Watch these two vids of mine and see if you can spot the difference in the way I'm paddling.

Vid one was taken December last year..and vid two was just last week.





Did you see it?...No more chicken wings...or windmilling.

When I first started SUP'ing I paddled for almost two years before I even saw another person doing it (live) and I just paddled away in the best way I knew how..My way..I was concerned that there may be a right way and a wrong way to paddle and I didn't want to form bad habits from using a bad technique.

So I read heaps and asked to try and find the right way..This also became a hot topic on the Zone site and these guys seemed to really know their stuff..These are the guys that do the island crossings and been doing it for years..Anyway one of the guys (I think he was the main Werner paddle guy) said someone post a vid so we can comment of techneque..and I put my hand up.

I took a first vid of myself..I sat my camera on the pier at St Kilda..pushed the button and paddled past..It turned out ok and it seemed that I was doing every thing right..I then got asked to do a front on view because there was a lot of talk about 'Windmilling' and 'Chicken winging'...It's where you rotate your top arm too much and this will often lead to shoulder pain..and shoulder injury.

I also watched a few vids that were interviews with Dave Chun..Dave is the main man and owner of Kialoa paddles and during the interview he was asked about correct technique.

He said that your top hand should not flair out during the stroke..It should stay going up and down and your lower hand swings the paddle around..It's very important to keep your elbow lower than your shoulder...If not it's a sure way to get shoulder rotator cuff problems.

Looking back on my first vid it's very obvious now that I was chicken winging it..and I don't think I do it anymore...Sometimes I follow others paddling and it's very obvious from behind when people are doing it wrong.

Paddling in the surf is a different story..You just paddle hard to catch a wave..and your paddling is brief before resting while you ride the wave..But flat water paddling where you're out there for hours just paddling and paddling this is where a good technique is important..IMO

I did this second vid the other day and I've been stuffing around for ages trying to convert and load it on Youtube...Got there in the end..but why does it have to be so hard...Maybe if you're not sure about your own technique get someone to vidio you and when you watch it you will see...Shoulder injuries and not very nice...are they Scotty.

Next time your paddling on flat water check if your top hand is moving just straight up and down like I tryed to show in my second vid..I think it's something worth working on and it feels good when you are doing it right.

DJ

So in the first one the top hand is doing more lateral circular rotation. Is that what you are referring to? Or greater movement of the elbows?

I can see the lack of rotation in the upper hand and also the lack of splashing as you paddle. I'll have to monitor my technique and see what's happening.

One thing I have found is that in the surf there is a tendency to dig in and paddle flat out all the time. This results in low back pain and risks missing out on sessions.

What I do now is paddle using a quiet stroke and upright stance and only dig in for the last couple of strokes. The result is more waves, longer sessions and more sessions.

This works well for upwind paddling too. Persistence and energy conservation rather than power. Conversely, my mate is much stronger than me and he can power along much faster than I can. I can paddle for longer though.

nobody said...

So in the first one the top hand is doing more lateral circular rotation. Is that what you are referring to? Or greater movement of the elbows?

I think both..I think it's important to keep you elbow down rather than out and try and keep your top hand moving up and down rather than rotating.

It wasn't till I looked back at that old vid that I realized how bad I was.

DJ

I think that if your paddle is not the right length, this can also contribute to bad technique.
Too long and you will chicken wing it, too short and you may tend to bend over and splash more?
Just a though?
Im definately gonna check my technique out next time

In the first video both upper and lower hands are twirling around and the sideways movement of the paddle starts with the paddle in the water. There's a bit of splashing but not much.

In the second both hands are more quiet and the sideways movement doesn't happen until the blade is clear of the water and there is a little less splashing.

There is the same amount of lateral movement of the paddle but much less movement of the hands. I'm guessing the extra movement in the first video is in the follow through in the water. In the second video the paddle is coming out of the water sooner and the swing forward starts earlier and is clear of the water but is accomplished with much less arm movement.

I have already worked out the still arm thing but I think I'm swinging the upper hand a bit much and staying a bit long in the water. I'll have to give the modified stroke a go.

DavidJohn said...

elbeau said...

I thought a good strategy is to take your SUP out in small surf WITHOUT a paddle. That will give you a clear impression of how LITTLE effort is actually needed to catch a wave. Then transfer that knowledge to your normal paddle surfing

That may be right but what I'm talking about here is flat water..and not so much cruising along but going hard.

It's also about what UK said..It's more of a push with the top hand rather than a pull with the lower hand.

DJ

Makes sense. I will give it a try once the hernia heals. (sob) 3 weeks

Four good tips there Scotty.

DJ

Reach forward as far a possible, this first foot of your stroke is the most important and powerful. It is best to stop your stroke once along side your feet and re load. Short fast powerful strokes are definitely the most efficient.

JB

DavidJohn said...

JB said...

Reach forward as far a possible, this first foot of your stroke is the most important and powerful. It is best to stop your stroke once along side your feet and re load. Short fast powerful strokes are definitely the most efficient.

JB

JB I'm sure that technique might work for sprinting to catch a wave or to get out trough the surf where you need fast strokes but for flat water cruising or for longer distance stuff it's just not working for me..and I've tried.

I find that my stroke continues almost as much past my feet as it does from in front and I find that I get a lot of power in that last part of the stroke..even if it is past my feet.

For me short fast strokes gives me more power no doubt but long smooth strokes is much more efficient. It could be that I'm tall and like a long paddle because a long paddle really helps when paddling past your feet..I don't think you can with a shorter paddle.

Maybe in another eight months I'll change my mind on this but for now I will keep paddling way past my feet..I'd love to see some footage of guys like Dave Kalama so I can see what they do.

I'll have to do another side on vid and see how things have changed for me...Notice the windmilling is not that noticeable from this angle.

DJ

I agree with DJ on this although I may be wrong also. I tried the short, forward and fast strokes today and it was just too taxing to continue it long term. Like DJ, I would say it is faster, but not more efficient. The faster changing direction of the paddle seems to take the energy out of me.