Technique video analysis

Hello fellow paddlers

I have uploaded a short (2m) video of me paddling from different angles. Being largely self taught, I would love to get some comments/advice/corrections from experienced paddlers. You can see the video in the following link



Many thanks

Honestly I really think you have a good foundation. The thing that I noticed is your catch. You appear to start the stroke with your forward hand before you back hand is finished exiting and setting up.

What happens is that your blade really doesn't catch until after your knees, and only fully submerged for a second. Try and hold that top hand a second longer to set up the catch better. Try to spear the water in front of you as a que. You will find that you get more power without really doing more work.

Good luck!

Many thanks for your insights Kwolfe. I have viewed the video again and now I see what you mean. I will focus on extending the reach of my catch.

Best

Agree, solid foundation. I noticed right away that your hips are not pointing forward and that there is a lot of arch in your back, which I suspect is shortening / undermining your catch, and also impacting your lung capacity. I also noticed that your ski is much too big for you in the cockpit.

A few tips that might be helpful:
• Sit upright, and lean forward from the hips - not the spine. Your chin should be just in front of your groin.
• Keep the foot pressure on your drive leg throughout the entire stroke (from catch to exit until your next catch, then unwind). Don't release the foot pressure until the opposite catch has been made the blade is fully submerged. This will feel chunky at first, but you'll notice a lot more power and less pitching (rolling) in the ski as your paddle.
• Imagine that your hips and shoulders must rotate together, as one unit (I notice that your shoulders rotate more then your hips, very common mistake). This establishes your whole body connection the ski and also the water, and will help you turn yourself into a powerful lever.
• Imagine that your "push hand" is actually your push shoulder (which is rigidly connected to your hips). Your hand shouldn't actually push (which makes the shoulder joints vulnerable due to extension and torsion). But if you push and pull from the core, it protects those muscles and joints and delivers far more power.
• Experiment with your hand pause timing on your catch hand, really let the hand float out there a while to allow your push hand to get into position and then smash the catch aggressively down (think of a pole vaulter).
• Maybe bring footboard back one notch, and tighten up your foot strap just a bit (also, suggest paddling barefoot to get a better connection to the ski).
• Finally, experiment with your paddle exit timing to help solidify some of the tweaks above.

Thank you very much Cryder. Great advice, I will work on incorporating your tips.

On the subject of the size of the cockpit, do you think this could be addressed by padding the sides? If so, should I leave at least some space so that I can rotate my hips without friction?

Best, Juan