Erik Sprenne wrote: > > 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. > > > > Yes, it does. That's why many sea kayakers prefer not to use their legs. > > Cheers, > Richard Culpeper > > 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). In the extreme - rowing sculls with sliding seats - the leg actually adds significant amounts of power to the stroke. Ok, I have two different opinions here, it seems. Warning - I'm an engineer (Aside: I remember reading a local magazine years back that had an interview with a sailboard instructor when that was a big craze. They asked him who made the best and worst students. He said doctors made the best; they do exactly what you tell them every time. Engineers are the worst; first they want to know why you do it that way, then they try to experiment and find a better way to do it. end aside) > 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). If I'm snugly fit into the boat, the foot force does _not_ transmit into the boat. It only pushes me harder into the seat. I cannot apply an external force to the boat with my foot. I have to be able to move independently of the boat to do this. This means, as Richard says, that I have to loosen up my fitting and allow my backside to slide. Otherwise I'm pulling myself up by my bootstraps. > > 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. Again, this cannot happen. It doesn't matter what side I push on, since I'm locked into the boat. I'm not applying an external force. If I slide in the seat, I move "with the paddle" and the point of contact is the foot. Then the same side/opposite side makes a difference. > 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. I'm only doing this if I would otherwise slide around. If I'm secured in, the force will be transmitted by my foot or knee/thigh or hips etc. I have tried this repeatedly and I get full power out of torso rotation regardless of whether I use my feet or not. That's why I asked for clarification. In my kayak, tight as it is, I don't benefit from foot pressure. > 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. In the umpteen years of sports I've been involved in, I've seen repeated examples of where coaching and instruction standards follow incorrect notions and advise athletes to break various laws of physics. This, IMHO, is another example. Watch the video clips on the website that someone else posted. The paddlers are clearly moving their hips while pumping their knees. They are not tightly connected to the kayaks, and as such, can impart an _external_ force to the pedals. If you're tight in the boat, the only external force is applied, basically through the hands from the paddle. I've worked on this for a long time, having been taught it by several instructors, BCU, AECSKO, whatever (the most recent was Mark Scriver, better known as an OC1 WW rodeo champ). I've gone out on calm water and paddled hard with high and low strokes, wide and narrow grip, euro and wing paddle and in all cases, I've yet to discover a difference in using either same or opposite side or using no foot pressure at all. And of course, it flies in the face of common sense, since I'm too tightly locked into the boat to allow it to work. The only time I do use foot pressure is in a hard-leaned, sweep turn - only because it concentrates my mind on leaning and turning hard. I started doing this in WW to get my tilt right in eddy entry/exit. My instructor told me I shouldn't do this! :-) Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun Jun 27 1999 - 10:31:51 PDT
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