Paddle Techniques: Recover (by Dave Kalama)
Autor: SUP - GURU | Publicado: 2010-06-01T19:15:00-07:00

We’re going to talk about how you finish the Tahitian stroke and  then put the whole thing together. The first two articles: The  Catch, and Adding  Power, are both useful even if you don’t adopt a Tahitian stroke.  This article isn’t, it’s only useful if you adopt a true Tahitian  stroke. The unique part of the Tahitian stroke is in the  recovery–pulling the blade out of the water and getting it back out to  reach, catch, and start again.
When people first start paddling they tend to pull the paddle back as  far as they can, and then recover by lifting the paddle behind them and  swinging it back to the front. It’s too bad this is such a natural  movement, because it’s a really bad way to paddle. You can’t add any  real power once the paddle reaches your feet, any pull on the paddle as  it travels back pulls the rail and tail of the board down and pulls you  out of balance, and that long swing takes a lot of energy.
After people gain experience they often progress to a rough copy of a  Hawaiian stroke. They pull the paddle to just before their feet, drop  the upper hand out and down which pops the blade out of the water, then  they swing the paddle forward to recover and bring the upper hand back  into position for the next stroke. This is a more powerful, but it takes  a lot of energy to swing the paddle through the stroke and there’s no  time to rest.
The Tahitian Recovery
As soon as you put the power to it, start recovering by lifting the  paddle out of the water like drawing a sword from a scabbard. You turn  the handle with your top hand like a knob to feather the blade and help  it pop out of the water. You do this feathering movement even when the  wind is behind you because it helps the paddle exit the water cleanly.  Break your lower wrist inwards as your upper hand turns the knob, then  push upwards with the lower hand while the upper arm relaxes and follows  the movement. You extend your lower arm, move your upper shoulder and  arm into the stacked position, rotate your torso and shoulder forwards  and punch out for the catch.
The upper arm moves through a small circle that is flattened like an  almond. It adds power in the stroke by pushing down as the shoulders  twist.
The lower arm adds power at the same time,  pulling back with the  torso and shoulder, then relaxing as it pushes the paddle up out of the  water. Then it pushes forward in a gentle punch to reach for the catch  of the next stroke.

It’s not a conga line, it’s Jeremy Riggs showing the Tahitian  recovery. The sequence starts from the back “jeremy”. Photo courtesy of Randy Strome
The total amount of movement in the recover is a fraction of the  effort required in swinging the blade back into position with  conventional strokes. The downside is that your upper arm can get tired  quickly from staying in a high position constantly. The trick is to  relax the arm all the time you are not pulling, and let it hang from the  handle rather than trying to use the upper arm to pull the paddle from  the water. Your upper hand feathers the paddle, but it does it like  turning a knob, a very easy movement.
The lower arm needs to relax during this movement also. You’re going  to use the lower arm to push the paddle upwards, but it’s a light  weight. You should feel the muscles go soft as you pull the paddle from  the water. Start breaking the wrist immediately, and keep it bent softly  until you start the punch for the reach. The biggest advantage of this  stroke is how efficient it is. If you’re keeping your arm muscles tight  when you’re doing the recover you’re not gaining full benefit.
You should exaggerate all the movements at first. Keep your initial  pull VERY short, as soon as you put the power in, you stop pulling and  start recovering. Your upper arm needs to hang on the paddle during  recover and the lower arm should feel soft and loose. Exaggerate the  relaxation. Your reach should be extreme. Go past your comfort zone and  get your shoulder way out. Stack your shoulders and get the paddle as  vertical as possible. You might find your paddle is too short for this  long reach. Consider getting a longer one or extending the one you have.  There’s an article in Ke  Nalu about paddle length and how to extend a paddle that’s already  cut.
Even in this exaggerated approach you should start seeing the  benefits of the Tahitian stroke. You won’t be fast at first, and your  shoulders will probably hurt. Your balance will feel off and the board  will be more tippy because you are not winging out a big balance pole  every stroke. Keep at it and all of this will improve quickly. You’ll  find your arms are not tired after a long paddle. You’ll find you can  immediately bump the cadence way up when you want to, because the  recovery movement is so short, and the short, sharp power strole takes a  fraction of the time. You’ll find you can get into bumps with fast  strokes that feel like you are just tapping the water.

This is NOT the prettiest stroke I’ve ever done. Let’s look at  the flaws starting with the second me from the back. My lower wrist  isn’t broken and soft enough so when I push up, my lower arm pivots from  the shoulder and pushes the paddle too high (third me). With my arms  too high I have to swing the paddle more instead of just punching it  forward (fourth me) but now I’ve got it in the right place, I stack my  shoulders and get a good catch. Photo courtesy of Randy Strome. 
Remember, 70 percent of the power available in a stroke happens  during the catch. A long stroke is something like “onnnne huuundreeed”  while a Tahitian stroke is “70,70,70″. It works out that way. You have a  lot more control over the amount of energy you use and your pace. You  can increase the cadence, or you can pull a fraction longer or a  fraction harder.
Don’t be surprised if that takes a while to learn. It has to get into  muscle memory, and you have to master all the little bits. To really  get it takes about a year with a lot of paddling. Here’s a quick recap  starting from recovery:
At the end of the power stroke don’t wing your upper arm–pull the  blade up and out of the water like drawing a sword.
Breaks the wrist of your lower hand inward and relax most of the  lower arm, using only minimal effort to push the paddle upwards.
Upper hand holds the handle like a knob, with the thumb pointed to  the side.
Twist the blade to a feathered position without putting a strain on  the wrist.
As the blade leaves the water the shoulder, arm and upper torso do a  gentle punch, reaching for the catch.
Upper arm extended, stack the shoulders.
Push the blade smoothly in, torso and shoulder rotation applies  power.
Upper hand pushes forward and slightly down to aid in the power keep  the shaft vertical.
As soon as power is applied you relax, and start the recover.
The upper arm motion is a fluid rotation like an almond.
Pay attention to relaxing muscles when you can.
Breathe
Mistakes people make
 Forcing the stroke. Relax. If you do it right your hands, torso and  shoulders return to position automatically
 Pushing too soon. Keep your cadence easy and your pull light. Get  the motions down before you try to go fast.
 Pulling up the paddle with the upper hand. The upper hand follows  the paddle. You push up with the lower hand
 Holding the handle too tight. Hold it like a knob.
 Tightening the lower arm. Relax it while you’re pushing up. Sounds  funny, but you’ll get it.
 Too short reach. You have to get out there and stretch your muscles  out. If you’re reaching short your body is all cramped up. Open your  shoulders and your torso.