How Bad Is My Paddling?

I was curious how bad my paddle strokes are. I was out on my local waters trying out my new paddle. Eh, I should've made my paddle a little narrower. Anyhow I thought I'd try to record my paddle strokes, maybe for a funny video, or if I'm lucky enough someone may say that it isn't so bad. I do go in a straight line.

Any advice, or laughter, is welcome. Y'all don't me
anyhow.
I hope these links work.
Roy

I'm really not one to judge as I'm sure I could use some more practice, but if it works for you and you're enjoying yourself, I'd say you're doing fine. If you want to try something different that should improve efficiency, try turning your wrist down instead of up at the end of your stroke. You're doing a "goon" - which works and I use it myself occasionally, but a "J" (turning the wrist down) won't rob momentum.

Yep, nothing wrong but you'll do yourself a big favor by learning the J-stroke.

Links work great and you'll probably want to refine technique if you'll be wearing fancy costumes and trying to make boats dance to the music or maneuvering in really technical rapids but, for the rest of us, if the boat goes where you want it to go, when you'd like it to go there, you're doin' ok.

Yes, you're doing a "goon" stroke but it's a great illustration of a "goon" stroke... I J-stroke because that's what I was taught and muscle memory will not allow otherwise so watching the thumb go up and ending in a pry feels unnatural even when just watching... I'll have to try it next time I'm on the water. (I expect that it'll freak me out about as much as turning the thumb down will freak you out)

It is, however, an excuse to get out and paddle (for science, you know) so there's that... Enjoy.

Welcome to the forum Roybrew. Your paddling is as good as you want it to be. No one is watching.

What everyone says above is fine, especially Gamma and others with regard to "goon" as rudder VS J stroke. For beginners first learning to go forward with some modicum of control to where they want to go in a straight line, the thumb up goon is a rudder that will get them there. Teaching that method to beginners is often done as a confidence builder for getting in control of the canoe for forward direction. The trick after that is accomplished is to transition them comfortably to a proper thumbs down J, which will then lend itself much better to transitioning the paddle to other fine control or more advanced strokes, as well as minimizing the need for an end of stroke pause to drag the goon rudder behind you. The J, initially feeling unnatural, will become automatic and primary with practice.

I also note that at the end of the stroke, the paddle is lifting water, which is unnecessary and a sapper of energy after a long day of paddling. Most of the power of a stroke is obtained in the first 18-24 inches after the catch, and dragging the paddle back beyond the hip is soething else to work on avoiding.

A couple comments….
1. try to get your paddle shaft a bit more vertical by moving your grip hand over or outside the rails. This will necessitate…
2. …Using a bit of torso rotation when reaching forward for the plant (initial entry of paddle in the water)

Power should be applied ahead of your knees and if you carry the stoke back, that part should be easier and contain the thumb down correction. Blade is most effective within 12” of vertical…before and after that position you are pushing down or lifting up so try to get it vertical at the plant and through the power phase.

These things are efficiency goals to work toward but all need only be done to the limits of YOUR biomechanics….what you’re doing is fine for “lily dipping” in ideal conditions as in your clips.

Best tip of all….enjoy yourself! Excellence does not require perfection.

Great advice, thank you all. We may take the tandom canoe out tomorrow. We rode bicycles today and put in 20 miles, so if my paddling partner is up and rearing to go in the morning, we'll take it out.

I'll work on it.
Roy

A little more practicing my J Stroke. I'm working on it.

Hi Roy - I'm a little jealous that you're still paddling. It's not frozen yet up here, but a little chilly for my liking.

I'm afraid that's still a "goon" and not a "J". The grip hand's thumb (in the case of your video, your left) should be pointing to the bottom of the boat. If it's pointing at the sky, that's a goon. A goon stroke rhythm goes like this: stroke, correct/pause, recover, stroke. A J goes like this: Stroke, recover, stroke - there is no pause. The "directional correction" happens during the stroke, not a separate step.

Ugh.. oh well, I'll be working on it. It's fun being out there.

The weather here is usually pretty mild. We are having normal early winter weather right now. Frosty and 30F this morning and going to be 60 later. I'll have some nice days this winter, so I can get out and play.

Might be easier to think of it this way: For a J-stroke, you'll roll your knuckles (on the top hand) forward to turn the paddle. If you roll your wrist back, that's a goon. Either way, great that you're still getting out and seeking to add / improve skills.

It's not a criticism but as Gamma mentioned the one thing I noticed was that you rotate your top hand in the opposite direction as me at the end of your stroke. If you rotate your top hand in the other direction you can not only practice your J-stroke...you'll also be very close to the C-stroke where instead of starting your power stroke parallel to the boat you angle your stroke slightly towards the boat (so you are doing a gentle bow draw) and continue with the gentle C until you finish with a very gentle (or no) correction at the end. It's a quiet/smooth approach that can eliminate your correction at the end where you are kind of waiting for the boat to bounce off the rudder.

Regarding holding the paddle shaft vertically ("stacked hands") my one comment is that IF your paddle is longer than necessary paddling with stacked hands can feel awkward so many folks end up with some wasteful sweep stroke in their power stroke.

Gamma1214 said:

Might be easier to think of it this way: For a J-stroke, you'll roll your knuckles (on the top hand) forward to turn the paddle. If you roll your wrist back, that's a goon. Either way, great that you're still getting out and seeking to add / improve skills.

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Yep. I had a feeling I wasn't doing it right. I've done the goon stroke for about 30 years. Never knew any better.

gumpus said:

you'll also be very close to the C-stroke where instead of starting your power stroke parallel to the boat you angle your stroke slightly towards the boat (so you are doing a gentle bow

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I've watched with amazement people doing the fancy strokes and freestyle canoeing. It looks like fun. I'm still a young 60, in 4 months, so I should be able to learn.

gumpus said:

that IF your paddle is longer than necessary paddling with stacked hands can feel awkward so many folks end up with some wasteful sweep stroke in their power stroke.

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The paddle I was using is 59". That might be a little long for me, maybe if I include my waist size it might be the right length.

Fun fun! I'll be working on it.

Yup, as mentioned already what you are doing is the goon or rudder stroke, definitely not the J. The skyward pointing thumb is the dead give-away. Old habits and old muscle memory are hard to break without firm concentration on what is to be done at each stroke. Then it becomes automatic. The goon is certainly effective and does get the job done. as It is often the only way that beginners can paddle in a straight line before learning what may seem to them is an awkward inward rotation of the wrist to thumb pointing down, but ruddering is a slow stroke with the built-in pause that does not lend itself to flowing into other advanced control strokes smoothly as does a proper J. Done right, the J can be a very swift power to recovery stroke with no middle pause.

The goon stroke is easier on the wrists if one has or has the tendency to get arthritis. Due to a poorly healed break, I've never been able to do an effective J-stroke paddling on the left. For the left, I've always used a goon stroke. And now that my wrists are both impaired with arthritis, I do the goon on both sides.

Erica said:

The goon stroke is easier on the wrists if one has or has the tendency to get arthritis. Due to a poorly healed break, I've never been able to do an effective J-stroke paddling on the left. For the left, I've always used a goon stroke. And now that my wrists are both impaired with arthritis, I do the goon on both sides.

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If things are consistent - steady wind, direction of travel - I'll dial in a pitch stroke to match. The J only comes in if I need to correct and I'll resort to a goon if things have gotten out of control.

I'm not sure of the evolution of term Goon Stroke, if anyone knows, it would be an interesting bit of info. I know that dedicated practitioners of the Goon ( and there are probably more Gooners than J'ers) like to call it the "stern pry". In no way should this be construed as someone covering up a fault, such as saying "I just passed gas" instead of "man I just ripped out a deadly fart". Indeed, I would hazard to say that millions of miles of canoe trips have been successfully completed by dedicated Stern Pry aficionados. I was one myself for many years, and put untold thousands of miles on an assortment of canoes SP'ing my way across countless lakes and rivers.

My evolution to the J Stroke was weird and wonderful. I had been practicing lucid dreaming, the act of waking up in one's dreams, and taking control of the situation. One night, my dream had me standing in a huge field of untouched snow. I had my paddle in my hand, and was wondering how to proceed. So I dug my paddle into the snow, and using a perfect J, I propelled myself over the snow in huge jumps. Eventually, I arrived at a snow shrouded river, and my last paddle-jump landed me in an icey-dicey wreck of a canoe. Still using the J, I took off, paddling into the winter wonder land.

In real life, it was the spring, the snow had just left, and the next day I put a canoe in the water, and The J came completely natural, like I had been using it my whole life.

However, magical dreams or not, I still can't J on the right hand side. I'm a dedicated lefty, only switch sides for pries or draws. It works out well for tandem travel, as most bows people seem to prefer the right. I can't even goon it on the right anymore. This in no way reflects my political orientations, it's just a physical quirk.

I did a speed test going solo using the goon, J stroke, and sit and switch moving into a slight current and then back. The fastest (and most tiring) stroke was the straight switch. Next, the goon, which got me there quicker but was a little more tiring than the J stroke, but more effective keeping on course and speed wise.

In a tandem on flat water without wind, I’d opt for the J stroke. Things go sideways in a solo, in less than ideal conditions, I resort to the goon, and finally the straight switch if sprinting. Light ruddering has its place, especially in current.