G'day, Thanks for all the responses both paddlewise and back channel, This was written in a hurry at 06:30am Australian time so I'll make some personal observations now and respond with a more careful description of the lesson and judging paddle length tonight. Lynda said she didn't mind me trying to describe the lesson and was interested to hear feedback from the discussion. The emphasis in the lesson wasn't just the paddle length but very much on technique The technique was an Olympic vertical blade method of paddling but not necessarily a power stroke Over relatively short distances (10km) on flat water it wasn't any more tiring than my regular stroke - I didn't have to paddle fast. Changing style did feel awkward at first. The technique wasn't intended to replace sweep strokes, bracing strokes or shallow angle paddling needed for support, it was only for forward paddling. But there was no problem blending one stroke into another. My turning stroke was much more effective with the shorter paddle and altered technique, but of course less efficent than a lean turn with sweep. There was no real suggestion that feathered or unfeathered was better, just that one should never cock the wrist during the paddling stroke. Lynda suggested that 76 degrees was an angle that worked optimally for her but that other angles were acceptable with slightly altered positioning. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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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