As a double-paddle canoeist…
...may I chime in? Seems to me in a sense a paddle stroke is somewhat like lifting a 15-pound weight while standing. If you did, which foot would bear the greater effort? Same side. My canoe has a footbrace (I'd never be without one), and the principle's the same.
Reitz – opposite side push – where?
Can you say where in the video Reitz says to push with the opposite side foot? I’d rather not have to look at the whole thing again right now.
Thanks. --David.
Bingo!
I doubt this
Here is a quote from him:
“Rotate your right hip forward as you prepare for the stroke on the right side. Plant the right blade next to the gunwale of the boat, as far forward as possible without leaning your torso forward. Once the blade is buried, apply pressure with your right foot against the foot peg or rudder pedal. As your leg straightens, your knee lowers and your right hip is driven backward deep into the seat; in turn, your left hip is driven forward. Voilà—torso rotation is triggered!
This below-deck process is repeated on both sides, for every stroke. Above-deck movements should refine the power developed by the abdomen and back and redirect that rotational power of the hips to move your boat forward.”
http://www.seakayakermag.com/2003/03August/stroke03BR.htm
pushing on the opposite side way less
Pushing on the opposite side is far less efficient for going forward. It would twist the hips in the opposite direction of the torso which would force a disconnect between leg-drive and the upper body work. Pushing with the leg on the pull side moves the hips with the torso and connects the leg drive to the work that the upper body is doing. When the right hip goes back in the seat the right shoulder goes back too as the boat moves past the blade in the water on the right. At the same time the left hip and shoulder are moving forward. I use pull bars or straps to lock my feet to the footboard so that the offside leg bending pulls that side of my body forward.
David- I’ll try to play back the video
in the next few days and try to pinpoint it. I was loaning it out to a friend and it just came back; but if I recall, it was in the first five to seven minutes of the video where he just says (very subtly and not part of the main lesson plan) that he likes to push with the opposite foot.
I'll get back to you. Even though Dr. Disco below has contrary info, I'm almost certain I heard this.
True, but
the power of the pitch comes from the pivot/anchor foot which is the right leg for a RH pitcher. The left side is extended to achieve balance and forward momentum during the delivery.
You may want to quickly review Brent’s tape as he indeed promotes same side push, e.g., right forward stroke & right pedal push.
It truly can be confusing, eh?!
Holmes
Mea Culpa- Mea Culpa-My error
Came home early because we have a function to go to tonight. Played the “rotation” section of the video and Brent says to push the foot on the same side you’re paddling.
My hearing or comprehension must be going. Forgive me if I’ve misled anyone.
Same side as the stroke
Pushing with the opposite foot counteracts torso rotation. It may; however, reinforce shoulder rotation, which I believe many paddlers confuse with torso rotation.
Confusion yes, and new boat stability
Some may feel more stable doing it the wrong way. They may feel more locked in when working against themselves - and the onside knee will be raised and into the braces for leaning the kayak away form the side your arms/paddle are hanging over. They could confuse this more stable feeling with it feeling “right”. Sea kayak issue only really.
Once you start doing it the right way - this becomes a non-issue, but people often become more interested in this stuff at the same time they are going to narrower hulls and at first may not like the looser relation to boat and opposite position in regards to leg bracing against the deck. When first going to a narrower hull, even small chop can make someone want to be up in the braces. Later - only for hard edging/rolling.
Whew!
I was afraid somebody might have changed the laws of physics, geometry and human anatomy.
–David.
Experiment
Same side as stroke will help you to rotate & paddle with more power. A solid footbar is even better than two pegs. I had the wing nuts for my footbar come loose on a long drive to a race in “02”. I didn’t realize this until I slipped into to my Downriver kayak on the starting line! I figure not having a footbar cost me 2-3 mins. Try to paddle with no foot pegs, then try with them & I bet you will feel the difference. Good luck.
Thanks everyone!
I have a class scheduled near the end of the month and I plan to bring this up for discussion. Until then, I’ll try to re-learn my technique and practice.
P
Reverse stroke = opposite side
If you think about it, a reverse stroke will naturally take the pressure off your near side leg and put pressure on your offside leg.
The opposite is true when paddling forward. A simple way to test this is rest both feet on the pegs evenly and paddle. You’ll feel which one natually has pressure applied to it by the paddle stroke. That’s the one you need to resist with.
Torso vs. shoulders vs. hips
Def: torso – The human body excluding the head and limbs; trunk. (http://www.answers.com/torso&r=67)
So, does that include the shoulders and/or hips? Well, it certainly includes the shoulder girdle at the top of the trunk (http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/biology/humananatomy/skeletal/shoulder/shoulder.html). It also includes the whole hip structure at the bottom of the trunk. So, what exactly is supposed to rotate?
If you say “torso rotation” and someone rotates their shoulder girdle, why doesn’t that count?
I’m being pedantic for a reason. I think that the term “torso rotation” is inhibiting progress in getting paddlers to develop a sound forward stroke. It’s not specific enough, is easily misinterpreted, and, in some sense, describes an ~effect~ of good paddling technique, not a ~cause~.
“Hip rotation”, on the other hand, is not only more specific, it pinpoints the thing that: (a) is the most important part of rotation; (b) most folks don’t do, even when they think they are paddling correctly and doing “torso rotation”; © actually causes your torso to rotate.
Yes, you can throw in some shoulder rotation too. but if you don’t rotate your hips significantly, you’re not really getting the modern forward stroke.
–David.