Canoeing Basics – Paddling
Forward paddling is probably the most under-appreciated and under-practiced canoeing move, yet perfecting your forward paddling technique can save you a lot of time, effort, and muscle strain.
The most important thing is to make sure you have good posture when seated in your canoe. It's vital to sit up rather than leaning back because an upright posture allows you to make all your paddling strokes as powerful as possible. You should also make sure that your feet are right up against the footrest inside your canoe if you have one, because this bracing movement ensures you’ll have a more powerful stroke than you would otherwise.
Next, you should pay attention to where the paddle goes into the water – which is about where your feet are in the canoe. You don't have to be neurotic about the precision of the entry point, but be aware that you lose power if you stroke too much ahead or behind of that point. You should also focus on relaxing your grip on the canoe paddle as this makes it easier for you to sustain your paddling pace - and can prevent repetitive strain injuries.
Finally, ensure your paddle is entering the water close to the canoe, and that your strokes are going deep.
Reverse paddling is an important canoeing technique. While you should put the blade into the water near your feet in order to paddle forward, reverse paddling requires you to put the blade into the water near your hips instead. Then, you should push the paddle toward the bow of your canoe while turning the trunk of your body.
Ensure always keep your elbows bent while you are reverse paddling. You can improve your reverse paddling power by reaching further behind your hips.
Finally, it's important to check behind yourself and over your shoulder while you are reverse paddling, to be sure that you are not going to run into anything dangerous.
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