Expert technique
A little late, but here is a video showing expert padling techique. Look at the paddler's knees and hips, as well as the torso rotation, in the beginning of the video.
"http://www.youtube.com/user/fmechini#p/a/f/0/0kDJPT8hvSU"
Silk scarves
Unless I remember it wrong, she was paddling wearing a silk scarf turned into a sarong of sorts. If anything at all.
Really good video of forward stroke
http://www.kayakpro.com/kayak-training/speedstroke_movie.htm
You can clearly see the butt swiveling, among other things. Not saying this is perfect form, but it’s pretty good.
Thanks for the follow-ups
I have not seen these particular videos before - thanks.
The following are what they lead me to, which I thought was good too, around minute mark 3:00 for some slow-motion capture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF_gp3G7RKg
As for us "knot racers", here's how it started:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DelmarvaPaddlers/photos/album/251313238/pic/1487288073/view?picmode=original&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&dir=asc
and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DelmarvaPaddlers/photos/album/251313238/pic/996356630/view?picmode=original&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&dir=asc
And, at close to mile 15 and thoroughly exhausted, you can see I am practicing a very Greenland-style very low-angle stroke with my wing paddle on that particular turn -;) Still good rotation though (I'm the paddler in the background):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DelmarvaPaddlers/photos/album/251313238/pic/1938922211/view?picmode=original&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=61&dir=asc
But I can tell you my butt was a little overworked towards the end of the third hour - not sure if it is the seat or the way I use it -;) Basically, if I rotate as much as I feel is good for the stroke, some muscle flips back and forth under me. If I only rotate to the point where this "flip" does not happen, I feel I'm only half-way there, rotation-wise. I think it is a combination of my anatomy, my leg position (knee height) and a function of how slippery the seat is. Still working this equation out -;)
Greg Barton shows hip rotation
with explanation in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lef_ut8n0ms
Terrific from Barton!
Absolutely perfect, as far as I understand things. I expect no less from Barton!
And WEirik Veraas Larsen shows how
you use that technique to win an olympic medal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiaiLdZKo7M&feature=related
Cutting boards
This may or may not work, depending on how contoured your foam seat is.
I use those thin polyethylene kitchen cutting sheets. I have done things such as cutting them to shape, and taping them to a neoprene foam pad. This goes into whatever boat I am using. The primary goal was to create a slippery surface to enhance hip rotation. I also find I often prefer a higher sitting position in my sea kayaks, just like my sprint boat. More powerful, easier on the back (allows the hips to be tilted forward rather than backward, also the hips higher than the heels). I first tried this nearly ten years ago when racing fast sea kayaks, but I will also resort to this when on long expeditions. Six or more hours in the boat, and I find my lower back is far less stiff if I use a higher sitting position. Yes, it does increase the center of gravity (tippier), but that can be adjusted to.
One of my kayaks has minicell that has been custom shaped for my butt. Because it is highly contoured, I have had a bit less success in simply slapping down a sheet of poly (the sheet doesn’t conform well to steep curves). But…or butt… using a 3/8" neoprene pad in conjunction usually will work.
Interesting…
I’ll look into that. The seat is contoured so it probably won’t work too well. May be one of these days I’ll make a mold out of it and do a proper fiberglass seat just for me -
or may be I can heat-up a sheet of thermoformed plastic and sit in it to get my shape right -