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From: <teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il>
subject: [Paddlewise] The Wing Paddle
Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 22:32:07 +0300 (IDT)
Our copy of the Brent Reitz Forward Stroke video arrived this morning in Israel 
(Thanks to Dave Flory and others for the recommendation).  This evening we 
popped it in the VCR, and there we were, Jacqueline and I, with our paddles in 
front of the TV set on the living room floor.

The video is quite excellent, and I can't wait to try out his style of 
paddling.  He is very big on the wing paddle, and in about 3 years on this list 
I can't recall it being discussed.

So, whadya all think about the Wing Paddle?

Josh
(standard disclaimer about the Brent Reitz video)
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From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen_at_imaginelan.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] The Wing Paddle
Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 09:37:35 -0400
At 10:32 PM 5/26/2002 +0300, you wrote:
>Our copy of the Brent Reitz Forward Stroke video arrived this morning in 
>Israel
>(Thanks to Dave Flory and others for the recommendation).  This evening we
>popped it in the VCR, and there we were, Jacqueline and I, with our 
>paddles in
>front of the TV set on the living room floor.
>
>The video is quite excellent, and I can't wait to try out his style of
>paddling.  He is very big on the wing paddle, and in about 3 years on this 
>list
>I can't recall it being discussed.

I've got a Bratcha II wing that I regularly use.  I'm planning on buying an 
Epic Mid
as soon as I'm willing to cough up the $419 for a new paddle.  The Bratcha 
II's blade is a little bigger than I want.  It's also crude and clunky in 
comparison to the Epic blade - it was also half the price.  I've had the 
Bratcha for 5 or 6 years.

I love using the wing paddle on my surf ski.  I hate using the wing paddle 
in my PinTail.    With the large blade the PinTail just isn't a fast enough 
hull to use the paddle with a decent stroke rate.

As for the wing paddle you get to learn another stroke, a stroke I now 
regularly use with my euro and greenland paddle.

There are serious trade-offs going to the wing paddle.  I'm not able to do 
a back stroke, a decent low brace or scull.  A low brace sort of works, but 
it's more of a drag sort of stroke to slow down than an actual bracing 
stroke.  Rolling with the wing is okay but takes some changes in technique.

So if you are out for a cruise and can depend on your forward sweep as your
bracing stroke the wing is fine.  If you want to play around, scull,  and 
low brace I would not use a wing.

kirk
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From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_rogers.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] The Wing Paddle
Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 20:17:22 -0400
From: "Kirk Olsen" <kolsen_at_imaginelan.com>

> There are serious trade-offs going to the wing paddle.  I'm not able to do 
> a back stroke, a decent low brace or scull.  A low brace sort of works, but 
> it's more of a drag sort of stroke to slow down than an actual bracing 
> stroke.  Rolling with the wing is okay but takes some changes in technique.
> 
> So if you are out for a cruise and can depend on your forward sweep as your
> bracing stroke the wing is fine.  If you want to play around, scull,  and 
> low brace I would not use a wing.

At the East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival there was a session on paddles
featuring Derek H., Ken Fink, Len ??? and Paddlewise's own Gabriel Romeu.
I caught the tail end of it and afterwards, chatted with the presenters
about the wing paddle.  Ken Fink insisted that you could do everything
(braces, sculling, etc) with a wing that could be done with a regular 
paddle.  I didn't bother following through with this, but still wonder
"HOW?".

Does anyone know how to modify your technique to allow, say, sculling
with a wing?  Or has anyone found a web page offering the info?

Mike

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