After learning the conventional practice of keeping a constant grip on the control hand and cocking it back to stroke on the opposite side, I noticed that my natural response to controlling a feathered paddle was to rotate and re-grip the paddle on both sides, so that neither hand has a fixed grip. Is there any downside to this? Orienting the paddle doesn't seem to be a problem with an oval shaft. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
As John experiments he writes back his findings: >>After learning the conventional practice of keeping a constant grip on the control hand and cocking it back to stroke on the opposite side, I noticed that my natural response to controlling a feathered paddle was to rotate and re-grip the paddle on both sides, so that neither hand has a fixed grip. Is there any downside to this? Orienting the paddle doesn't seem to be a problem with an oval shaft.>> Another can o' worms, I can see already!!! =:-o) At Alder Creek we left the ol' technique of gripping the paddle with the *control* hand and cocking it back 6 or 7 years ago. This puts way too much stress on the *control* hand. The technique of right hand controls right blade, left controls left is pretty natural, as you seem to have found out, intuitively. Both hands have the same job. This technique is simple to teach the beginner and makes the feathered/ non-feathered issue less of an issue. This makes for a relaxed grip and allows some movement and freedom for BOTH hands. I like to think of the paddle stroke, even with a feathered paddle, as symmetric. Steve _at_ home aldercreek.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
John Gibbs said: >After learning the conventional practice of keeping a constant grip on the >control hand and cocking it back to stroke on the opposite side, I noticed >that my natural response to controlling a feathered paddle was to rotate >and >re-grip the paddle on both sides, so that neither hand has a fixed grip. I always thought that everyone must be doing this, at least a little. I have always used a 90 degree feather [old dogs and new tricks]and, as I have mentioned before, no human wrist can move back 90 degrees from starting at the paddle stroke point. [To demonstrate, put your arm flat on a table, get a protractor and measure how many degrees back you can bend your wrist. It won't be 90.] After 36 years of paddling a lot, the bumps and callouses on the inside of the bottom joint of my thumbs show that both hands are getting friction from the grips of the paddle. The control hand just gets less. My analysis is that I put the non-controlled side into the water with the hands loose in such a way that the rotational force of the water on the tip of the blade seats the paddle into the proper position and then I clamp down. This is a rather subtle thing, but I'm pretty certain that's what is happening. All of which probably changes nothing in the real world. A loose grip is a good thing, no matter what the theory is. Jim Tibensky > > > > >*************************************************************************** >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/ >*************************************************************************** _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp *************************************************************************** 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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