What exactly does the term 'deep brace' mean? *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 10:14 PM 7/28/2004 -0700, Jerry F wrote: >What exactly does the term 'deep brace' mean? As I have used the term several times in the past I can tell you how *I* define it. I use it to refer to a brace in which you body has entered the water prior to bracing back up. Perhaps defining what a brace is might help with why I make the distinction. Essentially a brace is a method of using the flat part of the blade (either face) as a means to assist in support or recovery from an eminent capsize. Bracing can be done essentially three ways. Low brace: the back face of the paddle is used to provide pressure against the water surface (or it could actually be below the water surface) A low brace is performed with the wrist below the elbow (sometimes called the "gorilla position". High brace: the power face of the paddle is used to provide pressure against the water surface. A high brace is performed with the elbow below the wrist. Notice I didn't mention anything about hip snaps. While a hip snap is generally necessary to perform both a low and high brace (if you're doing it correctly) one can be in a bracing position for along time without hipsnapping if the boat is moving forward or reverse (or the boat is not moving but the current is moving past it). Both a high and low brace can be used to provide support while edging the boat during a turn or the blade placed in a wave face to maintain the position of the boat. Usually, a low/high brace is performed such that the blade moves neither fore nor aft during the stroke although many will combine downward pressure on the water with a sweep (bow to stern for a high brace, stern to bow for a low brace). Most people practice high and low bracing from a static position on flat water. They'll hold the paddle out in a bracing position then lean/edge the boat over. When the paddle blade hits the water surface they'll simultaneously hip snap to bring the boat back to a stable position. The distinction between what most people do while practicing and a "deep brace" has to do with your body position just prior to when the brace is performed. Most people will get into a "J-lean" position, such that while the boat may be edged over, their body is still leaning toward an upright position. Depending how flexible you are, you often can bring the boat back to a stable position with just a hip snap. For a deep brace, they have to fully to commit to capsizing prior to bracing back up. That is, your body will actually be in the water, and if you don't brace with a good hip snap it will stay there until you either perform a roll or do a wet exit. Some might refer to a "deep brace" as a recovery brace. BTW, it is much easier to do deep brace using a high brace than a low brace. The third kind of brace is a sculling brace or sculling for support. Typically, it is always done from a static position and is traditionally used as a resting stroke. For a sculling brace, instead of getting support from a downward pressure with the blade, lift is achieved by moving the blade fore and aft while maintaining a climbing angle on the blade (the leading edge always higher than the trailing edge). While both the low and high braces might include a bit of a sweep, a sculling brace is all sweep and the key to success is changing the angle of the blade as the sweep changes directions. Like the low/high brace, a sculling brace can be performed as a "deep sculling brace". When most people are learning how to perform a sculling brace they will tend to go into a j-lean position. They'll scull the paddle back and forth (often vigorously with lots of splashing) as the boat is edged over and they're leaning away from the water. When doing a deep sculling brace their are a few things to consider. Your body floats. Your head floats. You're wearing a PDF which provides additional floatation. If you're performing a sculling brace and trying to maintain an edged over position gravity is pulling your body and head toward the water. If your body and head were actually in the water a smaller amount of lift would be necessary to staying in a resting position. To perform a deep sculling brace you have to commit to letting your body go into the water. As you go in, if you look up toward the sky. If you twist your body such that you're turned somewhat perpendicular (though most people are not that flexible) an your back is to the water, this position will provide the most floatation. Then it's just a matter of sculling the paddle back and forth s-l-o-w-l-y to maintain your position. There are a few keys to success: Keep the paddle as close to horizontal as you can. That means that your offside (the one closest to the boat) should stay low. It's better to take long slow strokes instead of lots of short fast ones. The lift comes from sweeping the paddle blade fore and aft. You're not going to get any lift during the time when the paddle is changing direction. The less time you spend changing directions the more lift you will get. The biggest problem people have is keeping a consistent shallow climbing angle in both directions. The leading edged should always be just higher than the trailing edge (like spreading peanut butter on a soft piece of bread). Too much angle and you're pushing water sideways instead of achieving lift. Too little and the paddle blade is going to dive. BTW, if you can get your body position right you can perform a fourth kind of brace. You can stop sculling entirely and just hold the paddle with one hand and you'll be performing a balance (or static) brace. *************************************************************************** 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. 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Thanks for the clarification since I had not heard the term before. A friend had been arguing that a deep brace implied that the paddle blade was deep under the water, so I am glad that this is not the case. It happens that I have been practicing 'deep braces' lateley, with my head hitting the water before bracing up. I find this maneuver more difficult than a roll and I fail to come up about every half dozen times, and am forced to roll. Not sure why the deep brace fails since my roll is extremely reliable. Also, bracing back up from a 'deep brace' requires much more muscle than coming up after my roll. Again I am not sure why. Jerry *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
When you roll, you are normally coming all the way around so you have momentum. Even if you roll up on the same side you capsize on, normally you would wait until your torso starts back to the surface and has "peaked" before starting your roll. This still provides momentum, or at least doesn't work against you. While bracing the object is to keep from being submerged, so your brace must to reverse the direction of your body, and do so while most of your body is still above the surface. Still, the extra force (muscle) required should mostly come from hip-snap and head dink, not the paddle. Keep your elbows tucked (in the paddlers box) to avoid transferring that force to your shoulders. Steve Brown -----Original Message----- ....... It happens that I have been practicing 'deep braces' lateley, with my head hitting the water before bracing up. I find this maneuver more difficult than a roll and I fail to come up about every half dozen times, and am forced to roll. Not sure why the deep brace fails since my roll is extremely reliable. Also, bracing back up from a 'deep brace' requires much more muscle than coming up after my roll. Again I am not sure why. Jerry *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On 30 Jul 2004 at 9:14, Jerry F wrote: > It happens that I have been practicing 'deep braces' lateley, with my > head hitting the water before bracing up. I find this maneuver more > difficult than a roll and I fail to come up about every half dozen > times, and am forced to roll. Not sure why the deep brace fails since > my roll is extremely reliable. Also, bracing back up from a 'deep > brace' requires much more muscle than coming up after my roll. Again > I am not sure why. Further to Steve's comments, I'd say that you are approaching the brace a little differently than a roll. In fact, you should consider them quite similar. One technique that some use is to rotate the torso at the last moment so the back hits the water, not just one shoulder. This will help prevent your body from sinking as much. The brace can be done in conjunction with sliding the body up to the rear deck - not a full layback necessarily, but something to reduce your inertia. I know that some folks also do this with a partial sweep - from perpendicular to the kayak toward the stern. This partial sweep is like finishing a sweep roll and will have the effect of reducing the likelyhood of the paddle submerging as it does in a C-C type of recovery. It goes without saying that you need good hip rotation and your head is the last up. If you're comfortable with a C-C and a forward recovery, treat the deep brace as the same as the completion of a roll. In this case, hitting the water with your back will not be useful, since your recovery will need a full torso rotation to get to the fore deck. You could try twisting face down at the last moment instead and completing the brace like what Hutchinson calls a headstand roll. Don't do this in a rock garden, however. Mike *************************************************************************** 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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