Have you ever seen a really good paddler accelerate their boat into an eddy? They seem to make the boat move effortlessly, even during a gradual turn. The key is carving your turns so you can maintain your momentum in the direction you want to go.
Have you ever seen a really good paddler accelerate their boat into an eddy? They seem to make the boat move effortlessly, even during a gradual turn. The key is carving your turns so you can maintain your momentum in the direction you want to go.
This drill will help you learn to carve, and make better use of the natural tendency of a solo boat to veer in an arc. Paddle forward, and do a slight draw to start the boat veering to your paddling side. Then stroke only on that side, using very vertical strokes, with the blade almost under the boat. A little bit of boat tilt to the paddling side will help tighten up the turn.
You will feel the boat continue to turn toward the paddle side, despite forward strokes which would normally straighten the direction. You will learn to search for this turning sensation when you paddle, so you will need fewer corrections and be able to apply more force to the forward strokes.
Learning to do this drill has major benefits. First, it teaches you to paddle with a vertical paddle shaft. This reduces the number of corrections you have to do, and improves your acceleration power.
A second benefit is that forward stroking on the inside of the turn helps keep the boat from sideslipping. The main problem with sideslipping is that you are not maintaining the momentum of the boat in the direction you want to go. A carved turn will carry your momentum in the new direction.
Imagine that the water at the bow waterline is pushing your boat into a tighter and tighter turn, which you now can use to your benefit. You can keep applying forward power while your boat is turning towards your paddle side. The perfect place to use this is in onside eddy turns and peel outs. The boat lean is necessary anyway, and keeping the boat from sideslipping will make the turn more predictable and enjoyable.
The same carving turn is possible, but much harder on your offside. You need a narrow, responsive playboat, and a lot of flexibility to do the cross forward strokes. But with practice, you can do it and enjoy carving all your turns!