I’ve done a lot of writing about the concept of “gears” in paddling (see “Stroke Rate in SUP Paddling” ). Although it has been a while since I last wrote on the subject, nothing since has made me change my way of thinking. Everyone needs to find a gear that works best for them, given their own individual fitness strengths and weaknesses. They should also develop a range of gears they are comfortable using for various situations they are likely to encounter. What has happened since I last wrote about gears is that I’ve developed an even greater appreciation for the need to adjust your gear to the conditions you are paddling in.
In flat water you can paddle in pretty much whatever gear feels best to you. If you like a lightly loaded, faster stroke then go for it. I believe there is always value in doing drills in which you play with how you load the paddle so you’ll discover how to load the paddle more effectively while still maintaining the rhythm and feel of the lighter gear you prefer. However I don’t think people need to paddle in a “heavier” gear if the lighter gear they are using is effective.
Similarly, if you prefer a slower stroke which allows you to use a little more body weight in your stroke and feels like it is a little easier on your cardiovascular system that is fine too. Many adult paddlers, especially middle-aged men that aren’t highly trained athletes, find this slower stroke/more heavily loaded gear preferable and more effective.
When you’re paddling in choppy water things are a little different. I have the opportunity to paddle in lots of chop regularly on Lake Ontario that ranges from one to four feet. We don’t often get big ocean swell, but we get some sizeable waves in mostly choppy conditions. What I’ve come to realize is that in choppy water it’s absolutely necessary to select a gear that keeps the board on top of the chop. Using too heavy a gear or too slow a stroke in these conditions will cause your board to sink deeper into the chop and get “sticky”. It really doesn’t matter how powerful you are. It’s more a matter of providing impulse to the board dynamically and often enough so that it gets it on top of the chop and then doesn’t let it drop deeper in the water between strokes. It’s especially important if you’re a heavier paddler or on a board with less volume. Both of these are problematic in these conditions, but you can overcome these disadvantages if you paddle to the conditions really well by adjusting your gear, stroke rate and rhythm.
You’ll find the most effective way of finding a good “chop gear” is to start in the flats and play with your rate, load and paddling rhythm. For stretches of paddling try to lighten the load and increase the stroke rate. You may initially find it changes the rhythm of your breathing and you get out of breath, but stick with it for as long as you can and then go back to your normal, slower but more loaded stroke. Keep repeating this until the faster cadence with lighter load begins to feel more comfortable.
It is important that you still find load on the paddle. You just can’t be as exaggerated with your loading the paddle or go as deep in the water. It is really important that you try to be DYNAMIC with how you work against the water with your paddle. In order to be more dynamic, I like to try to get everything done a little earlier in my stroke. I’m trying to catch harder and gather water behind the blade more quickly. I’m trying to initiate my pull more quickly by making sure I have excellent top hand pressure directed down the paddle shaft as quickly as possible and am engaging my hips to initiate my pull as soon as I have water held behind my blade. If I maintain that good top hand pressure down the shaft through the stroke, I don’t have to go too deep with my blade to maintain good connection. This means my blade is a little more on top of the water and that makes it easier to start my exit a little earlier. I think it is a mistake to be obsessed about where you are exiting, but it is imperative that you try to generate as much impulse as you can as quickly as possible in the stroke. If you take this approach, I’m pretty certain you’ll be exiting where it is most natural (and therefore best) for you.
Once you’ve become comfortable with this in the flats it is time to find this lighter, more dynamic stroke in the chop. You’ve got to just let yourself go and go for it. One of the most amazing things about paddling in rough water is the more you are worried about your balance and are paddling tentatively, the more unstable you’ll find you are. A faster, more dynamic stroke should actually make you feel more stable if you just forget about any fears you have of falling in and just go for it. In my experience, rough water paddling requires bold, decisive movements in order to have maximal stability. The less decisive you are in the way you move around the board or work with your paddle, the less stable you will in fact be.
To make things a little easier as you’re learning in the chop, start by practicing your faster, more dynamic stroke going upwind. It’s a little easier to balance going upwind then in side chop. After you’ve found the right spot on your board you should notice that the board stays on top of the water a little more and you don’t have as much water coming over the nose of your board. You’ll also find that your board doesn’t slow down as much between strokes which is always welcome.
Over time you can start practicing this “chop gear” in side chop. You’ll get the feeling pretty quickly of when you’re doing it well and when you’re not. When you’re on, you’ll feel like your board is just bouncing along on top of the waves. You’ll also feel surprisingly stable. When you’re not doing it well you’ll feel like your board is “sticky” in the water, you’ll have more water on top or your board and you’ll feel less stable.
It takes time to develop a highly effective gear for every condition. Certainly the adjustment that I have described here will not be something you should expect to instantly master. But by playing with your gears daily in the flats and then regularly taking advantage of opportunities to paddle in chop you’ll get it. It’s something that I’ve been able to pick up and I just keep getting better at it. Give it a try!
