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From: Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>
subject: [Paddlewise] yadsruhT
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 21:49:24 -0700
In horor of Professor Backwards and my preferred surfing style on the day

Arbed dna I dah a taerg emit gnifrus eht eltneg 2-3 sretoof ta naS O 
yadretsey.
Htiw eht sevaw gnieb llams, I tneps a tol fo emit gnifrus sdrawkcab ni 
eht renni kaerb.
A arohtelp fo kcits serugif dettod eht retaw gnitaerc a drazzah no gnol 
sedir!
Llits ti saw a taerg yad no eht retaw!

If you have trouble reading this, drag your computer to your bathroom 
mirror!

Three minutes of your life you may never get back, but Debra was there, 
she'll enjoy watching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60s5rfT-JKc

For those not familiar with the sad, but true story of Professor 
Backwards, he was murdered in 1976.
Sadly, bystanders failed to respond to his cries of "Pleh, Pleh!!!"
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From: Joe P. <jpylka_at_earthlink.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] yadsruhT
Date: Sat, 7 May 2011 10:19:00 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
  Interesting episode of cognitive reminiscence...
My father had a printing business in NYC and the whole family wound up participating, particularly proofreading.  Among other things we all became adept at reading the linotype slugs backwards.  That was decades ago but it really came back fast! -- even tho the individual letters weren't backward...
Joe P.


-----Original Message-----
>From: Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>
>Arbed dna I dah a taerg emit gnifrus eht eltneg 2-3 sretoof ta naS O 
>yadretsey.
>Htiw eht sevaw gnieb llams, I tneps a tol fo emit gnifrus sdrawkcab ni 
>eht renni kaerb.
>A arohtelp fo kcits serugif dettod eht retaw gnitaerc a drazzah no gnol 
>sedir!
>Llits ti saw a taerg yad no eht retaw!
>
>If you have trouble reading this, drag your computer to your bathroom 
>mirror!
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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] yadsruhT
Date: Sat, 7 May 2011 08:06:19 -0700
Ecin!

When the video started I was wondering what those "sticks" were all over...
pilings? The field of view was moving across them pretty fast but there
seemed to be lots of them. So apparently SUP has become a LOT more popular
since I was down there. LOL. I still don't understand why someone would
*stand up* to paddle. It just seems completely counterintuitive to me.

I learned to read upside down when I discovered that the papers on my
teachers' desks were interesting to read. It works even better when it's the
papers on your boss' desk. :P

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net & www.bigboxbikes.com

On Sat, May 7, 2011 at 7:19 AM, Joe P. <jpylka_at_earthlink.net> wrote:

>  Interesting episode of cognitive reminiscence...
> My father had a printing business in NYC and the whole family wound up
> participating, particularly proofreading.  Among other things we all became
> adept at reading the linotype slugs backwards.  That was decades ago but it
> really came back fast! -- even tho the individual letters weren't
> backward...
> Joe P.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>
> >Arbed dna I dah a taerg emit gnifrus eht eltneg 2-3 sretoof ta naS O
> >yadretsey.
> >Htiw eht sevaw gnieb llams, I tneps a tol fo emit gnifrus sdrawkcab ni
> >eht renni kaerb.
> >A arohtelp fo kcits serugif dettod eht retaw gnitaerc a drazzah no gnol
> >sedir!
> >Llits ti saw a taerg yad no eht retaw!
> >
> >If you have trouble reading this, drag your computer to your bathroom
> >mirror!
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From: PeterO <rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Feet - Back Paddling
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 08:26:36 +1000
G'day,

Can anyone tell me or give me a good reference to the proper technique for
paddling backwards? The question I have is which leg should one
straighten/engage with the footrest? Is it the one next to the side you are
making the paddle stroke as in forward paddling? Or is it the side opposite?
Does it matter?

All the best, PeterO
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From: Steve Cramer <cramersec_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Feet - Back Paddling
Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 19:25:16 -0400
As an experiment:

Sit in a swivel chair. Place one foot on the floor and hold the other up 
a few inches (or cm if you prefer). Push with the foot on the floor. 
Which way does the chair rotate? If your paddle were in the water on 
that side, which way would the boat go? How about the other side?

YMMV, and of course it may be the opposite down in the part of the world 
you live, Peter.

Steve

On 5/11/2011 6:26 PM, PeterO wrote:
> G'day,
>
> Can anyone tell me or give me a good reference to the proper technique for
> paddling backwards? The question I have is which leg should one
> straighten/engage with the footrest? Is it the one next to the side you are
> making the paddle stroke as in forward paddling? Or is it the side opposite?
> Does it matter?

-- 
Steve Cramer
Athens, GA
http://www.savvypaddler.com
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From: Erik S <laivotais_at_yahoo.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Feet - Back Paddling
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 07:39:24 -0700 (PDT)
Here's my somewhat simpler explanation:   
If we accept that, when paddling forward, one should be pushing on the footpeg 
that is on the same side where the paddle is planted, the converse should be 
true for reverse paddling:  one should be pushing against the backband with 
one's lower back - perhaps pushing a bit harder on the side of the stroke, if 
that is possible.

Regards,
Erik




________________________________
Steve Cramer wrote:

 As an experiment:
Sit in a swivel chair. Place one foot on the floor and hold the other up a few 
inches (or cm if you prefer). Push with the foot on the floor. Which way does 
the chair rotate? If your paddle were in the water on that side, which way would 
the boat go? How about the other side?


On 5/11/2011 6:26 PM, PeterO wrote:
> G'day,
> 
> Can anyone tell me or give me a good reference to the proper technique for
> paddling backwards? The question I have is which leg should one
> straighten/engage with the footrest? Is it the one next to the side you are
> making the paddle stroke as in forward paddling? Or is it the side opposite?
> Does it matter?
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From: Bradford R. Crain <crainb_at_pdx.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Feet - Back Paddling
Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 18:26:19 -0700
I would not recommend back-paddling without a good rear-view mirror.
Most good bike shops can fix you up.

No worries.
-- 
Bradford R. Crain

Quoting PeterO <rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com>:

> G'day,
>
> Can anyone tell me or give me a good reference to the proper technique for
> paddling backwards? The question I have is which leg should one
> straighten/engage with the footrest? Is it the one next to the side you are
> making the paddle stroke as in forward paddling? Or is it the side opposite?
> Does it matter?
>
> All the best, PeterO
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From: Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Feet - Back Paddling
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 15:01:25 +1200
PeterO said on Thursday, 12 May 2011 10:27
>...proper technique for paddling backwards...
>...which leg should one straighten/engage with the footrest

Peter

I've never read a reference work on paddling backwards; but I believe:
Without a rudder -
(1) turning, use the same forward-stroke foot pressure (turning the bow left
- push right foot)
(2) paddling straight, use the opposite foot pressure (left blade in water -
push left foot)
With a rudder -
(3) it doesn't much matter

My 'workings' are as follows.
(Note that I'm very open to improving my understanding of any of this ;-)

In the forward stroke:

(a) If one has no rudder, any (moving) course change or correction is
usually done by railing/edging and pushing (more or less hard) on the
footrest that augments the 'turn' (ie: to turn or correct to the left, you
push with the right foot). This pressure with the correct foot can
substantially improve the rapidity of the turn. It's completely
hypothetical, but I believe that if your feet were 'cleated' onto the
footrests (as with bicycle pedals), you'd be pulling simultaneously with the
left leg, to increase the turning moment on the kayak. Closest to this is a
tight Inuit yak.

(b) If you have no need to turn or correct, you apply pressure alternately -
on each footrest - to oppose each forward stroke as it pushes the bow
off-course. So, left blade in the water, push with the right foot to
straighten the boat. The better the boat tracks, of course, the less
significant this is.

(c) In a kayak with a rudder and sliding footrests (which I abhor), you can
only push on both of them equally. Turning or correction is determined
solely by relative footrest position - not by relative pressure.

(d) In a kayak with a rudder and 'rocking' or 'toe-control' footrests, you
can push on the rigid portion of the footrests just as you do in (a). Of
course, you'll be using a toe or rotating motion of the left foot to turn
left and it is very unlikely that you'll bother to push asymmetrically (on
the right footrest) to aid the turn. Note that a very few people
'cross-wire' the rudder - which allows a more 'rudderless' foot action in a
ruddered kayak. 

(e) In any case, pushing against a footrest has the beneficial effect of
stopping you sliding forward in your seat.

Turning now to the reverse stroke, here you pull where before you pushed:

(A) Without a rudder, a (moving) turn or course correction is all working
back-to-front. So, to turn the kayak's bow to the left (while paddling
backwards), you rail the opposite way (right side up) and you add to the
turning moment by pulling on the left footrest. Since you can't pull the
left footrest, you can just push on the right. So the foot pressure here
turns out to be the same as in the forward left turn. (Hardly a surprise -
you are always trying to 'torque' the kayak round to the left.)

(B) As per (b) above, but in order to oppose the left blade, you must pull
with the right foot - or push with the left foot. So here it's the reverse
of the hand/foot relationship in the forward stroke.

(C) As per (c) - you can't do anything useful with foot pressure.

(D) As per (d).

(E) Going backwards, you'll push against the seat/backrest - so the
footrests don't keep you in your seat.
       
Best Regards
Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand
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