Re: [Paddlewise] High bracing and elbows

   The first thing you need to understand about doing a brace, high or low, 
in the surf is that it is really only intended to be a support to help you to 
put the boat on edge. Lately I have been emphasizing edge control over the 
brace itself in my classes which seems to make it easier for most people to 
understand and learn. It is entirely possible to lean the boat into a wave 
and remain upright without the use of the paddle. I have on several occasions 
thrown my paddle away and braced into a wave using just my bare hands. So the 
point I am trying to make here is that one does not need to exert a 
tremendous amount of force into the wave with the paddle in order to perform 
an effective brace.
   When performing a brace into a wave you want the paddle to extend straight 
into the face of the wave with the shaft of the paddle more or less parallel 
to the horizon. So if the wave is small then you will want to use a low 
brace. If the wave is larger you will need to bring the paddle up higher into 
a high brace. You should never be reaching up or down into the wave.
   Once you understand how it works then you will see that it is really not 
necessary to be extending your arm away from your body. Whether you lock your 
elbows against your body or simply hold them close to the body I think is a 
matter of personal preference. What you do not want to be doing is 
straightening out your bracing arm, and you absolutely should never get your 
elbow anywhere even approaching above your shoulder!
   Remember that what is really important here is that you edge the boat into 
the face of the wave. Since this requires a delicate sense of balance we will 
use the water moving up the face of the wave to support our paddle and assist 
in our balancing the boat on edge.

I hope this helps :-)

Scott
So.Cal. 

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