psychological support
Published September 11, 2010 | 
Shawna Franklin & Leon Somme of Body Boat Blade are offering up a little bit of paddle counseling with the help of Bryan Smith and Canoe & Kayak Magazine. They are producing a 3 part “How To” series that includes an article in Canoe & Kayak along with supporting online video and discussion. Great plan. As always Shawna and Leon do a fantastic job demonstrating techniques in a way that is fairly easy to grasp for folks of all skill levels. I’ve embedded the low brace turn video. For the rest of the series head on over to Canoe & Kayak’s website.
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5 Responses to psychological support
Just when you think you know something….. a low brace turn with an outside edge? I guess I better head for the lake.
Derrick,
thanks for posting this, great content from Shawna and Leon. It’s funny I hate doing the inside edge low brace turn it really just stalls out for me in my super long Silhouette. The outside edge is much more effective. Now we just need to tell all the ACA IT’s that this is kosher.
I don’t think the ACA IT’s are going to fight you on this one. As an instructor, you should be able to demonstrate both. However, don’t try that outside edge when you’re breaking into or out of current across an eddyline. Also, make sure you notice that Shawna puts a lot less pressure on her paddle blade with the outside edge than you see on the inside edge turns being demonstrated. Too much resistance on that outside edge paddle blade will overcome the turning momentum produced by edging the kayak to the outside. The reason that an inside edge low brace turn works is that the resistance on the paddle blade and the slowing of the inside blade is greater than the tendency of the kayak to turn in the opposite direction. Thanks for embedding the video, Derrick.
So how about that outside edge low-brace turn with the paddle blade on the inside of the turn? Best of both world: the edge complements the direction of the turn and the blade on the inside helps the turn rather than counteracting it. The balance gets a bit tricky in this contorted low-brace turn but not as much as you would think.
+1 for Shawna and Leon. Anyone playing long enough in conditions develops these skills.
The ACA might bring up one idea, at least I hope they do – on how these techniques work ever so much better with a smooth-backed paddle blades like those Shawna and Leon are demonstrating with, and not so well with the more common high-dihedral V-shaped blades or ones with a prominent shaft extension (stiffness spine) into the back of the blade itself.
My 0.02, which with interest and inflation are worth little!