No matter how practiced a canoeist you are, you can
develop bad habits, or “bugs” in your paddling stroke. Let’s
review the basic principles of pulling a canoe forward
through the water so we can better enjoy trips to come.
One thing that “bugs” me is canoeists who lean forward as
they paddle. I wonder if Mom ever taught them to sit up
straight. They should. Power and performance in a canoe come
from the back, not from leaning forward, and not really from
the arms, either. Sit up straight, let your body paddle the
canoe, and you’ll find all kinds of untapped power flowing
into your paddle blade.
Head up
How do you sit up straight? One way is to start at the top:
stabilize your head. Visualize your head moving neither
forward or back, nor side to side. A stable head encourages
body rotation with each forward stroke. That rotary motion
of your body is done with your back, which is more powerful
than the strongest of arms. Furthermore, a stable head keeps
your body centered in the boat, so your canoe maintains an
even keel. A straight posture also allows you to relax; it’s
tiring to lean forward all the time. Relaxing in a canoe is
a good thing, whether you are moving with purpose or just
gunkholing. When you sit straight, relaxed, and with a
stable head, you can look around and paddle with more
efficient power. Ask a friend to watch you paddle. Does your
head stay in one place? If so, good!
Arms Locked
Next, focus on the arms. Power comes from strong back
muscles as you rotate; consider each arm to be a connector
between your back and your paddle. That’s not to say your
arms don’t move; they do. But if you want to learn how it
should feel, lock your arms, elbows tight, and take a couple
of practice strokes. Even standing on shore doing “air”
strokes with rigid arms, you can tell how your body must
rotate to complete a stroke (remember, your head stays
still). Your back rotation around your spine is your engine;
your arms connect the engine to the paddle. Take that same
feeling in the canoe with you as you paddle. There’s the
body rotation you seek.
Sit up straight, reach up high to place your paddle
in the water, choke up the lower hand on the paddle shaft,
and finish up with a relaxing rotating flourish to rewind
your engine.
Grip Hand High
Now that you’re using your body (feels strong, doesn’t it?),
help yourself by allowing your grip hand to rise high as you
reach forward with the paddle. No mealy arm-action stroke
for you—reach that upper hand high and plant your blade in
front without leaning forward. Sound contradictory? Here’s
another trick to make this work: move your lower hand up the
paddle shaft a bit (choke up). Adjust your lower hand so it
remains just above the gunwale throughout your paddling
motion. Instead of leaning forward to extend your blade, let
the lower portion of the paddle shaft do the extension for
you, while you stay centered in the boat. You paddle with
more authority and increase the range of your paddle blade.
No need to lean forward to grab water; it will come to you
if you let it. You will feel the difference when you paddle,
and if you find your lower hand slipping back into old
habits, wrap a few turns of skinny duct tape where the lower
hand should be to help remind you.
Follow Up
We’re nearly finished here. You’re sitting up, reaching up,
and choking up. Now “follow up” to prepare
your body for the next stroke. Whether you use a high
recovery (vertical paddle) or a horizontal recovery (across
your body), this movement should be the “relax” part of your
stroke—while at the same time rewinding your torso to power
the next stroke. I think a canoe paddle recovery is the
“elegant” portion of canoeing. It’s one independent element
that our double-bladed brethren don’t share, since their
recovery on one side is concurrent with a power stroke on
the other. For canoeists, a relaxed recovery is a moment to
be savored.
And there you have it: sit up straight, reach up high to
place your paddle in the water, choke up the lower hand on
the paddle shaft, and finish up with a relaxing rotating
flourish to rewind your engine.
I can feel it already; the bugs are leaving your forward
stroke! Good paddling!
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