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braces, they should be fi tted to transmit
body movements directly to the kayak.
The Power Stroke: The basic paddle
technique is a forward stroke. Place
the blade in the water near your toes.
Pull the blade back alongside the kayak
approximately to your hip–a better way
to think of it is pulling the kayak up to
the blade. Lift the paddle and perform
the same move on the other side. To
turn the kayak, use a wide sweep stroke
on one side. The bow will swing away
from the stroke.
The Effi cient Stroke: For greater
effi ciency use your torso and shoulders
to paddle, not just your arms. Make
sure to sit up straight to avoid straining
your back.
There are many paddling techniques
you can use–check out books, videos,
our websites or get kayak instruction to
learn more.
holding the shaft closer to the blade
only makes you work harder with each
stroke.
The Power Stroke: A strong stroke
is the fundamental tool of canoeing.
To begin rotate your torso so that your
paddle-side shoulder is forward. At
the same time, plant your blade in the
water up to the blade/shaft intersection.
The blade should be kept close to the
boat, with its inside edge just touching
the side of the canoe. The shaft should
be vertical. Your strongest stroke will
utilize the full forward range of your
torso/shoulder rotation, yet keep the
shaft absolutely vertical. Your stroke
ends when your torso rotation brings
the paddle back to your hip. Paddle re-
covery is now a straight-forward matter:
rotate your torso to put your paddle-
side shoulder forward while bringing
the paddle over the water surface to
begin the next stroke.
The Effi cient Stroke: The thrust of
your stroke is achieved by rotating your
torso rather than pulling with your
arms. Using your torso muscles distrib-
utes the work to many muscles rather
than a few, making your stroke both
powerful and effi cient. The results:
more forward thrust and less fatigue.
For more kayak paddling tech-
niques go to www.neckykayaks.
com or www.oldtowncanoe.com and
more canoe paddling techniques
are at www.oldtowncanoe.com
| 09
HOW TO PADDLE A CANOE
The Paddle: Place your upper hand
over the top grip. With your lower
hand, grip the shaft about a foot above
the blade/shaft intersection. Remember
Pull the blade alongside the kayak approximately
to your hip and then lift paddle from the water