Dear fellow kayakers: I have a confession to make. I am usually the slowest person in our group. I have been paddling at least once a week, sometimes, twice, for over a year. I feel secure in all the sea conditions I have encountered, I can roll and I can high brace. I love the waves and enjoy surfing. But I am slow, and this usually results in our group getting very strung out on our long, group paddles. And I don't like being the last guy! I have had my forward stroke critiqued from every angle, and try to do everything I'm told. I lean forward, I rotate my torso to the point where the top hand crosses over to the other side, I use my legs. But I'm still slow. While some have said it is a matter of physical conditioning, and that I should do weight training (and perhaps I should), I have my doubts because there are paddlers who are not as strong as me, who still paddle faster. I also do not feel that I am tiring when I paddle. Why is my stroke so ineffective? I'd appreciate any advice from you instructors out there. I would also like to add the following: I am 42 years old; most of the kayakers are in their late 20s, early 30s. I have a short torso and long legs. This may be why I am not getting forward enough in my stroke. Nigel Dennis also said that I needed a higher seat and a shorter paddle. I paddle with a Lendal Nordkapp, modified crank, 218 cm. in length. Nigel advised that I get a 215. I paddle a NDK Romany Explorer. Had a great paddle this morning. The water is warmer than the outside air these days, so it is fun to get wet! Josh ============================================================================== Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum, Research Fellow Tel: [972] 3-640-6448 Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and Fax: [972] 3-641-5802 African Studies Tel Aviv University Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978 Israel E-mail:teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il www.dayan.org ============================================================================== *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jan 30 2001 - 02:00:43 PST
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