Thought I would try out the new GoPro and see how I can improve my paddling, interesting how I change what I am doing from left ( my strong side) and right. I am pulling into my hip and I have no idea why or even that I was doing it, I have also not paddled consistently for a while because of lock down which affects strength on one side. I also need to straighten the shaft and I think I have the paddle deep enough in the water!

Nice steady camera. What camera is it ?

Aaron

I Think you should go straight to the pro circuit . nothing wrong
your just stronger on one side

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Tardy said..
I Think you should go straight to the pro circuit . nothing wrong
your just stronger on one side

Thanks Tardy, I'll keep pushing.

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ARichards said..
Nice steady camera. What camera is it ?

Aaron

Hey Aaron I have the GoPro hero 9 on Hyper Smooth mode, worked a treat.

Paddling is a real art which has evolved over the years.I was recently in the water when a kindly gentleman pointed out some issues with my paddling.He is a real waterman who embraces any type of craft in the water. Of interest he has an outrigger background
so he thought he would give me some tips that I could apply -1. Keep the paddle straight - this can be easily misconstrued so I will explain. If you slow down your video and taking into
account angles it looks like your paddle is at a slight angle as opposed to being at a 90 degree angle to the water. This means
then that both hands are effectively on "top" of one another in the same line. By doing this ensures that the board will travel
straight.2. I would try sinking the blade into the water a bit more. As it stands it appears you are only dropping the blade portion in the water.
This came out in my paddling technique and the chap suggested I was potentially paddling "air". In other words you need to move more water. To facilitate this requires whole body engagement with the emphasis on lowering the hips and knees. Note there is a distinction
here when lowering the body. Quite often you see paddlers who will bend over more from the waist as opposed to bending at the knees.3. The last piece of advice that he gave me was to imagine I was riding a skate board holding with both hands a long stick. As you reach out and plant the stick on the ground instead of pulling the stick towards you, you pull yourself towards the stick. Do you see the difference?
It means feeling your feet moving towards the paddle as opposed to pulling the blade through. Try that and see if it makes any difference.Cheers.Ozzie

Can you tell me how far forward you put the camera and what lens angle you have it on. I need to do the same.

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gregjet said..
Can you tell me how far forward you put the camera and what lens angle you have it on. I need to do the same.

It located just short of the nose, the board comes with mounting positions and I had the lens on wide as I find the distortion on super wide flattens everything out too much. I am trying different lens settings to see if waves can not look so flat.

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ghost4man said..
Paddling is a real art which has evolved over the years.I was recently in the water when a kindly gentleman pointed out some issues with my paddling.He is a real waterman who embraces any type of craft in the water. Of interest he has an outrigger background
so he thought he would give me some tips that I could apply -1. Keep the paddle straight - this can be easily misconstrued so I will explain. If you slow down your video and taking into
account angles it looks like your paddle is at a slight angle as opposed to being at a 90 degree angle to the water. This means
then that both hands are effectively on "top" of one another in the same line. By doing this ensures that the board will travel
straight.2. I would try sinking the blade into the water a bit more. As it stands it appears you are only dropping the blade portion in the water.
This came out in my paddling technique and the chap suggested I was potentially paddling "air". In other words you need to move more water. To facilitate this requires whole body engagement with the emphasis on lowering the hips and knees. Note there is a distinction
here when lowering the body. Quite often you see paddlers who will bend over more from the waist as opposed to bending at the knees.3. The last piece of advice that he gave me was to imagine I was riding a skate board holding with both hands a long stick. As you reach out and plant the stick on the ground instead of pulling the stick towards you, you pull yourself towards the stick. Do you see the difference?
It means feeling your feet moving towards the paddle as opposed to pulling the blade through. Try that and see if it makes any difference.Cheers.Ozzie

Great advise and it is what I am trying to achieve and the video proved that I still have a long way to go because I may feel it's close it is actually no where near it. Need more practice but don't live close enough for a daily paddle. Thanks.

Hi there can you tell me what type of board you have please I had an excellent board purchased back in the days when paddleboarding first started, sold it as moved interstate and would like to purchase another now.. I am assuming the boards have evolved somewhat in design, so looking for a good all rounder, rivers and ocean. thanks!

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koenig1 said..
Hi there can you tell me what type of board you have please I had an excellent board purchased back in the days when paddleboarding first started, sold it as moved interstate and would like to purchase another now.. I am assuming the boards have evolved somewhat in design, so looking for a good all rounder, rivers and ocean. thanks!

Hey
yeah no problems it's a Jimmy Lewis Sidwinder, best looking board out there but not necessarily the fastest but I love it.

RE: the Camera. Thanks, I'll try that.

Ok so I took the advise and gave it a try and took 1min off my time however I had an out going tidal pull and did a few turns and pier dodging so I reckon I could have saved more time in a straight out and back.
I feel I have to bend legs and my back way to much at my age SO I ordered a new VMG Orca paddle with a uncut shaft and I will make it 3-4 inches longer. That way I get the depth suggested for the paddle and shaft with a more upright stance that improves balance and strength as my hands stay in the zone closer to my centre.

That looks way too much like hard work. You look much more comfortable in the first vid. One of the vids I watched, I think it was Connor Baxter ,he said you have to find what works for you and you are comfortable with.
I now paddle with 1 foot slightly forward of the other. You can change from time too time. Gives me better forward and aft balance and you can put your weight on it and pull harder. It was an older Connor Baxter vid that he uses the pulling on a pole theory. Think about holding a pole and you want to pull yourself forward as hard as possible. What would you do. Put one foot slightly forward crouch down and pull like !!!! If you don't have one foot forward and you pull on the pole you will fall flat on your face. I have messed up the catch and nearly face planted into the board a couple of times when I'm tired and it's a bit bumpy. Now with one foot forward I don't do it.
Keeping the paddle as vertical as possible and as close to the board as mentioned makes a huge difference. I actually drag the paddle down the side. Just lightly! And the difference is huge. I don't have a lovely board though!
Have fun and enjoy the view too!

Just saw the second vid and it looks like you have one foot slightly forward in that one?
I would say you are going too deep now!
Another vid I saw they actually put red tape on the shaft where they wanted to bury it too. Also a tape mark for your bottom hand.
The other thing to remember is that all these pros making nice vids of them with their paddle vertical are on 20 inch boards these days. Making it easier to keep the paddle vertical.

Hey Tarquin
No my feet are parallel when I am on this board, it is hard work which is good for my fitness but this is for a 5km time trial so I only do it for 40 minutes or so. I will get the new paddle soon and make it longer and see if I can get the same result with less bending.

Hi Dave

You can actually get a longer t-piece handle for the Ke Nalu paddles. Adds approx 2-3 inches to the length of the paddle.

Another thing to do when paddling that will help with reducing effort is to rotate your top hand forward when you bring the blade out of the water. This feathers the blade and means less wind resistance as you pull the blade forward (similar to what kayakers and rowers do...).

Then all you need to do is straighten the wrist as you place the blade back into the water.

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Mahanumah said..
Hi Dave

You can actually get a longer t-piece handle for the Ke Nalu paddles. Adds approx 2-3 inches to the length of the paddle.

Another thing to do when paddling that will help with reducing effort is to rotate your top hand forward when you bring the blade out of the water. This feathers the blade and means less wind resistance as you pull the blade forward (similar to what kayakers and rowers do...).

Then all you need to do is straighten the wrist as you place the blade back into the water.

Thanks for the tip! My new paddle arrived today so I can now make a longer paddle for DW, time trial paddles, I will play around with it tomorrow and see how it goes. I will make it a fair bit longer and test it out,I can always cut more off to fine tune it.

On a post on Standupzone someone talked about a longer T piece hot glued in. A sort of adjustable paddle.
I prefer a shorter paddle for DW. I still like my adjustable paddle. Never had a good lightweight carbon one though.

So I have cut the new paddle to size, in retrospect I should have made the Mana a bit longer than the Wiki considering the 14fter is 4 inches thick. With the shaft length difference I am expecting to remain more upright and straighter in the back giving me more strength while burying the paddle deeper. In theory anyway, hope it try it out this weekend
the handle is very different to the KeNalu too which suits my hand size much better..

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Mahanumah said..
Another thing to do when paddling that will help with reducing effort is to rotate your top hand forward when you bring the blade out of the water.

Be careful, it is very easy to get an elbow tendinitis with this, that will take years to recede.

Stop any fancy paddling moves as soon as you feel some heat or discomfort in the joints. Go gentle on new techniques.

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tarquin1 said..
That looks way too much like hard work. You look much more comfortable in the first vid. One of the vids I watched, I think it was Connor Baxter ,he said you have to find what works for you and you are comfortable with.
I now paddle with 1 foot slightly forward of the other. You can change from time too time. Gives me better forward and aft balance and you can put your weight on it and pull harder. It was an older Connor Baxter vid that he uses the pulling on a pole theory. Think about holding a pole and you want to pull yourself forward as hard as possible. What would you do. Put one foot slightly forward crouch down and pull like !!!! If you don't have one foot forward and you pull on the pole you will fall flat on your face. I have messed up the catch and nearly face planted into the board a couple of times when I'm tired and it's a bit bumpy. Now with one foot forward I don't do it.
Keeping the paddle as vertical as possible and as close to the board as mentioned makes a huge difference. I actually drag the paddle down the side. Just lightly! And the difference is huge. I don't have a lovely board though!
Have fun and enjoy the view too!

Adopting a split stance is something that I have done for years particularly as most of my boards are barely over 7 foot in length.I actually think that Dave "looks" very efficient with his current technique. I don't necessarily agree that it looks like too much hard work although I get what you are trying to convey. Too often I see paddlers in the water and honestly they don't look like they are making any effort at all in the water which is reflected in how poorly the board is moving. This is a physical exercise which does require effort.I do recall Dave Kalama once talking about holding the paddle with as little pressure as possible. Tarquin makes a very good suggestion about the pulling aspect. Try and remember Dave to give attention to the sensation that you are pulling yourself forward as opposed to generating motion by dragging the paddle towards you. There is a clear distinction when this is done. You can see when this is executed properly as the first thing that you will notice are the hips moving forward - so imagine you plant the paddle in the water and in that moment the hips drive forward to meet the blade. Does that make sense?

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ghost4man said..

tarquin1 said..
That looks way too much like hard work. You look much more comfortable in the first vid. One of the vids I watched, I think it was Connor Baxter ,he said you have to find what works for you and you are comfortable with.
I now paddle with 1 foot slightly forward of the other. You can change from time too time. Gives me better forward and aft balance and you can put your weight on it and pull harder. It was an older Connor Baxter vid that he uses the pulling on a pole theory. Think about holding a pole and you want to pull yourself forward as hard as possible. What would you do. Put one foot slightly forward crouch down and pull like !!!! If you don't have one foot forward and you pull on the pole you will fall flat on your face. I have messed up the catch and nearly face planted into the board a couple of times when I'm tired and it's a bit bumpy. Now with one foot forward I don't do it.
Keeping the paddle as vertical as possible and as close to the board as mentioned makes a huge difference. I actually drag the paddle down the side. Just lightly! And the difference is huge. I don't have a lovely board though!
Have fun and enjoy the view too!

Adopting a split stance is something that I have done for years particularly as most of my boards are barely over 7 foot in length.I actually think that Dave "looks" very efficient with his current technique. I don't necessarily agree that it looks like too much hard work although I get what you are trying to convey. Too often I see paddlers in the water and honestly they don't look like they are making any effort at all in the water which is reflected in how poorly the board is moving. This is a physical exercise which does require effort.I do recall Dave Kalama once talking about holding the paddle with as little pressure as possible. Tarquin makes a very good suggestion about the pulling aspect. Try and remember Dave to give attention to the sensation that you are pulling yourself forward as opposed to generating motion by dragging the paddle towards you. There is a clear distinction when this is done. You can see when this is executed properly as the first thing that you will notice are the hips moving forward - so imagine you plant the paddle in the water and in that moment the hips drive forward to meet the blade. Does that make sense?

I will certainly do my best to consistently do that on my next paddle hopefully very soon, appreciate the tips and encouragement.

Bad back and tendinitis due to work and trying too hard to paddle. Months of not being able to paddle and kept working . Months of recovery . And I am younger than you.
Be careful and enjoy.
Who are you racing?

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tarquin1 said..
Bad back and tendinitis due to work and trying too hard to paddle. Months of not being able to paddle and kept working . Months of recovery . And I am younger than you.
Be careful and enjoy.
Who are you racing?

Crap luck with the injuries but you are probably a bit cold over there at the moment for a paddle anyway? I don't race anyone just me and a clock for a virtual time trial to keep me focussed during lock down but now it's running to the end of the year. Just want to beat my PB which is 39 min 15sec so I am in the running to win a new VMG fin, it helps me keep a goal in mind so I don't get bored.

Never really gets too cold here. Similar to a Melbourne winter, not as much rain though! I paddle more in the winter. Too many boats around in the summer. I am less busy with work in the winter as well.
Just saying be careful.
39:15 for 5ks? That's pretty good.
How's that new paddle. It looks nice.
I ordered a Quickblade UV 82 blade. The shafts are just too expensive. I can buy a carbon shaft for half the price. Anyhow get the text message to say its delivered. Go to pick it up and they say no we don't have it. TNT hasn't dropped anything for over a week! Call the shop I bought it from. Yes its delivered. Gutted. They are looking for it!

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tarquin1 said..
Never really gets too cold here. Similar to a Melbourne winter, not as much rain though! I paddle more in the winter. Too many boats around in the summer. I am less busy with work in the winter as well.
Just saying be careful.
39:15 for 5ks? That's pretty good.
How's that new paddle. It looks nice.
I ordered a Quickblade UV 82 blade. The shafts are just too expensive. I can buy a carbon shaft for half the price. Anyhow get the text message to say its delivered. Go to pick it up and they say no we don't have it. TNT hasn't dropped anything for over a week! Call the shop I bought it from. Yes its delivered. Gutted. They are looking for it!

Geez your luck just keeps getting better! Hope to get the paddle wet tomorrow so will let you know.

Test run for the new length on the paddle shaft as per earlier pics and I think it has enabled me to be more upright without sacrificing speed although I have been a bit crook so had to take it easy today I was down to a max of 43 strokes per min as a max, normally I up around 60-70 on a good day. The main variance was the length I travelled per stroke which was 3.17m and have previously been in the high 2m range on a bad day such as I was today. so now I just need to keep on the water and get better at it but am now comfortable that I am burying the paddle enough to NOT paddle air!

As ghostman said try rolling your top wrist and feathering the blade on the return. It is easier and quicker. Especially if there is any headwind. It will help you pick up your cadence.
Looks like a nice paddle.

I would think about everything less.
Turn off the camera and the gps.
Woops. Evil Nozza is posting tonight...........