Kayaking Forward Stroke Technique - to Avoid Wrist Pain

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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