Paddles and why

[Longboatin']

This post has become pretty interesting, finally more than one reply to something I posted! That said it certainly is personal preference what paddle one uses. Considering that I think everyone should keep an open mind, and try all kinds of combos, just looking at what someone who's a fast slalom racer uses, or listening to some professional instructor is not enough, get out there an work it.
For me switching is key, of course you must work to be comfortable on both sides...and...I'm sure those folks that have an almost as efficient cross-stroke had to work to, so why not switch, there are moves out there that would be very difficult on a cross-stroke. Example, the boof at National on the Upper Yough if your onside is right...go ahead catch that eddy with a cross-stroke...I dare you.
Last comment to the reply about never using Js or goon-strokes, how the heck do you surf? How the heck do you do anything?

[GEEK BOATER]

I'm guessing that everyone saying a bent shaft is useless in whitewater has been taught from a straight shaft user. Saying that a bent (a real bent not one of those S shaft things) is not effective in whitewater could not be less acurate. I used a straight for about the first two years of boating, then I gave a bent an honest try (more than a couple of outings) and I could see a minimal improvement so I kept using it. Now, in the past 24 or 25 years of boating since then, I've discovered new ways of doing strokes and even some strokes that aren't in books or taught. I'm not saying the bent is the best choice for everyone but it certainly doesn't hurt to give something different an honest chance. I couldn't imagine boating without a bent, the same as we couldn't imagine paddling only a KAYAK. Yes, some OC1 slalom racers use bents. Chuck "FIREWALKER" Wendler is a good example. I've raced slalom with him as well as paddling real class V with him all while using bent shafts. Also for people looking for whitewater bents: Keith Backlund will build anything you want, I have a new whitewater bent in the works from him as we speak. To finally end this message, lets keep an open mind and try new things if we didn't we would still be paddling GRUMMANS and doing all cross strokes instead of switching.

[M.C.]

One problem with bent shafts was shown to me when I watched Chuck Wendler break his paddle at the Fiddlehead Slalom. When offered someone's straight shaft, he declined because he was not used to it. What if I was in the middle of a canyon? Do they even make breakdown bent shafts?

Alden

[ezwater]

One more log on the fire. When I got a curved blade paddle (Mitchell), I never wanted to use anything else in whitewater. I have never found my Mithchell of Clinch River curved blades to be treacherous or twitchy. They also brace well on the back face.

Whether a curved blade achieves a cleaner entry depends on the technique of the paddler. I still tend to drive down a little air with the Mitchell if I am not careful.

As for switching versus crossing, I only have a left-sided roll, so I don't switch except on easier water. In the last five years, my cross-strokes have gotten pretty strong and effective, and even in open boat I can cross stroke quickly. It's gotten so that I sometimes cross stroke when I shouldn't, and caught myself doing a cross sweep in a kayak once when I wasn't paying attention.

I have always "intended" to learn to roll on both sides, and to paddle effectively on both sides, including crossing strokes, but I'm 62 years old now, and I have other fish to fry.

[Longboatin']

Thanks GEEKBOATER for the well written post backed up with some real experience. Stay bent.
Hmmm...

[PAC]

GEEK BOATER
I believe I saw your bent being worked on at Keith’s shop – truly beautiful and very impressive!
I’m sure you will be happy with it!
I ordered a low end carbon shaft spoon blade from him (not really what I wanted but more than I am worthy of) so I’ll post on that when delivered.
But yours is a work of art.

[Space Canoe]

Bent shaft paddles rock!! I made and sold a bent shaft designed specifically for whitewater for awhile and we had the junior national champion discover it 6 days before the national championships. He took our bent shaft paddle (the blade came off the shaft at a 22 degree angle as opposed to the normal 12 degree flat water racing ) to the races after a couple of hard work sessions (a few strokes have to be relearned to take advantage of the bend) and did the first run with his straight paddle and then took 22 seconds off that time using our paddle on the second run (on a three and a half minute course) and won the championship. Sadly, the public wasn't as thrilled with the concept as he was and we faded into obscurity!
There is not a stroke in single blade paddling that is not more efficient when done using one or the other faces of a bent shaft paddle. Even more productive is the fact that you have much better stability as a result of not having to stick your top hand ourside the hull to achieve proper blade angle on draws, prys, pushaways, J strokes, etc...........and here I thought I would just put a little tag at the end of this post!!!! Sorry.

If you're still interested, send me an address that I can send you some longer info to (including a video touting some of the advantages that I should have somewhere).

Ric Taylor

[the great gonzo]

Space Canoe,

Could you pleaseelaborate a bit on how the strokes are more efficient with a bent shaft paddle? I understand how the forward stroke is more efficient, but I found everything else, except maybe for pries, to be really awkward when I tried it myself .
I found that when doing a draw with the power face my T-grip hand was way too far out, and to do it with the back face I had to either switch grip with my T-grip hand, or I had it in a really awkward position, where I could not really lay into the stroke.
It felt even worse on offside strokes.
Low Braces felt awkward, too.
I did not even try to roll .
Was I doing something wrong there?

martin

Maybe I'll give it another go at the pool...

[sbroam]

I've got a copy of Ric's video but I lack the technology to turn it into something computerable. Yes, I just made that word up.

[Scott C]

What is up with that? If you must do a stern correction in a WW boat the Stern pry is much faster and more effective than a J stroke. I would suggest leaving the J on the flat water. I try to cross stroke when ever I can but I NEVER switch sides. This is in part my lack of ability on my left side but mostly that there is no need to switch. It is faster to do a cross forward than a stern pry but both leave you in a better position for a brace or your next stroke. I would feel lost without a shaft in my right hand (even in a swim). As for the bent shaft I have not tried it but I am not sure about the feel it would have in catching the nuances in the current. I would however be willing to try one.

[Longboatin']

Scott C, I don't know dude but you're wrong about the pry versus J-stroke. A pry many times is too strong, from a dead start a pry really causes deceleration. A J though is quite subtle and absolutely works in whitewater, say like when ferrying out onto a wave, you want forward speed, but still need to control boat angle.

[Scott C]

Well then I guess that you should do what ever works for you. Everyone has both there own style and opinions. I do what works for me in my boats and I know others do what works for them. I know that in my tandem boat the J works great and the pry will really throw the stern around. When in the bow nothing works better than a cross bow draw for me (don't have the balls for a jam coming into an eddy yet). In my Ocoee or Cascade though there is no substitute for the pry and the cross forward for getting off the line. You may also try throwing the boat over on its chine to eliminate the need for correction. The biggest asset to the cross forward I found has been for the off side ferry and taking a forward stroke after a cross draw. I has also caught myself doing a cross forward to compensate for a weaker bowman in a sticky situation. I blame that on the fact that I almost always paddle solo and it comes as second nature now. Just do what feels good and gets you down the river safely. It is a magic move (cross strokes) when you are side surfing a sticky hole though.

[Space Canoe]

Martin;
That’s the “re-learning” aspect of some strokes. You have to rotate the shaft during the recovery of the previous stroke to get maximum benefit.
Once I started considering the bent shaft I also looked at paddling as a whole as regards getting maximum potential possibilities. I switch paddle with the bent shaft now = our tests show that in 30 seconds you can get 21-22 strokes by not switching sides: 11 onside strokes and 11 “percs” , [the hip word for offside strokes]. In that same 30 second period you can get 20-21 onside strokes by switch paddling, rendering MUCH more power AND stability. All peel-outs, eddy turns and ferries are Onside .
Anyway, I have edited an article (minus pics) that I wrote for the AWA magazine around October of ’96 that will give a longer definition. If you want to see the promo video that Scott referred to, send me six bucks (for the tape + envelope + Priority mailing cost) to the address at the end of the article and I’ll send you a copy. That makes everything pretty clear. I also have a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG set of instructions for the actual production of a bent-shaft paddle if you’re crazy enough to want to build one of these puppies. Sorry for the length, Adam.
ARTICLE
What with the onslaught of freestyle paddling becoming the "Rage du Jour"; the new strokes, the changing of the top hand grips and all, I feel it's time to come out of the canoeing closet. For some time now, I have been using a bent shaft paddle on whitewater.
Now hold on a minute, just hear me out. I know what you're thinking; why should we trust this guy, he's never been National Champion of This-That-or-the-Other. He doesn't exactly come from the whitewater paddling center of the universe. In fact, he comes from Los Angeles, The City-That-Couldn't-Convict-Hitler. I know, I know, you're right about all that, but bear with me while I state my case.
A little about myself; I've been teaching, and training teachers to teach, in canoeing, tennis, and music since about 1970. I have developed canoeing programs for the Red Cross and the city of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Department as well as various colleges around the country and Canada. I still teach music and canoeing, as well as running a small instructional film and video company. I have two 90 min. instructional videos out, and each summer I tour the country giving classes and seminars in canoeing and kayaking. I teach how to have FUN in a boat, and can sum up my teaching philosophy fairly easily: a student should leave the class knowing more than when they entered, and should Always leave with a healthy curiosity about the subject (i.e., "Gee, I'd like to know more about this."). A student should never be bored or frightened, intimidated or overwhelmed by the subject because you've taught either too little or too much.

I wish that I could say this was a blinding stroke of our combined cognitive powers, but in reality it was more of an inspired accident that led to the development of this paddle. While paddling with a friend on flat water (using the wonderful "Black Bart" racing paddles) I saw her turn the blade to use the back face for a draw stroke. After chastising her soundly for thorough loss of canoe hipness (which, face it, is so much more important than actual function!), I realized that it was indeed easier to perform the stroke with the back face. Once implanted, the rebel force began to grow until finally it could only be vented by producing this masterpiece, this purposely passionate paragon of powerful paddling pulchritude

A few years ago I got a Barton graphite bent shaft paddle, the "Black Bart". This is such a WONDERFUL TOOL!! At 11 ounces and 56 inches it was such a joy to use that I looked for every opportunity and started applying it to various practice techniques that I do on flatwater. Then I thought about moving water as well.
Bent shaft paddling has long been used in flatwater racing because of the advantage given to the power section of the forward stroke. However, the concept of achieving a better blade angle by angling the blade off the end of the shaft applied to only one side; the normal bent shaft paddler always used only one side of the blade for the power face. But that same concept applies to almost all strokes if you use the back face of a bent shaft as a power face as well.
The problem with the "Black Bart" is that it is too beautiful and delicate to abuse in white water, and the two faces aren't shaped the same, one being perfectly flat, the other being dyhedral. Because of in-water recoveries and rotating the top hand and using both blade faces, both sides need to be the same shape. So for testing purposes I got Mohawk (that little company from the other whitewater capital of the world, Florida) to make me a bent shaft paddle with a "T" grip to make gripping the paddle easier as well. Most bent shaft makers just snickered when I broached the subject to them, but to their credit, Mohawk, God bless 'em, just went ahead and made one up. I then put it up against one of their straight shaft paddles of similar length.
Almost immediately I got around a 15-20 per cent increase in my strokes. By using the normal bent shaft power face I got a better blade angle on power strokes, high and low braces, "J" strokes and sweeps, and by using the normal back face as a power face I got a better blade angle on all draws, pushaways, back strokes, cross-draws and offside power strokes. There is almost never a time in canoeing where a straight shaft paddle gives you better blade angle than a bent shaft paddle if you use both faces of the bent shaft (see accompanying photos). Sweeps start out (and draws end up) closer to the ends of the boat, braces allow the top hand to be higher and not conflict with the gunnel; once you get accustomed to which face to use for a particular stroke, almost everything takes less physical work (my personal preference for a paddling philosophy).
You have to think when you do offside strokes because oftentimes you have to roll the blade face during the cross-over, and a normal "J" stroke ends up being a Christy (you have to roll your top hand on the grip as you slide the blade back behind you to get a "thumbs up" or "river" J), but I never said it was going to be easy, I said it would be more productive. BRING YOUR BRAIN. But you'd be surprised at how soon you'll be able to feel what face you're using by feeling the tension on the blade rather than having to look at the paddle. It's really not that difficult once you get up the nerve to TRY IT.
A bent shaft paddle works better in moving water as well for two main reasons. First, the aforementioned better blade angles, and second, this better blade angle is achieved with your top hand being a full 8-12 inches further inside the boat, giving you much better balance. Try this at home, children. First, assume the "Flamingo Position". Stand on your offside leg, with your onside ankle behind your offside kneecap (did I mention you might want to try this alone the first time?). Get your balance, then raise your bottom hand at the elbow and stick your forearm out at a 90 degree angle to your side, then get your top hand extended out across your chest as far as it can go towards your on-side, so that your top palm is directly above your bottom one. This is the position that your body has to be in to get proper blade angle for most straight shaft strokes, it's the only way to get your top hand outside the gunnel. Then try again with your top hand placed against your onside breast and see the difference in balance. This is the position for most bent shaft strokes, it allows your top hand to stay inside the boat. Better yet, try it in a boat. This 8-12 inch difference in the top hand leads to much better balance and body mechanics.
Surfing is easier because you have better balance. Side surfing with a bent shaft allows you to have a better high brace, and by using the back face as a power face, to reach out over the foam at the downstream side of the hole and grab some more stable "greener" water. Poling is easier, even reaching under water to dig something out of the mud is easier!
I see three problems so far: pushing off obstacles is often harder because the blade is never directly below the shaft (you need to do it in the low brace position, with your top thumb pointing forward rather than up); blade angle on some in-water recoveries has to be precise; and you have a worse angle for the slap brace, that instinctive reaction when your boat starts to tip in the middle of a power stroke. Now, because of being trained on a straight shaft, your top thumb turns forward and you don't let go of the grip to revolve the blade to get the power face down, which leaves you using the back face for the first brace. This is actually a STRONGER BRACE THAN THE OTHER BLADE. It gives you a high brace's function (pulling the boat both up and towards your onside and therefor under you, whereas a low brace just pulls the boat up) combined with a low brace's strength, but if you are sideways to the current with your blade on the upstream side, then the blade is placed at an angle to the current such that it actively pulls the paddle (and anything attached to the paddle,i.e. you!) down into the water. This particular maneuver (I call it the Anti-Brace) has led to some quite embarrassing class 3 dumps on my part, but I just grin and keep on; I can already see that with a little more time I'll instinctively turn my top hand on the shaft before applying the brace as I already do whenever I'm prepared to apply a low brace in that situation. BRING YOUR BRAIN !! Did I mention that??
I'm not trying to introduce this as the new hip-hop, flavor of the month, revolutionary paddling philosophy that's going to move you up two classes of whitewater by Friday. In fact, I don't mind at all if you don't use this technique. I do mind if you won't try it before you decide not to use it. Here's what I suggest; Mohawk will sell a version of their bent shaft with a "T" grip for around $30.00 (Ask for the "Bent Shaft SC"). That's not much to pay for a process that will both improve your production and reduce your effort. I recommend one a little shorter than what you're using now; it will give you more power with the same stability. Then if you get hooked, keep that as a spare and buy or make yourself a better paddle. Anyway, I really think it's something that bears your consideration, and I look forward to your entering wholeheartedly into the debate. And please, send all wondrous awe-inspired revelations, or murderous invective-filled rants to;


S.C.R.I.,
P.O. box 41494,
L.A., CA. 90041
U.S.A.

[Longboatin']

SpaceCanoe
Great descriptions, thanks for taking the time to back up us few bent-shaft paddlers out here. Again, I too just want people to keep their options open, like GeekBoater suggests, if we didn't try other "new" things we'd all be paddling Grummans
Easy