Technique
1 Bend forward at waist.
2 Hands in front of knee.
3 Thrust hips forward. Crossing Over Once you try the cross-forward stroke you may never go back
THE CROSS-FORWARD STROKE is one of the most helpful strokes used by solo canoeists, even though it’s looked down upon by some traditionalists who don’t like the look of a paddle swinging over the canoe. It is a powerful tool that can counter the forward stroke’s tendency to veer the canoe toward the offside during quick starts. The cross forward can also be used to paddle around a curve to your offside. The power of this stroke comes from
thrusting the hips toward the paddle. A hip thrust resembles the same motion you would use if you were sitting in a chair and wanted to move closer to the kitchen table. The hip thrust is a slow movement and if the canoe is already moving you can use a quicker variation of this stroke by only employing arms. Though weaker, stroking with just arms will let you keep up with a moving canoe as it carves a turn to your offside, so you can maintain forward momentum and avoid spinning out. Begin the cross-forward by placing
the paddle on the offside of your canoe. Bend forward at the waist to increase
20 n C ANOE ROOT S fall 2007
your reach and to enable your hips to add power to the stroke. Your top hand should reach beyond your knee and the shaft hand should reach even further to- ward the bow. Both hands should be over the gunwale. Power comes from thrusting your hips toward the paddle. As the stroke progresses, use your top hand to push the paddle grip forward and the shaft hand to pull the paddle into a vertical posi- tion. Both hands finish the stroke near the knee. Since this may be an awkward mo- tion at first, make sure you are warmed up before you try it. For the recovery, twist your top hand
thumb a quarter-turn toward the bow. This rotates the blade’s power face paral- lel to the hull so that you can easily lift the paddle, edge-first, out of the water and back over to your onside. Alternatively, you may decide to turn the blade and slice it along the hull, keeping it in the water so you can repeat the cross forward stroke.
This article was adapted from Canoeing, the Essential Skills and Safety, written by Andrew Westwood and published by the Heliconia Press.
www.westwoodoutdoors.ca.
5 Twist blade.
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