Re: [Paddlewise] Kayak surfing question

At 11:01 PM 7/20/00 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 7/20/00 8:46:06 PM Central Daylight Time, mkayaks_at_oz.net
>writes:
>
>My extended paddle roll and braces are getting pretty reliable but I have
>also been working quite hard on bracing and rolling without changing from my
>normal Greenland grip.  I am having pretty good sucess in flat water and in
>small waves, but have not tried much in surf.  The way I took your comments,
>I was kind of discouraged.  It was as if my work on keeping the normal grip
>for rolling and bracing was probably for no real purpose.  I'll just keep
>working on my technique and see how I fair as I get into bigger water.
>
>Mark J. Arnold
>MJAkayaker_at_aol.com

Mark, there's no need to get discouraged -- all practice that challenges 
your ability is good. The beauty of the greenland paddle is that it is *so* 
easy to shift your grip during paddling and bracing. When I do the sliding 
stroke, it is totally unconscious and fluid. Same goes for extending the 
hand during bracing and rolling. The brace and roll is much more powerful 
that way. However in my brace and roll, only one hand shifts on the paddle 
(the outboard hand), and the other hand (the bracing side) remains fixed at 
the end of the loom. This is a great combination of power and speed (of 
sliding). I wouldn't worry so much about bracing and rolling with your 
hands close together. There's no need when the sliding action is so easy. 
Just concentrate on making that motion unconscious and you'll be fine.

Cheers,
kevin




Kevin Whilden
Your Planet Earth
http://www.yourplanetearth.org
(206) 788-0281 (ph)
(206) 788-0284 (f)

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