Paddle Smart!

canoeing perspectives

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  • Reflections On The Water

    1. Discover your stroke and its energy cycle, how does it respond to different inputs and stimuli?
    2. Are there some movements / actions that affect the continuity of your stroke cycle? For better or worse?
    3. When you emphasize specific technique elements, does it help or hurt boat speed? Heavy catch? Accelerate finish? etc.
    4. Can gravity and momentum be harnessed into your stroke cycle?
    5. Notice the difference when using naturally occurring forces to generate stroke power VS ‘muscling it’. Which one seems easier and sustainable?
    6.  Doing the same thing repeatedly can get boring, variability fosters versatility. Try mixing things up when you paddle. Change your stroke length and rate … notice the mechanical changes in your stroke cycle when this happens.  
    7. When stroke rate increases does the range change? 
    8. During your paddle imagine you’re watching from the shore, visualize how you look. 
    9. During the recovery, are your hands moving in sync with your core? Maybe they’re rushing ahead?
    10. As you paddle, feel the pressure under your back toes, especially the big toe. 
    11. Is your top arm helping lead the stroke back to the catch? Or does it ‘just get out’ of the way’?
    12. During your air phase (recovery + set-up), do you perform rotation and projection separately? Or do you combine them into one fluid movement?
    13. Does your bottom arm fully extend before or after the catch?

    Visualize these concepts – things like angles, gravity, twist, rotation, blending, projecting, momentum, rhythm … and how everything fits together to form an efficient and continuous stroke cycle.

  • 20250327_Mason_Dylan_IMG_3541

    One of Mason’s first paddles of 2025 … and it looks pretty good! 39 SR, core body strokes. My only comment is to be sure the top arm is actively engaged in leading the recovery and set-up (and not just moving left and ‘out of the way’). Great start to the 2025 canoe season! 

  • 20250209_Mason_Erg_IMG_3391.mov

    This is a good start to 2025. Range is a bit tight but it will increase over time (PLUS regular mobility exercises). Sequencing –both in water and air– is proper and consistent. Careful to not extend bottom arm early before catch –let the catch resistance be the catalyst for full extension.

  • 20241004_Shawn_IMG_2847

    Leading up to this video, Shawn was working on simplifying and streamlining his set-up and catch phases. 

    Traditionally, Shawn had a slight hesitation before the catch. The pause isn’t intentional, it’s the result of “over-thinking” the set-up. We asked him to do his best to ignore his instinct to fine-tune/re-position his hands and shoulders before catching the water.  

    After much repetition and practise, Shawn eventually nailed this part of this stroke. As you can see, the stroke cycle is fluid and natural, and importantly it is continuous and sustainable. There ‘s no hesitation and he’s able to leverage the energy cycle during all phases of the stroke.


    Nice work Shawn!!

  • 20240716_IMG_2499 Role of Top Arm on Recovery

    This short video explains the role of the top arm during the recovery phase of the stroke.

  • Breaking It Down

  • The Art of Connection

    The Art of Connection

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  • Beyond the Obstacle

    Beyond the Obstacle

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  • Growth Unlocked

    Growth Unlocked

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