Select to expand quoteDaveL1963 said..
Great information in this thread. I have had a hip replacement and am currently holding off on a knee replacement, both on the left hand side. These issues affect my ability to incorporate hinging, bending the knees and twisting. Despite this, I am keen to improve my paddle technique. What recommendations are there for determining paddle length to develop my technique, whilst taking into account these mobility issues? I am sure that my current paddle length is probably too long, and therefore requires a higher lift to clear the board when transferring the paddle from one side to the other.
I should add that I am on a 14' x 28" Evo one. I generally paddle around a 10-12km distance and due to knees and hinging restrictions, my paddle technique would not be described as aggressive.
The Hinging action is a big one, but I am sure you can get around it. breaking things down backwards, the single biggest thing that made the biggest difference in my stroke was slowing down and getting a "proper" catch (not what I thought was a proper catch). No sounds, no bubbles, just solid concrete like hold. Then is it all about downward pressure. I imagine with limited hip and knee bending you will need to watch your shoulders and going too long in your paddle, but a the same time you can still get a good forwards angle and body weight onto the blade without heavy hinging.
JB
Select to expand quoteJB said..DaveL1963 said..
Great information in this thread. I have had a hip replacement and am currently holding off on a knee replacement, both on the left hand side. These issues affect my ability to incorporate hinging, bending the knees and twisting. Despite this, I am keen to improve my paddle technique. What recommendations are there for determining paddle length to develop my technique, whilst taking into account these mobility issues? I am sure that my current paddle length is probably too long, and therefore requires a higher lift to clear the board when transferring the paddle from one side to the other.
I should add that I am on a 14' x 28" Evo one. I generally paddle around a 10-12km distance and due to knees and hinging restrictions, my paddle technique would not be described as aggressive.
The Hinging action is a big one, but I am sure you can get around it. breaking things down backwards, the single biggest thing that made the biggest difference in my stroke was slowing down and getting a "proper" catch (not what I thought was a proper catch). No sounds, no bubbles, just solid concrete like hold. Then is it all about downward pressure. I imagine with limited hip and knee bending you will need to watch your shoulders and going too long in your paddle, but a the same time you can still get a good forwards angle and body weight onto the blade without heavy hinging.
JB
Thanks JB. Still trying determine an optimum paddle length. Travis Grant recommends having the top of the handle of the paddle equal to the top of the pinky finger with the thumb placed on the head in a shaka hand position. As my knee bending and hinging is considerably less than his, and technique is subsequently less aggressive, I am wondering how much extra paddle length I should add to that position before cutting. I definitely don't want to cut too much off and end up with a paddle that is too short.
Select to expand quoteDaveL1963 said..JB said..DaveL1963 said..
Great information in this thread. I have had a hip replacement and am currently holding off on a knee replacement, both on the left hand side. These issues affect my ability to incorporate hinging, bending the knees and twisting. Despite this, I am keen to improve my paddle technique. What recommendations are there for determining paddle length to develop my technique, whilst taking into account these mobility issues? I am sure that my current paddle length is probably too long, and therefore requires a higher lift to clear the board when transferring the paddle from one side to the other.
I should add that I am on a 14' x 28" Evo one. I generally paddle around a 10-12km distance and due to knees and hinging restrictions, my paddle technique would not be described as aggressive.
The Hinging action is a big one, but I am sure you can get around it. breaking things down backwards, the single biggest thing that made the biggest difference in my stroke was slowing down and getting a "proper" catch (not what I thought was a proper catch). No sounds, no bubbles, just solid concrete like hold. Then is it all about downward pressure. I imagine with limited hip and knee bending you will need to watch your shoulders and going too long in your paddle, but a the same time you can still get a good forwards angle and body weight onto the blade without heavy hinging.
JB
Thanks JB. Still trying determine an optimum paddle length. Travis Grant recommends having the top of the handle of the paddle equal to the top of the pinky finger with the thumb placed on the head in a shaka hand position. As my knee bending and hinging is considerably less than his, and technique is subsequently less aggressive, I am wondering how much extra paddle length I should add to that position before cutting. I definitely don't want to cut too much off and end up with a paddle that is too short.
I have gone long and come back short. My usual paddle (surf/Foil) was 74", then I went to 81", then 80" and am now happy at 78" (surprisingly short as I am 6'2"). Going long was good but the should strain was noticeable. I did a quick paddle back on my wave paddle after using the 81" and noticed that my back wore a lot of the stress with my new technique, so it was a game of finding the happy medium (which is where it basically is at 78").
I would guess you will need to fine tune it a few times as without hinging or bending, you're relying on your arms to clear the blade and get the catch which could get costly on your shoulders if you go too long. Maybe spend some time on a variable/adjustable to dial in your lengths before the chop.
JB
Select to expand quoteDaveL1963 said..JB said..DaveL1963 said..
Great information in this thread. I have had a hip replacement and am currently holding off on a knee replacement, both on the left hand side. These issues affect my ability to incorporate hinging, bending the knees and twisting. Despite this, I am keen to improve my paddle technique. What recommendations are there for determining paddle length to develop my technique, whilst taking into account these mobility issues? I am sure that my current paddle length is probably too long, and therefore requires a higher lift to clear the board when transferring the paddle from one side to the other.
I should add that I am on a 14' x 28" Evo one. I generally paddle around a 10-12km distance and due to knees and hinging restrictions, my paddle technique would not be described as aggressive.
The Hinging action is a big one, but I am sure you can get around it. breaking things down backwards, the single biggest thing that made the biggest difference in my stroke was slowing down and getting a "proper" catch (not what I thought was a proper catch). No sounds, no bubbles, just solid concrete like hold. Then is it all about downward pressure. I imagine with limited hip and knee bending you will need to watch your shoulders and going too long in your paddle, but a the same time you can still get a good forwards angle and body weight onto the blade without heavy hinging.
JB
Thanks JB. Still trying determine an optimum paddle length. Travis Grant recommends having the top of the handle of the paddle equal to the top of the pinky finger with the thumb placed on the head in a shaka hand position. As my knee bending and hinging is considerably less than his, and technique is subsequently less aggressive, I am wondering how much extra paddle length I should add to that position before cutting. I definitely don't want to cut too much off and end up with a paddle that is too short.
It sounds like you need to find the length that is sustainable for you rather than what it is optimal for someone else. As I understand it, the trend amongst the pros is to go shorter and shorter. Say 4-8cm more than height. But that requires a lot more bending from the waist and loads up the lower back a lot more than with a longer paddle.
All of that is a non-answer but at a practical level can I extol the virtues of adjustable paddles. I bought one recently (for racing even!) and it is great. I have 15cm of adjustment to play with and it has allowed me to dial in length (including having gone too short and then a bit longer again) much faster than I ever could have cutting down and re-gluing.
