Re: [Paddlewise] Kayaking - crossover to other activities

Quoting John Kirk-Anderson <jka_at_netaccess.co.nz>:

> I've just had one of those maqic paddles that got me thinking - a miracle in
> its own right!
>
> Nothing flash about the location or situation: The harbour in front of my
> house I've paddled for years, in a choppy weather-tide just on sunset.
> It was simply that I paddled "At one with the kayak", and seemed to use no
> energy to surf, paddle and turn.
>
> Once I noticed that I was using the water's dynamics properly, I started to
> analyse my mindset, and realised that I was actually thinking about Jiu
> Jitsu and Judo, martial arts that I started a couple of years ago. The
> principles of using energy from another source, either water or an opponent,
> to achieve the required goal, are similar in both paddling and some martial
> arts.
>
> Whether I was simply distracted enough to paddle without effort, or there
> was a crossover from another activity I'm unsure, but it got me thinking
> about the other things that we do in life that effect paddling. (I know,
> paddling is life, the rest is detail!)
>
> John Kirk-Anderson

   On every paddle trip, I get tired after one minute of paddling. Then I take
   a thirty second rest. On my second attempt I usually enter a Zen-like phase
   where I don't feel much of anything except the wind in my face, moving water
   under the hull, and an exhilarating sense of freedom. Of course, the next
   day I may feel like twenty miles of bad road, but it's worth it to have a
   good adventure on the water.

   BRC
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