kayaker’s
journal TECHNIQUE BY DOUG ALDERSON
Speed Bump
TIPS FOR A MORE EFFICIENT FORWARD STROKE
With a cadence of 50 full stroke cycles each minute, a paddler makes 3,000 strokes every hour. Tat means that small improvements in technique add up to large improvements in overall progress. Stroke technique isn’t just about going fast-
er. A more efficient stroke might propel you at the same speed, but it will get you to the beach with less fatigue, muscle strain and joint pain, saving energy for those times when you need to paddle faster or longer. Here are five tips that will improve the power and efficiency of your stroke.
[1] Listen to your mother Sitting up with a straight back is the key to un- locking the power of your body. With a very good sitting posture you can better use the larg- er muscle groups of your torso and legs. Within the kayak a good seat and some support for —Continued on page 30
Sitting up straight, elbows high, shoulders rotated. PADDLER: MICHAEL PARDY//PHOTO: DOUG ALDERSON
W H Y Y O U N E E D S P E E D
Paddling just a little bit faster can save you a lot of time and energy in the end. Imagine that you have to paddle six nautical miles to a campsite against a tidal current and a steady breeze that slows you down by one knot. If you normally paddle at three knots, the trip will take three hours. If you’re tired and paddle 0.5 knots slower, the trip will take one hour longer. But if you can paddle just 0.5 knots faster, you will save 36 minutes over your normal cruising speed and a full 96 minutes over the slower speed. Slowing down might feel like it’s saving you energy, but it really means fighting the wind for an extra 1.5 hours and effectively paddling 0.8 miles farther through the moving water.
What a difference a knot makes: the effect of paddling faster or slower in wind and current PADDLING SPEED 2.5 knots 3 knots
3.5 knots 28 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SUMMER 2008
EFFECT OF WIND AND CURRENT - 1 knot - 1 knot - 1 knot
SPEED MADE GOOD 1.5 knots 2 knots
2.5 knots
TIME TO PADDLE 6 KNOTS 4 hours 3 hours
2.4 hours
TIME SAVED OR LOST - 60 minutes 0 minutes
+36 minutes
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