Forward stroke blues

[unicorn-in-captivity]

I think DaveM coined the term "flip-monkey".....it seemed sort of self-explanitory ;-)

Anyway, by far the most miles I have by far is in a classic slalom boat. What works for me will not necessarily work for a different hull shape. (Like making a cursing fool of myself in a Jensen OC-1 DR boat) After all those miles of trying to stay straight, I find that a slight weight shift to the offside part way through the stroke gives me just enought compensation. When I switch sides, I really become aware of it -- because then it isn't there for me.

I find that a lot of open boaters do use some pry, and in my few forays into open boats, I have to experiment with what I do also. I defer to more experienced open boaters on that issue.

The whole idea of weight-shift or lean is to try to subtly (or less subtly) change the waterline shape of the hull during the stroke just enought to get a steering effect, instead of steering entirely with the paddle. To give an extreme example, consider a wildwater hull, where you steer by leaning like a sled. You can sweep all you want, it is wasted energy. You have to change the submerged hull shape.
With a hull like the Max boats, keeping the boat flat tends to allow it to slew easily -- you can be pointed one way & moving another. That's part of the genesis of "edging" for control. (In the extreme case of the "perk", the boat was leaned up on edge & accelerated with fast power strokes with no correction.)

Whatever ability I have to go straight owes a lot to Dutch Downey telling me "One day I just decided I was never going to do pry again.." Followed by lots of hours on the (narrow) flat canal, and lots of watching the best models in the world. When I first swore to learn the J & never pry again, I compensated a lot by using a slight draw angle at the catch. Slowly & inexorably I was drawn to the (on)side of the canal. Experimenting with weight shift & edging, along with improving the J was how I got rid of it. You always want to look for any subtle thing that takes away from forward momentum. But it takes a while to figure out what it is that your particular boat shape wants to do. Just cause I do it in a 4 meter pumpkin seed boat doesn't mean it works the same way in something different. Also, for me at least, even on perfectly flat water it is never just the same stroke over & over: I'm always feeling the boat & often making the tiniest little shifts & tweaks at different points in the stroke. (And BTW that 's why I think so many C-1s tend to be "lefty's"...my theory is that the subtle handling of the T-grip with the right hand is more instinctive for a natural right-hander .) The idea is to strive to make them even tinier .. always more efficient. I love truly big water as much as anyone, but a paddle on the flat canal is a satisfying challenge as well. If you can find a narrow place like a canal for practice, it is much, much easier to see what is happening & work at correcting it.

(And BTW, speaking about bobbing the boat .. which is also critical to not wasting energy -- if you watch closely you will see that Kent did not have the prettiest forward stroke on the feeder canal: he bobs. That said, he probably reached out & threw his weight when it counted better than any, & I would sure kill to have his bow-pry!)

So there isn't a simple answer: try to paddle straight, see what your hull does, and try to figure out the most efficient way to control it. And even when you switch to a different hull, it is that sixth sense of what is going on between the boat, the paddle, & the water that will let you adapt quickly. (For what it's worth, I've been told that champion swimmers have that sense...they sense the effect of water flow with the slightest adjustment in technique. Maybe thats why composite hulls are good???)

Wow, that's a lot to say a little....

[Sir Adam]

Thank you VERY MUCH for that post-I know it's given me a lot to think about and work on!

And I'll agree that is why composite boats feel better (and in my mind are)-you "feel" how the water interacts with you, and that it's doing so in a positive fashion.

[unicorn-in-captivity]

Can't remember who said this, but I recall someone saying that he kept the knee pads as thin as possible, the better to "feel" the boat connecting with the water.

Having "twelve-toes" used to be how you proved you were a "real" C-1-er: maybe with thin enough kneepads you could grow tusks on your knees, too. :-)

[edg]

For an intereresting perspective, assuming wildwater racing to be the "purest" expression forward stroke in wildwater, the following link might be interesting. http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.as ... y_id=21086 These photos were taken at world cup 6 at Limestone Rapid on the Kern River. They are in bib order and the C1's are always first. It's pretty amazing how much power and extension the top Euros can apply even in tippy boats and pretty big whitewater.....Ed

[DigitalBrat]

Great pix! You can definitely see who is on line. The guys with the big forward stroke.

If you are right on line, you can crank with every ounce you've got; if you are off line, you are struggling for survival no matter how good your forward stroke might be. A tricky line will separate the men from the boys in no time.

And a ww boat will do the fastest (unexpected, undesired) eddy turns you will ever see!!