My first ever in my life attempt at attaching something did not work. Here is the whole article, formatted very oddly by the copying process. Questions, comments, complaints and, of course, praise, are all welcome! WEIRD STROKES CAN TEACH BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY When we do these somewhat odd strokes, we learn to extend our reach in directions we would never go in normal paddling. This can increase our balance and flexibility, two qualities needed for when the going gets rough and two qualitites that are necessary to be a good paddler. The best places to learn balance and flexibility are the flat water lakes, ponds and rivers in which most of us spend a lot of time paddling. Even better is in a pool. Safe, warm water lets us challenge our skills with only a wet exit or a roll as the penalty if we really mess up. It’s fun for us to attempt these skills. Learning can be fun! It should be fun! The paddle is there and willing to do all these neat things for us, if we only get to know what it has to offer. And, after a time, gaining advanced balance and boat handling skills will allow us to rely less on the paddle and more on our balance and body control, which are the qualities of an expert paddler. Hand Paddle A great way to get a feel for what the boat does. Close your eyes while hand paddling to really feel it. Edge the boat. Let it coast. Get to know it! Forward strokes Forward strokes extended as far forward as possible without leaning at the waist. Feel the stretch, the extension, the torso rotation. Reverse strokes Turn whole torso on each stroke so that you see your stern each time. Snaking Straight ahead using only forward sweeps: left-right-left, etc. Edge the boat away from the turns. With all edged turns, use only your hips for the tilt, don’t lean over the side (J-lean). Reverse Snaking Same as above, but with only reverse sweeps. Spins Spin four complete turns using a forward sweep on one side, reverse on the other. Then go the other way four times. Edge the boat. Canoe Zig Zag C-1 stroke using right blade only. Reach as far forward as possible on the catch. After five strokes or so, switch to left C-1 strokes. It may make this easier if you control blade angle with the hand that is not in the water. Cross Bow Canoe Zig Zag Same as Canoe Zig Zag but use cross bow stroke: without changing your grip on the shaft, put the left blade into the water on the right side of the bow and vice versa. The blade never leaves the water, feather it to the bow after each stroke. Kayak Zig Zag Forward strokes with the boat on edge. Tilt to right and paddle at an angle towards your right. As boat swings around to left, tilt to left and let boat swing right. Stepping Paddle using this pattern: forward sweep on left, Duffek (bow rudder) on right, finish the Duffek by dropping both hands low and perform a right forward sweep. Then Duffek on left, finish with a left forward sweep. Viewed from above it looks as though the boat is going over steps. Edge the boat. Compound Reverse Strokes Reach back to the stern turning your head and shoulders to the rear. Pull the paddle from the stern towards your body with the power face of the blade facing the bow. As the blade reaches the cockpit, turn the power face towards the stern and continue pushing the blade towards the bow. Do in one smooth motion. Then do the stroke on the other side, repeating by alternating sides. Double Stroke Paddle with two strokes on each side of the boat: right, right - left, left. But use both blades each time. Thus it is: stroke on right with right blade, stroke on right with left blade, stroke on left with left blade, stroke on left with right blade. Stirring the Pudding Reach out to the side as far as you are able. Draw the blade into the bow with the power face forward, then pull the paddle along side and toward the stern. Then pry the blade away from the stern with power face out. Do as a continuous, circular motion with the blade never leaving the water. Reach out, forward and back as far as you can. The boat should pivot. Do four spins in each direction. Edge the boat to make it more of a challenge. Cross Bow Stirring Same as above only on the cross side (left blade on the right side of the boat). Be ready to tip over, especially if you decide to edge the boat! Cross-Deck Scull Normal scull stroke but on cross side [left blade in water of right side of hull without changing grip]. Inverted Scull Scull by reversing the normal blade angle: When you move the blade through the water have the leading edge of the blade closer to the hull, causing the stroke to push you rather than pull. Inverted Cross-Deck Scull Combine the previous two skills: An inverted scull on the cross side. Cross-Bow Rudder A draw on the cross side near the bow. Initiate with a sweep on the opposite side. Lean away from the turn. Hook Start with a cross-bow rudder, leaning into the turn. Then drop the trailing blade into water and do a reverse sweep. Finish sweep with forward stroke. Then try whole thing leaning to outside of turn. Buffoon Stroke Paddle with a forward stroke while rotated to the side, both blades on the same side of the boat: pull blades toward hull Reverse Buffoon Paddle with both blades to the same side, torso rotated toward that side, but use reverse strokes: push blades away from hull. Forward Feather Stroke Rotate your hands on the paddle shaft so that your grip allows you to paddle forward with the blades feathered so that no purchase is gained. Don’t tip over! Sideward Feather Stroke Rotate your torso to the side. Place the blade near the stern and bring it forward to the bow, then back to the stern, repeating a few times on each side, always with the blade feathered so that no purchase is gained. Double Brace Go directly from a low brace to a high brace on the same side. Then do it with the boat on edge. Then with eyes closed. Then eyes closed, boat on edge. Flat on Your Back Lean back and put your head on the back deck. Paddle “normally”, propelling the boat in the direction the bow is facing. Dislocator, Double Forward Wind up and unwind. 1. Put the right blade in cross-bow stroke position. 2. Drop what is now the top blade in to the water by the bow. [The blade in the water in front of you is the left blade that was there before you started all this.] 3. Do a reverse sweep using the blade that is behind you, ending when that blade is by the bow. 4. Then swing your left hand over your head and drop the right blade into the water on the right side of the bow. 5. Now do a normal forward sweep on the right, ending with the right blade at the stern. 6. Swing the right blade over your head and place the left blade into the cross-bow position at the right bow. 7. Sweep the left blade with a “forward” sweep into the stern on the right. Do whole thing in one smooth motion. You are now in the reverse position of when you started. Reverse the motions. Edge the boat away from the turns at all times. Dislocator, Double Reverse Start in the same position as above, ending at step 2. 3. Do a reverse sweep using the blade that is behind you, ending when that blade is by the bow, same as before. 4. Pick up the right blade (it should be at the bow on the left side of the boat), cross it over to the right. Swing your left hand over your head and place the left blade in the water at the stern. 5. Do a reverse sweep ending when the left blade is at the bow. 6. Now swing the left blade over the deck and drop it into the water on the right side of the bow. 7. Then do a “forward” sweep, pulling the left blade around into the stern. You are now in the reverse position of when you started. Reverse the motions. Edge the boat away from the turns at all times. Sit on the Deck Paddle forward sitting on the back deck behind the cockpit. When you get good at this, lift your feet onto the deck and keep paddling. Most of the ideas for these moves came from other paddlers. Thank you to Richard Fox, Nigel Foster (by way of the article titled “Training Paddle Strokes” in Sea Kayaker magazine December of 1998), and all the wonderful people from the discussion group at Paddlewise.net who emailed their favorite trick strokes and weird skills to me. Thank you all! Jim *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu May 22 2003 - 08:48:02 PDT
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