I just conducted a thought experiment. I sat in my kayak and moved my paddle back and forth as vigorously as possible, sending my O2 intake and my heart rate way up, yet I didn't go anywhere. Does this mean I have a poorly designed paddle, a poorly designed kayak, or a very poor paddling style? Even if you could measure a consistent output and speed, how could you be sure of a consistent style? Chuck Holst -----Original Message----- From: Michael Daly [SMTP:mikedaly_at_magma.ca] Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 3:49 PM To: PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] [PaddleWise] objective paddle test On 20 Sep 2004 at 10:05, Peter Chopelas wrote: > PC: this is true, but it would take more costly equipment, a simple > heart monitor paddled over a longer steady state corse would yeild a > relative comparison that would be useful. This is true - cheap and dirty O2 uptake tests are simply time over distance tests that are calibrated for weight etc. You run/cycle/whatever for a given time, measure the distance (or vice versa) and look up a table of O2 uptakes required to do that for typical people of a given weight and such. However, the question is then whether the errors in this kind of test are sufficiently small to differentiate between two paddles. If tests results for the HRM vary by 5% and the paddles differ by 3%, you won't see anything reliable. HR vs O2 uptake can be thrown off easily by things like CO saturation level - if you hang out in a smoky bar the night before the test, you'll pump more blood per unit O2 than if you stay out in the fresh air. Ditto if you spend several weeks vacation hiking high up in the mountains and then perform the test at sea level - you'll pump less blood per unit O2. > You do not need any of this information to make a valid comparison. > the same hull, at the same gross weight, at the same speed will take > the same amount of power to push it though the water (presuming wind > and currents are not a factor). The key then is to oblige the paddler to a paddle at a specific speed. It would be wise to choose a speed that is not too high, so that it can be achieved with a wide range of paddles. 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/ ***************************************************************************
Chuck First of all put your boat in the water, then make sure your paddle contacts the water. Do these two things and you will get a different reaction to judge by' Chuck Holst wrote: >I just conducted a thought experiment. I sat in my kayak and moved my >paddle back and forth as vigorously as possible, sending my O2 intake and >my heart rate way up, yet I didn't go anywhere. Does this mean I have a >poorly designed paddle, a poorly designed kayak, or a very poor paddling >style? Even if you could measure a consistent output and speed, how could >you be sure of a consistent style? > >Chuck Holst > > > Greg Dunlap Santa Rosa, CA 380 28' 40.27" N 1220 45' 16.05" W 157 feet above sea level blackey_at_sonic.net This has been scanned with Norton's 2004 for your protection *************************************************************************** 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 20 Sep 2004 at 21:37, Chuck Holst wrote: > I just conducted a thought experiment. I sat in my kayak and moved my > paddle back and forth as vigorously as possible, sending my O2 intake > and my heart rate way up, yet I didn't go anywhere. Does this mean I > have a poorly designed paddle, a poorly designed kayak, or a very poor > paddling style? Even if you could measure a consistent output and > speed, how could you be sure of a consistent style? Both John and you have raised the same objection. It's perfectly valid. I mentioned in a previous post that based on my own training diary, I know that consistency is not something you can achieve. My thought experiment would conclude that you are more likely to measure the variation in paddler performance more than the variation in paddle performance. The main reason: I don't think that some paddles differ enough to measure compared to the paddler. Unless you could measure enough to factor out these variables in paddler performance, testing in this manner will only be useful in a very crude comparison of significantly different paddles. 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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