re: push - pull I like to focus on the push part because you can relax your grip to pretty much zero grip and move the fingers a bit to get ready for the next pull soas for it to put pressure evenly on the fingers and not cause blisters. Why not use gloves? I've always found it easier to work without gloves. When at an engineering school demonstration some IE's were demonstrating how grip strength goes down when you have a glove on. Their research showed that you will be using about 30% more hand energy when you wear gloves. I know this for a fact, because I've done alot of shoveling and other laborious tasks. So why do some people have to wear gloves anytime they use hand tools or they will get painfull blisters? * note: this is applicable to paddling... I'm guessing it's because they haven't needed to develope strength in the ring and little fingers. It's also important that you're comfortable with the amount of energy you are exerting with your hands. Think of a wt lifter doing a world record bench press. I can guarentee that if the lift is completed, that the pressure will have been applied with the most wt focussed at the one and same pt on the palm that he would use each and everytime he does a heavy lift. Now take the wt down to something he can pump all day, like paddling, and the lifter will easily be able to apply a greater amount of power from different areas of the hand/palm. In the same way, someone with weak ring and little fingers will, when the dominant 1st and 2nd fingers are sore, apply pressure with one and only one area of the ring and little finger. And so the weak fingered amongst us will say, "You can't tell me I'm not using my whole hand, 'cause I have blisters on every finger." But they're wrong. They're not using their whole hand and developing little finger strength would allow them to work without gloves at a 30% energy savings. Dr Glove, the Claw, Jack Handy, From Hands End, just ranting away here... -- Mike McNally mmcnally3_at_prodigy.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
on 2/1/01 9:00 AM, Mike McNally at mmcnally3_at_PRODIGY.NET wrote: Snip > and not cause blisters. Why not use gloves? I've always found > it easier to work without gloves. When at an engineering school > demonstration some IE's were demonstrating how grip strength goes > down when you have a glove on. Their research showed that you > will be using about 30% more hand energy when you wear gloves. I > know this for a fact, because I've done alot of shoveling and other > laborious tasks. Snip Mike, I always use neoprene gloves when kayaking and have for years. I also put "Sticky Wax" on the paddle shaft. My research shows that this combination is 30% more efficient than paddling bare handed. :) Rex (This farm boy from Montana has also done a lot of shoveling and other laborious tasks.) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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