Re: [Paddlewise] intro and lightning paddles??

From: John Fereira <jaf30_at_cornell.edu>
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 08:03:42 -0400
At 07:12 PM 10/20/00 -0700, Melissa Reese wrote:

>For me - technique is more important than lightness, bent vs. 
>straight shaft, and feather angle (I paddle with an 80° feather 
>without any problems).

I just wanted to see this reiterated.

So many times (mostly from whitewater paddlers) I've seen people claim that
lower degreed feather angled paddled "cured" their wrist problems.   I've
maintained that it isn't the paddle that causes wrist problems;  it's the
technique one uses when using a paddle with a high degree of feather angle.
 Specifically, if you continually bend your wrist to it's maximum range
you're going to have wrist problems.  If one bends their wrist and their
elbow neither joint is bent to it's maximum range and even a 90 degree
feathered paddle can be used without problems.   I also maintained that an
unfeathered paddle can cause more problems than a feathered paddle if there
is a strong wind.  Pushing the wind with every stroke and controlling a
wobbling blade probably puts more stress on the joints than a feathered
paddle that is cutting into the wind.

There.  That ought to stir things up.


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Received on Sat Oct 21 2000 - 05:05:06 PDT

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