Jun 4, 2008

Greenland forward stroke




I slowed this video 10% of the speed. It is better to completely re-learn forward stroke with different paddles.

"Optimal Forward Stroke by Maligiaq

Catch Phase. Instead of initiating the stroke with a vertical paddle blade, Maligiaq's blade is tilted forward so that the top edge of the blade is inclined closer to the bow than the bottom edge. Please refer to Figure 1 for clarification. The paddle is oriented in this manner with the back of his hands and forearms flat. In other words, the wrists are not cocked to achieve the forward tilt of the blade. Power Phase. Maligiaq does not display as much side-to-side torso rotation as compared to an experienced paddler using the recreational stroke. Instead his pushing hand starts from just below the tip of his shoulder and is levered downward toward the deck, just above the knee on the same side as his pushing arm. His spine rises slightly and drops down in concert with his arm motion. His elbows stay close to his sides. Viewed from the back, he looks like a boxer making slow motion, downward punches on alternating sides of his foredeck. Maligiaq's paddle shaft was held at approximately a 45-degree angle for normal cruising, higher than the paddles of the surrounding students and instructors. Note - this is the angle between the paddle shaft and the horizon, please don't confuse this shaft angle with the forward tilt of the blade discussed earlier. Exit Phase. Instead of releasing the paddle early, Maligiaq allows the paddle blade to travel past his hip and the blade exits the water displaying a higher degree of forward tilt than during the initial catch. His paddling cadence was very similar to that of the surrounding students at approximately 60-70 strokes per minute. I found it interesting that when Maligiaq critiqued students who paddled by single file, his most common remark was for them to use a longer and fuller stroke. He also motioned for several other students to widen their grip on the paddle."

No comments: