Just wondering.....when talking about technique as far as the stroke....everyone seems to be on the same page. Up front press and power after the paddle is placed and then a quick exit. The last part of the stroke cycle ...the exit ...is of interest. I hate to always be referring to how the Tahitian's do it but they do it so well. If you slow mo videos of their exit....they twist the tee handle and feather out soon after the power phase. They feather their paddles vertically over the water surface until the next catch. The feathering is agressive. Aeordynamic and efficient. I have not noticed that in Hawaiian crews to such an extreme and have never heard it being coached as a proper way to end the stroke. (exception Nick Beck with Hanalei).
Submitted by poidog on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 6:07pm
Always looking for ways to better my stroke and haven't really seen many videos of the Tahitian stroke. But definitely lots of people advocate the stroke.
Any good videos you know of on the internet?
Also, do you mean the blade surface (wide part of the blade) is parallel to the surface of the water like an airplane wing to be more aerodynamic when recovering from the exit leading up to the catch?
Thinking of somehow adapting this type of stroke for OC-1 paddling.
#1 Tue, 12/11/2012 - 9:37pm
I think it's because most people prefer to swing out to the side during their recovery as a way to initiate more core rotation.
#2 Wed, 12/12/2012 - 5:59am
in 6 man...it seems like ....how do you follow the guy in front ? Look down at his paddle or look straight ahead to get a read on whats happening...usually what the upper hand is doing. .timing would be more in sync to read the upper hand...when that hand twists the tee top...the power phase is over.Everyone together.
And yeah...core rotation is initiated in a more efficient manner because the lower hand can stay closer to the gunnel, the blade is coming out at 45 degree angle and does not have to lift up and out of the water (which if its more then 45 degrees would creat drag) and the recovery can be smoother and faster with less effort. Over a few hours at say a 65 per minute rate...will make a difference. The Tahitians really go parallel with the blade to the surface of the water.,,go to Youtube and watch their videos..V'a'a training, the various races, Shell Va's, etc.
#3 Wed, 12/12/2012 - 2:15pm
@pd
I think the reason most people don't talk about that as much is because most don't look at it in that much detail. I heard it talked about a couple of times and the people .....hmm..... I think don't grasp the concept. They usually say don't flare because it's a longer way to the plant. That is possible if the flare is way out but the flare shouldn't be way out. The Tahitians do flare slightly, THOUGH I THINK IF THEY FLARED A LITTLE BIT MORE THEY WOULD HAVE A MORE EFFECTIVE PLANT!! That's right I said it, I think I can improve their plant. That is the only aspect of their stroke that I can see that I don't agree with. It's fractional but at elite levels fractions make you memorable.
I actually love this part of the stroke because I think it has so much to do with efficiency (through least body movement), more effective plant. and body preservation for distance races.
Here goes. (actually I might post a video later to better describe my thoughts)
The paddle is at your but and it's time to release. I teach people to lead the recovery with their top hand (set the pace of the recovery and the directing of the blade face). So when the blade is at the buttie or just past the post race cream pie , you want to bend your bottom wrist slightly outwards while that signals to your top hand to lead the blade out buy pulling forward and to the left slightly (the goal will be to get your left hand in front of your left ear aligned approximately in front of your top hands' ear). Now if your are imagining this as I type you will see the blade is at a slight angle. Say your paddling on the right side. Top hand will be in front of left ear bottom hand will be slightly outside the gunnel, MAYBE 4 INCHES....not 8 inches, not 12 inches, ....but 4 approxiatley, which is 2 more inches or so past where your hand would when your are pulling back. Now you reached forward with your blade slightly angled over the water, as soon as you straighten your shaft over the water the blade will automatically be 6" deep when you first start to pull back, and if your are straightening your shaft while pushing down you will be fully buried at your fullest reach (This is ideal, fully buried at fullest reach). With the over the top directly technique your don't get 6 inches deep until after you started pulling back somewhat. Also, it is a longer distance traveled to pick you blade vertically up out the water to then lift the entire blade vertically over the water to get in your plant position. Then you have to bury it fast and you don't have the benefit of the acceleration of the straightening of the shaft. I've seen some people get a great plant with the straight forward over approach but when they do that the are putting a lot of weight and momentum down in the water and cause energy to gown instead of forward. Energy going down is bad for the boat, energy going forward is good.
Tahitians do go out to the side a little but I think they would be better served adding to it a little bit.
I wrote this in English so that the Tahitians won't be able to use this against us.
#4 Wed, 12/12/2012 - 2:50pm
pfff,
#5 Thu, 12/13/2012 - 4:16pm
Aloha Poidog,
Feel free to join us at our clinc next week Friday the 21st. Bring that question and asi Kai Bartlett or Pat Dolan let hear what they have to say about the exit.
Hope you can make it!
#6 Sat, 12/15/2012 - 10:33am
"I wrote this in English so that the Tahitians won't be able to use this against us."
hehehe. Tahitians can read english. Even French can read english, go figure.
You're doomed.
#7 Tue, 02/12/2013 - 5:27am
#8 Tue, 02/12/2013 - 10:46am
I think Fabrice missed the joke
#9 Tue, 02/19/2013 - 2:56pm
Agree with Healthyearth but for one thing...just watched the youtube video of the Faaiti Morea 2012. Good close up shots and easy to focus in on the technique. I would say a pretty agressive flare. Hard to examine only that part of the stroke because at a 70 or so stroke rate per minuite it lasts only a quarter second. But they definitely flare out aggressively at the exit, run their lower hand next to the gunnel and set themselves up nicely for the catch.
Without the flare,,,,paddle comes out perpendicular to the water, the lower hand has to rise higher in order to avoid contact with the ocean surface and would stay higher at the entry. Plus....just think about how much more resistance a paddle creates when squared off from the canoe rather then the leading edge being parallel to the canoe and the ocean surface. I really do not know how an efficient rapid stroke rate can be achieved without relaxing the lower hand and twisting the tee top to flare the paddle at the exit. Would definitley prevent the "shovel" stroke that we see guys do.
#10 Fri, 02/22/2013 - 12:53pm