Re: [Paddlewise] flutter

From: "Sam Davis" <sd.a_at_att.net>

>   1.. What causes paddle flutter in the forward stroke
>   2.. What's the cure

I'm staying away from that this time.

>   3.. Seidman in the Essential Kayaker says " never
> allow the pushing hand to go above eye level or
> across the centerline of the boat"//Brad Reitz in
> his popular video on the forward paddle stroke, says
> exactly the opposite..in effect to have a good
> vertical stroke, " at eye level cross over the
> centerline with your pushing hand"

Partly it's a style issue, partly it's an issue of what the latest
paddling trend is.

Going above the eye level is probably a waste of effort.  It could
mean your paddle's too long or your hands are too far apart to be 
useful.  I wouldn't get concerned with an occasional drift above
the eye level.

As far as crossing the centerline goes - in the old days, folks
were being taught to use both arm and torso action.  Proper arm
thrust meant a straight-ahead push; crossing the centerline 
meant you weren't keeping your top hand in line.  Rough analogy:
think of doing pushups.  What's more effective, keeping your 
arms near your body, holding your arms out to the side or crossing 
your arms in front of the body?  Arms near the body pushing 
straight up and down is easiest.  Hence the same arm action 
is used in pushing the paddle - and that means straight ahead.

The arm action is now seen as not being a useful contribution 
to long duration paddling. Most of the power comes from the 
torso and the torso won't fatigue as much as the arms.  If you 
want to use torso rotation only, you'll have your hands cross 
the centerline a bit on every stroke. 

Choose the style you're comfortable with and enjoy.

Mike



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