation of the torso by > > rotating the hips with the legs. Your legs are generally even more > > powerful than the back. The knees are really high to provide a lot of > > travel for that side of the hip. When I use the technique I slide about > > 4". This works really well in a sprint kayak with an open flat seat that > > the paddler can slide on. It is less noticable in a snuggly fitted sea > > kayak, but it does still work. > > Does this mean that you have to "loosen up" the fitting of your sea > kayak to use the leg power effectively? I don't get the leg push, to > be honest. I've tried it and it seems that I'm so snugly wedged into > my SK that I get nothing out of it. All I'm doing is pushing my backside > tighter into the back of the seat. > I'm not that familiar with sprint boating, so perhaps the outfitting in those boats allows the paddler to move fore and aft while paddling, but I'd think that having your butt sliding fore and aft would reduce the efficiency of the stroke. Being snug in your boat ('wearing' your boat) allows for the most efficient energy transfer, as no energy is lost in the fore and aft movement of a fair amount of weight (your body). Some things to consider in the forward stroke: 1. Be sure to plant the blade completely in the water. To efficiently transfer your stroke energy into forward motion, you want to minimize the slippage of the paddle through the water when applying force. There will always be a little slippage, but it is minimized with the blade being completely immersed. 2. To more efficiently transfer the energy to the boat, it's best to 'push' with the foot on the side of the stroke. The foot push helps translate the backward pull of the stroke into forward motion of the boat. While the pull of the stroke and the push of the foot appear to be opposite forces, they are acting in tandem to propel the boat forward. If the paddler fits snugly in the boat, maximum energy is transferred from the stroke into forward motion (at least for whitewater boats and sea kayaks). 3. If the foot opposite the stroke side is used to push forward, a twisting motion is imparted to the boat, because the increased separation of the 'opposite' forces introduces a stronger lever arm action, which causes the boat to turn. This turning moment/force is not as noticeable in a sea kayak as it is in a whitewater boat. 4. Daniel, Richard, and Matt are correct in stating that pushing forward with the onside (same side as stroke) foot makes it easier to employ torso rotation in the stroke. If paddling on the right side, pushing with the right foot 'immobilizes' the right side of the body, and lets the left side of the body (including a slight movement of the left hip) rotate forward in the torso rotation. If torso rotation is used (pushing forward - or 'punching out' - with the left arm while pulling with the right arm), more muscles are used in the forward stroke. reduces the load on any single muscle or small group of muscles, thereby enabling one to paddle longer and stronger before becoming fatigued. Most beginners paddle with only their arms and tire quickly. Involving the whole upper body spreads the work load over more muscles. Adding the legs into the equation further spreads the load to _most_ of the large muscles in the body, and allows for much more comfortable all-day paddling. (I also don't paddle a boat with a rudder, and the one time I tried it, it felt funny to me becuase of the lack of firm foot support.) This is what I teach as an ACA Whitewater Kayak Instructor Trainer. I, too, have run across ACA instructors that teach pushing with the foot opposite the stroke side. The ACA Canoeing and Kayaking Instruction Manual doesn't even address the use of the feet in the forward stroke, so this is one of the gray areas in the ACA curriculum. Remember that ACA Instructors (and Trainers!) don't always have ALL the answers, and don't always do everything the best way. The certification program is designed to help ensure that _minimum_ standards are met, but there is still lots of room for variation - and innovation - from one instructor to another. Racers and instructors can discuss the fine points of paddling for hours on end, because their goals are to become faster paddlers and better teachers. Each paddler has to determine what works best for her/him and the type of paddling that (s)he prefers. If this sometimes goes contrary to "established" beliefs, so be it. Play Hard, Erik Sprenne *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Jun 26 1999 - 13:34:59 PDT
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