Session and Connection

The last two or three sessions have been a bit sporadic. Although I've tried to keep the number of outings to three a week circumstances have meant that I've only got out three times in the past two weeks. Nevertheless for two of the sessions I've been joined by the club coach and have received individual attention. So if it hasn't been quantity at least it's been quality.

I had resolved to up the distance on each outing anyway to get it nearer the six miles that is the club big boy's Hare & Hounds distance. I wanted to transfer up to that distance at the start of the new season in September, so on the first session I set off for Ash Lock and return which would give me the required distance. I was preparing to do an outward session of practicing the stroke and a return with a steady four minutes reps with two minute rest. ('Rest' in this context is steady with stops if required). Only it didn't quite work out like that.

Approaching the end of the first mile I was joined by the club coach and was given the benefit of a full run down of my faults, which is a substantial list. Some of it confirmed what I already knew, but the nub of it was a poor catch and worse, no leg action.

My entry to the catch is as the paddle has already started its stroke. Consequently a third of the stroke action is lost before the paddle is fully immersed. There followed practice of a number of drills to reinforce the 'spearing of the fish' to get the paddle in before commencing the stroke. It's going to take a lot of practice.

Even so, the worst aspect of my performance, and the thing that potentially stands to give the most improvement is the lack of leg action... or rather ineffectual leg action. Actually I had always thought that was one of my better points, but it didn't stand close observation. My action shows a pair of knees working up and down in the cockpit, but in fact, little of that action is being transferred to the boat. In other words I'm just 'bicycling'. And it's so.

We tried a couple of experiments where I'd do ten strokes at a time (on each side) concentrating on pushing with the leg to straighten it and brace the paddle action against it. That same action twisting the hips to keep the frame and aim the recovery of the paddle ready to spear the next fish. The action of the leg is not so much the movement of the legs but the bracing against the footrest so that the whole side of the body works to transfer the power of the stroke into the boat. 

By the end of the session I knew that I'd done some work. I was out of breath at the end of each ten strokes, something I rarely am, but at least feeling as if I'd connected with the boat for a change.