Skills

This is the second in a series of technique articles from today's top paddlers, appearing in Adventure Kayak magazine. This article is from the Early Summer 2011 issue, read it here. Each technique is peer reviewed by an expert panel, whose comments appear below the article. This means you're getting honest, accurate advice from professionals around the world on what works, and what doesn't. Read Doug Cooper's description of the High Angle Forward Stroke, then leave your own comments below. —Ed.

Ninety-nine percent of the time you spend in your sea kayak is devoted to paddling forward. It is fair to say that this is the most important skill that we learn. It is also the skill in which you will see the greatest amount of variance between paddlers and the greatest need for improvement.

The high angle forward stroke described here is one of the most recognised forms of forward paddling technique used on the sea. I do, however, encourage every paddler to develop a variety of forward paddling styles; this enables adaptations to be made for environmental conditions.

High angle is the most efficient forward paddling style. It gives you maximum speed in your sea kayak and, when done well, maximizes the use of your larger body muscle groups. However, it requires good posture, balance, body rotation and appropriately conditioned muscle groups for comfortable paddling day in, day out.

Catch Phase 

•         Body posture upright with no forward bobbing.

•         Arm extended for maximum reach.

•         Relaxed top hand prevents wrist strain, improves circulation and reach.

•         Maximum reach gained through good rotation.

•         Paddle entering water cleanly and near vertical, like spearing a fish.

•         Power put on paddle immediately.

Power Phase 

•         Unwind rotation of body for power.

•         Push foot peg on the same side as paddle blade for power transfer through core muscles.

•         Knees/thighs relaxed in kayak to allow power transfer.

•         Paddle stays at a high angle so that the blade tracks near vertically alongside the kayak.

•         Paddle is held away from body throughout to maximize rotation.

•         Top hand guides and pushes paddle to prepare for next catch phase and stays about level with eyes.

Blade Exit 

•         Blade exits at or just before hip.

•         As blade exits it is sliced out with no scooping of water.

•         Top hand is high and body is in position for final rotation for the next catch.

Final Tip 

Many kayakers hold their paddles too close to their bodies when performing strokes, preventing full rotation and control. Pretend you have a beach ball between you and your paddle to avoid your paddle coming too close.

 —Doug Cooper is the author of Sea Kayak Handling (Pesda Press, 2009), a manual for beginner and intermediate paddlers. A BCU Level 5 Sea and Whitewater Coach, Cooper is based in Aviemore, Scotland, where he is the Head of Paddlesports at the Scottish National Outdoor Training Centre.

The high angle forward stroke is the most efficient style for sea kayakers. I agree 100 percent on the need to develop this technique.

During the catch phase, emphasize forward stroke expert and sprint coach Dan Henderson’s advice: save the rotation. This means that at the catch phase, make sure the blade is fully submerged before any body rotation begins. Load the blade, and then begin your rotation to power yourself forward. Too many paddlers rotate as they stab the paddle into the water, creating an air pocket that reduces the power and efficiency at this critical phase.

Doug says of the power phase, “Paddle stays at a high angle so that the blade tracks near vertically alongside the kayak.” In fact, the blade starts alongside the kayak but the path of the paddle then follows the wake line and tracks away from the kayak. This tracking allows the paddle to be held away from the body while the paddler rotates through the stroke.

Of the power phase, Doug teaches, “Unwind the rotation of body for power.” I would emphasize that rotation of the body happens at the sit bones (the boney bits of your pelvis you can feel against your seat pan). Most paddlers lock their pelvis into a forward-only position during the forward stroke, which causes them to rotate only from the belly button up. This doesn’t engage all of the core muscles you have available.

I advise paddlers to use a slippery seat pan that allows the hips to slide on the seat when rotating. To aid good posture, the seat pan itself should have a slight forward tilt.

Video yourself forward paddling from the front and side. Play it back in slow motion or frame-by-frame and you can see how you stack up against Doug’s points.

When practicing the forward stroke, focus on one point at a time. If you try to do everything at once, you will tie your limbs in a knot and your brain might explode.

These exercises will help you practice three of the most critical points:

Body posture upright with no forward bobbing. The importance of posture shouldn’t be underestimated. Sit on the ground in kayak position, but slouch a little. Have a friend push you from the side like a feisty wave. Now tilt your pelvis forward so you’re sitting on your sit-bones. Lengthen your back and open your chest. Let your wave-friend try again.

Posture is critical to rotation as well as balance. Try rotating to face the side of your kayak while sitting slouched—it doesn’t work. This rotation is essential to the setup for a good forward stroke.

Unwind rotation of body for power. Rotate your pelvis in the same direction as your shoulders. If you rotate left, bend your right knee to give that hip room to move forward.  Now you’re in a strong position to drive the unwinding of the body with your leg.

To feel your pelvis at work, return to kayak position on the ground. With good posture, “walk” one hip forward and then the other (if you do this in sand, it leaves a funny trail as you progress). Notice how your shoulders follow your hips. This is the foundation of torso rotation.

Knees/thighs relaxed in kayak to allow power transfer. You may have noticed that you need room in your kayak to move your legs. This is why Doug says to leave them relaxed to allow power transfer. If they are jammed into the thigh braces, you can’t use them for rotation.

If you’re worried about staying upright without being wedged into the thigh braces, return to the first exercise. Feel the stability difference between having your knees spread as if in thigh braces, and having them closer together and more vertical. You should find the difference in knee position is negligible compared to the difference between the slouch and the pelvis tilt postures. This means that except for recovery situations or supporting an extreme edge, balance comes from the core and hips and not the knees, so you can free them to work for you.

Meaghan Hennessy, Paddle Canada level 2 instructor trainer, Vancouver, BC, commented:

Torso rotation is ever important yet often neglected. Try this warm-up to get rotating: Paddle forwards while imagining your arms are sticks of wood. With your arms almost straight (a micro bend in the elbows to protect the joints), paddle forward without bending your elbows. The only way you will manage to get your boat moving is if you are rotating your torso. Once you are moving, relax the elbows but keep up the twisting.

An excellent visual queue for checking your rotation is to watch your top hand during the power phase described above. Your top hand should maintain a consistent height as you push it across your kayak, as opposed to dropping down towards your deck.
 

Michael Pardy, Paddle Canada level 3 instructor trainer, Victoria, BC, commented:

Doug has highlighted the three phases of the forward stroke: catch, power and exit.  In addition, it is worth thinking about symmetry in your forward stroke. There are two forward strokes, the left and the right. Working on the symmetry of these two strokes greatly improves efficiency. Corrective strokes are added as needed, but these should look, feel and perform differently from the forward stroke; after all, they have a different function.

The height of your inward hand and the length of your paddle determine the angle of your stroke. Paddles in the 205 to 215 cm range are better suited to the high angle forward stroke because they allow you to keep your elbow below your shoulder, which is important for joint safety while touring.

I’d also like to echo Doug’s advice to accentuate the power transfer from the body to the boat by actively using your lower body during the forward stroke. To use an analogy: your paddle blades are the tires, your core the engine, but your lower body is the transmission that actually gets you moving forward.

Bonnie Perry, ACA level 4 instructor trainer / BCU level 3 coach, Chicago, IL, commented:

One helpful exercise for practicing torso rotation is to pair up with a partner and form a T with your boats. The person whose boat is creating the top portion of the T should be holding onto her partner’s bow for support while leaning her boat and body over. The person whose boat is forming the vertical section of the T should begin to paddle forward. Naturally there will be a great amount of resistance created by the boat that is horizontal to the one moving forward. As a result, the person who is paddling forward must rely heavily upon torso rotation and alternating pressure on his foot pegs to make any forward progress. I have found that this exercise more than any other enables paddlers to have a visceral, kinesthetic experience of torso rotation.

Christopher Lockyer, BCU level 4 coach / Paddle Canada level 3 instructor, Halifax, Nova Scotia, commented:

It can be helpful to mark your boat with a piece of tape or Sharpie—or use an existing indicator—as a visual reference of where to spear the water to start the stroke. During the power phase, pushing on the foot peg also helps your hips to rotate under your deck, engaging your lower torso.

 

Nigel Foster, BCU level 5 coach, St. Petersburg, FL, commented:

Doug has included most of this in his succinct description, but it may help you to think of torso rotation in three parts: an active phase, a passive phase and a pause.

1.     For a stroke on the right side, start with your chest fully rotated to the left side. The power phase of the stroke (blade in the water) must end before the torso rotation is complete if the blade is to exit the water at the hip.

2.     The second (passive) phase of the rotation is completed with the blade out of the water, continuing until your chest is fully rotated to the right. In this phase focus on the blade in front, positioning it as far forward as your rotation will allow.

3.     Pause for a moment with the blade poised ready for your next stroke. Mentally check your position before you plant the blade for your next stroke.

Thinking in terms of active and passive phases will help you avoid carrying the blade in the water too far behind you, and help you plant the blade far enough forward. The pause forces you to take time to fully rotate and will allow time for you to fine-tune your blade placement while your kayak continues to glide. Count to five in the poised position whenever you want to practice focusing on the details.