With there being more strokes than most of us want to keep track of, the most basic is the forward stroke. As simple as the forward stroke may seem there is technique to doing the stroke properly.
The forward stroke is the most common stroke that you will use while paddling. If it were not for the forward stroke no other strokes would matter! While on your trip you will likely be doing thousands of forward strokes so it is important to do it properly. By using the technique outlined below you will use significantly less energy than doing it improperly. Doing the forward stroke as outlined below is also easier on your joints and will leave you with more energy at the end of the day.
There are three steps to the forward stroke; catch, power, and recovery (CPR). As with any other stroke you want to have a vertical paddle shaft (your hands stacked) and you want to use your torso for power rather than your arms. So, the first step of the stroke involves placing the paddle in front of you at a comfortable distance (catch), there is no need to overextend yourself. Once you have the paddle placed in the water with a vertical paddle shaft you will start to rotate your torso (power), bringing the paddle back to your hips. Once the paddle is at your hips you will stop rotating, bring the paddle out of the water (recovery) and feather it forward for your next stroke.
When you are first learning how to do the forward stroke try and do each motion very deliberately. This will help you get the muscle memory down and then you can start to work on having better "flow". As with anything, this will take some practice but soon it will be second nature!
As always feel free to ask us any questions you may have. We are always happy to talk paddling!
The forward stroke is the most common stroke that you will use while paddling. If it were not for the forward stroke no other strokes would matter! While on your trip you will likely be doing thousands of forward strokes so it is important to do it properly. By using the technique outlined below you will use significantly less energy than doing it improperly. Doing the forward stroke as outlined below is also easier on your joints and will leave you with more energy at the end of the day.
There are three steps to the forward stroke; catch, power, and recovery (CPR). As with any other stroke you want to have a vertical paddle shaft (your hands stacked) and you want to use your torso for power rather than your arms. So, the first step of the stroke involves placing the paddle in front of you at a comfortable distance (catch), there is no need to overextend yourself. Once you have the paddle placed in the water with a vertical paddle shaft you will start to rotate your torso (power), bringing the paddle back to your hips. Once the paddle is at your hips you will stop rotating, bring the paddle out of the water (recovery) and feather it forward for your next stroke.
When you are first learning how to do the forward stroke try and do each motion very deliberately. This will help you get the muscle memory down and then you can start to work on having better "flow". As with anything, this will take some practice but soon it will be second nature!
As always feel free to ask us any questions you may have. We are always happy to talk paddling!
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