Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => Gear Talk => Topic started by: longboarder63 on September 26, 2012, 10:59:06 AM
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Does there seem to be a trend to shorter paddle lengths? I noticed on the Quickblade site that Jim is now recommending 9" over height for the standard. A number of posters on this forum are using a longer paddle, like I do. My current paddle is 11.5" over height. A few people I have talked to say the shorter paddles are better on the shoulder, as the top arm is straight forward at the catch and there is less strain on the shoulder, as opposed to having your top arm overhead when using a longer paddle. Seems like with a longer paddle you get more reach and a deeper plant in the water. Curious what the trend is among the racers.
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Good question. I am now going longer. Started with 8-9" but now going 11 maybe 12. With 9 I still had a lot of lower back strain. IMHO I think the extra length is only masking my lack of excellent core strength but I may be wrong. Happy I have the KeNalu to mess around with!
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When Dave Kalama was up a month ago he mentioned he was playing around with slightly shorter paddle lengths.
Nothing definitive yet - but he was trying them.
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I think standup is like swimming--technique will go in cycles. A few years ago in swimming stroke length and distance per stroke were emphasized, and rightly so--it made a lot of people faster. Then people started emphasizing it to the detriment of other things--taking longer strokes at the expense of turnover, or stretching so long that they extended their hands past the point where they could apply power, and created a dead zone at the front of their stroke until their hands fell back to where they could apply power.
I think some standup people took the "reach, dammit, reach" advice--which is good, as long as you're not reaching beyond where you can apply power, or losing your balance--to mean that getting your blade far out in front was the poiint, and it didn't matter if you were doing it by using your body, or by using a longer paddle. But if the paddle gets too long, then it distorts your stroke and slows you down.
It does seem like fast people, who already know how to reach, and already had gone to long paddles, are backing off on paddle length--maybe even on reach, if they were exaggerating it before. But lots of people who aren't that fast never got around to using very long paddles, so probably shouldn't go any shorter.
The main point is to remember that the goal isn't to see how far forward you can make your paddle land in the water. It seems like people were getting caught up in that too much for awhile.
If people do generally go shorter, then in a couple years people will start going longer for entirely new reasons nobody's figured out yet. Or maybe even shorter.
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I was having some serious elbow issues and shortened my long distance paddle 1 1/2 " and it worked like a charm. No more pain and paddles just fine. I will probably shorten my surf paddle as well
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At Chuck Patterson's clinic a couple of weeks ago, he said he has shortened his paddle from 86 to 82" in the past month. He stated a lot of the guys he trains with are shortening up too.
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I know why we are recommending it, but I think you need a blade that catches quickly for a shorter length to make real sense. If your technique is good, and you are getting your blade to catch well at the beginning of your stroke, then a too-long paddle doesn't work well, you can't get the early power that you want in the first ten inches of your stroke--no leverage.
If you can get your blade fully in the water with a full reach, without leaning over too much, then going longer will just either plant your blade too deep, or leave your upper hand waggling around in the air.
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This may be too obvious to bring up, but when a friend told me to paddle in front of the board to catch waves and it worked for me, I realized it made me lean forward a lot, pointing the board downhill and getting a gravity assist. A shorter shaft will force a forward lean, no?
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How do I add the length back on... if I find out I don't like it shorter ???
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Extended ergo T. Six inches of cure for the common oops.
Hmmm that sounds a bit off color.
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I cut my new paddle 2" shorter overall because the blade is smaller/shorter by almost 2" vs. my old paddle. That gives roughly the same shaft length on both paddles. Rather than measuring paddles by overall length over head or to the wrist, I like the technique of standing the paddle on its handle and eyeballing where it transitions from the shaft to the blade. Eye level seems to work for me.
If paddle blade sizes are trending smaller/shorter, it would follow that the overall paddle lengths should be getting slightly shorter as well.
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I was having shoulder pain, I mainly surf. I went to a shorter paddle maybe 3 inches shorted than the original length which was from the ground up to my flattened palm and the wiki blade no more pain. after surfing with that for 6 months with no pain while paddling, ( I still get pain in my shoulder if I try to lift something over my head or reach up and out ) I switched to the Molakai blade. still no pain.
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Pono, I'd love to employ the extended ergo T
doubt it would fit my Cabrinha shaft... I'll have to check
Ivan sporting a shorter paddle
Ivan testing shorter SUP Paddle - Stand up paddle boarding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrImPjF8KUE&feature=related#ws)
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Hey Rick, check your local SUP shop for shaft cut-offs. I have a ton of cutoffs, all different diameters, that I keep to fix, extend shafts for folks who come in. If its less than an inch, just take the old handle off and slip the extension on; there should still be enough ferule on the handle (unless you have a Kialoa).
For Kialoas or adding more than an inch, get yourself some wooden dowel, a sharp whittle knife (or block plane) and some 80 grit sandpaper and make a new ferule, about 5" long, and use that to join the extension on, being sure to give yourself enough depth to reinsert the handle later. You may need to cut the shaft down further and add on a 10" piece or so to allow for the handle ferule to seat at full depth. I've down this a bunch and never had a problem.
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Paddle length head high for surfing is awesome
Low volume board sinks lower in water
surf stance and bending knees puts you lower and makes it a perfect paddle height for surfing and makes it easier to switch sides with paddle etc.......
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I'm running about 8" over head on both my paddles, it works great for me... I had a longer paddle, like 10" over but it just felt too long in the surf...
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shorter does seem like the new trend but I think the correct answer is trial and error, you gotta find out what works for you, everyone is different, some have longer upper bodies, or have more muscular frames, body composition has to be a major role.
I personally think you have more control with a slightly shorter paddle, since getting nto racing this past summer I purchased a Kialoa toro with 9-10 inches overhead, I'm having difficulties with fluttering, dont know if its the extra length or the paddle blade, anybody else experience this? I'm thinking about trying to make it shorter but dont want to mess up the paddle.
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Shorter in the waves definitely seems better, and more fun, looks like most agree with that. But, for racing and fitness, it seems like trend and/or pain keep us changing things up, continuously.
I was using 8" above my head for my QB race paddle. It seemed more efficient for a Tahitian recovery, which I was trying. I also liked using more leg movement (squatting) to get deeper too, but man, on the longer races my legs and lower back were torn up. Now I'm back to 11.5" overhead on my Werner Grand Prix, and I really like it. At least now I have the option of doing more or less squatting.
What seems strange to me is watching videos of some pros during races where it obviously looks like the paddle shaft is already perpendicular to the water when they are just getting their blade in the water, and beginning their pull. If you are talking physics, and efficiency, this can't be optimal, right? Just seems to me that there must be a point where the paddle is too short for ideal efficiency. If you are going to take full advantage of the most powerful part of the stroke don't you have to have the blade submersed before it is vertical?
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shorter does seem like the new trend but I think the correct answer is trial and error, you gotta find out what works for you, everyone is different, some have longer upper bodies, or have more muscular frames, body composition has to be a major role.
I personally think you have more control with a slightly shorter paddle, since getting nto racing this past summer I purchased a Kialoa toro with 9-10 inches overhead, I'm having difficulties with fluttering, dont know if its the extra length or the paddle blade, anybody else experience this? I'm thinking about trying to make it shorter but dont want to mess up the paddle.
Your right about trial and error.
Your Kialoa Toro issue may be a combination of things. During the power phase of your stroke you want to make sure; your grip is loose during your power phase, have the paddle shaft vertical as well as not "muscling" the paddle. For example pulling yourself past your paddle with a "firm" not "hard"stroke. The Kialoa blade design is not very forgiving when it comes to fluttering but it is controllable with a structured stroke technique.
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hi,
i am 74/75" tall. and like to ride my sup as fast as possible :)
last year i had a 87" paddle. in september i changed to 83/84"
the last weeks i tried several times a 79/80" and i also like it...
the thing is, the shorter feels like more fun and stable...
the longer like being faster.
i tried to measure the speed but i didnt get any result.
the "runtastic" i use is too inaccurate. ond for a longer distance the conditions are always different to compare...
i have one "best paddle", and i am afraid of cutting and then not liking it... (??)
and reading your posts the 83/84" length should be ok... ???
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I was using my paddles 2" or 3" overhead. Recently I chopped one of the about nose height. Just for fun!
While I'm still getting used to it, because you loose a lot of paddle usage as a tool to provide balance, and I'm still falling a lot becasuse of it, it is getting better and better.
The benefits while surfing are amazing as you will lower your center of gravity a lot more during turns, specially carving turns.
Switching the paddle from side to side also beacomes even easier since it is really dificult to hit the deck of the board, even if you want to.
Another big thing is while using the paddle on the face of the wave while surfing backhand.
Much better and easier!!!
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Martinsup,
You need a velocitek. Hands down the best tool for dialing in your stroke. I think it is more useful than my Garmin by far. (I still use both though).