Re: [Paddlewise] Kayak surfing question - low/high brace

> <!>  um... I'm not sure where this *sun roof high brace* comes from,
> but as far as I know, a brace is high or low depending on which face of
> the blade is facing the water - not on how high a paddle is held in
> relation to one's face.  Perhaps this [sun roof technique] is where you
> get the dislocated shoulder routine?  They (high and low braces) are
> also frequently used in somewhat different positions (as far as fore,
> aft, or directly beside the paddler's position).

Ah, terminology confusion.  The problem is that the same term can be
used for two different things:


Usage 1:

	Low brace: paddle held relatively low; elbows below shoulders;
	lots of slack in elbows and shoulders; roughly the same position
	that one would end up in after a C-to-C roll.

	High brace: paddle up high; no slack in elbows or shoulders;
	excellent way to dislocate a shoulder especially if you flip
	upstream while surfing a hole/in shallow surf.

Usage 2:

	Low brace: off (non-power) face of the blade down

	High brace: power face of the blade down

I tend to toss these around interchangeably hoping that context will
make it clear, but I'm realizing that maybe it doesn't.  So for example,
when kayak surfing, I always use a low brace (paddle held low)
while sometimes using low/high (paddle face) depending on which side
I'm on.   In a C-boat, I still always use a low brace (paddle held low)
and always use a low brace (paddle face).

It's the high brace (paddle held high) that I try to teach folks
not to use, because it leaves little slack in the joints and
can increase the likelihood of injury.  Not only that, it tends
to encourage them to actually use the paddle to push themselves
up rather than focusing on dropping their head (the head dink)
and snapping their hips to bring the boat up.  Soooo, while the
low brace isn't quite as instinctive (at least it wasn't for me)
I think it's better technique.

---Rsk
Rich Kulawiec
rsk_at_gsp.org
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