Kayak Paddling Technique   More paddling pointers coming soon!

• Forward stroke:  The key to a forward stroke is torso rotation and doing as much of the work below the deck of the kayak. 
• The Catch:  (The paddle blade entering the water)  It is important to get the blade as far forward at the catch.  This is done with torso rotation and an extended relaxed lower arm.  Relaxed is key as you will be able to reach further forward with a relaxed arm.  As soon as the paddle enters the water it is important to push with the ball of the foot on the side where the paddle entered the water.  this thrust at the ball of the foot is followed by a thrust which moves up the leg resulting in a rotation at the waist.  You can practice this by isolating the stroke to only what happens below the deck.  Yes! you can paddle with locked arms doing all the work with your legs.
• The Stroke:  It is key that as soon as the blade has entered the water your arms are completely loose and relaxed.  Your pulling arm will work strictly in tension (think of it as  a rope which is pulling the blade back toward your hip.  Your pushing arm will work in compression.  You will use bone and the forward motion of your shoulder blade will drive your arm forward.  The joints are all loose so your muscle does not impede the forward motion of the arm. 
• Blade angle:  It is key that neither hand imparts any angle to the blade.  The blade is designed to split the water with the ridge in it's center.  It may flutter a small amount but will stay perpendicular to the force which is pulling it backwards.  If it tend to slice you are either tightening your grip and causing it to slice or it is improperly designed. 
• Lift:  A good blade is designed with some thickness.  This is generally done with a foam core.  This thickness combined with the convex front face and concave or flatter power face will create lift.  In other words as you are pulling the blade back it may tend to go away from the boat.  This is good.  For one thing it brings the blade closer to the surface as it comes back toward your hip.  This will lessen the time in which the blade comes out of the water and you are prepared to catch with the opposite blade.  The lower pressure on the front face also theoretically will drive the boat forward due to Bernoulli's Principle.  Your blade should move in a crescent from the catch right next to the boat at your toes to the exit at the hip away from the boat.
• Shaft Angle:  There are those who say that for touring one should have a really low shaft angle and racers only should use a high shaft angle.  Low shaft angles require longer paddle shafts which make paddling less efficient.  One also winds up paddling with arms which are more bent and do not work as well in pure tension and compression.   For the more bent arms to work properly one has to use more muscle and less skeleton.  Muscles consume much more oxygen from your blood and tire.  Your skeleton is still strong after a long day it is the most durable part of your body.  If you get a boat of the proper volume with a good design you should be able to paddle with a relatively short shaft and a low paddle angle.  I have found that all the Prijon boats can be paddled with a 215 cm Ardeche paddle.  If your arms are loose it really does not matter if you use a steeper paddle angle because the paddle will work like a teeter totter using the weight of your pulling hand to raise the pushing hand. 
• Things to remember:
  • The more work your legs do the less your arms need to do.  Using your legs will also keep your legs from falling asleep on long paddles.
  • Get accustomed to the hull speed of the boat you are paddling.  Trying to push it beyond that speed is not efficient except when "popping the boat" in shallow water.  I will discuss it in the future.
  • Be aware of the possibility of being chafed by your seat and back-band on long trips.

Prijon Kayaks

www.hartray.com