Cross Axles
I love cross axles for off side turns in light current. I know I talked about it way back in this thread. Axles seem to turn at the right speed for me on these lazy,twisty streams.
We have a minimal heel in functional freestyle, but for beginners heeling to the offside (or weak side as I call it) can be a little unsettling. At least it was for me when I started. Again, the more you practice the more comfortable you will get.
Multiple sideslips
â Last Updated: Dec-30-14 11:19 AM EST â
The ACA determined to replace the word Shift with Sideslip back in the mists of time, circa 1990, because the new terminology was considered more descriptive. Compound has been used to describe a stroke where both faces of the paddle are loaded consecutive, as in the compound backstroke which starts with the powerface-loaded far back, compounding with a paddle flip to load the backface for the concluding back stroke. And, we load both paddle faces when achieving a Compound Sideslip. It helps to initiate both or more sideslips with a short draw or pushaway to start the boat moving in the intended direction[s].
Momentum helps when linking sideslips, the formula being MV, Mass multiplied by speed. Speed is limited by strength and boat length, mass by boat and paddler weights. As most canoes have similar weights, we can see that steak and egg breakfasts with buttered pancakes will do more to increase momentum than anything else, particularly when applied daily over decades.
Cross Axle
Cross Axles always get the job done because we accelerate into them with a powerful sweeping Forward, then stretch to the crossing placement. Blade placement tends to be closer to the boat and more vertical, and our torsos are wound up for a powerful conclusion, a Reverse Sweeping Draw to the bow. Cross-Axles are thereby usually snappier than their onside cousins; turning the hull more tightly.
Awesome Bio-mechanicsâŚ
â Last Updated: Dec-30-14 5:30 PM EST â
Our daughter worked out at 5-6 years of age that an off-side draw is bio-mechanically more solid than an onside draw. Driving across eddy lines on class II+ rivers... that cross draw placement could be held (to good effect) where the onside placement could not.
Of course, at 5-6 years of age, our daughter's back couldn't handle the strain of either draw stroke. Even on the offside placement, the onside shoulder would be drawn forward... rounding the back. The blade could be held, but the core strength to keep the shoulder down and back was (understandably) missing.
This raises a key issue with both classic and "creeking" Freestyle: as with all paddling, we need good core stability to effectively transmit forces from the blade to the boat.
We can end up dealing with minimal forces when undertaking manoeuvres at low speeds as we aim to be delicate with our placements... but we need to be careful here: we still want to be efficient in transmitting forces from the blade to the boat - we don't want our bodies absorbing strain by stretching when what we are essentially using our bodies to lock a blade relative to the boat!
This is one good reason why even the most slow-motion obsessed Freestyler should try tight-radius cross axles at full pace - as this highlights where the body needs to be pre-tensioned to maximise efficiency... and where that might need some attention to core strength and conditioning.
Once we've established which muscle groups we need to tension prior to a solid placement... we might well back off and return to modelling very low-energy manoeuvres. That's fine... but those of us who provide Instruction in this still need to model (and provide feedback on) the "connectivity" that's the pre-requisite for efficient "power transfer" as what the ACA term "linkage" is important to good form even in low speed, wide radius turns!
So Molina was using anachronistic . . .
. . . hyperbole.
Itâs really just a compound sideslip, and I agree with Snowgoose Skipper that itâs a fairly easy move once you know how to do a drawing and prying sideslip. All you do is change the attack angle and move the paddle forward or aft to change from one directional slip to another. I suspect hundreds of paddlers can do this fairly easy move, not just five. Maybe there are only five in Norway.
I have no idea how the ACA has defined things in the past or present, and donât really care, but I think the compound sideslip should be performed with existing momentum and with no velocity âgoosingâ strokes in between the direction shift. For that reason, I wouldnât call the video of Marc Ornstein nearby a pure compound sideslip, because he gooses velocity before doing the pry slip. I would define that as two separate strokes. Of course, I know he can do what Iâm calling a pure compound sideslip.
(Just as a minor tangent. I donât care for posters telling or ordering other posters that they should âreturnâ or âmoveâ to some other subject. This isnât a private play with a script. Itâs an interactive discussion forum. If someone wants to write an essay with a defined and uninterrupted script, they can start a personal blog and do that.
That said, I do believe in staying on topic in discussion forums â but this topic, functional freestyle, is very, very broad and encompassing, and I think everyone so far has stayed on that topic.)
Bio-mechanics and cross-forward stroke
I agree completlely with the bio-mechanical descriptions of the cross-axle (or cross-duffek turn) given by timburris, CEW and Snowgoose â especially the superior snappiness of the cross-axle over the on-side axle for sharp turns in creek bends and for eddy turns.
However, in both these situations, after youâve completed the amount of cross-axle turn you want, itâs often preferable to re-establish forward velocity with a cross-forward stroke. In fact, Iâd say itâs essential for an off-side eddy turn. Just stay on the off-side to accelerate forward with the cross-forward stroke.
Of course, the script of this thread seems, as is usual with Freestyle, to be starting with turns before discussing forward strokes. So we havenât really discussed cross-forward strokes. My opinion is that all forward strokes, including cross-forwards strokes, should be taught and mastered before turns are even introduced in any canoeing courseâwhitewater or flatwaterâincluding one called functional freestyle.
Nevertheless, a curriculum has to begin at some logical point, and turns are a logical point, so perhaps my point about cross-forward strokes following cross-axle turns will make more sense at a later point when we get to the point of going forward.
Reverse Sweeping Draw to the bow
Glenn - like you, I would typically conclude with a couple of cross forward strokes, but I do like that Reverse Sweeping Draw to the bow. Something else to try.
I agree that cross fwds are important
and I generally use them as you describe when executing off-side eddy turns. For doing gentle creeking, I rarely find them needed (but resort to hem occasionally) as I can come back over the bow smoothly and go right into an onside forward stroke.
Since becoming proficient at FS, I find that I rely on cross forwards less and less. Many paddlers use them to execute a turn, even in easy current, rather than using them to maintain or initiate forward momentum.
As has been stated previously, FS is all about paddling more efficiently, and these maneuvers we are discussing are just tools to have in the box.
Cross Forward
In my first post about the Cross Axle, I used a video clip illustrating the cross forward as the conclusion. Though it is not always necessary, it is a logical conclusion as it does reestablish forward velocity and can be used to simultaneously âbrakeâ the turn at the required moment.
The keys to a good cross forward are vertical shaft, and keeping the stroke short and forward. If a second cross forward is taken, an in water recovery (neutral slice) is mandatory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnw0Gu4ZfW0&feature=youtu.be
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Yes, but note what I said re x-forward
Well, letâs go back a terminological step, which I donât remember being addressed or not. ACA freestylers talk in terms of the âinitiationâ, âplacementâ and âconclusionâ of a stroke (or move - I donât really know all the ACA lingo). One of the ACA instructors in this thread can address this if they think itâs appropriate.
The reverse sweeping draw can be a âconclusionâ to a cross-axle IF you need additional turn. My discussion of the cross-forward was specifically conditioned on the situation âafter youâve completed the amount of cross-axle turn you want.â
In other words, when youâve turned enough as you want to with your cross-axle duffek placement, you then probably want to go forward around the bend in the creek or higher up in the eddy. Thatâs when I would immediately slide into a cross-forward to go forward, especially in a strong off-side eddy.
If youâve nailed the quantum of turn on the Wekiva River, you may very well feel more comfortable switching back to an on-side forward stroke in order to continue on to the the nudist beach ahead. As said, itâs partly about having different tools, but I thought one aspect of this thread was to tease out which tools may be more functional in what situations than other tools.
Crossing Conclusions
â Last Updated: Dec-31-14 4:45 PM EST â
Swinging the blade across the boat, feathered of course, almost always causes a skipped beat in cadence. Recovering the blade onside also takes time. I almost always use a Cross Forward Stroke to finish Cross maneuvers, and take another if desiring forward headway.
For practical FreeStyle a Cross Axle is often an eddy turn, the cross forwards pull the bow safely into the eddy faster than any other stroke.
Similarly, when setting a bow pin for the Inside Circle, I always use two cross forwards, on the basis that I've committed to crossing the hull twice with the paddleblade, might as well commit to the event.
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Also two cross forwards
at the end of a cross axle allows the paddler to feel somewhat more stable while learning the heel and learning how to bring the boat flat level again at the conclusion of the manuever.
Heels onside to whatever degree you want to do them always feel more secure than a cross heel toward your non paddling side and the cross forward having the paddle in the water all the time has a bracing element to alleviate the get wet worries.
conclusion
The conclusion could be the reverse sweep or it could be the cross forward, depending upon the situation. When we talk of functional freestyle weâve abandoned the âpurityâ of the form in place of the practicality of situation.
When teaching FS we often demonstrate a classic conclusion (in this case the reverse sweep) but other conclusions are acceptable. The point here is that any maneuver should have conclude with a stroke that furthers your goal.
The boat determines onside/offside
â Last Updated: Jan-03-15 8:10 AM EST â
In whitewater, what the boat does often determines which side you are paddling on. If the boat starts turning to the onside, you need to be paddling on the onside. If the boat starts turning to the offside, you need to be paddling on the offside. Of course you can always change sides, or do a correction stroke to change the direction of the boat (sometimes you will have to), but it is usually easier and more efficient to take your lead from the boat.
The same approach can apply to gentle creeking. If the current starts pushing the boat to the offside, a couple of cross forward strokes can maintain momentum and keep the boat going straight. This may be more efficient than a correction stroke or switching sides. If the boat has already begun to move to the offside, it is easy to transition to an offside turn - probably an axle, but could be a post if the current is not too strong.
Is there a difference in philosophy here. Freestyle is about controlling the boat. Whitewater paddling is about using the currents to get where you want to go. It seems like we are using the same tools with slightly different objectives.
In âCreekingâ FreestyleâŚ
â Last Updated: Jan-03-15 9:21 AM EST â
...we might well want to throw a few cross-forwards into a manoeuvre to modify the outcome.
E.g. An off-side turn (such as a cross-axle or cross post):
1. Change direction a fraction, to head towards where you want to be - serves as an INITIATION
2. Throw in 2-3 cross-forward strokes to drive the canoe in a very wide-radius turn - INSIDE CIRCLE TECHNIQUE
3. Transition into a PLACEMENT
4. Perhaps CONCLUDE with further cross-forward strokes to transition into whatever you're going to do next.
FWIW, I've been known to teach inside circle technique prior to even starting on placements: depends on the student, but can make lots of sense.
difference in philosophy�
âFreestyle is about controlling the boat. Whitewater paddling is about using the currents to get where you want to goâ. I submit there is no difference here. Is not âusing the currentsâ, and presumably an assortment of strokes in response to same, âcontrolling the boatâ?
Does not one attempt to âcontrol the boatâ to get where one wants to go in ANY circumstance? How does that happen else? Freestylers take what they have learned and apply it to their everyday paddling just as any paddler does, and adjust it to the conditions presented right here and right now. There may be in some cases a difference in terminology, but not in philosophy. We all still gotta get from point A to point B, and there are tools one can acquire to help with that. Thatâs rather the point of this whole thread.
So, 85D, youâre basically saying . . .
. . . itâs all just canoeing.
Whitewater, flatwater, freestyle flat, freestyle white, rodeo, Canadian style, current, no current, wind, waves . . . itâs all about controlling the boat. Making the boat do what you want. Making it go where you want.
With a single blade.
Canoeing.
Tommy - I missed your question
but itâs a good one. Thinking back, when I was doing the palm roll for the Christie, I was rotating the paddle a full 360 degrees and maintaining continuity of the power face. When I was trying in-water recoveries on the forward stroke (which I donât usually do), I was rotating the blade 180 degrees and alternating powerface.
a digression with no meaning here
but the techniques are also widely used in touring kayaking amongst those that like static strokes.
I think my first viewing of what I was going to learn the next year in a canoe was at a sea kayak symposium in Castine ME in 1995. Posts and wedges and sideslips.
yep, weâre all just paddlers when
ya get right down to it. So we make up our own rules, styles, and techniques to match our environment and the boat weâre paddling. If it helps you to feel special to convince yourself that youâve evolved into something more than the other guy or gal paddlinâ next to ya then Iâll let you live peacefully with your delusions. Some things surely do work better than others in certain boats and conditions. I like the intent of this thread- to make freestyle more accessible and relate-able to other paddlers. Its pretty to watch freestyle. Its graceful. My only exposure to freestyle is this thread and previously watching some utube videos with music and costumes. The music and the costumes wasnât workinâ for me, I could appreciate the athleticism and ability of the paddlers but I was kinda of snickerinâ about the music and costumes. To each his own. So this thread is way better if your tryinâ to reach a different demographic (like pbr swillinâ west virginians). The terminology is a challenge. It sounds more like figure skating than paddling. I do best with specific directions that tell your body parts what to do: âtuck your elbow in, point your shoulders in the direction you want to go, bring your left knee up, turn your palm down facing the water,etc.â I admit when things get bogged down in terminology I tend to skip the explanations but
think I could learn a lot. If nothing else it might inspire me to get out my cheap plastic tandem canoe and mess around a bit solo. Iâll probably get wet. Wonât be the first time and wonât be the last. In the end weâre all just messinâ around in boats, some folks are just way more graceful at it than I am. Go out and have some fun. The âfunâ is the common denominator we share.