Advanced Classic Solo Canoeing - RPFF 2012 Trailer. Canoe Stroke Efficiency How to get the most out of your paddle stroke. Some experienced canoers make paddling appear effortless. Their canoe moves with amazing speed and yet they don’t appear to be working. Their paddle stroke is so fluid that even the novice paddler recognizes its efficiency. To research this efficiency, years ago a biomechanics professor, mechanical engineering professor and I filmed several top-ranked professional marathon paddlers.
Using a high-speed camera and computer digitizing software, we were able to digitize each body segment’s movement. We thought this study was important because once a paddler like yourself learned good stroke efficiency, you would then need less strength and endurance to travel farther and faster. To better understand this term efficiency, you could compare it to the sport of mountain biking. To understand stroke efficiency, it is helpful to visualize the paddle blade’s movement under the surface of the water. Instead, the blade force should move the canoe and not the water.
Next is your trunk position. A Subtle Correction - Going Straight. When I was first learning how to paddle a canoe I was taught the ubiquitous 'J' stroke. This stroke was to be used by the stern paddler every three strokes to 'steer' the canoe in a straight line. Today I still use the 'J' stroke but only on occasion since there are many variations and alternatives. I still show new paddlers how to do a J and explain why it is important, I also let them know that there are alternatives. Learning the J initially is useful because it is relatively easy to learn and execute, most other corrective strokes are at least partly a variation on the J.
I want to introduce a few of these alternatives and where they can be used for correcting the direction of the canoe. The J stroke and its variations are done when needed and generally only for subtle corrections. When going in a straight line I prefer to think of doing small corrections rather than steering. Correction strokes should be done as soon as the canoe starts to wander away from your chosen course.
Paddle Making (and other canoe stuff): Becky Mason - Northwoods Stroke. Recently received my copy of Becky Mason's new instructional video, Advanced Solo Canoeing. It's been getting rave reviews all over the paddling community and recently won the 2012 award for Best Instructional film at the Reel Paddling Film Festival. I have a old VHS copy of Becky's first instructional video made back in 2000 and it's a bit of a seasonal ritual to watch it during the winter months. Anyway, here's the preview of her new advanced paddling film complete with some stunning underwater shots...
The highlight for me however, was the brief footage of Becky demonstrating the famed "Northwoods Stroke" as practiced by many paddlers in Maine & New Brunswick. She demonstrates the quick cadence paddling style with a northwoods style paddle grip. This very well may be the only instructional footage of the elusive northwoods stroke out there at the present. All in all a very rewarding paddling video that has gotten me excited about the upcoming paddling season. Paddle Making (and other canoe stuff): Pinkerton's Info on the NorthWoods Stroke. Readers of my blog will be familiar with my preference for "Northwoods" style paddling technique and paddle grips.
I've been slowly trying to gather more information on this elusive technique for the benefit of others and here is a bit of a synopsis. Recently, I posted about the technique being featured in Becky Mason's 2012 paddling DVD, Advanced Solo Canoeing. Much of the confusion surrounding the paddling method comes from overlapping names of other strokes, especially since it shares many similarities to "the Canadian", "The Knifing-J", and even sometimes, the "Indian Stroke". Whatever the name, it is an efficient but little known method of propulsion that uses leverage and timing instead of brute force to power the canoe.
It features a short power phase, rapid cadence, and use of abdominal muscles more so than "arm paddling" used by many paddlers. "The usual stroke of the amateur canoeist is a long, slow pull with a slow, sweeping recovery. Paddle designs - Paddles by W. Bruce Smith.