I’ve been working on this style for a couple of years and have found that it applies to canoes quite well. I know most of us don’t race or paddle for speed, but this technique is also efficient. Here are a couple of links:
or go here Tahitian technique 1
Or go here Tahitian technique 2
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Tahitian style paddling
- Thread starter Art D
- Start date
Thanks, Art for posting this. i have asked my. 90 mile team to watch it.
I remember Charlie Wilson mentioning much of this to me years ago. Imagining the catch going into semi-solid jello and then pulling the canoe past the stationary paddle with paddle blade kept as vertical as possible locked in the semi-solid water. Only part of what is in the video.
When I was on a government work trip to Canberra, I got an invitation to paddle for a couple of hours in an open seat during a training session with the Australian National Dragon Boat team. We had a very fast cadence, but the coach described the details of paddle handling in the same way. While there is some, he old idea of torso rotation duering the stroke is not so important as it once was thought and taught. I like to think I have discovered and practice much of this on my own.
The art of efficient single blade paddling in a canoe.
I remember Charlie Wilson mentioning much of this to me years ago. Imagining the catch going into semi-solid jello and then pulling the canoe past the stationary paddle with paddle blade kept as vertical as possible locked in the semi-solid water. Only part of what is in the video.
When I was on a government work trip to Canberra, I got an invitation to paddle for a couple of hours in an open seat during a training session with the Australian National Dragon Boat team. We had a very fast cadence, but the coach described the details of paddle handling in the same way. While there is some, he old idea of torso rotation duering the stroke is not so important as it once was thought and taught. I like to think I have discovered and practice much of this on my own.
The art of efficient single blade paddling in a canoe.
I had seen those vids a number of years ago but didn't quite get it until recently. The keys to the stroke as I see it are: using downward pressure instead of pulling back and pivoting the paddle at the grip instead of the middle of the shaft.
The downward pressure keeps the paddle vertical throughout the power phase and is equally pressured throughout the stroke. It also forces me to have a shorter stroke as the power phase is done as soon as the paddle hits the bottom of the rotation. As far as the pivoting the paddle at the grip like Puakea said I feel like the paddle doesn't pivot at all, but I'll take his word on it. The thing to remember is that there is no push with the grip hand or pull with the lower hand. Both hands move down together on the same plane.
After years of looking for the ultimate power stroke I finally figured it out by replicating what my wife was doing in the bow. A couple years ago I noticed that my wife's stroke had changed. She always had a strong stroke but what I noticed was she applied power applied equally throughout the stroke. With other strokes I felt a surge in power at a point in the stroke, but I wasn't feeling this anymore, it was all maximum power. When I asked her how she came to this stroke she said she learned it from our friend and professional canoe instructor in Hawaii, Chris. I don't remember getting the same instructions, so I either didn't "get" it or maybe Chris went over it with her while on the water where she was getting instruction that I couldn't hear because I was further away in the bow.
The downward pressure keeps the paddle vertical throughout the power phase and is equally pressured throughout the stroke. It also forces me to have a shorter stroke as the power phase is done as soon as the paddle hits the bottom of the rotation. As far as the pivoting the paddle at the grip like Puakea said I feel like the paddle doesn't pivot at all, but I'll take his word on it. The thing to remember is that there is no push with the grip hand or pull with the lower hand. Both hands move down together on the same plane.
After years of looking for the ultimate power stroke I finally figured it out by replicating what my wife was doing in the bow. A couple years ago I noticed that my wife's stroke had changed. She always had a strong stroke but what I noticed was she applied power applied equally throughout the stroke. With other strokes I felt a surge in power at a point in the stroke, but I wasn't feeling this anymore, it was all maximum power. When I asked her how she came to this stroke she said she learned it from our friend and professional canoe instructor in Hawaii, Chris. I don't remember getting the same instructions, so I either didn't "get" it or maybe Chris went over it with her while on the water where she was getting instruction that I couldn't hear because I was further away in the bow.
He is describing what I have been learning through experimentation. It all rings true.
What was almost an "aha" moment for me (I wasn't immediately sure I was understanding what was going on) was when I started putting the BB Viper to work.
I had picked it up cheap in an estate sale, but initially wasn't sure I liked it. I had set it aside, largely because it went against the lighter/smaller/faster blade theory of the Zav.
Not Long ago, I decided to give it an honest evaluation. And I discovered that although the weight was an issue, the bigger blade was giving me good speed with a slower stroke rate. And by concentrating on letting my body weight push the blade down at the catch and letting the boat move to the blade as I pulled back, I was moving with less effort - except for during recovery. It's the recovery phase where the weight is a noticeable disadvantage.
I'm actually starting to think the Viper might be more favorable to my usual pace on flat water. I've noticed that at least some of the paddles these guys are using look like they have more blade area than my Zav race blade, and maybe even more than my Zav recreational blade. Starting to think I might be better off with one of these outrigger paddles.
@Glenn MacGrady - what are your thoughts about this?
I had picked it up cheap in an estate sale, but initially wasn't sure I liked it. I had set it aside, largely because it went against the lighter/smaller/faster blade theory of the Zav.
Not Long ago, I decided to give it an honest evaluation. And I discovered that although the weight was an issue, the bigger blade was giving me good speed with a slower stroke rate. And by concentrating on letting my body weight push the blade down at the catch and letting the boat move to the blade as I pulled back, I was moving with less effort - except for during recovery. It's the recovery phase where the weight is a noticeable disadvantage.
I'm actually starting to think the Viper might be more favorable to my usual pace on flat water. I've noticed that at least some of the paddles these guys are using look like they have more blade area than my Zav race blade, and maybe even more than my Zav recreational blade. Starting to think I might be better off with one of these outrigger paddles.
@Glenn MacGrady - what are your thoughts about this?
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