Hi guys and Girls,
I know this is a stupid question, but here goes. How many strokes per side are you all doing for OC1,2 compared with OC6? or is it the same?
One of my fellow paddlers does 40-50 per side , he says he hates changing. I know everybody is different, and then you have runners /waves etc, but was interested to hear some comments or concepts to this subject.
Koka
Submitted by KR68 on Wed, 05/25/2005 - 9:57pm
40 -50 strokes per side? That's crazy. Your friend must not be putting amplified power in his stroke if he can do 50 strokes per side. (unless he's in like super Godly condition) Personally, my arms would fall off if I tried doing 50 strokes with the same amount of force I use to drive the blade. I normally go from 12-20 strokes depending on what I'm doing. If I'm doing sprints......say 1 to 2 minutes sprints, I do about 20 strokes per side. If I doing longer runs like 8 miles, I pace my self around 12-15 strokes per side ( yet still keeping good pressure on my blade.) If I'm doing an open ocean run with waves and wind (HAWAII STYLE), I go with feel. Changing the tempo of the stroke when needed is a must in surfing conditions, so stroke count will change drastically. Sometimes 8 strokes on the ama side then 18 on the outside. No actual pattern. All depends what I'm trying to do (connect waves etc). All in all, I try to balance my effort to both sides being sure to do "changes" before the arms start turning into jello.
#1 Thu, 05/26/2005 - 8:32am
Thanks Tango,
I agree with you, I have been away from the canoe for a couple of years, and was thinking maybe things had changed dramaticly. I usally change at 15-17 but like you adjust to waves etc.
The guy is super fit, and he does paddle light with higher rate. Still nobody can catch him yet in our club, hes the fastest. He is an ex Japan champion swimmer and lifeguard, bit of a freak when it comes to sports.
Well I will keep it the way I always have for myself, guess I will just have to get in better shape.
Thanks agin.
Koka
#2 Thu, 05/26/2005 - 12:02pm
40-50 strokes on one side!?! Ho cuz, too much dragonboat!!! MEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!
#3 Thu, 05/26/2005 - 8:01pm
aloek, funny shiet... LOL
but seriously, does this guy paddle OC6? and is he able to paddle with the rest of the crew effectivey w/o becoming frustrated?
#4 Mon, 05/30/2005 - 8:08pm
Hi,
No not yet we are waiting for our first 2 OC6's to arrive. We are using OC1,2 and we have a 4 man that Buffalo and Brian Keaulana gave us last year.
When we paddle the 4 man, no probs normal changes 15 - 17 or so. we have a race here 9-10 of July, sprint in the surf with 4 man's.
Its the Japan Buffalo big board classic. What part of Hawaii are you guys all livin?
Koka
#5 Mon, 05/30/2005 - 8:38pm
Aloha KR68,
I take the opposite extreme of your friend. In flat water races, I limit myself to 9 strokes and change on the 10th. There have been strength studies done which show that after 9-10 reps, there is a significant decline in strength. After the first decline, strength remains fairly stable out to about 18-20 reps, after which another significant decline in strength follows and then remains fairly constant out to about 50 or so reps. This makes perfect sense if you have spent any time in a weight room. The fewer the reps, the higher the weight you can handle. The higher the reps, the lower the weight. I find the same holds true to paddling. I focus on getting in 9 perfect strokes, and then on the 10th stroke, I take the first half of the stroke, and then finish the stroke on the opposite side. When done properly, you can actually accelerate your boat on a change, so there should not be any reason to "avoid" changes, thinking that changes slow you down. If you do slow down on changes, you probably need to spend more time working on your changes. I do a drill where I change every single stroke while paddling with friends who change on their own cadence. I try not to lose any ground to them. Then, I'll work on two strokes per side, then three, and so forth. After a while, you will find the cadence that works best for you.
I would also suggest some time trials if you think a 50 cadence is superior to a 9-10 cadence. Take a set distance of say 2 miles or so and do it once at 50/side, then do it again at 9-10/side. See which one is faster for you.
Of course, if it's not flat (i.e. surfing) the 9 cadence is out the door. In between waves, that's fine, but when it's time to catch a wave, it's paddle 'til you're in the wave. I paddle so much more on my right than on my left when surfing. It's the only way I can lighten up the ama as I'm not skilled enough to get the ama out of the water paddling on my left like Kai Bartlett or Karel Tresnek Jr. Those guys are simply amazing.
I'm big on drills. Everytime I hit the water, I have a goal in mind, whether it be working changes, improving my catch, cleaning up my exit, getting better leg drive, more hip rotation, an extra inch of reach... I'm very goal oriented and having a specific thing to work on each time out keeps me focused on my weakest areas and keeps me from getting bored. Try it; you might just go faster.
Aloha!
#6 Fri, 06/03/2005 - 1:42pm