1) To facilitate rotation, Alan C mentions coating the foam seat or wearing cloths that have "less static friction" so you can have the comfort of foam but some slickness like a K1 seat. Any suggestions? (Glide, butt butter, vasoline, KY, Astroglide? paddling shorts?) really, is it important? I notice rotation in K1 but not in OC vids. In the videos of OC you see JR doing all the things they say "dont do" in the paddle clinic vids, lunging forward, push with top hand, dropping top hand to the knee etc.
2) Any problem attaching the leg rope to the iako? It seems not to tangle. On the outriggerconnection boats the iakos attach with thumb screws so it is not totally locked in but I'm not surfing in any sizable waves.
Thanks
Submitted by Shawn Michael on Wed, 05/21/2008 - 9:14pm
Shawn, what Jr does in the bumps is his style, don't confuse that with technique, they are two different things. One thing they can't teach you at paddling clinics is to put the paddle in the water and PULL HARD. The ability to pull hard has nothing to do with how big you are, it is a process of learning how to engage 100% of all the muscles that create the forward movement of the canoe, mind and muscle, working together.
Just like curling a dumbbell for the first time, over the first month you make huge gains in weight lifted from session to session as the body coordinates the muscle and mind and learns to engage more existing muscle fiber. Then one day the gains stop, then you need to create more size or muscle fibers and the process repeats itself.
That's the strength part of paddling , then comes the endurance part, but that's a whole new subject.
Cheers Rambo
#1 Wed, 05/21/2008 - 10:38pm
Other than my sore arse, the endurance part is coming together pretty well, still not too fast but a lot of aerobic base getting built though I am in need of some back off weeks.
I have gotten a lot out of the powercircle artical from your site, poo poos footbracing and just thinking about pulling the boat to the paddle instead of the paddle past the boat. That has been the biggest help.
My bodyfat is about the same but I have lost some weight since replacing weight training with paddling days.
Thanks for reply.
p.s. my wife digs the intro to your video.
#2 Wed, 05/21/2008 - 11:09pm
Haaaa .. funny that Shawn, lot's of people have asked for more of the intros so guess what? ... more are coming.
I've studied both Danny's and Jnr's techniques and styles on video, they're chalk 'n' cheese. But both of them can make a canoe go.
I lined up next to Jnr in the OC1 marathon at Hamo last year and tried to stay behind and with him for the upwind leg to the 1st turn buoy, had plenty of time to observe his style and technique, but really, there's nothing much between everyone in those conditions. Different story when JR and Kai turned the downwind buoy and headed for home. They both blasted past me going the other way and you could plainly see in their body language, this was what they excel at. By the time i turned the buoy, they were out of sight. Hahaaa. Kai beat Jr home by 1 min 25 secs and i rolled up 15 mins later after 16k.
I pretty sure their both coming again this year and i hope to convince Jr to let me "Cam him up" so that should be interesting, as well as a few slower canoes that can capture the action from behind.
Shawn, if you need to get into the Locker Knowledge Box PM me as it's offline at the moment, i can give you back door access.
Cheers Rambo
#3 Wed, 05/21/2008 - 11:57pm
That would be great, maybe you can find out what JR stores in those little apple sauce cups in front of his feet.
When Danny C gets back from Hawaii I will hopefully get some lessons so I dont have to ask ????'s here since I live right next door to Redondo Beach.
Thanks
#4 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 12:41am
Apple Cups? That's easy, i thought they were peaches in Syrup. Old trick, easy on the stomach good energy boost, peaches in pear juice. I quite often use baby food for the same reason, no preservatives, predigested.
Yeah go for the lessons, get a video of yourself if you can.
Cheers Rambo
#5 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 12:53am
Rambo,
Great comments.
This year I kind of looked at my stroke and twist and really learned a lot.
So yah over last whatever years I have made top crew and did OK on Oc-1, but I started to look at videos and pictures and evaluated myself in a real way. I am strong, fit and experienced but elbow hurts, hand numb, shoulder pain. Classic not twisting signs. Whereas before I would think I am just paddling so hard those things happen.
I think everyone learns in different ways and it clicks differently for everyone. So I started working on it in the off-season.
It finally clicked when I saw a video of Lauren Bartlet on the Maui Canoe and Kayak website.
She is in the bumps but still has good form(of course) But I saw that she locked arms and aggresively throws body into the twist and once you do that you really have no choice but to unwind.
I used this as a model and aggresively and painfully would lock arms (another problem for me) and throw body into the twist. It hurt like hell for two months, but then things got smoother and smoother and alot of things came together. It really clicks differently for everyone. That is why sharing in this forum is good.
Here is another question I always wondered about:
Do the top OC-1 and OC-6 paddlers have one side that feels smoother more powerful than the other? Even at the elite level.
#6 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 4:58am
I tend to think most top OC1 paddlers think they are more dominant on thier right side ...
But after the Kauai relay, I took an informal pole and found it was mixed. My bet is that 80% would feel right dominant.
The Auzzies I polled felt left dominant in the OC1. They liked the stability of being on the left and hammering it when on the left. Personally, I feel right dominant but probably because I was a port when rowing through college and internatioally, and when in a canoe I'm noticably faster on the right side (in flat water; Tpopler01 remarked on that after a race).
I've had conversations with Danny Ching and know he feels stronger on his right. I think Tpopler01 favors his right. Steve Sinkus, I think, also favors (more dominant) on the right.
But remarkabally, there were more than several good HI paddlers who felt left dominant in the crowd.
End result ... I think it's 50/50, and possibly reginoal base on conditions of the water. If flat, in CA and PA, you want to be on the right to lighten up that amma a bit. I have not figured out the "how to paddle on the left and keep the amma from touching the water" like Danny can do in his sleep. But I still work on lightening the amma when on the left.
Not sure about OC6. But the CA guys would probably still say they are more dominant on the right (again, that who lightening up the amma concept). Whether its right or wrong ... I'm sure the forum will straighten me out.
Ross
#7 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 11:04am
Yes the perfect technique we all try to master is fine for flat water and is great for rough ocean too, but lot's of different things come into play in the bumps. Technique is secondary when trying to "goose" the canoe over a bump and lunging the upper body or "scooting" the canoe past your paddle can make all the difference to dropping in on that bump or not, and that can cost or gain you 50 metres in a race.
You can be sure that most what Jnr does in the ocean that doesn't appear to be "text book " paddling, is a response to his anticipation of where he wants to be on the next bump.
So i guess if you are going to study the top paddlers, be wary of the fact that they may break all the "Paddling Clinic" rules on technique, as skill in the bumps is King.
Love your train of thought Kona J
Cheers Rambo
#8 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 11:28am
Right hand side is the "work" side. That's where you brace and where you can lean on the paddle the hardest as you lighten the Ama, so for most paddlers i would think this would be the dominant side. It's also the side you try and be on when you attempt to catch a bump, the left side to me is the "rest "side.
Others may see it differently.
Cheers Rambo
#9 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 11:37am
Seems to me that in races if I am close to the speed of another paddler, I can gain when I'm on the right and hold steady when I'm on the left.
Just have to train to be able to paddle on the right for a couple of hours.
#10 Thu, 05/22/2008 - 11:50am