Wave selection and timing

In dead of winter i wear mittens or lobster claws. When i paddle, or if i just really need to move, I'll spread my fingers as far apart as i can.... effectively making my "oar" bigger. Kinda off topic. But figured I'd throw it out there

 

1.) bort choice
2.) position
3.) paddling power
Extra - I’ve recently been working on timing of sinking my bort so I can cheat and sit deeper and not paddle as much. Sometimes I sink it too much though and I have everything timed perfectly and the bort slips past me and I miss the wave and I feel like a kook

 

Mr B-

Paddling. I watch people miss waves all the time bc their paddling needs help. I paddle like I swim. Couple issues I’ve seen:

- hands digging too shallow and not grabbing/pushing enough water. Get hands deep (we’ll as deep as you can and maintain solid, quick tempo)
- hands lagging behind and not staying out in front of chest/head range. The longer you keep hands in front area, the more surface tension you create to move yourself/bort faster. If you spend more time with your hands behind your shoulder/towards your hips it’s gonna be slow (in Swimming this is called front quadrant Swimming)
- wrist flipping. I cringe at this. Water displacement (in the ocean no less) Throwing water all over the place doesn’t make you move faster. Not only that, keeping your hands relaxed, but rigid against pressure of water along with your forearm (like an oar) moves your bort farther, faster. That wrist flipping sheet isn’t doing anything for anybody.

- my bad habit: kicking, I think. Who here kicks?

 

Yeah like Mr. B said we actually had a discussion about kicking. I don't kick much. The thing is, it's not the kicking that gives you any type of forward movement. But when you kick it lifts your lower half and pushes your upper body down. Essentially driving the nose down the face but you can still paddle while doing so. When i do kick, it's "fake" kicks to simulate this movement. If i kick hard I'll start to flail and it throws everything off for me

The kicking the feet up thing that Mr. B mentioned i do when I'm on a LB.

 

Lmfao, moxie

I missed all of the past few weeks. Haven’t been on a board in about 3 weeks

 

I found that paddling my LB for long distance on flat days just to get exercise helped me improve my paddling and wave catching on all boarts.

It forces you to be efficient with every stroke while pacing yourself, being careful to not gas out by paddling with too much aggression. Long, strong, and deep. Just how my wife likes it.

Remember, it’s about being efficient with your energy. Paddling shouldn’t tire you out unless it’s a big day and lots of big waves to paddle for and you are nonstop catching waves.

You should just paddle at an even pace for as long as you can till you need a break. Turn around paddle back the same way. Do that several times till you are almost unable to lift your arms lol

Make it a point to make the least amount of splash with each stroke. Then pull yourself through the water with controlled strength and intention. Just one man’s assessment from years of slow but steady improvement.

 

On my shortboard, in medium size semi soft waves (stomach to chest hi windchoppe) I find myself kicking a bit on the takeoff, and I know it doesn't make me go any faster, but I do it anyways out of reflex just to get a bit more into the wave. After reading the above few posts now it kinda makes sense, it just gives you more forward weight and momentum for a split second, and hopefully makes a difference in getting out in front of the mush.

Good waves, no need. Just angle and go. Let gravity do its thing.

 

Oh, it’s still around. There’s a gd festival dedicated to it. I don’t get it, I tried one about 10 yrs ago when I moved here bc everyone talked about it - couldn’t finish it. Tastes like someone put Vic’s vapor rub and robituasin in a coke and let it go flat.

 

I like to cup my hands and take wide shallow strokes. Smaller circumference On my circular motion. Still drawn out. More like an oval motion forward reaching. Sometimes you need two or three quick strokes and being shallow gives you more efficiency I think. I have found that this helps with my bad shoulder too. Sometimes digging deep on fast sterpytske offs is required but digging for a set with a longer paddle to get in, I have long wide shallow strokes...

 

Sterpytske is a thing lol!
*steeper take offs

 

Damn right I kick. I use my feet like evinrudes for extra speed.

 

I was thinking of the paddling-in-easy mechanics, and one thing that I've found out, is on a board with alot of entry rocker, on a wave that needs you to get in fast, don't weight too far forward, you will plow water. Better to make sure you are mostly weighted on the flatter, thicker middle section of your board so you remain on plane.

 

I kick like a mule and bite like a crocodile.....

 

Paddling mechanics are really misunderstood by many... but si'dogg has nailed it here. It's all about efficiency in form drag, meaning you need to keep your board on an angle that is most efficient. That angle changes from board to board, depending upon rocker, template, foil and volume distribution. Paddler build and body mechanics also are a variable. Putting your weight forward to get down the face faster makes no sense from a physics perspective. Putting your weight at the center of buoyancy relative to rocker makes complete sense.