This type of advice can be tough, as some of the things that need to happen can be hard to see. I’ll try to bring it back to some of your original comments.
Now I’m no race expert. I did a 10k race yesterday in a Current Designs Extreme and it took me 1hour, 2 minutes, and 14 seconds. I think that’s 5.99 mph. I’ll call it 6 mostly because it makes me feel better, but given my less than perfect track, it’s likely also true. I did a 13.1 mile race in late March in a Current Designs Stratus 18 and it took me 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 10 seconds. 5.65 mph. So I think a little progress, but also a shorter race. I definitely felt like I worked harder for the duration of the 10k race than I did for the duration of the 13.1 miler. The Stratus 18 is a faster hull than the Extreme, but it was an ocean race yesterday including paddling into and back out of an inlet, and I wanted to know that I wouldn’t miss a beat. I did make up some ground paddling into the inlet catching and holding onto some rides, and actually overtook one of the surfskis. But during the paddle back out and the paddle along the shoreline to the pier against the wind, I fell a ways behind the surfski pack.
So again, I’m no elite racer, but I figured that would give you an idea where I’m at.
“I put the paddle forward as much as I can reach and I pull it out of water before it gets behind me. I do not grip the paddle tightly. I try pushing my left and right leg opposite to my stroke motion but didn’t see much effectiveness so I just end up locking up my leg solid against the foot peg.”
In the paddling world, we are all very much about technique over sheer power. And wisely so. The technique has to be there. But there is an intersection on the slope of increasing speed between technique and power. Technique will only get you so far. Sheer power will only get you so far. In some areas there needs to be a perfect marriage of the two.
“I put the paddle forward as much as I can reach” - That’s great. I think the reason this leads to power is that you can reach furthest forward with your core rotated as much as possible. If you take the time to fully plant your blade before allowing any of that torso unwinding, you will take advantage of that power. The technique is a way to enable you to harness more power. While it may be difficult to keep that full torso extension up at the rate of your cadence, if you commit to it and do the hard work, it shouldn’t take long to convince yourself that cadence and length of stroke don’t mean as much without that application of greater power.
“and I pull it out of water before it gets behind me.” - The shortness of a racing stroke to me seems the result of the length of a stroke that can be powered through only legs, hips, torso. Using your arms to lengthen the stroke is just another moment that you’re not engaging the more powerful muscles. Once you start to coordinate this power with every bit of your cadence, it will make sense to you. But it is a different set of muscles, a different fitness than more casual touring.
“I do not grip the paddle tightly.” - This is great. This helps to never allow your wrists to twist and bend with your stroke. It doesn’t matter what paddle, what feather, what curve to the paddle shaft, and it doesn’t matter who here, or anywhere else proclaims confidently and definitively otherwise, anything but straight unbending wrists with any type of paddle is an error in practice and/or judgement. You can and should maintain straight wrists with any type of paddle. A relaxed grip and torso rotation are both key to that.
“I try pushing my left and right leg opposite to my stroke motion but didn’t see much effectiveness so I just end up locking up my leg solid against the foot peg.” - This is what you have to work out. Over the years, as I’ve been able to incorporate my leg power through my hips, through my lower torso, to the boat, the pressure against the footpeg actually got lighter. For me, it was important to not think of it in terms of transferring power through to the paddle. Think about it in terms of tranfering power to the boat. The paddle is locked in the water. I’m going to thrust my kayak forward in the strongest way I can. In relation to the boat moving through the water, the paddle blade travels very little through the water - very, very little. Think of it as such, as the paddle being an object fixed in the water. Your knee is bent, you back is twisted facing towards the same side of the kayak as your bent knee, and you’ve taken the time to plant that blade fully in the water before allowing any of this to change. The first thing that has to happen is that your other leg, the leg you just finished pushing off with, that is now straightened against the footpeg on the other side, needs to relax, along with your hips, so that it doesn’t take much of anything to get those hip bones to rotate a bit the other way.
So now your hand is forward on a planted blade reaching up towards your bent knee, with your foot on the footpeg, and your other leg has relaxed, and your hips are relaxed. How can I push this boat under me forward with the most power.
How can I, from this position, push this boat underneath of me forward with the most “POWER”. We’re intersecting power with all this technique now. Imagine holding that fixed paddleshaft planted in the water, straightening that leg almost like you’re trying to stand up, forcing that kayak forward through the water. Your hips were relaxed, and they did a little twist, because your other leg was not locked against the footpeg preventing this, and your other leg is now bent. From your lower torso on up, you twisted following the lead of your legs and lower torso. Following the lead of your leg, hips, and lower torso. Coordinating this is a hard part. Everyone starts with arm paddling. Then they add shoulder paddling. Then they think about adding mid and lower torso. I don’t think many ever make it to hips and legs. Then I’ve heard consistent arguments that the exit of the stroke will be too far back if they add in more rotation. And a fast cadence is easier with a short paddle. So it seems like arms can do it. And it isn’t as easy to keep a cadence with your powerful muscles as it is with your arms. So a paddler has to understand that although they have been paddling many miles with a quick cadence and their arms and shoulders are strengthened as a result, their “power” muscles may not be at all in shape, and will need work to get up to speed. Even if you consciously think about a bigger pause between each stroke in terms of keeping your torso and hips and legs and feet all coordinated with your arms and planting the paddle, you will find your speed increasing fairly quickly. But when getting this all coordinated, start with the technique piece of getting the paddle fully planted while you’re still fully twisted from the end of your last stroke. And then lead with relaxing the off leg right up through your hips, and lead the power with straighting your on-side leg, feeling those relaxed hips rotating. and work from the bottom up until you end your stroke. Your kayak will have been driven forward to the point of your hips passing the planted blade before you need to engage your arms.
You have good kayaks that can be driven faster. I would suggest forgetting about cadence and speed for a while. Focus on strong muscle engagement. You start working this out, and your speed will start to naturally increase without even feeling like it has.
That’s my take anyway. I hope this helps.
