Re: [Paddlewise] efficient stroke

What are the markers of an efficient stroke? Are elbows/arms up, paddle
blade grazing the hull, minimal paddle length, raw speed, the only
considerations?



My two cents worth


An efficient stroke is one that works well, not necessarily one that
looks 'correct.'  All my paddling life people have said my stroke
stinks, but I know it is efficient because I have won races from 500
meters to 35 miles.  What is different about my stroke is that it is
very deep, has a relatively low cadence and it ends about a foot or so
out from the side of the boat a bit farther behind my hip than is
classically taught.

My sprint coach used to have us compete to learn who could go the
farthest on the fewest strokes.  This led me to putting a lot of oomph
into each stroke but did not teach me to have a high turnover rate.

I use a long paddle and have long arms for my height, which, I think,
also explains the deep and slow stroke.  

The ending up away from the boat and behind is something that a lot of
really good paddlers (without a wing paddle) do but don't acknowledge. 
If one looks at what the blade is doing by swinging out at the end of
the stroke and back behind the hip, it is planted firmly in the wake
that is coming off the boat.  My theory (backed up by no research and
total ignorance of physics) is that this an intuitive use of the wake as
a high-pressure place to place the blade and, thus, get a boost out of
the end of the stroke.

Another variable in the forward stroke is how the paddler is put
together and how they have used their muscles over their life.  When I
was a sprint racer I noticed that the shorter, stockier world champions
had a different style than the taller, leaner ones.  With wing paddles
now, everyone looks more alike to me.

The very last thing I ever worried about as a racer, and now as a sea
kayaker, is having a 'vertical' angle to the shaft.  In the pre-wing
days many Scandinavian paddlers never lifted their hands above the deck
of the boat.  And they won a lot of big races.  They had very high seats
and very low paddle angles.  Hardly bent their arms, either.

I firmly believe, and teach accordingly, that there are some basics to
the forward stroke that are good (relatively straight arm reach, catch
quietly and power on after the blade is fully seated in the water, good
rhythym, upright or slightly forward posture, good use of torso and
legs), but the details need to be discovered over time for each paddler.
 A good coach will be necessary to aid the process, but that good coach
should be flexible in her/his approach to what works for the student.

Jim Tibensky
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