Watch Out & Be Careful
I damaged the hollow carbon shaft of my Barton canoe paddle trying to snake around a buoy with an reverse bow jamb on a rudderless OC-1.
Check out the elevated knee position of this paddler dagger boarding his paddle. You may call it by another name, but it is simply called "poke:"
http://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=815669108489105&set=vb.430411720348181&type=2&theater
That is cool!
Definitely not flatwater 
That’s “Flat” by Hawaii Standards
And the kind of weather I paddle my Pat Moore Reverie in. Ever try doing a Capistrano Flip out in the ocean with a pedestaled Canoe wearing a long sleeve silk shirt and trousers?
Really cool clip
Never seen a Pat Moore Reverie, never mind trying to get back into one. I’m not much of an ocean paddler, although I should be - I live close enough.
I’ve recently returned
from my quest for liquid H20 in the beautiful state of Florida. I had intended to shoot some video for use on this thread, but opted instead to simply enjoy the paddling. I did make a mental inventory of my most used maneuvers. In the order of most to least frequent they are
I’d bet
For most of us it would be Axle, Cross Axle, Post, Cross Post in that order, Wedges not mentioned at all.
WHich is funny, I use Wedges on SUP boards pretty regularly.
Have to agree with that Charlie
Axle and Cross Axle, maybe a post or two if I think about it, but no wedges. Definitely no cross wedges - I’m even going to try those until spring.
Not too long ago
My list would have resembled Charlies. It’s evolved over time. I like the wedge for turns toward the offside because I don’t have to lift the paddle out of the water and cross over. I prefer posts over axles, not so much for their efficiency but because there is little likelihood of “tripping” over the paddle tip in the shallow waters I commonly paddle.
It’s important to note that these are “wimpy” wedges and posts. Minimal heel is applied (just enough to be effective) and shaft angles are significantly less than vertical. My wedges are placed up near the bow, generally with only about half of the blade submerged. My grip hand is loose and ready to release instantly if the blade catches on something.
My list is similar to yours
However I would add sideslips. By far it is what I use most, then a “wimpy” wedge, posts, and axles. Just my findings…
sorry
I missed side slips. They definitely outnumber everything else.
Cross Christie
Since we generally teach all of the maneuvers, in all of the quadrants, we should at least acknowledge the Cross Christie. At symposia, we teach it as part of the cross forward curriculum.
The Cross Christie is at best a contortionist maneuver. It occasionally has a place in an interpretive exhibition but is so weak as to be useless in any functional setting.
I’ll leave it at that unless someone wants to pursue this topic.
Wedges
Before attempting Freestyle I considered wedges to be reckless and foolhardy (unless you’re Canadian). I never ever used them except as the prelude to a swim.
These days I use them any time I want an aggressive turn in the touring hulls which is to say fairly often.
I almost never use them in the whitewater boats. Those turn nicely without.
Done smoothly and correctly it can look
real cool, but have to agree that is pretty much functionally worthless. OK with me to bury for this discussion.
Just trying to visualize the stroke
Could you just explain the steps - we don’t need to spend a lot of time on it.
Goofing around…
If we goof around enough we can all work out how to go into manoeuvres with a yaw-couple discreetly introduced prior to any formal “initiation” …at which point, in many designs of canoe, our initiation becomes nothing of the kind …as we’ve already done enough to ensure a free spin!
If we cheat in this manner… we can then do a simulacra of a Freestyle move: we can play with our paddle in a way that gives the impression we’re actually doing something - whilst actually doing nothing at all.
I suspect most so-called “Cross Christies” are exactly this… but some will nonetheless teach what Kim famously termed “the move most related to ‘how to turn yourself into a pretzel’”.
Key thing: the Christie is unique in Freestyle in having a prescribed initation… which is a “J” on the side to which we want to turn… from which we maintain power-face continuity and transition seamlessly into the placement.
In my experience, this is almost never done: most folk demonstrate a mere simulacra - with an onside power stroke pre-empting the initiation.
Key thing: to be able to tick off this stroke for real, we need a GENUINE cross-J.
For instructional purposes, we should ideally ask any student to approach with cross-forward strokes on a track that would otherwise lead to a free-spin to the onside. If our student can use a cross J to induce a spin to the off-side… we might proceed!
Ps. Overlooking the practical difficulties… if we can get into a position which looks vaguely right… we can transition to a conclusion with a kind of weird elegance 
hard to explain, but here is a link
to a u-tube video of Tom Fink executing one slick version of a cross Christie at the 3:50 mark. One paddler that makes a cross Christie look easy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XamZxuhFlc
Its a pretty move but also pretty
ineffective. Note that the conclusion is a series of gimbals which are way more powerful
My FF
generally involves less rockered touring hulls and at very low speeds…trying to get a line get as close as possible to the portage take out. I do like to get out in water that is not over my waist!
I have packs in the boat and that means the more radical wimpy maneuvers are called for. I don’t want to depend on having to sink the whole blade and I don’t want to waste energy doing a cross move So I stay onside.
I rest my case…
I’ve no wish to get into a public discussion of anyone’s paddling… let alone of the paddling of someone I don’t know… and especially without first agreeing (in private) what might be said…
…but the sequence starting at 3:40 comprises an onside-initiated free-spin followed by a gimball!
Yep, I agree.
I only posted the link because there was a request to explain it, and I have a difficult time explaining that maneuver; the visual is easier.
Now I think it is time to bury this move, certainly not a functional creeking maneuver.