Correction in CAPS below. What moves the kayak forward is any force the paddler exerts on the kayak in the forward direction. If pumping the legs achieves that, then the paddler can (in principle) achieve more acceleration and/or a higher max speed. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Kruger" <kdruger_at_pacifier.com> > Basically, it is the front of your butt and your thighs/legs that push the > kayak forward. Viewing the paddler as a system which interacts with the > water and the kayak: > The kayaker pushes back against the water. In turn, to anchor that > pushing, the kayaker pushes forward on the kayak. > If somehow more stroke (e.g., FORWARDward pushing either for a longer time > or with greater force) can be achieved by pumping your legs, then there > will be more total work done on the kayak, by the paddler, and therefore > more energy expended moving the kayak forward. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Taking the devils advocate. All the legs do is anchor the lower body. If your butt doesn't move relative to the foot pegs, then all the legs are doing is anchoring the body so the power developed by the large torso muscles can be transferred into the paddle. You can drive your legs into the foot pegs all day and the boat won't move until you put the paddle into the water. You can also drive your legs for all you are worth and if you are arm paddling still not accomplish much. It is a wide wide world, but I have never seen or heard of a paddler actually using their leg power to rotate their hips in the seat. Most keep their butt relatively still in the seat and rotate at the base and lower part of the spine. It is a useful visualization, and for many causes them to assume a better posture, and do a better stroke, but it isn't where the power is coming from. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- When logic and proportion Have fallen softly dead, Remember what the dormouse said: "Feed your head. Feed your head. Feed your head" -WhiteRabbit *************************************************************************** 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 Tue, 7 Sep 2004 00:23:03 -0500, "WhiteRabbit" <whiterabbit_0117_at_charter.net> said: > Taking the devils advocate. All the legs do is anchor the lower body. > > It is a wide wide world, but I have never seen or heard of a paddler > actually using their leg power to rotate their hips in the seat. Most > keep their butt relatively still in the seat and rotate at the base > and lower part of the spine. Alas Fred Mechini's excellent website with lots of videos has gone missing. I did find a couple photos of Nashan Baggaley - a double olympic silver medalist. Look at the final bottom 2 photos in his gallery http://www.nathanbaggaley.com.au/pages/gallery.php Note the knee position in each photo - one stroke on the right, one on the left. In both photos he's nearing or just finishing a stroke and his leg, on the side he's paddling on, is nearly straight and the other side is high and ready to drive another stroke. -- Kirk Olsen *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Olympic style sprint kayaking does actually involve having your hips rotate in the seat. The seats are quite low and smooth and permit your butt to move. A friend of mine actually mounted his seat on lazy-susan bearings allowing his whole seat could rotate. Torso rotation, twisting above the hips, is still part of it, but the movement is initiated by your legs moving your hips. On Tue, 7 Sep 2004 00:23:03 -0500, "WhiteRabbit" <whiterabbit_0117_at_charter.net> said: > Taking the devils advocate. All the legs do is anchor the lower body. > > It is a wide wide world, but I have never seen or heard of a paddler > actually using their leg power to rotate their hips in the seat. Most > keep their butt relatively still in the seat and rotate at the base > and lower part of the spine. Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 USA Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847 http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ *************************************************************************** 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 Tue, 07 Sep 2004 10:23:07 -0400 "Kirk Olsen" <kork4_at_cluemail.com> wrote: . . . > Alas Fred Mechini's excellent website with lots of videos has > gone missing. You can mail him at fmechini_at_kayaksport.net His pics and vids of canoe and kayak sprint racing are at http://www.kayaksport.net/index.htm along with a few of John Winter's articles on resistance, and a wealth of other information. Richard Culpeper http://my.tbaytel.net/culpeper/ *************************************************************************** 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 Tue, 7 Sep 2004 00:23:03 -0500, "WhiteRabbit" <whiterabbit_0117_at_charter.net> said: > Taking the devils advocate. All the legs do is anchor the lower body. > > It is a wide wide world, but I have never seen or heard of a paddler > actually using their leg power to rotate their hips in the seat. Most > keep their butt relatively still in the seat and rotate at the base > and lower part of the spine. Brent Reitz has an online article on how to use your legs. http://www.wildsprint.com/resources/burning_question/bq_sep02.htm -- Kirk Olsen *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
<<The thing I don't understand is how flexing those leg muscles in a kayak > generates the forward movement. I know it does help through listening to > what everyone says and my own experience - I just don't understand why.>> It seems to me that the leg push supports and strengthens trunk rotation, much as chest wall elevation supports the shoulders and arms when lifting. At the same time, the power of the paddle stroke is transferred to the boat with less energy loss than would be the case if the leg were relaxed and acted as a kind of shock absorber. Bob V *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:39 PDT