As well I know, That's why I'm mediocre in everything I paddle!
FullGnarlzOC wrote:Whoa whoa whoa - as a sponsored paddler - I gotta disagree w/ it being the paddler...
"It's all about the boat"
Ok, so Mohawk gave you sponsorship... that doesn't mean A THING about your paddling ability... just so that's clear before you get carried away and mount a little fibreglass halo to go on your helmet or something.
Great sales technique there BTW
Joshua Kelly - "More George Smiley than James Bond"
CBoats Moderator - Not necessarily representing the CBoats staff though...(I'll use words like "moderator", "We" and "CBoats" to make it clear when I am)
As we all well know - I'm all plop, drop, and roll - no skill - and all a sudden I get in a Maxim and I can scour all over a class II river - "its all about the boat."
FullGnarlzOC wrote:I can scour all over a class II river
If I might make an observation...
The validity of that assertation is what's being questioned here (I can't see the video, because my internet connection is going heywire; so I can't directly comment)
Kelvin, Is (as is generally his wont) being direct about what he sees as the gulf between your independantly observed technical skill level, and your internalised perceptions of your skill level; I can assure you that he's not the only one who's talking about it though.
Joshua Kelly - "More George Smiley than James Bond"
CBoats Moderator - Not necessarily representing the CBoats staff though...(I'll use words like "moderator", "We" and "CBoats" to make it clear when I am)
My words merely hold up a mirror to the world; if something is funny, it doesn't lie behind that mirror, but in front.
Joshua Kelly - "More George Smiley than James Bond"
CBoats Moderator - Not necessarily representing the CBoats staff though...(I'll use words like "moderator", "We" and "CBoats" to make it clear when I am)
Not sure what been a sponsored paddler has to do with it?
Kelvin.
My impression of his post was that Tommy was exerting an effort to apply a toungue-in-cheek reference toward retail support of his primary commercial supporter and his chosen path of lifestyle.
Anyone care to interpret?
C-boats Moderator
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
Kelvin, Nice video trailer, I'm really looking forward to the segments/lessons. I've been looking forward to seeing this stuff ever since we provided you with feedback & ideas some time ago. Kudos for getting it together!
However, I' d still like to know what specifically you were commenting about in this FullG video... what techniques did you see that made you offer the comments?
... paddling modern boats using techniques that don't get the most out of the hulls. ... I realise that there is a lack of information out there on progressive technique. ...
I am not saying that the paddling techniques used in your video are incorrect, only that there are things that you could add to progress your paddling.
In the same way that my class II eyes can't pick up in the FullG video the subtlties of what the Maxim is good at and what the Option is good at, I can't see what they're doing poorly that you're demonstrating in a "more progressive" way. Care to elaborate on what specifically you were talking about? Seems only fair, and it would help to be able compare the videos/technique more directly.
Pat.
p.s. KNeal, Yeah, credit to FullG for self-mocking the advice given by a compensated promoter (I wouldn't call anyone a paid liar!); too bad it was lost, but "you're funny" was a good enough response to the off-base follow up.
Last edited by yarnellboat on Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I was also looking for the differences, and although I didn't go so far as to watch them one right after anohter, I do think I see a difference...
To my eye, Kelvin was reaching much more to the side, and less forward with his turning strokes. This is what I am used to seeing in slalom paddling, especially in C1, where unweighting the bow allows for the pivot turn. I wouldn't expect this to work nearly as well in an OC1, where you don't have the low-volume stern to really get the bow all the way out of the water. There it is on video, though, so obviously it works. When I paddled the L'Edge, I did not feel like it wanted to carve as easily as the Option did (for my weight: 165 lb), but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that I wasn't paddling in the form to get the most out of the L'Edge hull.
So, did I get one of the differences, or am I totally off base?
FullGnarlzOC wrote:did you guys across the pond figure out how to offside brace or somethin
Just to jump on your auto-hijack here , there was an interesting (to me) discussion around offside braces sometime ago where we were chatting around a video from esprit showing Jim Coffey low bracing offside landing a drop and today I also catched one of these rather rarely seen move on Jordan's Quebec creek'n clip.
I can see some differences too. Kelvin's got a great forward stroke and seems to keep his blade in the water a lot, but the differences may subtle rotations or leans etc., and I'd much rather have Kelvin point out what he was talking about, instead of us guessing.
In Kevin's video, I see real fluidity and stroke efficiency in the moves, excellent use of edges, good use of weighting and unweighting the bow, and good angles coming into and out of eddies. In a slalom race between Kevin and Tommy, I'd bet on Kevin. That's not to say I don't have tons of respect for Tommy, because I do. In his short paddling career so far he's done way more gnarly stuff than I'll ever do or even contemplate doing. It's cool to see him working on his form in easier stuff.
Efficiency and Smoothness are what I see - which equates to all around good technique( particularly vertical paddle shaft) - as you would expect out of a trailer advertising free coaching articles and paid videos.
It's great to see Kelvin getting this stuff out there for others to see and clean their techniques up - the more of us that look clean, smooth, and down right sexy on the river....the more it will appeal to everyone else. Nice work Kelvin.
btw - I'd take the Maxim > the L'edge in the Slalom race - remember, it all about the boat.