Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 1:52 pm
i like to paddle really weakly, then bust out a panic simultaneous double-arm paddle at that critical last moment when i realise im not quite going to make it onto a wave.
I see a lot of that these days as summer is approachingyowie1000 wrote:i like to paddle really weakly, then bust out a panic simultaneous double-arm paddle at that critical last moment when i realise im not quite going to make it onto a wave.
Yeah for balance and reach. They don't have to be in the water to be part of the paddle stroke movement.doowdle wrote:Is that for balance Nick? Cos my feet arn't really engaging with the water when I'm lying on a 6' surfboard - can't imagine yours do either.Nick Carroll wrote: Another hint: a good paddler, just like a good swimmer, engages his/her whole body in the stroke. If your legs aren't moving (just a little bit!) your arms are working too hard.
unless i stick em over the side?
Phew, so we don’t have paddle like the kids on the nipper boards.Nick Carroll wrote: Yeah for balance and reach. They don't have to be in the water to be part of the paddle stroke movement.
The idea is to mobilise all your body in the fluid transfer of power from one stroke to the next.
Like you don't run just with your legs ... the same goes for paddling, it's not just about your arms. In fact, the less you can make it about your arms, the better you'll paddle.
oh that's meanric_vidal wrote:And you didn’t break into ‘I’m a little teapot...’ this time?
It’s the tannin.munch wrote:oh that's meanric_vidal wrote:And you didn’t break into ‘I’m a little teapot...’ this time?
NC, now that is ONE very nice piece of well "articulated" commentNick Carroll wrote:Well you get a bunch of hot 22 year old chicks and...
Nahh let's not go there.
Correct paddling technique doesn't come naturally to most people (perhaps about as many as have a naturally correct freestyle swim stroke eh surfin39!).
Most surfers paddle with a fairly stiff elbow, rotating most of the movement through the shoulder joint and relying on sheer grunt to get the job done. They swing their arms wide on the return and put a lot of effort into the middle of the stroke. Often they cup their hands. They tire fairly quickly, within 50 strokes or so, and have to take little rests all the way out to the lineup. Sound familiar?
You think this is OK, fine, but I've got a thousand surfers with rotator cuff injuries I can introduce you to who'll tell ya otherwise.
Correct technique takes the effort out of the arms and shoulders and transfers much of it into the larger muscles of the upper and middle back.
I'm not gonna do a tutorial here -- if you want one of them you're gonna have to pay for it. But here's some tips:
The "catch" -- the initial sliding your hand into the water and the first six to 12 inches of movement -- is the most important part of the paddle stroke.
Put your hand in soft and flat -- fingers slightly apart, wrist tilted at 45 degrees, neither the thumb or the little finger going in first, but nice and flat -- take a fraction of a second to gather some water under the palm of your hand, and pull through.
Keep the hand relaxed and the stroke pretty much straight from "catch" to release -- don't twist your hand under the board too much.
Once your's hand's past the line of your shoulder, effective transfer of power is finished. At that point, cut the straining and relax. The back end of the stroke -- the "release" -- is all about bringing the hand out smoothly.
Bring it out earlier than you think -- about at the hip line, max.
Instead of lifting the hand out, lift the elbow. The hand will follow.
Keep the elbow high and track the hand up to the "catch" in as straight a line as you can.
Keep the strokes per minute down and focus instead on correcting the stroke. 40 spm done right will ruin 80 spm done wrong. (As the actress said to the bishop.)
And ... consciously ... relax.
You do tend to leave a vivid brown stain on this placeric_vidal wrote:It’s the tannin.munch wrote:oh that's meanric_vidal wrote:And you didn’t break into ‘I’m a little teapot...’ this time?
NC I've heard ALL sorts of excuses, but that is patheticNick Carroll wrote: It's on Dec 15 which is why I can't come to the drink-a-thon Alcohol and distance racing just don't mix.
:?Nick Carroll wrote:[, the less you can make it about your arms, the better you'll paddle.