More Stroking Tips

With our paddling technique being our downfall in the Lake Merced Race, we will be improving it during practices. And here is a friendly reminder for all who have slacked on their techniques.

ROTATION AND EXTENSION AND FORWARD LEAN:
- Rotation starts from the (1) hips, (2) lower back, (3) upper back, (4) shoulders, (5) extend arms
- To maximize reach and extension, concentrate on bringing your outside arm parallel to the water before the catch and extend the bottom arm straight (see photos)
- Lean forwards at all times, it really helps with to get more length on the stroke - also if the person sitting in front of you is not leaning, it will shorten the stroke of the person behind. It is important that everyone leans and keeps leaning throughout the race/practice. Very tiring to those not used to it, but it gets better over the course of a month or two with regular practice
- Think about leaning and reaching and extending out slightly more than what feels comfortable

CATCH:
- Plant your paddle into the water before you start to pull
- The catch should be silent without any splashing (otherwise that means you are starting to pull before a full catch)
- Keep the stroke up-front, and do not pull back too far

PULL:
- Keep your core tight as most of the work during the pull is coming from your back and legs (not from the arms)
- Lock your bottom arm while pulling
- Think of the pull as if you are pulling yourself and the boat up to the paddle, rather than pushing the paddle into the water

EXIT AND RECOVERY:
- Exit when the blade reaches your mid thigh as pulling back too far will create drag
- As you exit the water, you can do a slight inwards twist with your wrists to break the pressure of the water against the blade of the paddle to aid the exit motion