Re: [Paddlewise] Bent shaft paddles?

Hi Jed..
>    Are there any tradeoffs to the crankshaft?  Are scull strokes more
>difficult? Does one need to grip the paddle tightly to scull?
....Hard for me to say, since I'm just now beginning to skull for support
(body in the water) and when I do, it ain't pretty.  So I can't say what I
might have done with a straight shaft.  But I don't have a death grip on the
crank shaft when I skull, or any time else (well, maybe in surf and other
"conditions" that intimidate me).

>I normally
>hold my paddle with just my thumb and first finger so I can't  see how a
>straight loom forces your wrist to flex.  (dry paddling now...) OK I guess
it
>does flex. But is this a bad thing for healthy wrists? There doesn't seem
to
>be any strain when I dry paddle....

....There will be more force on your wrists when you paddle for real, and of
course you'll be doing that for hours (which I assume you don't spend at dry
paddling).  My understanding is that it's the chronic repetition of stress
that eventually causes the injury.  Having said that, I firmly believe that
you can paddle feathered paddle with a straight shaft without developing
wrist problems.  One of the keys would be to adopt a more vertical stroke --
perhaps not 100% of the time, but for a good proportion of the day.  As you
go to a more vertical angle, the need for flexion decreases.

    On the water SOON!

    Bob

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************