I get the impression that a lot of paddlers are not familiar with using the palm roll for forward strokes and turns such as the Christie. In the following video, Ray Goodwin does a good job of illustrating how the palm roll is used in conjunction with the silent, totally in-water Indian stroke.
Ray doesn't go into this, but to forward stroke with a palm roll you don't have to keep the paddle back behind you for two seconds as a yaw correcting rudder, as he recommends, nor do you have to keep the paddle blade in-water during the entire return. That is, palm rolls are useful for forward correction strokes other than the full-blown Indian stroke, which is his primary topic.
Instead, at the end of your forward stroke pull, you can palm roll (with no hesitation for a ruddering correction), and then slice your blade forward and upward and completely out of the water around where your body is. While doing this, keep the forward edge of your paddle blade pointed slightly downward. This action will provide yaw correction (without a rudder hesitation) and is called the Canadian stroke, guide stroke, or knifing J stroke. The further downward you point the front edge of the paddle while slicing forward and upward, the stronger the correction will be—and, in fact, with a very pronounced downward angle you can even turn the canoe toward your on-side with the Canadian stroke return.
In any event, the palm roll is fundamental to the Indian stroke and can also be used (optionally) with a Canadian stroke partial in-water return. The palm roll is also fundamental to a Christie turn, for which I'll look for another video.
Ray doesn't go into this, but to forward stroke with a palm roll you don't have to keep the paddle back behind you for two seconds as a yaw correcting rudder, as he recommends, nor do you have to keep the paddle blade in-water during the entire return. That is, palm rolls are useful for forward correction strokes other than the full-blown Indian stroke, which is his primary topic.
Instead, at the end of your forward stroke pull, you can palm roll (with no hesitation for a ruddering correction), and then slice your blade forward and upward and completely out of the water around where your body is. While doing this, keep the forward edge of your paddle blade pointed slightly downward. This action will provide yaw correction (without a rudder hesitation) and is called the Canadian stroke, guide stroke, or knifing J stroke. The further downward you point the front edge of the paddle while slicing forward and upward, the stronger the correction will be—and, in fact, with a very pronounced downward angle you can even turn the canoe toward your on-side with the Canadian stroke return.
In any event, the palm roll is fundamental to the Indian stroke and can also be used (optionally) with a Canadian stroke partial in-water return. The palm roll is also fundamental to a Christie turn, for which I'll look for another video.
