Inverted is when
at placement the power face points away from the hull and control grip has thumb pointing forward. You are correct that an in water recovery makes this much simpler. When doing your recovery the grip thumb points forward…simply continue moving the paddle blade to the forward position against the hull. As the wedge momentum slows you can do a sweep to maintain the turn while maintaining constant pressure on the power face without flipping the blade over.
So the power face
Is away from the hull - kind of contorted hand placement isn’t it?
It is if using a three point kneeling
position. Slicing in to the placement while coming up into an erect two point position does not make it awkward at all.
canoe freestyle
is it just me, or does anybody else think more along this line when they hear “canoe freestyle”?
http://www.kayaksession.com/inside-the-2013-freestyle-worlds-with-stephan-wright-report-1/#prettyPhoto/10/
Eckilson…
Yep the terminology gets a bit crazy. The Wedge using the Inverted Bow Jam is not a Cross Bow maneuver. It is the only Offside turn with an Onside paddle placement in FS Canoe. Traditionally the Bow Jam in American Canoeing (not FS) worked thusly: from the J Correction position, that is, paddle horizontal, Control Thumb pointed down, Shaft Hand broken at the wrist, lift the Grip Hand up so that the paddle is vertical, point the Control Thumb back toward the Stern, then slice toward the Bow to place the blade against the hull with the Powerface against the hull at a closed angle. In American FS it was desired to follow this with a Sweep for Conclusion. Get in a solo canoe and try this and note how out-of-position your hands will be for a Sweep Stroke.
The Inverted Bow Jam solves this problem by keeping the hands in the J-correction position; lifting the paddle to vertical, for an in-water recovery with the Grip Hand Control Thumb pointing Forward, the Shaft Hand wrist still broken, and place the blade with the Powerface facing out. With this placement, the paddler’s hands are perfect position to drop the Grip Hand down with Thumb up for a Sweep stroke to Conclude. Yes, it seems a bit awkward and yes Canoeist11 is correct the 2-Point stance mitigates this awkwardness quite a bit. I caution that his is mostly a FS competition maneuver and not necessarily for river paddling. HTH
Yep. I agree with Pagayeur
Cannot recall using an inverted jam in a two point kneeling position doing river paddling. Catching that paddle on a log or unseen rock would quickly have you checking out underwater aquatic life.
Nope
That looks like hole riding to me.
Inverted wedge (jam) with bent shaft
– Last Updated: Dec-09-14 4:25 PM EST –
The inverted wedge or bow jam works nicely with a bent shaft paddle. The bend wraps right around the chine of the hull.
Solo interpretive (i.e., dancing) freestylers no longer seem to use bent shafts, though some tandem couples do. Mike Galt used to do recreational (functional) solo sport canoeing with bent shafts in the early 80's before freestyle got systematized, and I still like to do functional freestyle moves with bent shafts. You may have to flip the bent paddle at times, but it can make certain moves, like sideslips, much more easily done and with a more vertical blade. At least IMO.
I know of at least one solo FS paddler
who uses a bent in routines and it works great for him. I use bents for FS tandem; straight for solo. Just what I prefer…
Advantage is mainly for
us lazy folks who when paddling for fun just feel like controlling totally from one side. By varying the amount of blade in the water and the placement distance from rotational center you can make a very easy turn while expending almost no effort… and control the swiftness and degree of rotation quite easily. And on flat water it actually does make a quicker turn than a cross stroke. With enough heel and the correct placement it can actually induce a spin…depending a bit on hull style of course. As you said, just another arrow in the quiver however one of the most useful ones you can have for flatwater paddling in particular.
Does make for
easy one sided paddling - at least for the folks in the video. I need to try it.
I can see it working
with a bent shaft easier for the hand placement.
Definitely freestyle
and another type of freestyle that I’m not good at…
OT
Just have to say I love your blog eckilson.
Sideslips?
Many seem to agree that the Wedge is an elective choice at best for river paddling. In terms of Functional FS, I find that an often used stroke that applies very much to river paddling are Sideslips. This is an incredibly useful stroke. Now, I know that Freestyle Canoeists did not invent, the Sideslip, it is an ancient stroke. I will say that I had not seen Sideslips done as well and in so many ways until I wandered into FS Canoeing, but what was really new to me was the possibilities of transitioning certain strokes into a Sideslip or vice versa. I’m figuring a lot of you river paddlers out there can recall saving your butt with a quick Onside or Offside (Pries and Cross Bow) Sideslips, as well as some favorite combinations of strokes which include the Sideslip. It takes a bit of work to master Sideslips, in a solo canoe but well worth the effort. I hope Marc’s series of vids includes the Sideslip.
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I appreciate John’s fine introduction
to side slips. They are likely my favorite and most used maneuvers, when paddling technical streams. They allow you to move laterally across the stream without changing the direction is which the canoe is pointed.
In this video, the effect is a bit exaggerated by the lens but it illustrates the usefulness of the technique when weaving in and out around deadfall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTh_B8NkuhA&feature=youtu.be
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For me, the sideslip is the
– Last Updated: Dec-11-14 6:11 AM EST –
most common maneuver on the river - perfect for moving around obstructions and lining up in the proper channel. I’ll use a draw for onside slips, and a cross draw for offside slips (yes, I need to work on the pry - you make it look easy). If you run out of momentum, a sculling draw will continue to move you sideways, and it’s an easy transition into a forward or cross forward stoke.
Another opportunity for sideslips is when you are surfing or doing upstream ferries. Once you have locked-in perpendicular to the current, you can use a sideslip to move you one-way or the other. Couple of quick examples here at about 0:50, 1:18 and 1:30.
http://vimeo.com/17351753
Not as elegant as you guys, and what I call stern pries look more like reverse sweeps, but it gets it done. Don’t remember why I made this video – must have been a thread on ferries at some point.
Thanks Mike
It’s great to look back at prior trips - especially the water levels.
Mechanics of Side Slips
– Last Updated: Dec-11-14 2:27 PM EST –
For any (forward) side slip to work, the boat must be moving forward, relative to the water. If one is paddling on still water, any forward momentum will do. If one is paddling downstream, the boat must be moving faster than the current. If one is paddling upstream, the water must be moving past the hull.
In general, the hull must be moving straight ahead. By that I mean it should not be turning through an arc. If the hull is already turning, it is very difficult (though not impossible) to stop the turn or straighten the boat, once the side slip has begun.
Once the canoe is moving forward, (some momentum has been developed) at the end of an uncorrected forward stroke, the paddle is sliced forward (neutral slice)to the placement. The placement is at or near the boat's center of rotation. The center of rotation varies a bit from boat to boat. It varies a bit based on the paddler's position (seated or kneeling) and whether the hull is pitched at all. It takes a bit of tinkering to master this but with practice, one can hit the sweet spot reliably, even when switching boats.
For a DRAWING side slip, after the placement, the forward (leading) edge of the blade is turned outward slightly. The hull then begins moving toward the paddle side. As the hull looses momentum, the blade angle can be increased a bit. Too much blade angle kills momentum.
The side slip is generally concluded by slicing into position for a forward stroke or the next maneuver.
There are many nuances to this maneuver. I suspect they will be explored in the discussion, following this post.
Below are two video clips. One is at normal speed, the other at 1/4 speed. They were taken with a Go Pro camera, mounted on the stern. In this clip, I have "concluded" by stopping the canoe and and back paddling from the shore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQY5XadRZ0&list=UUXYYl0iJ_q9ggpjR_HwaDjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41DUdxkqtc0&list=UUXYYl0iJ_q9ggpjR_HwaDjA
I'll introduce the PRYING side slip separately, after we have discussed this one for a bit.
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Keep it coming
– Last Updated: Dec-13-14 12:44 AM EST –
So glad this thread is alive and well. Just got out of surgery which was more complicated than planned for. This thread was not deemed worthy on another site. It's going to keep me inspired to work on recovery and getting back into a boat. Not sure if I will ever be able to do heroic or so called expedition Voyages nu Freestyle will enable me to use and stretch paddling muscles to potentially recover.
As for that other site to he double hockey sticks with it. The site owner had no respect for me and now I have none for him. To be clear I am not speaking of any regional site
Back to side slips. Though I may be working on elementary kneeling. (A few minutes at a time and working up to more time)'
Please don't get hung up on my slam but I am very angry and banned too