Hi mate! I'm super interested in this topic.
Why is having a long paddle with fairly low hands beneficial for sea kayaking?
Do you have any resources you think are good quality that I could find somewhere?
Thanks!
Why is having a long paddle with fairly low hands beneficial for sea kayaking?
Do you have any resources you think are good quality that I could find somewhere?
Thanks!
Some of the classic books by the likes of Nigel Foster are probably still applicable but I haven't looked at them in years.
I paddle with an upright stroke because for a canoe paddle, a pretty efficient stroke has your lower hand down quite close to the blade. If I were to wear a watch while paddling, it'd get wet. Your arms remain straight through the stroke, and the power comes from swinging your shoulders and upper back through the stroke. I find that paddling like this means I use a smaller paddle than I'd be normally given, so my experience squares with the article.
This is from a seat, and a bent shaft is widely regarded as more efficient, which feels consistent with my experience. I've not padded enough kneeling to have an opinion, though the conventional wisdom is that a straight shaft is preferable when kneeling. In any case, if you're J-stroking in the stern, it probably matters a lot less than if you're in the bow.
I've always paddled a kayak the same way, sea kayaks included. Does the power in the stroke you're describing come from twisting your trunk in the stroke or is it higher as I've described, or something else? If it's higher, how do you put those muscles to use with the lower stroke?
I can see that you likely save energy not lifting the ends of the paddle high in the air on each stroke, but I've never worked out or been taught a stroke that makes sense for a longer paddle and a flatter stroke.
Power/endurance for kayak strokes comes from the lower core: the obliques and lower back muscles. The muscles you would use to twist from side to side about your spine. Imagine laying on your back with your legs sticking straight up; now keep both shoulder blades against the floor while you swing your legs from side to side. Those are the muscles for kayaking.
A smooth kayak stroke looks like the balance wheel in a mechanical wristwatch, smoothly swinging back and forth with no hitch or pause. The body doesn’t pitch forward or backward, just twists.