ya think?
and itās soooo funny to hear other swear sheās a PIG. I just sit back and giggle.
itās all about the balance of science and magic.
steve
Length of stroke
Assuming that she isnāt using a rather long paddle - I suspect not though from what you say - it is possible that she has a highly effective higher, faster cadence, shorter stroke than you with a better tendency to push from the rearward arm. Itād be more usual for a shorter person to fall into that especially if they are more athletic and/or have the right distribution of what bicyclists used to call fast twitch muscles.
Coming from crew you may be used to a longer, lower stroke that was mostly about pulling and didnāt have much pushing involved. Thatās not the most effective stroke for kayaking, despite the fact that it sure as heck feels like you worked.
As others have said, myself and my husband (wilsoj2) are in the minority of couples that paddle and train at equivalent levels. So you are way ahead, probably more than you ralize at the moment. I agree with the above ideas, to have someone look at each of your paddling forms, maybe somewhat separately, and see what is needed to get things a little more equalized.
Tom Bergh, whose name is way up there in the BCU ranks though he has been less visible this last year or two, had just come back from a few day clinic on the forward stroke when we picked a boat up from him last summer. This is a guy who did a precedent-setting expedition 20 years ago with people like Nigel Dennis, when there were just a couple of boats out there that would even be up to that trip and almost as few paddlers. But so many years in, he still found it valuable to spend three days on one single stroke. Tells you something.
Artsy-fartsy?
I sing a mean classical lyric soprano, grew up with opera, do calilgraphy, love theater, am a sometime mail artist, have done theater sets and some graphic design, play the dulcimer, and love Second Friday gallery tours. I make handmade paper, my Christmas cards are legend (Iām not kiddingāone year I didnāt do them and it was like I died), and my gifts hand-made. This year Iām making my sister a full set of ceramic handpainted dinner plates featuring mandala-style designs representing the things she values most in life as I see them.
If I gave all this up would I be a faster paddler? I donāt see the connection! :
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