Most certainly members have covered the following topics, but the search function gives me this:
"Validation error, please try again. If this error persists, please contact the site administrator."
Ergo, my questions that I haven't seen addressed, in the sites where I've looked so far. I've paddled OC1 only since July5th or so.
- distance between hands while paddling: how far? Any minimum? Any maximum? I have moved my lower hand to about 6-8 inches above where the blade starts, and my hand rarely comes into contact with the water. I think I'm ok here.
- numbness in leg. In my canoe, (Huki V-1X) paddling with my heels in the bottom of the footwells leads to leg numbness. I pushed the seat back 1-2 inches leaving my heels out of the bottom and the forefeet still able to easily control the rudder--that seemed to keep the numbness away. Anybody else suffer from numbness?
- The Switch. On the last stroke before the switch, I thought, well I've already rotated for this stroke, & for the first stroke on the other side, I just rotate a bit more, switch hands & make the catch. I may have been squaring my shoulders and torso during the switch. How do YOU switch?
- The lean. Most paddlers I see in videos lean forward to make the catch. Some stay leaned during rotation/pull. Others straighten up. The boats seem to move forward either way. Which is more efficient? Advantages/disadvantages of each? Do we have evidence to prove either as superior?
Thanks in advance.
Submitted by kayak4water on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 1:31pm
1) lower hand grips just above carbon seam where paddle meets shaft.
2)Youre leaning on the left but cheek to avoid getting wet. waters warm(er) this time of year....dont be afraid.
3) drop the top hand down and grab the shaft under the bottom hand. Slide the top hand up the shaft with the webbed part of the hand between the thumb and forefinger and hook the thumb up under the t-grip
4) watch the puakea/ching video series on technique.
#1 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 1:53pm
Aloha Aqua,
any links on the Puakea videos??
Mahalos
#2 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 1:59pm
Hey marianolarghi
I think you may have already seen these but heres what I was talking about:
http://www.outriggercanoe.blogspot.com/
#3 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 2:26pm
Just a few comments, I am new as well...
1) The way you "gear" your lower hand...standard advice is one fist space to the top of the blade. I have shorter arms so I can't make my forward catch etc with my hand too far down and it feels just right to have my hand about 7 inches above the blade. Mr. Boataid being like 7 feet tall can pull it off but does not work for me. Sounds like you have it right. I believe in the idea that your "body finds the right groove" for how to gear your lower hand
2) numbness in both legs or just the left? You need to work with some foam padding or your seat to find a way to get your feet locked in and not have pressure on the (usually) area where the glute and hamstring meet. If possible take out other oc-1 and see if you have the same problem, it might just be the way your seating area is set up.
3) Watch the pros, mimic, model and practice 100 changes each day sitting on a stool or whatever.
4) I dont know. The Easter island guys were trying to help me and they go from leaning forward to sitting straight up in a wave of the torso but I dont know. The danny ching vids are really helpful.
#4 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 10:00pm
Is there no club where you are?
Try and jump in an OC6 to get the basics sorted, makes paddling much more fun...
#5 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 10:44pm
If the numbness is mainly in your left butt cheek, it's mostly due to you leaning to, and putting pressure on, that side.
This is cause you're (quite naturally I point out; we've all done it - and I still do it!) worried (consciously or sub) about flipping your waka if you lean too much to the right.
With lots of practise you'll find out just how far you can lean to the right without it flipping. If you watch the top tane & wahine race, you'll see them leaning way over to the right to keep the ama out of the water as much as possible.
Whenever you're out on flat water, practise seeing how far over you can lean without the waka tipping. Once you're comfortable with that, you should find you sitting more in the middle and getting less numbness.
Switching: personally I try to maintain the rhythm of the stroke, which usually means my first stroke isn't a full one (usually 3/4). I try to compensate for this by making my last two and first two stronger to maintain boat speed. That's my way. I'm sure every paddler you speak to has their own!
As for the lean - short answer is, it depends. There's no right answer for everyone. Some find it better to lean, some don't. depends on how you've been taught and what works for you.
Leaning can have it's advantages and disadvantages. If you've got a strong lower back, it's fine and can give you extra power. But if you don't have a really strong lower back you'll find it really hurting and can possibly lead to injury. My personal feeling is when leaning it shortens and constricts your torso, making it harder to breather. Twisting doesn't do this - in fact it helps open the diaphragm. I suffer from asthma, so any constriction can really screw me.
Since you so new to this sport, my advice is to try both and see which one suits you best.
#6 Sun, 08/31/2008 - 3:41am
Watching the canoe/kayak on nbcolympics.com, trying to see why some win and others don't:
the ones that have a technique that looks exaggerated seemed to do best.
Thus:
reach as far as you can and then reach some more and after that some extra inch ...
... don't rock/roll the boat while you do it <-- this is paramount .... twist - including below the waist rotation - but no lean ... stay centered
Paddle with closed eyes - it teaches you about the self righting forces of your canoe and you may find better balance.
Also always have a visual horizon - that is, don't look at the bow of your boat, but look ahead and at the horizon - much more stable paddling.
#7 Sun, 08/31/2008 - 4:29pm
There's a few clips on this page that are good to look at:
http://www.kayaksport.net/technique/movies.html
The C2-1000 clip makes you wonder if we're using the wrong shaped paddle for regattas!
Paddle your heart!
eric
#8 Mon, 09/01/2008 - 9:18pm