Aloha,
Does anyone know any remedy to stop forearms from cramping while 6 man paddling. I do alot of prestretching, drink fluids, each bananas, etc. Seem to happen only when i paddle 6 man, not 1 man.
Mahalo
Submitted by dkh2yk on Fri, 06/15/2012 - 9:06am
stop gripping the paddle so hard.
#1 Fri, 06/15/2012 - 9:53am
To add to what Openocean mentioned, relax your grip on the return phase of the stroke.
No need to King Kong grip the paddle when you're moving it through the air.
#2 Fri, 06/15/2012 - 11:38am
Small piece of tape on thumbs for reminder of above.
Smoother paddle maybe too ?
aloha,
pog
#3 Fri, 06/15/2012 - 2:41pm
wax on the shaft?
#4 Fri, 06/15/2012 - 3:18pm
don't forget though, waxing your shaft will add a ton of friction. be ready for some blistering.
#5 Fri, 06/15/2012 - 8:56pm
Try a little longer shaft? Experiment at half inch increments until the forearms are happy. But now the shoulders start to act up until they adjust to the little longer shaft.
#6 Sat, 06/16/2012 - 12:00pm
i wasn't recommending wax on the shaft.. during change races i've ended up with paddles that have been waxed, and besides the blistering, it caused some forearm cramping..
#7 Mon, 06/18/2012 - 9:03am
It could be your paddles too short, or your stroke rate is too high and too short for too long, or all of the above, which makes for a killer forearm workout, hehe
#8 Mon, 06/18/2012 - 12:01pm
More than likely you're gripping the paddle too hard. The wrong size blade can cause it or add to it for sure. I use wax on my blades and I don't get blisters but its all in what you get used to. I find that the wax lets me barely grip the paddle but make sure you're barely holding the paddle on your return and that might help a bit also.
#9 Mon, 06/18/2012 - 7:53pm
with some types of cramping it helps to have water and some salt.
#10 Wed, 06/20/2012 - 4:28am
Try a smaller size blade because you're moving a much heavier load than your one-man.
#11 Fri, 06/22/2012 - 1:30pm
I drink salt water from the ocean as soon as I feel cramping in long iron races. This might not be of use for you though cause it sounds like this is happening to you more often than just when you paddle long distances.
I imagine for you, you just need to loosen your grip.
#12 Sun, 06/24/2012 - 7:19pm
In addition to relaxing your grip as others have said, I find that opening up my index finger of my top hand during the stroke helps to relieve the pressure.
#13 Tue, 06/26/2012 - 10:33am
Try this one on. Paddle with your top hand thumb horizontally ALONG the BACK of the "T Top" rather than under. This allows the blade to enter the water squarely and not tilted with the outer edge down, which results in the bottom hand subconsciously gripping harder to counter the uneven entry.
Try this little test. Pick up your paddle and hold it in a catch position with your thumb along the back of the TTop, now move your thumb under the TTop and squeeze the TTop while holding the shaft with a loose grip with the bottom hand. The blade will twist to the right or the left depending on which side your are on.
Now you know the reason for your uneven entry and urge to tighten your grip with the bottom hand.
This is what many Tahitians are taught.
#14 Tue, 06/26/2012 - 1:53pm
From the man himself, Matahi Brightwell. First of a Series of V1 & V6 Clinic videos I'm producing, mostly for Junior Development.
#15 Wed, 06/27/2012 - 1:30pm
Rambo, this is awesome material. Thank you very much for sharing it with us. Especially over here in Europe we benefit extremely by it. I hope there will be more to come. May be on DVD ?
Keep on producing !
Mahalo nui
#16 Thu, 06/28/2012 - 7:44am
Aren't models supposed to wear bikinis. Hopefully in the final cut you'll fix this oversight.
#17 Thu, 06/28/2012 - 8:52am
I appreciate your attention to important detail H.E.
Great stuff Rambo! Keep it up
#18 Thu, 06/28/2012 - 9:01am