From: rsk@aspen.circ.upenn.edu (Rich Kulawiec)
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle
Subject: Re: Kayaking vs. Rowing
Summary: Intro on using whole body when paddling
Date: 13 Aug 92 02:35:08 GMT
Organization: Cardiothoracic Imaging Research Center

In article <1992Aug12.181548.12803@samba.oit.unc.edu> Robert.Holton@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Robert Holton) writes:
>Could you expand on that for me? I've kayaked and have noticed that there is
>an effect on abs and legs when moving fast, but it felt like I was bracing
>myself in the boat so I could make the most use of my arms and shoulders.

Sure, I'll try: I just hope this comes across without pictures. :-)

Here's what Ray Rowe says about this in his book "White Water Kayaking"
(Stackpole books, 1988):

	"Paddling a kayak forwards is about locking the blade into the
	water and pulling yourself past it.  It is a mistake to think that
	the pulling action is carried out merely by the arms.  It is the
	powerful musculature of the trunk, rather than just the small
	muscle which flexes the elbow, which provides the enormous
	propulsive force required to drive the kayak and your bodyweight
	forwards.  To engage this musculature you must concentrate on two
	elements of the forward paddling cycle:

	Trunk Rotation - Movement from the hips which allows each shoulder
	to come forwards as you catch water and rotate rearwards as you pass
	the blade.  Try sawing a thick log and notice your sawing shoulder
	follow through with each cut.  The action is very similar although
	you should avoid any forward and rearward jerking of the spine.

	Arm extension -- As you rotate and reach forward to drive the
	blade into a new piece of water, your arm is extended fully.
	This gives you a long reach to the stroke and therefore allows
	you to apply forward thrust over a long period.

	[...]

	Some hints for practice.

	Practise accelerating to full power from gentle paddling.  You should
	feel the pressure increase in the soles of your feet as they transmit
	the thrust from your trunk into the footrest.  If you cannot feel
	the alternating pressure, then you need more trunk rotation.

	Paddle with your head relaxed but steady, and look forwards.

	Allow the paddle shaft to move away from your chest for the whole cycle.

	Exaggerate the rotation -- experiment.  You cannot over-rotate."

William Nealy makes a few comments in "Kayak" (Menasha Ridge, 1986):

	"Anatomy of the Ninja Paddler:  The true Ninja Paddler uses his/her
	whole body in concert with his/her chosen river vehicle to achieve
	perfect harmony with the river environment.

	Upper body Fu: upper body twisting with each stroke to add power.
	Also working with lower body to adjust/change the center of gravity
	for stability or to attain certain hull/body configurations necessary
	for perfect communion with the river gods...

	Shoulder Fu: shoulders working with arms to add extra punch to
	each stroke.

	Belly Fu: abdominals workin with knees to raise or lower bow or
	stern of river craft.

	Hip Fu: hips controlling hull attitude (short-axis tilt) and overall
	stability of river craft.

	Knee Fu: knees working with hips to provide extra torque on hull
	while paddling and rolling.  Also working with abdominal muscles
	in controlling long axis tilt of river craft.

	Toe Fu: toes working with upper body to add extra body torque with
	every stroke.  Also working with hips and knees to lock body in
	boat like grip of wino on bottle of Ripple."

All this is great, but what it boils down to is that using as many of the
body's diverse muscle groups as possible spreads out the work and allows
more power to generated.  For strokes like sweeps, this kind of whole body
motion makes it possible to generate a surprising amount of power.  It also
keeps your arms and upper back from feeling like limp noodles at the end
of the day. :-)

Of course, perfecting these strokes takes tons of practice.  One of the
racers that I took a clinic from last year told me that he has been practicing
the basic forward stroke every day for several years in attempt to eke out
every last bit of power.  He also pointed out that my technique was pretty
awful. ;-)  Oh well, I'm working on it...and I think I'm getting somewhere,
'cause now I'm sore all over when I get done!