How Should Kayak Paddles Be Positioned?

To properly paddle in kayaking, hold the paddle shaft vertically in front of you, ensuring your knuckles are pointed up towards the sky and the edge of the paddle blades is perpendicular to the water. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and the concave or curved side of the blade should face toward you. If you have asymmetrical blades, the shorter side should be at the bottom, closest to the water.

Positive paddle positioning is essential for efficient and effective strokes. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced paddler, understanding how to hold the paddle is crucial. The long edge should be on the top, and the lower edge should be on the bottom. Hold the paddle with a light grip, not squeeze.

To find the right position, lower the paddle to the top of your head, making your elbows make a 90° angle. This ‘box shape’ translates to easier paddling and more efficient movement. A useful method to find the right placement is to hold the paddle above your head, ensuring your elbows form a 90-degree angle.

Holding your paddle correctly is key to having an efficient, nonfatiguing stroke. You should also have the correct length for you, and your arms should be outstretched when placing the paddle in the water. Position your hands slightly wider than your shoulder width and evenly spaced along the shaft of the paddle.

Place your hands on the paddle shaft so your knuckles are pointed up, and your paddle blades are perpendicular. Maintain a neutral wrist position while paddling, depending on your paddle style.

Where should the stronger paddler sit in a kayak?

Second, the stronger of the two paddlers should sit in the rearmost position. The rear paddler should be the one to match the stroke of the front paddler, since they can watch the stroke of the front paddler.

To steer, it’s best to work as a team where one paddler strokes forward while the rear paddler reverse strokes on the opposite side. This will execute a quick turn. To steer more gradually or correct your course, the rear paddler should act as navigator by performing a more powerful stroke or by utilizing the paddle as a rudder.

One thing to note: If your tandem partner is a kid or a dog, they should always sit in the front of the watercraft so that you’re always aware of their movements and you should also always make sure everyone on board has an appropriate PFD.

Are kayak paddles supposed to be offset?

Low paddling styles. A low top hand in the low paddling style uses a lower degree of offset to support neutral wrist alignment. Suggested 0 to 45. A higher top hand in the high angle style, uses more degree of offset to keep your wrist neutrally aligned. Suggested 45 to 60″. I personally like to use a low paddling style when I’m trying to conserve energy or paddling into the wind. Using a lower style will reduce the friction against the air, meaning less resistance. Imagine taking high paddle strokes when it’s windy; the wind will grab, push and bounce off your extended limbs – basically, you will use a lot more energy. A lower paddle style will also force you to rotate your torso, and use your core muscles. Your core muscles will last longer, and allow you to paddle longer before tiring.

High paddling styles. I use a higher paddle style if I want to get somewhere fast. I use this technique more when I’m river kayaking. For instance, if I need to make an eddy, or need to quickly get to a point on the river. This style uses more energy but allows for more strength and precision in your strokes. It is also a strong and stable position to be in. When river kayaking you want to be sitting upright and slightly forward. This will give you better balance. It also allows you to twist your torso further – getting more out of technical strokes.

The reason for having a high offset blade angle. The main reason why people prefer a high offset is because of wind. This makes sense for head winds BUT does not take side and tail winds into consideration.

What is the best hand position for a kayak paddle?

Back in the day, kayak instructors use instruct their students to place their hands 4 to 8 inches up from the blade of the paddle. But with longer paddles on the market, that rule no longer applies. As a general rule of thumb, your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulder width and evenly spaced along the shaft of the paddle.

If you hold your paddle straight out in front of you, the rounded portion or the concave portion of the paddle should be facing you. If there are any branding words on the paddle, you can usually read the words right side up when the paddle is in the correct position.

With our rental kayaks we use the light weight Harmony Drifter Paddle. During instruction we tell the students they should be able to read the word “harmony” at all times while they are paddling. I had a young lady who paddled the entire trip with her paddle upside down. She said she could still read the word “harmony” the whole time. I said “yes, but what I meant was right side up not upside down”. We both got a kick out of that and every time I see her, I reminder to have the paddle in the right position.

Your knuckles should line up with the top of your blades when they are in a standard position. Your thumbs should wrap comfortably around the shaft of the paddle. Your hands should always remain in the same position so if you held it out in front of you, you could wave with both hands. I tell my students to hold onto the paddle as if their hands were glued to it. The only exception to this is if you have advanced enough in your paddling and have learned how to paddle with your paddle blades in an offset position.

What is the correct sitting position for kayak paddling?

If you are reasonably mobile then sitting in or on your kayak with your spine slightly forward of vertical is the best position. Your legs should be bent at the knee and hooked under the thigh braces or cockpit rim of your sit in kayak. For sit on top kayaks the bend in the knee is equally as important and using thigh straps (optional extra’s) makes this work much better.

Please Do This Simple Test. Sit on the floor and adopt a position leaning slightly backwards as in the image opposite. Stay in that position for a short while and feel some of your muscles start to complain.

Change position so that your spine is now slightly forward of vertical as in the image opposite. Stay in that position for a short while and you won’t feel those muscles complaining.

What angle should kayak paddles be?

Whether you feather your paddle isn’t a right-or-wrong choice. It’s personal.

Most kayak paddles have adjustable ferrules that permit paddlers to change the feathering angle on-the-fly to fit their specific situation. A 60-degree angle is the most typical, except for whitewater paddlers. They usually prefer 30 to 45-degree angles because of the types of conditions they face.

The next time you’re out in your kayak, experiment with different off-sets. Try feathering in different conditions and see if it helps. Test different angles if your ferrule system allows for it.

Kayak in a strong headwind with both a feathered and non-feathered angle and see if you can tell a difference. Notice if feathering eases pain or discomfort in your wrists.

How should a kayak paddle be held?

And maintain a loose grip on the other side. The width of the grip is such that when you put the center of the paddle. On your head you’ll have pretty close to a right angle on your arm.

Which way does paddle go in water?

Forward away from you with the logo facing away from you that way when i take a stroke you’ll see i’m pushing the water straight back instead of pulling it. Up.

Which way should kayak paddles face?

There is a longer side and a shorter side. So we like to call this longer part of our paddle the snow’s. So with the nose. We want our notes to be able to breathe right.

What is the correct paddle technique?

Line. This way you also don’t have to switch sides too often when you’re paddling. But it also adds power to your stroke as you have to engage those larger muscles. Number five engage your core.

Which way should my paddle face?

The. Board whenever you start paddling. Make sure that the blade angle. Always faces away from you and not towards you to maximize the amount of power of every stroke.

Which way should my paddle be?

And is likely to hit the rail of. The. Board whenever you start paddling. Make sure that the blade angle.

Which way should a paddle face?

The. Board whenever you start paddling. Make sure that the blade angle. Always faces away from you and not towards you to maximize the amount of power of every stroke.