Paddling a Light Boat

This week we will work a little more on stroke development., and specifically how we can keep the boat light and gliding rather than 'bogging down'.  

The key is to keep the stroke in front of you and maintain a positive angle with the paddle.  This pushes down on the water and that pops the boat up. Paddling behind you with a negative angle means you lift up water with your paddle.  This is tiring, but also sucks the boat down and makes it heavier. Try these tips to keep your boat lighter: 

1. Reach further in front of you by bringing your top hand back towards your face.
2. Catch with a straight bottom arm to maximize reach
3. Keeping your body upright, rotate to add more length to your stroke. 
4. Think about taking your paddle out at your knees (i.e. don’t pull too far back)