We have a number of tips on paddling technique. If you take each component in isolation i.e. the 4 phases of the stroke, it all seems fairly straightforward. However, it takes time and practice to put it all together and develop a fluid and effective stroke. To bake it all into your muscle memory, and to avoid developing bad habits, doing a few drills each time you go out for a paddle can really help. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Straight arm paddling. Firstly use a boat which you feel nice an stable in. Try paddling with completely straight arms i.e. don’t bend at the elbow. This can feel a bit awkward at first, but it can really help to develop leg drive and rotation as you can only paddle with good rotation and using your core.

2) Three stokes and hold set up. The emphasis here is on the set up as getting the set up right is the real key to an effective paddle stroke. Every third stroke (so that each side is worked on) hold the set up position and check that you have fully rotated (drive knee up and drive hip rotated forward) and the arms are in the 90/90/45 degrees position (upper arm out horizontally at shoulder level, forearm at 90 degrees to upper arm and rotated 45 degrees forward).

3) Paddle 3 normal strokes, followed by 2 air strokes. This activity will challenges your stability and focuses your thoughts on using your core to maintain form. During the air strokes the hands are kept low so that the blades clear the water: As the blades come back, prior to recovery it is permissible to support briefly.

4) Top hand reach for the sky. If you have a habit of paddling with your arms too low (a common error) or not reaching far forward enough, this one is for you. By reaching as high as possible with the top hand your are encouraged to extend the supporting arm and to reach forward. When translated to ‘normal paddling’ this should help you to place the blade farther forward and to start the pull with an athletically straight arm, i.e. to reduce the tendency to short stroke.