I am temporarily placing a foam pad in the lowered out part of the seat with a slight angle forward towards the feet. It seems to help and I still feel balanced. Hopefully a pro watching me paddle will be able to identify the inefficiencies and unbalanced aspects of my stroke and suggest some technical exercises and drills to help me keep going in the sport.
Here's a link to a thread on that subject. The posts by "balance fit" are really good. He doesn't come around much anymore, but I think he's a trained PT.
www.surfski.info/forum/1-general/19088-f...et.html?limitstart=0
If you are down in Florida, I'm sure you will find someone that can help with that crazy seated ski motion. I'd almost say that anyone with a good background in sporty motion could help. Any PT really. Maybe yoga. It's all the same stuff. I don't think it has to be a pro ski coach. It might be interesting to hit one of them up and show them a video of somebody in a ski. My guess is that they would look at it and say, "Ow, that's a challenging motion...."
Here's a video of a guy I used to watch waaay back when I was trying to figure out if yoga could fix my back. He's a great communicator and and travels the world doing clinics on how to teach yoga. HIs ideas seem very solid on how a coach should listen to a student. And how different everyone is. Some motions are just plain wrong for some people. Smart coaches know it and adjust the practice for the student. Some are more like Drill Sergeants. Good luck finding a good one.
I have not had an opportunity yet to paddle a K1, or even sit in one on land to see how the seated position compares/contrasts to the surfski. K1 isn’t really an option where I paddle due to rapidly changing conditions that create big seas. But I do paddle on the flat days and wonder how the canoe technique applies to surfski and if the ergonomic aspects of each setup are different enough to affect the technique on flat water. In swell, I have noticed at my novice level, that I tend to paddle more forward relative to the boat and have to use shorter strokes to maintain stability and quick response to side chop. Choppy sea conditions do seem to naturally suggest variations in technique
I've never been in a K-1 either. I think the seat elevation relative to the heels is higher. If it's higher, it's going to be 'easier' on the lower back. It's easier on the lower back because of pelvic tilt. You are also aware of what a 'neutral' core position is, so you are on the right track.
Ivan's sport of 'canoeing' and the seat height difference to skis is not enough to change your ergonomic approach. His advice in the gym video is excellent. The crossover ideas are the same. Your butt may be lower, so it's going to be tougher to get the leverage, but the concept is the same.
Front of body pushing down, feet pushing up. I wish that video had come out when I was a beginner. I was confused for many, many years. That's a very weird motion and I never understood it clearly until that video. I had been to clinics from 2 pros and it never sank in.
It wasn't just me either. A friend of mine said the same thing after a first viewing. And she knows about coordinated athletic motion. She was a pro in another sport. Very talented. She had been in ski for about a year, studying everything on the internet, just as I had years before. She was actually kinda angry and said "why didn't anyone ever say that before?" I told her "I'm glad to hear you say that, because I thought it was just me..."
Part me not 'getting it' was probably my body adjusting to those extremely odd motions. But it finally clicked. Lucky me. It may be the same for you, it may work eventually.
If you are using quick motions to deal with side chop, that's a good thing. Open ocean is all about reaction. It improves dramatically with practice. Keep those taps up front. The bracing and slaps you are doing will become so fast you won't even think about it. Then your confidence soars. Then those long, drawn out perfect strokes you practice on flat water will transition onto the rough water. The automatic corrections will save you every time. You won't go over.