RE: [Paddlewise] Shoulder and Rotator Cup Problems

I think one thing that is not being mentioned is grip width.  I did a
little test here in the house.  If I take the often described "paddle on
top of head with elbows bent at 90 deg" grip on a paddle I can not get my
upper hand down to shoulder level.  My lower arm is not long enough to
reach down to where it should be on the paddle when the upper hand is
lowered to shoulder level.  I am holding the paddle with both arms almost
extended (slight bend in each elbow) and the paddle at about a 80 deg
angle.  If I lower the paddle angle to 40 deg then I can keep the upper
hand at shoulder level.  If I switch to my Greenland width grip I can keep
the 80 deg angle even if my upper arm is several inches below my shoulder.

Does it do any good (ie help keep your hand near shoulder level) to get a
shorter paddle if you do not narrow your grip width?    What is the current
generally agreed upon method of setting your grip width?  Of course I
realize that if the paddle becomes really shorter while the blade stays the
same size you would eventually have to narrow your grip to keep from having
your hand on the blade.   Also it would seem that if you just narrowed your
grip on a long paddle then you would lose some mechanical advantage.  

Am I off base on this?

Mark J. Arnold


> [Original Message]
> From: Robert MacDonald <RMacDonald_at_udl.com>
> To: <paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net>
> Date: 1/18/2005 10:49:59
> Subject: [Paddlewise] Shoulder and Rotator Cup Problems
>
> Petero wrote:
> "Would it be practical to shorten the paddle sufficiently that you could
have
> a truly vertical stroke in which the hand passes below the eyes and the
> upper arm is consequently below the shoulder?"
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