Stroke Technique; Staggered Stance

[PonoBill]

On the topic of the catch...I was coached that if you reach way out, then reach a bit more you extend the large muscles (lats) and they sort of flex on their own at top of catch while you drive the shoulders. Those few inches of powerful torque are about the most efficient for the effort throughout whole stroke. So it's easy to see why so many people focus on that portion, especially during extended endurance runs.

That's exactly what Dave Kalama taught me--to go for the spring in the muscles. He considers it to be like "free" energy since it happens automatically. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of "spring" left--the boiing went away about age 55. But I still push my catch and aim to get the blade vertical as soon as I can.

[C1SUPer]

Cool video of the Tahitian guy in the OC1.  Personally from having paddled both OC1 and C1 I actually think that C1 technique (check out the video and David Cal in lane 4) lends itself a lot better to moving a SUP than OC1 technique does.  The obvious use of shoulder rotation etc. aside, look at the way these guys use their hips and core.  They are the most underutilized part of most people's SUP technique and can actually be brought into the stroke really easily.

[JC50]

C1,

I have no experience with C1 but that looks like a blast. However, outside of the obvious differences (stance, height above water), I don't see much difference between Taaroa Dubois and David Cal; they are both using legs, shoulders, core, and hips to maximum advantage, just from different positions. On a SUP, staggering the stance a little probably helps to incorporate, but unlike C1 you need to change sides often. Probably a little more like OC6 where you're sitting, but changing lead leg with paddling side and using legs as much as possible (often dependent on how much grip you can get with feet).

If you pause that video at about 3:08-9, you get a frame of Cal on the power portion of stroke and that paddle is absolutely vertical. Nice!