I've been paddling for two years and in that time not made the greatest of progress.
Stuck at a speed of around 9.8km/h.
We all know the theory of paddling. Get a good catch, pull hard and recover to do it again on the other side. I thought I was doing this.
A couple of days ago I was doing an interval session and it all clicked. First I realised I was pulling for too long in the stroke and also realised the rotation is to get the paddle out of the water with ease.
Basically the blade goes in, a second pull and then recover. It felt so distinct to me that the pressure on the blade right at the front of the stroke is what makes or breaks the stroke. Then the rotation is what gets the paddle out ready for the next stroke.
I had understood all this intellectually but this was the first time I actually felt it. My speed immediately jumped at least 0.5km/h. My obliques and core musculature really took a beating because I think for the first time I was actually loading the blade at the right moment in the catch.
I have been practicing what I felt and it feels like I will need to spend some time retraining my body to operate on the right cues. It just felt so good to finally make some progress after so much time not seeing any real results.
Just thought I would share in case it helps someone else.
Stuck at a speed of around 9.8km/h.
We all know the theory of paddling. Get a good catch, pull hard and recover to do it again on the other side. I thought I was doing this.
A couple of days ago I was doing an interval session and it all clicked. First I realised I was pulling for too long in the stroke and also realised the rotation is to get the paddle out of the water with ease.
Basically the blade goes in, a second pull and then recover. It felt so distinct to me that the pressure on the blade right at the front of the stroke is what makes or breaks the stroke. Then the rotation is what gets the paddle out ready for the next stroke.
I had understood all this intellectually but this was the first time I actually felt it. My speed immediately jumped at least 0.5km/h. My obliques and core musculature really took a beating because I think for the first time I was actually loading the blade at the right moment in the catch.
I have been practicing what I felt and it feels like I will need to spend some time retraining my body to operate on the right cues. It just felt so good to finally make some progress after so much time not seeing any real results.
Just thought I would share in case it helps someone else.