Does anyone know of a video that shows and gives a good explanation of the Canadian / Maine Guide stroke? I have only found small snips in some video’s. I would like a better explanation on the details of how to preform this stroke.
Not sure what you mean
– Last Updated: Jul-12-14 10:36 AM EST –
by the Maine Guide stroke..( and I was a Maine Guide!)
Perhaps the Northwoods? It is commonly used by guides here.
Becky Mason has it on here Advanced Solo Canoeing video.
Candian/Maine Guide stroke
I’ve also heard that term used. It is a stroke that the correction is supposed to happen on the return with the blade in the water. It is an alternative to the J stroke. I will check the video suggestion that you referred to. Thanks
Canadian and Northwoods
both are two phase strokes using the recovery for correction by slicing the blade back through the water with the trailing edge elevated a little.
But they are two different strokes. The Northwoods is so horizontal that the grip is different than other paddles. Using the Northwoods atroke the distance between hands is shortened. But in Maine its often a good thing to stand…so these paddles are often quite long with long variable grips… as in here ( though its quite a short grip)
http://www.shawandtenney.com/engravableproduct/maine-guide
With the Northwoods the top hand is draped over the shaft of the paddle
Canadian can be done with almost any paddle…easier with a long thin blade. Its starts like a J but the J never develops …just rotate the blade a little and do a recovery in the water at the start…pulling up a little on the trailing edge of the blade.
Here are videos
Canoe and paddling terminology is not consistent nor universal. There are often different names for the same thing.
I don’t know what a Maine guide stroke is.
The Canadian stroke is an alternative to the J, in which the correction is performed by pulling upwards on the paddle during an in-water return. This is sometimes called a forward loaded slice in-water return. At 2:20 of this video Rolf Kraiker moves into the Canadian stroke:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyJHA_jrzaI
I think of the Northwoods stroke as being similar to the Canadian except it uses a pry off the gunwale and a horizontally held variable grip paddle such as these, which you can use by sliding your grip hand further down the shaft:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w7BfrtMZ0-w/TgZEazpLfOI/AAAAAAAAG4A/Ab1NOs-4Nf0/s1600/Kent%2BLund%2BChip%2BCarved%2B002.jpg
At about 6:00 of this video, Bill Mason demonstrates the Canadian stroke, but he seems most often to pry off the gunwale.
http://www.nfb.ca/film/path_of_the_paddle_solo_basic/
The first five minutes of this video by Glenn Hooper shows what I would call the Northwoods stroke (he calls it Canadian) if he were using a variable grip paddle gripped horizontally.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaQ73fuCR1Q#t=250
HOOP is doing a Canadian stroke
– Last Updated: Jul-12-14 2:28 PM EST –
the Northwoods is quite different with no lower hand movement.. and usually no contact at all with the gunwale.
It has the added feature of a torso bob throwing the upper body forward to add oomph. The stroke is very short..very short. less than a foot long.
I am not making a video as it is available from Becky and I along with Rollin Thurlow was in on the development of it. To do another video would be poor taste. We did the segment since there was so little video available on the Northwoods stroke.
Terminology. Do we agree that …
… the Northwoods stroke uses the grip hand down the shaft of a variable grip paddle?
I would call what Hoop is doing an off-the-gunwale Canadian.
There used to be a nice video from Red River Canoe that showed what he called the Northwoods stroke. It was slid along the gunwale and pried off it.
I don’t have any idea what Becky Mason considers the Northwoods stroke nor what video you are referring to.
Canadian/Maine Guide stroke
Thanks for the information I will have to sort through all this information and see what works best for me. I am using a Badger Paddle it is the “Sliver” model. So from what i have gleaned so far on the “Canadian” your twist the paddle so the back edge is higher than the front and lift.