Author Topic: Dave Kalama Paddling Article  (Read 22772 times)

noworrieshawaii

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2010, 03:20:50 PM »
I'm in... I can use all the help I can get...

Kinda hit home how slow I was in the Sorentos race when the zodiac crew asked me if I wanted a tow... sheesh.. :o

greatdane

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2010, 07:31:51 PM »

I do know that my current stoke leaves me very tired after about an hour and 15 minutes... so I gotta change something for longer races.

GD... looks to me in the video you are starting your stroke pretty far back.. the pontoons look like they are in your way... I was told by a very good coach (Jack) that you need to reach pretty far forward and release by your knee...    JMHO.

Totally agree.  Although the pontoons are not to blame... plenty of room there. Just my poor technique.  In the video, I am trying really hard to set a high MPH on the GPS, and fatiguing really fast... and when I get tired, whatever technique I have goes to hell, quickly.  Today on an 1.5 hour paddle, where I really could focus on good form, I felt like I was doing better. 
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PonoBill

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #17 on: February 12, 2010, 03:00:47 PM »
I've been pleased by how many people liked the article and found it useful. I saw a guy yesterday on the south side who was clearly practicing the tahitian stroke. Getting it pretty right too, I think, except I could see he wasn't pushing up with his lower arm.

I was talking to a woman in the lineup at Kanaha this morning who told me she and a girlfriend who's coming to Maui are going to engage Dave for some paddle training. Yesterday I was talking to a friend who said he'd like to do it but it seemed expensive. This is a guy with several downwind boards and who knows how many paddles. Has probably spent ten grand on the boat and nothing on the motor. I said I thought it was pretty reasonable, I spent more than that on skiing lessons when I switched to shaped skis, and my instructor wasn't Bode Miller.

Ah, he said, but that was more than one lesson.

Ah, says I, I've had three sessions with Dave and now we're trying to coordinate schedules to do a downwinder together so he can tune up what I'm doing.

Ah, that's different, says he.

Well, I guess so, but honestly the big change in paddle technique was after the first session. I still don't have it all down, and I don't expect to for some time to come, but it's starting to jell, my shoulders are feeling better (except for giving my left one a nasty tweak today when I got worked) and I can paddle pretty much flat out for miles without getting tired, at a cadence I could NEVER have achieved before, for any distance.

I don't know if this is going to make me fast, but it sure is making me efficient.   
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

PonoBill

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #18 on: February 13, 2010, 09:22:16 AM »
Oh, and that's a great idea Chan. I thought Dave should make a DVD of paddle coaching. All we need to do is get Randy to shoot and edit it. Of course he'd have to buy a video camera again...
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Admin

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #19 on: February 13, 2010, 09:53:46 AM »
Oh, and that's a great idea Chan. I thought Dave should make a DVD of paddle coaching. All we need to do is get Randy to shoot and edit it. Of course he'd have to buy a video camera again...

Crazy thing is that all of the newer still cameras shoot unreal hi def video as well.  You get to shoot through good lenses as well with a 35 mm sensor, so  cool depth of field as well.  I've been jammed and haven't tried it yet, but things lighten up soon.

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Chan

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #20 on: February 13, 2010, 10:48:07 AM »
   
Quote
All we need to do is get Randy to shoot and edit it. Of course he'd have to buy a video camera again
C’mon Bill that’s not fair.  Why not encourage his other two demons while your at it  http://www.baconorbeercan.com/  and he’ll be right back to where he was when I met him: fat, drunk, and broke (well , ok, not fat).   :)
« Last Edit: February 13, 2010, 10:50:52 AM by Chan »

beaglebuddy

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #21 on: February 13, 2010, 07:39:03 PM »
To me the major difference is turning the lower wrist inward to flip the paddle out of the water, this saves the top hand from doing this by making a larger circle and bending the elbow more, i.e. bending the lower wrist decreases the amount of movement necessary of the top hand.
One question however, what is meant by "stacking the shoulders" ?

PonoBill

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #22 on: February 13, 2010, 10:25:08 PM »
Stacking means more or less getting your upper shoulder over the top of your lower shoulder. If you stand up in the kitchen and just air paddle, it's pretty easy to get into this position. A bit trickier on a board. But if you do this, get your lower hand stuffed forwards, you upper hand close to your head, and your shoulders in this position its easy to push your lower hand forward like a soft punching jab, stab the blade into the water, feel the muscles start to pull from springiness alone, then put the meat to it by rotating your torso.

The wrist movement is important, as is pushing up with the lower hand. In fact every little thing is important, which is why it's nice to have a guy like Dave who has totally mastered and disassembled this stroke to tell you how to do it.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

DavidJohn

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #23 on: February 14, 2010, 12:20:00 AM »
Thanks Bill.. It's all great info IMO.. Can't wait for the DVD..  :)

Whenever I try that tahitian paddle stroke when catching those runners that I would normally miss it really works for me but it puts me into the red in no time.

DJ

PonoBill

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #24 on: February 14, 2010, 07:31:35 AM »
I can't quite see why, unless you're bringing the cadence way up. I was doing that too and Dave slowed me down so I could get the pieces right. Part of the resting comes from the paddle lift, your lower hand does the work, the upper hand guides, and part comes from just never moving your arms that much. You put energy into the pull right at the catch, and you have to reach a little further than you might with a Hawaiian stroke, especially to have that little punch work well with the lower hand. For me it feels like I'm not doing enough but the board goes just as fast as when I paddle with my old stroke.

After a week of practice every day, I'm still not doing it all, and certainly not doing it right.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

juandoe

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #25 on: February 14, 2010, 07:48:13 AM »
Hi Ponobill,
Can you address the hip action?  Do you twist a little and open up the pelvis on the reach or is the pelvis stable and all of the twist coming above the pelvis?  From the vids, it looks like Dave's hips and legs are solid but when I try, I always open up the pelvis a little on the reach.  If I don't twist at the pelvis, I end up using all arms  and I feel it in the posterior deltoids and triceps.  

Can you tell where the power is coming from, more latissimus vs. core (abs and obliques)?   In the previous discussion of Dave's technique, he was using an insanely long paddle.  Does he comment on how a longer paddle impacts the techniques?
« Last Edit: February 14, 2010, 07:50:55 AM by juandoe »

caRRera

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #26 on: February 14, 2010, 09:50:33 AM »
I tried it today in freezing conditions ... and I supposed is quite tricky to do it, but I think I managed to do it right at times. The problem is that it fatigues me alot, specially the forearm, and I think it's due to the rotation of the lower arm wrist.

I should take into account that it was my first flat water paddle since september ...

I'll try to record the paddling next time.

PonoBill

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #27 on: February 14, 2010, 10:32:48 AM »
Absolutely killed my shoulders at first, I think I was lifting the paddle with my upper arm. In any case, the soreness is gone now. I think these are such unusual movements that muscles have to get conditioned in a different way.

Juan--the initial pull in right after the catch is from muscles springing back. You lightly punch the lower arm forward, which carries your shoulder and hip forward too. The paddle goes in right at the apex of the punch and the relaxation of the punch starts the pull. Very hard to time. 

As you start to pull you pull your inside shoulder down and back, rotating your shoulders and torso. The pull is so quick and short that not much hip movement happens. In the video Dave is paddling hard using the Hawaiian stroke, and cruising doing the Tahitian. When he puts the gas to it he moves his pelvis a little more, but not much.

He's after me now to get more torso into the pull, and extend the reach and time the catch better. I have marks on my board rails to gauge my reach progress, and I'm reaching WAY further than I used to. My shoulders feel great today after a short downwinder yesterday, but Diane also got me a massage for valentines day.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

juandoe

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #28 on: February 14, 2010, 12:01:22 PM »
Thanks Ponobill.  
Here is the prior discussion regarding the strokes
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=4766.0

I am roughly the same height but he is using 6 more inches of paddle and his paddle blade is 10 inches wide.  His strength has got to be ridiculous.   :o
« Last Edit: February 14, 2010, 12:03:33 PM by juandoe »

beaglebuddy

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Re: Dave Kalama Paddling Article
« Reply #29 on: February 14, 2010, 01:57:49 PM »
Pono Bill,
Re; stacking
So basically you are saying drop the lower hand shoulder so it's lower than the top hand shoulder while punching the blade forward ?

 


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