I paddle OC-6 and my coach suggested I work on feeling the boat. He mentioned sometimes I work so hard it gets in the way with feeling the boat. Does anyone else have this issue? Honestly I really have no idea what he is talking about so I just keep paddling hoping one day the mystery will be solved. Any clues?
Submitted by ender on Sun, 11/01/2009 - 6:18pm
when sitting in a car or a plane, you can close your eyes and you can fell when it goes faster or slower, you can feel if it is turning. In the canoe, try to get focused on those feelings. You should feel when a wave is pushing or pulling the canoe. You will feel when it's gliding and when it's not.
#1 Sun, 11/01/2009 - 6:33pm
Its also important to know when the ama has Popped. A favorite saying of our elders is "pull as one" and that's a feeling thing to all pull at the same time.
#2 Sun, 11/01/2009 - 7:27pm
Being able to feel the boat as it moves in the water gives you the insight on how the other guys in the boat are pulling. By this feel, you know just how much more/less you need to work in your stroke to blend with the others to make the boat move. Your coach is basically telling you that no matter how much muscle or work "you" put in, if you aren't blending with the others (pulling as one), the boat isn't going to move any faster or better.
It's important to be able to blend and feel how the canoe moves because if you can't blend well with your crew, you'll only hinder it. It won't matter how much hard work you put in, as you may be out of the crew if the others can find someone else that can feel the canoe and blend better with them.
One thing that can help is to have everyone paddling on the same side. You get to feel the canoe better and also blend your strokes. You will feel the boat want to huli when changing from left side to right as some guys might lean too much (paddling on OC-1's with a light ama tend to fix that problem). We sometimes do the paddling on one side at the end of our practice as a warm down, but you can also do it in the beginning to get everyone in synch before to get a better workout.
#3 Sun, 11/01/2009 - 9:50pm
ender
First you have to find another canoe club to paddle with. I've heard from a few paddlers with Mt. Home that the coach and so called elite paddlers for that club have an attitude problem. No wonder you don't have a clue because the coach doesn't give a crap about anybody but himself and the few who think they are the elite in that club.
#4 Mon, 11/02/2009 - 1:15pm
It sounds like you are saying the coach was asking you to back off on the power a bit. If you ease off on your pull a little you may be able to feel the boat better.
You know in a race or a practice sometimes you all just hit a groove when the boat really feels like its moving better? That is what you are trying to feel. The subtleties of hitting and releasing together.
#5 Tue, 11/03/2009 - 9:10pm
When sitting in seats 2-5, close eyes for some strokes and just paddle by feel, matching the power phase with the rest of boat. This of course is more difficult when nobody is in phase...
#6 Tue, 11/03/2009 - 11:23pm
My okole is the only thing concerned with feel of the canoe. And when my okole goes, everything goes. Short distance no problem. So when it comes to long distance, I pamper it with those padded underwear the rowers use, which you can add layers of foam to it if need extra dakine.
#7 Wed, 11/04/2009 - 9:55pm