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| Forward Stroke with Attention to Form |
My forward stroke technique isn't perfect by any means - but if
you read enough articles and take enough classes over the years, you learn a
few things. A paddling friend, new to sea kayaking, is having wrist pain
recently. So I sent him some pointers (see sequenced photo slides of forward stroke below):
Hey Colin - bummer about the wrists, take a break and see how it
goes. I've not had wrist pain from paddling myself but it's a common complaint.
As you suggested, bent-shaft paddles can help wrist pain, so you could
definitely try that. But there's also typically something off
(improper) about your forward stroke if you're getting wrist pain (or elbow
pain/tendonitis). Your left wrist is worse you say - so I expect you're correct
in thinking it's related to gripping the shaft too firmly. Gripping the top hand during the non-active
phase is definitely a typical cause of wrist problems. I could probably give you some pointers if I
saw your stroke.
Two key things to work on for your forward stroke are torso
rotation and keeping your top hand (high hand) relaxed. If you feather your
paddle you'll definitely need to loosen the grip on the top hand, especially
the left if that's your non-control hand. Some people teach the forward stroke
with the proverb "Lefty loosey, Righty tighty" to remind you to keep
the shaft loose in the left hand (if you're right-handed). Also try opening
your fingers on the top (high) hand as you push forward and across, to force
yourself to keep your top hand relaxed during that part of the stroke. Retain
that loose grip as the top hand transitions to the active one, plant the paddle
forward by your toes (still with a loose grip) and only grip the shaft firmly
again at the last minute, after the blade's fully submerged. This pumping action (firm grip, loose grip,
etc.) helps prevent over-gripping and wrist problems for most people.
The second thing that is key to the forward stroke is torso
rotation, and one way I've found to build "muscle memory" for this is
to keep your elbows from bending through the stroke too much. Bending at the elbows means you're using your
arms too much and not your torso. Instead, practice paddling a bit like
"Frankenstein" whenever you think of it, as if your elbows can't bend
(not fully straight arms but only slightly bent) - keep your arms this way as
you sweep the active blade through the water and push the top hand across. This
forces you to rotate your torso. (Once you get the
hang of it, you can reintroduce some bend to the arms - so you look less like
Frankenstein). Your top hand will come
across at eye level and will stay at that height all the way across the entire
time - don't let it drop down at the end of the stroke. Instead keep it high until the active blade
is at your hip, then lift the active blade out of the water by raising the onside hand, NOT by dropping your top hand down. Dropping the top hand at the end of the
stroke scoops water which is bad and can torque the wrist. In addition to adding power and stamina to
your stroke by forcing more torso rotation, following this description should
help lessen strain on the wrists. Try watching some surf ski or racing paddlers
on YouTube if this description isn't clear - their form is usually very good. A great resource is Atlantic Kayak Tours' "Expert Center" which has tips on the Forward Stroke among many topics.
You've probably heard this stuff before - but taking time to
break it down and practice is something sea kayakers spend many years
perfecting - forever really. The slides below show attention to form - you won't paddle like this all day, but whenever you think of it try this for 10-20 strokes to work on form. Thing is,
since you got into whitewater paddling first a few years ago, I expect you're
using a wider variety of strokes but may not have given too much thought to
Forward Stroke form. Sea kayakers can
get away with a smaller set of strokes, but getting an efficient forward stroke
is critical because they have to keep it up a long time (and to avoid stress
injuries).
Later - JIM
CLICK ON 1ST SLIDE TO BEGIN SEQUENCE SHOWING FORWARD STROKE STEPS:
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| Slide 1 |
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| Slide 2 |
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| Slide 3 |
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| Slide 4 |
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| Slide 5 |
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| Slide 6 |
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| Slide 7 |
