Leave the tip on the floor after torsion testing and step back, angling the shaft across your front at roughly forty degrees. Supporting the grip with one hand, place the other halfway down the shaft and press down. A relatively stiff shaft and blade are ideal with slight and even deflection along the entire length. Localized deflection, soft spots, cause flutter and loss of control. If concerned about stressing your elbow and shoulder, select a smaller blade rather than a soft shaft.
Smaller blades slip more when loaded, providing fluid shock absorption.
Fit the blade size to your cadence and strength and select a relatively stiff shaft to retain finite blade control. Because the blade length is already determined, we fit paddles by matching shaft length to paddler torso height and seating stance. Here's how to do it. Sizing Sit upright on a solid bench or step and measure from the bench to the bridge of your nose. This is your base measurement.