Go Big or Go Home......V8 to V14

Oscar Chalupsky used to give paddling clinics in which he would teach a stroke form that kept your arms lower and somewhat tucked into your body, such that more of the paddle load was carried through your body rather than through your arms/shoulders. This reduces injuries and makes it easier to paddle longer at higher energy levels. As I've aged I'm finding the finger and wrist joints are less inclined to endure being slammed like I could in the past. Changes in technique, though, are keeping me racing. Along with padded bicycle tape on my paddle shaft...

As a side note, I'm looking at importing some bent-shaft wing paddles being developed by ZSS in Australia. When I get them I'll let you know if they help. Meanwhile, I'm also finding that paddling the OC1 helps cross-train muscle groups and improves my kayak paddling (plus it seems to be easier on the joints).

in regards to sore hands and blisters...what I have found that works great is wrapping the area that you grip the paddle with bicycle handle bar tape ( the the thick foam like stuff). On top of the handle bar tape wrap a layer of vinyl electrical tape. Now say goodbye to sore hands and blisters! Its way more comfortable than wearing gloves, you get a better grip than wearing gloves, you will never need to put on or take of gloves, lose your gloves or look for your gloves!

Some good suggestions here with regard to using bicycle handlebar tape. I'd thought about using it, but I was concerned that being constantly exposed to water would cause it to rapidly deteriorate.

One side benefit tape might offer is to increase the diameter of the shaft, thereby distributing the pressure points over a larger area.

Exactly. The larger diameter distributes the load better around your hand, as well as cushioning the load. With some arthritic knuckles in my fingers I can't paddle very long with a standard shaft, but by using bicycle gel tape wrapped on the shaft I can go just fine. My wife, an occupational therapist, suggested it to me when I was first running into the issue, and it really helped. No issues with water exposure. I change the tape roughly yearly. I lock down the ends with electrical tape.

here I posted this one a while back

www.surfski.info/forum/13-safety/18720-l...ent-point.html#26484

I use tennis racket tape, I like here that one end is thinned out and allows for a smooth transition. Also helps for winter paddling, as wet a wet slippy shaft is not helpful either with cold hands (esp. with gloves, although I have cut out the palm region of the gloves for "contact feel to shaft").

One can put a foam underneath on one side or two sides before wrapping to achieve an "oval grip", which I have done by now after having tested an Epic recently.

red_pepper > oval grip might help the thumb/forefinger issue, ?
e.g. round small diameter where forefinger/thumb would rest and transitioning to oval shape towards the palm?

Uffilation: that might be helpful. I did something similar by only wrapping the immediate grip area, so I can move my hand slightly to keep the web between my thumb and forefinger off the tape and over the (smaller diameter) shaft (which is oval shaped). Having my thumb go numb makes paddling a bit weird, especially if I whack it against the side of the boat while plunging the paddle into the water...

red-pepper, that's how grip it too, thumb/forefinger on the untaped shaft but in touch with the beginning of the tape. For sprinting, I go outwards with the hands to the other end of the tape, where I wrapped double layer to feel where the end is.

" some bent-shaft wing paddles being developed by ZSS in Australia. "

=what you were looking for ... good digging, hope it helps.

Thanks. We'll see. I've noticed that using a double bend canoe paddle really relieves the pressure to the point where I don't notice any stress or pain; I'm hoping the kayak paddles they're developing will have a similar effect. They will probably work best with no feather angle - but I usually stay between zero and 30 degrees these days anyway.

ever thought of wrapping a grip with tape in the shape below - using cut-in-shape foam underneath - to simulate a bent shaft? Ok, just a quick "paint"-sketch, but you know what I mean ...

Interesting idea, but I'm not sure it would work; you'd be stretching out part of your fingers (opening your hand), which might change the angle some, but also impact your grip. An angled shaft will allow the wrist to conform to a more natural position, and the load will be carried more through the width of the hand/fingers rather than placing the fingers in tension. But I'll give it some thought...

yeo, you are right, it's rather to help guestimating on the feel of a different angle ... pic is upside down ... I had those split ergo keypads in mind lol

www.backcentre.co.uk/images/ergonomics/1...ch-keyboard-368b.jpg

Maybe I could tape an ergo keypad to the paddle shaft.

The product I use is self-welding silicon repair tape.

It provides a soft, non-abrasive surface for your hands, offers great grip, is waterproof, extremely durable and lasts for ages.

I paddle more than 4,000 km a year and I haven't changed the tape on my paddle for 18 months.

It takes a little practice to get a good result when applying it, but it's worth the effort.

There are various brands of which this is just one: www.rescuetape.com/

forgot to say that the red triangles are exagerated in that scetch ... starting from a round shaft, wrapping ovality only to one side ... not thick

When paddling, your hands should be relaxed during all 4 phases of your stroke. Using a bent shaft / ergo shaft, or increasing your shaft diameter with bike tape or gloves may help you, but there will be more masking than fixin'

I'd always recommend relaxing your entire body (starting with your toes first) and ensuring that my hands are relaxed at all times, even during massive downwinds.

yeah, as redpepper said in
www.surfski.info/forum/2-announcements/1...html?start=120#27385
, but posts reg. taping thereafter considered the specific reasons that were posted and for some, a shaft is a toothpick (diameterwise) while for others it already feels like a tree > different hand sizes, then there are slippery when wet issues dep. on shaft surface, cold finger paddling in winter, athritic issues, numb thumb issues not merely to be removed by sports.dmc.org/upload/docs/sportexperts/...carpal%20tunnel3.pdf tc.

I'm typically very relaxed when I paddle, with a loose grip, but that doesn't stop an arthritic knuckle from hurting... Even with a relaxed grip, the effect of the bicycle tape is substantial - at some point the power has to be carried through the hand/fingers. Changing the angle of the wrists, etc. will likely be beneficial as well (I'll post more when the ergo paddles are available). I had no problems running a standard un-taped paddle just a few years ago (I've been racing for a number of years), but times change...

Yesterday I used what remained of my bicycle handlebar tape on my paddle, and did my usual 5 mile paddle to see what the results would be.

The tape I used may have been less than ideal for this type of application. Its a type of faux leather that soaks up water and remains wet for a long time after the paddle is put away. There are other types of wrap that don't absorb water, which would have been preferable.

I'm also going to look for a slightly thinner tape. The tape I used contains a soft layer of material designed to soak up handlebar vibration, but it's thickness caused a considerable increase in diameter that made the paddle shaft feel a bit too thick, even for someone with my XL size hands.

The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, though. First, it prevented my hands from sliding up and down the shaft. It also eliminated the usual discomfort caused by the hard shaft biting into the soft tissue over the bones in my fingers. I think that with a better choice of tape, I'd be able to retain these advantages while doing away with the two minor problems I described above.

I just tried the silicone Rescue Tape. It works really well. It doesn't add a bunch of padding, which to me affects the feel on the paddle shaft, but it's nice and tacky without being abrasive on the hands. Big plus, it doesn't absorb water and make the inside of your car smell like low tide, like some of the padded tapes.