Maybe Half?
True, But this Technique Packs a Bonus
Of being able to use half the effort. And when coupled with a lightweight shaft with a bit of flex, you gain an additional bonus of EPS or elastic potential energy.
Yes, but …
for a different reason. The amount of force you can apply to the paddle is maximal at the beginning of the stroke and declines shortly after that. That is just a function of how our bodies are constructed. So you want to extract the paddle just after the maximal force if you want to go as fast as possible. But for typical sea kayaking you can use a longer stroke so long as you do not bend your lower arm, keep rotating, keep the paddle vertical, and slice the paddle out to the side. That period of lesser effort but not increased effort from lifting water provides a short recovery period.
Different strokes for different folks
I paddle with a lot of groups being a member of an active kayak club. Wings, euros, GPs - some have taken stroke courses, some not etc. We all seem to travel along at the same efficiency and speed - all arrive at our lunch stop together and nobody seems to have any great advantages. Stronger people can just paddle stronger. No doubt, if you are training for serious racing, then proven methods will work better but… you need to be in great shape to use an extreme body rotation like racers do. Big muscles take big energy to operate. Personally, I feel your body will adapt to a very efficient stroke for you with regular use and not a lot of distortion. You can be conscious about incorporating more torso rotation as it pleases you but you described the frustration with that very well in you initial post. I also feel having a few different strokes and varying them can give muscles a break during longer paddles. Most important - enjoy yourself.
posts
Kocho and g2d. Those were great posts. This illuminates the strength of this web-site. Lots of good info from experienced paddlers.
Probably the best post here !
Well said.
I whole heartedly agree
Jack L
Technique is king
Improving technique often yields more dramatic gains than improving fitness or strength, although all are important if you want to perform at your best.
I view forward stroke technique as a lifetime goal. If you work at it you improve each year. If you don’t, you don’t. A big torso rotation needs time to learn – both mentally and physically.
I try to rotate all the way to the bottom of the seat, not only on races but also on expeditions. The longer you sit in the cockpit the more important it is that you have good posture and mechanics, otherwise you are just setting yourself up for discomfort or injury.
The key, IMO, is to learn the fundamentals and then apply them to your physique. We all have physical issues and that might prevent you from making some movements, such as an extreme rotation or lifting the paddle vertically. It’s not always easy to find the wisdom to know what limitations you must accept and which ones you can conquer (such as limited or poor motion caused by poor flexibility, strength, etc). I see a lot of paddlers who are very inflexible; a lot of common problems can be addressed by a good stretching or Yoga program.
Club paddles are not a good gauge of technique, IMO. A group will (usually) travel at the rate of the weakest link. Races give a better view of performance, but are distorted, because the goals of a racer are not usually the same as a long-distance paddler. That said, even an expedition paddler can grow tremendously as a paddler through racing, as well as other skill-intense activities like whitewater and surf kayaking.
Greg Stamer
Great Post! (NM)
Sorry, no free lunch
Not even a 1/2 off lunch.
You can put your entire body weight onto the blade but you have to use muscles to oppose that force and transfer the work to forward motion. Maybe some OC and SUP paddlers get more use out of the big trunk muscles by using GPE as a visual but the muscles are still doing work.
post
OK OK. Stamer’s post was all right. But not as good as Kocho’s !!!
Thank you all!
All of the responses were wonderful!
I do seem to be “shoulder rotating,” and I will try to incorporate the torso more.
I use a rec-style kayak with a full seat, so I will be consious of that when I attempt to rotate by setting the back rest lower.
It is true that one of my biggest problems is bending my lower arms.
I have gone out once since the original post, and I agree that it will take a while to gradually adjust my form. I did notice a slight improvement, however!
Thanks again.
I don’t entirely agree with that. When
I paddle for cruising in a kayak, I don’t change the spectrum of my force application. I just ease it up. I ease the catch a bit, and I ease the rest a bit.
Actually, without focus and practice, it’s easy to lose the firm catch, and to fall into yanking the paddle thereafter. I wish the most force did occur immediately after the catch. As in competition rowing and sculling, something devoutly to be wished, but not at all easy to achieve.
With a very long torso from hip joint to shoulder joint, I am wedded to a high angle style. I have to yield to those who can use a lower angle stroke, where pulling longer through the stroke makes sense.
Only The Water Opposes the Force
Which is simultaneously transmitted to move the canoe.
But you have to pick yourself back up
… in order to do it again.
I think that’s what is meant by “no free lunch” in this context.
Mine was certainly longer 
– Last Updated: Jun-07-13 4:47 PM EST –
But I put my money on Greg's advice, if I had to bet :) I'm a newbie compared to many other folks here who posted good stuff...
“Not a lot of distortion” is key.
An efficient distribution of effort across various parts of the body.
So Really,
How much of an effort is that? Not very taxing compared to pushing 100% with your muscles against the water. It doesn’t hurt to paddle with a little help from GPE.
I’m Sorry, But I Missed Your Question
About the elbows and I must say no! There is nothing wrong about the elbows passing yourself, for they only indicate the distance traveled as you pivot past your paddle blade. Most paddlers short change themselves by prematurely exiting their blades before deriving the full benefits of the stroke.
.
“elbows passing” usually means that elbows travel from the front of back/shoulder plane to back.
It one were to rotate around torso with elbows fixed, the “proper” torso rotation, elbows would remain fixed in relationship to the back/shoulder plane.
Using the back rest
If it is a real seat back like in most rec kayaks, they usually tilt backwards. So relying on it at all for positioning will tend to leave you sitting too far back and not sufficiently erect to get decent torso rotation. The most effective hip to torso angle for that is usually straight up or tilted a bit forward from your core.
That is why sea kayaks tend to have back bands, which sit lower and just mostly support the pelvic girdle. The bulk of the torso support should come from the abdominal core.
Try this sitting on the ground, not in the boat, and you will find there is an optimal angle both between hips and back as well ans between hip and hamstrings where you can get the fullest rotation. Then see if you can get the same angles seated in your boat.