John: What I look for is a forward angle on the catch. 99% of people are going to reach and look exactly like this (Danny on ERG in perfect setup) before they take a stroke. But what they are going to do is come 8, 9 or 10 inches before they hit the water. And another 2 or 3 inches before they sink the blade.
So the idea is to set that blade we you reach it.
I hear all the time that "I hit the front iako" in the canoe. Well if you are hitting the front iako, but your putting in the paddle a foot back. So why not just put the paddle in there?
The idea is to reach the paddle to the point you are going to put in. If you can only put the full blade in at this point. Then start there. Don't reach out here and then come back 5, 6 or 7 inches before you set the blade. It's a wasted motion. If you can get in here at this angle, then eventually over time as you get more comfortable then you start moving a half inch further forward, and then move another half inch farther forward.
So forward angle on the catch is the first thing I look for.
I look for a triangle. The bottom of the blade is here is one point. Your top hand is the second point and the back of your hip is your third.
So if you body has this triangle motion and you set the blade there and then you start to use your larger efficient muscles (???).
I will let Danny do some talking as he is good at this.
Danny: As Johny said, the biggest thing is to get your blade to set in the water. It doesn't count if the tip just touches the water and it does not count if it is up in the air. The entire blade has to be set.
Johnny actually showed me a drill that is really hard to do but is surprisingly sounds really easy. You literally just set up, set you blade in the water at forward angle, don't pull and then take it out. Amazing how many people setup in the air start back to pull and it surprisingly simple. All you do is set up the blade and you just set blade in the water, take it out, set it again. This kind of gets you use to knowing where your catch is.
Some people have really long arms that are great for putting the paddle up here. Some people have little short arms. It's kind whatever you can reach comfortably because if you get this point (over extended). You can't pull from here, You can't be really efficient from here. You need to find that extension where you have a forward angle and you setting the whole blade in the under water (at a positive angle).
99% of paddlers get here, start there stroke and it is buried here and this is where the stroke starts (short).
You have a great picture of you and the paddle in the air and this great reach and everything is perfect. But you are not starting your stroke until here. (short)
Johnny: That's why every likes pictures of them paddling in the air, because it looks great. And you get a six man team and everyone looks awesome and then a lot of times with the video you go stroke by stroke.
If you can get someone to take a video of you and you think about that forward angle on the catch and where you are setting your catch. If you go frame by frame, you see each frame as go come back farther and farther until the blade gets in the water.
A lot of times, by the time you set that blade in, a lot of people have this angle (negative) on the shaft.
You have lost your whole load at the front. The reason you are paddling up front is that you are using leverage instead of muscle and that is how I kind of look at it.
[By example] If you are reaching out really far and setting it in, you are using lats, legs, stomach and core muscles. You know if you are in here and bending your arm, and this is where it feels heavy (during the pull). A lot people think I am doing a lot of work, I am really strong and this is working out. Well that's not it. The reason is that it feels heavy is that you no longer have leverage. Out here feels (extended) easy because you ahve leverage. It should feel like you are out in front and you have set the blade and you literally grab onto mud or concrete.
OK I always say, that if a door is closed shut and it is nailed closed. What you are going to do is put your foot one the wall and you ging to have your arm out and you are going to pull on it this way (at 4:25 sec mark - effectively shows leg drive also).
It's the same thing when you are paddling. You are never going to go up to that door and go half way up to it, and give it good yank, because there is no leverage.
Any questions? That is just the first part.
Danny: You will know when you get out and set the blade on forward angle, because it feels heavier and it is actually harder. Once you get going, that's going to help you out just to keep your speed. (???)
When you get out here. Once you set the blade, it feels a lot heavier, then if you are going to pull back and set here (short).
Johnny: That's where the one man technique comes in so handy in canoe paddling. A lot people just paddle 6 mans and not one mans (??). If you have your own boat, you can get out there and see where you are putting the paddle in. No timing to keep up with, nobody is racing you, you are not in the competiiton mode. You just sit there relax and go. OK:
- can I put that paddle in up front?
- Did I have a forward angle?
- Did I set the whole blade?
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