Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => Technique => Topic started by: hbsteve on October 20, 2016, 11:50:18 AM
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When I first started, I learned to hold the paddle shaft by my fingers. Picture the lower hand in a "C" shape, as in hanging from a pull up bar.
Someone recently told me to have the paddle shaft more in my palm.
What is the current thinking on this?
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As long as you are not expending unnecessary energy gripping the shaft I would think either way is fine. It's always good to be able to modify the grip a little on a long paddle.
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I prefer a loose grip with the lower hand, this also gives you more reach than a tight grip.
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I prefer a loose grip with the lower hand, this also gives you more reach than a tight grip.
Same.
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A death grip on the lower hand sounds absurd. Either hand BTW.
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Got a great tip from an elite racer. Keep your little finger loose and NOT wrapped at all around the shaft. . Helped me a lot. Tennis, hockey, baseball all the same! Looser is always mo bettah! Tense muscles 💪 are slooow.. 8) 8) 8)
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Yes to everything said already. Tight hands = tense hands = tense arms = tense body = poor performance. Some athletes (like some sprinters) who don't keep their hands entirely loose still typically avoid entirely tight hands. Tight grip also means more blisters.
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I also use a loose grip. My motto, "Go with what works for you".
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The tension of the grip wasn't discussed. The other person suggested that I have the paddle shaft in the palm of my hand.
I haven't experienced any problems with the way I've been doing it. So, I'm reluctant to change, unless that is now the current thinking.
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I definitely don't have the lower grip in the palm of my hand. I lightly grip using my fingers, and for some weird reason for my right hand I only use 3 fingers, and on my left all 4 (both of course with the thumb)
Must be all that tea drinking we do here...
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Try it and see. It's not the standard advice that's given, but I think we have to be open to new possibilities. If it were possible to keep the shaft in the palm and still remain as loose as a goose then maybe there might be advantages. I'd be worried about the loss of reach, and perhaps fine control over the blade orientation, but perhaps that's just a matter of practice. It is possible that the advice you were given was part of a package of things that work together to address a particular shortcoming, perhaps.
But the message here is clear: whatever you do, try to stay as relaxed as possible. If using the palm means that you tense up then you might lose any theoretical gains.
It's an interesting and unusual suggestion. I'm going to give it a go today. It doesn't sound "right" to me - but then again as Dave Kalama pointed out, there's not much about a good paddle stroke that is intuitive.
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I'm not claiming to be an expert but check out my hands in this vid.. 8)
And I'm not even a tea drinker.. ;D
https://vimeo.com/187620136
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@DJ
When I watch your DW'ing videos, I pay attention to your footwork on your sup. This is the first time I've paid attention to your hand and finger work while paddling. After watching the entire video, I come to realize your hand and finger work at exactly like mine....which includes the pinkie. ;)
Thanks for sharing this video again.
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It's not so much about gripping but pulling with the least amount of stress you can put on hand\forearm.
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Yes. As an experiment hold your left forearm with your right hand above the elbow. Slowly close your hand. Notice when the muscle gets tight. When your hand starts to close that is when you start losing speed and strength.
Baseball players are now taught to hold the bat in your fingers to minimize the tension in the forearms from a tight palm grip. Notice a lot more bats are flying around than in the old days!!
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"Grip it and rip it" is probably one of the most oxymoronic phrases ever uttered in sports, since even in the game of golf, a light grip key to a powerful stroke.
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Zactly!
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Very rare that I have more than 3 fingers engaged...pinky extension for sure.... :). Can't even imagine paddling with my palm.
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But, if you had silly little hands like DT, you would need to use your palms for sure... ;D
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Try it and see. It's not the standard advice that's given, but I think we have to be open to new possibilities. If it were possible to keep the shaft in the palm and still remain as loose as a goose then maybe there might be advantages. I'd be worried about the loss of reach, and perhaps fine control over the blade orientation, but perhaps that's just a matter of practice. It is possible that the advice you were given was part of a package of things that work together to address a particular shortcoming, perhaps.
But the message here is clear: whatever you do, try to stay as relaxed as possible. If using the palm means that you tense up then you might lose any theoretical gains.
It's an interesting and unusual suggestion. I'm going to give it a go today. It doesn't sound "right" to me - but then again as Dave Kalama pointed out, there's not much about a good paddle stroke that is intuitive.
Yes to everything you said. It's funny how hbsteve had to remind people like me not to assume that palm grip equals death grip, which is obvious now that he said that.
I was reading about sprinters who believe that some tension in your hands is better than none, which was an interesting sidetrack to this.
I'm always wary of saying any technique advice is definitely right or wrong. What seems like scientific truth now will be viewed as naive next year. As you said, the palm grip conflicts with what most people here seem to do, but may be perfect when combined with other advice for any particular person.
I think the next technique focus (which has already started--see the recent Travis Grant videos) will be to NOT reach too far. In swimming, when "reach" became king, people started rotating and reaching as far as possible because "more reach is better" only to reach so far that they had no power until their hand came back several inches. Smart swimmers and coaches realized if you cut out the last few inches of reach, you not only cut out a fraction of a second, it also means you don't waste another fraction of a second pulling your hand back to the point where you have some power. Better to just put your hand in where it should have gone in the first place, start the catch there, and get right into the pull.
For some people, the bit of extra reach you get from a non-palm grip may just be allowing you to reach further than is best for you.
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Less is more. as PDX Mike stated, a looser grip means less strain on the body, less energy used, etc. My lower is just fingers, even when surfing, downwinding and racing. Upper hand is similar, on the forward stroke, I'll just be pushing with my palm - thumb/fingers free then grip lightly for the exit and recovery.
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There are two lessons that I learned from kayaking that I think are relevant to this discussion. The first is that in order to prevent wrist problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, the wrist should be kept straight while paddling. A straight lower wrist is difficult or impossible to achieve unless at least the little finger is kept loose. The second lesson is to relax the upper hand every few strokes, and just push with your palm, as Rob suggests, with the fingers extended.
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Great observation Aqua.
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I am really happy whenever I hear people say "whatever works for you" and "there really is no right way".
I will never be a pro class paddler, but I still strive to get the best results I can and so I pay attention to what everybody says to do and I try it. And I monitor my performance diligently to see what is "working for me".
So I try hard to avoid "the death grip" and if I start to get cramps in my hands I alter my technique and generally for me, staying as loose and relaxed as possible works for me.
I think one of the beauties of this sport for me is that you are continuously being challenged (if you want) and there is so much to be learned from trying different techniques and always "going for more". I will probably never really get to where I want to be....but that's the challenge and the reason to keep after it.