Re: [Paddlewise] bracing and power

For you youngsters, ocean racing is swell. But I have no inclination to 
race.
I have no place I need to go in a hurry. In fact, my specialty is going 
slow.
I can achieve this goal with any length paddle. Going slow is beautiful. Try 
it
sometime, and you'll never go back to racing. The road is not the road, the
road is how you travel it.

Bradford R. Crain

Subject: [Paddlewise] bracing and power


>I think of the power stroke as just a type of brace that drives the boat.
> Among the characteristics (I didn't say advantages here) of my long Euro
> paddle is that I routinely have a low stroke rate. That means that I
> effectively am in a "support" mode a larger percentage of the time 
> relative
> to a paddler with a high stroke rate. I can easily increase my stroke rate
> by shortening the stroke. By this change, I can adjust which muscles are
> working hardest. Going from sweep to full forward or even vertical for max
> power are all just subtle changes in lean, entry angle. I keep my elbows
> down unless full out racing.
>
> My long paddle, importantly, allows me plenty of time to use maximum body
> rotation and minimum arm pulling on each stroke. I think lots of paddlers
> never really employ maximum effective rotation, driving the stroke 
> starting
> from the foot braces, because their little short strokes are over too
> rapidly. Routine high stroke rate and rapid rotation left-right,
> lft-rt,lft-rt, is just never going to be attractive to my 69-yr-old back 
> and
> shoulders. With my system, I force all my lazy, don't
> want-to-be-involved-today, muscle groups to join in the fun!
>
> Chuck Sutherland
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