Glenn an Osprey Va’a for ye’
http://www.outriggerconnection.com/osprey.php
If you are talking 45 degrees off to the
side, there are two positions acceptable for the forward stoke, (for racing).
One is straight back close to the canoe, and then straight forward toward the plant which you are probably thinking about, and the other is straight back and then return with a “C” off to the side, which you are probably thinking is wrong.
I have used both at different times, and sometimes think the “C” return is easier to snap back.
Jack L
If you’re not into formal racing,
then try a carbon kayak paddle.
You don’t have to tell anybody…
He’d have to sponge a lot of water
out of the boat.
There’s a race near me tomorrow…
Blackstone River Watershed Association does a race from Grafton to Uxbridge - 12 miles, 4 portages, lots of twists and turns - and they have class for solo racing boats. I won’t have time to fix the crack, so I’ll have to put some duct tape on it - do you think that will slow me down 
I need to stay local this weekend, so I think I’m going to try it.
http://www.thebrwa.org/Canoe_Race/2010/raceentryform_2010.pdf
No not the return.
The return has some options as you mentioned. Once blade is planted the upper hand should be as directly over the lower hand as possible. It is not a comfortable position. It is not often achieved my many racers. The upper hand pushes straight down and the lower hand comes straight back and all this thrust is directed parrallel to the keel line of the boat, as close to the hull as possible. As the race wears on, even the best get lazier and you will see this form deteriorate.
Look at some of those racers and you will see as they pull the paddle, their upper hand is at their center of their face, or worse not even to center of body. They are basically side stroking. Which causes control issues and less transferred energy. But I guess if both partners are using the same poor form, the side thrusts even out and they go straight. They just are not going as fast as they could with the same amount of energy output. All that said, they would most likely leave me wondering where they went. Most of them are in good enough physical condition that they can spare some effort on form and still smoke my doors.
Nothing to apologize for
Hey Brian I sent you a PM.
You were very clear as to the condition of the J200 from the get go. IIRC I had to talk you into the trade.
I got the education I was looking for. I got no complaints.
kayak paddles are for somebody else
they sure ain’t for me.
I don’t double blade because it slows me down.
I don’t sit because I ain’t nade to bend that way.
So I paddle with a single blade on my knees.
Always.
Did it again. Used the straight Zav
The straight Zaveral I have is slightly longer and slightly heavier than the bent.
I did the same 4.5 miles up and back as I did Tuesday.
My technique is cleaner with the straight. Much less paddle noise.
Using the straight moves my stroke forward a bit. I was hoping to get more strokes per side. I got fewer.
I worked on getting my stroke rate up. I think I’m doing just under 60 and maybe less as I tire.
I ran the same time on the upriver leg but picked up 15 minutes going down for a total of 9 miles in 2 hr 5 minutes.
Watched the video
I finally sat down and studied a bit.
Mostly what I picked up was high stroke rate = fast.
It was hard to tell how much power was in the stroke though.
I can increase my stroke rate by easing off on the power. It feels like my speed increases. But I don’t have a speedometer or gps so I’m not certain?
I was surprised that the C1 guy they interviewed and showed the most had a lot of boat bobble. I’ve been trying to minimize my bobble and now I wonder if I ought to just focus on stroke rate and faster switching?
Anybody got techniques for holding a high stroke rate?
Mine tends to slow as I get tired and as my mind wanders.
Anybody use a metronome?
.
Hmmmm…if you’re looking to paddle really, really fast…try taking a few Excedrine and drink 4 cups of coffee before going. Also, get one of those helmets that you can have a can Mountain dew mounted on each side, with tubes going to your mouth so you can drink while paddling. I would think this technique would make you paddle like crazy 
Might get that magic up to 15 mph! lol
Holding the stroke rate.
Two things equally important.
- Gradually build your aerobic base training. Sadly, that will not occur in one season of training. And it will decline if you let off training.
- Smaller bladed paddles are being used more and more at the races. Everyone is downsizing as I have seen this last year. It decreases the very top end speed achievable only slightly. But these folks are in it for the long run. It helps them keep the stoke rate high by not wearing you down so quickly. Their average speed is higher because they can maintain pace much much longer.
Focus on form as well as stroke rate,
but don’t look for overkill on the rate.
Shoot for 60. Any faster as a newbie, and all you will be doing is splashing
Then if you train, train, and train some more it will all come together, and you will improve every season.
My wife and I are way over the hill paddlers, but yet our times in the same races and the same conditions improve every year.
Stick to lower distances, and then gradually increase your distance holding the same pace.
I know Bald paddler and Red Cross Randy used a metronome one season, but I think they gave it up.
JackL
aerobic base rate?
Does that mean how fast I can paddle and still catch my breath?
One thing that is really frustrating me is that I lose my form, and thence control of my boat, long before I get to breathing hard. The best I seem to be able to do is get my breathing up a little. Even then I’m doing more zigzagging than I would like.
It’s like the difference between a fast walking pace, gets my breathing up a little, and bicycling, where my speed is limited mostly by my wind.
I’d like my canoe speed to be limited only by my wind.
base rate
– Last Updated: May-15-10 5:05 PM EST –
The elevated heart rate you can maintain just about indefinitely. At least for two hours. Somewhere above 100 but generally agreed to not exceed 140 beats per minute. If you go past your base rate, you will peter out and have to slow down and catch your breath so you are working in the aerobic zone again.
You are at the pace I was last year. I could ride a bike and use my legs to walk fast to maintain a higher heart rate for quite a while. I generally run 110bpm. If I go much higher, I start gasping and I cannot maintain that. That is low for most folks though, they usually are 10 to 20 beats higher. I need to build higher. But here is the problem.
While I could maintain that heart rate doing other exercise, I experienced the same thing you are doing. I totally burned out paddling and my heart rate was not even elevating past 82 to 92. My muscles were just shot, even though I spend lot of years weight lifting and muscle building, that did not translate to boat speed or endurance. I am no muscle bound freak, but I carry a decent amount of muscle for an old man. That muscle sucks up oxygen fast. It just takes time of doing lower pace exercise for longer periods to recondition. There is no cure for that except to keep building your tolerance week by week. Take some days off for recovery. Maybe paddle every other day. It will come because it sounds like you have determination. You will get there.
My biggest problem right now is mental. When I get to the point I think I am burned out, my mind will tell me to ease up. I need to push through that and be like a machine. But that is not something you should be trying in your early development. You will hurt yourself, maybe repetitive motion injuries, or something that sets back your progress. Keep focusing on form and let the speed come. In three months you will be very proud of your progress. It won't happen in three days.
Keep in mind you are already paddling faster than many. Take heart in that and be encouraged. WARNING!! This gets adicting. I have practically given up fishing. I cannot troll slow enough to a fish to catch me anymore :))
Race today
All this talk about paddling faster inspired me to go out and paddle one of our local river races today. My intention was to paddle the J-200, but when I got it off the rack this morning, there was a big crack in the gunwale. I glued up the gunwale and took my Yellowstone instead. Thought about taking the bent shaft paddle, but went with a straight.
The race is 12 miles with lots of twists and turns. Water level was really low. Once I saw the river I was glad I didn’t have the J boat – it would have been torture. Did the 12-mile course in 2 hours 31 minutes. I was happy with that.
I knelt about half the time, sat about half the time, and did my interpretation of the kneel/sit and switch. I’m a lefty, and pretty consistently got 3 strokes on my left side to 4 or 5 strokes on my right side. I’m sure my form was terrible, but I definitely noticed that I could keep the boat moving faster with shorter strokes and a quick stroke rate.
Good time, good people, and I won my division – Solo Recreational. Actually, I was the only one in my division
Oh Sure
I’m doing the Herring Run on the Mystic River this AM. 6 miles up 6 miles back. I was thinking I’d be OK if I kept it under 3 hours.
Now I gotta beat 2.5 hrs? Gulp!
.
YOU CAN DO IT!
Probably not a fair comparison
I paddled downstream all the way. There were a couple of miles of deadwater behind a couple of dams, but I was never paddling against the current. There was also about a quarter of a mile right in the middle of the race where the water was so low that I got out of the boat and jogged downstream pulling the boat by the painter. Not sure if it slowed me down or sped me up, but it did feel good to give my shoulders a break. I passed a couple of tandem teams on that stretch, but they both passed me again once we got to deeper water.
No paddling for me today - stuff to do around the house. Have fun.
my 12 mile time for tommy
Tommy, my usual fitness run is a 12 mile run, 6 miles upriver, then 6 back. Yesterday I finally made it in 2 hrs 54 minutes for the first time this year.