First, is posture. If you are not sitting properly in the kayak, it is harder to perform efficient strokes. The best position in the kayak is straight up, like your mom had you do at the dinner table as a child. Do not recline against the backrest. Instead, adjust the backrest so that it provides good lower back support when in this upright position. Your knees should be slightly bent. If you are in a decked kayak your knees should be touching the underside of the deck. Sometimes this position can be tough on the backs of your legs, if you lack flexibility. Tip: comfort can be greatly improved by placing an inflated drybag under your legs. The bag lifts your legs for you and relieves the strain. Finally, your hands should be held out in front of your chest, not up against it, with your elbows slightly bent. Place your hands on the paddle in a slightly wider-than-shoulder width position.

Next, isolate where the power comes from. The muscles in your torso are much larger and stronger than those in your arms and are, therefore, better to use when paddling. To use the torso muscles, twist your upper body back-and-forth in a rotating motion, as opposed to pushing and pulling with your arms. That is what is meant by isolating where the power comes from. The only problem with this motion is that it generally does not feel natural in the beginning. A good exercise to do at home is to sit on the floor (as if in a kayak) in front of a mirror and watch yourself torso rotate. Each time you rotate around, reach out slightly with your hand as if to grab something. You should notice your shoulders twisting back-and-forth when you do so.

Paddle blade placement and travel are the next key elements. Note: be sure that your blades remain vertical throughout each stroke. Allowing your blades to slip to a less-than-vertical position means you will end up lifting water instead of pushing water, which results in less forward movement. Keep in mind that the objective of the this stroke is to get as much forward propulsion with as little effort as possible. To help accomplish this, the blades need to travel right along side the hull, almost touching it. This may require that the entire paddle be held more vertically than you are used to. By keeping the blades close to the hull you greatly reduce the leverage that causes a boat to turn. Next is the length of the stroke. The blade should enter the water by your ankle and go in as deep as the blade itself. Use the torso to power the stroke. However, contrary to popular belief, the stroke should not go all the way back. Instead, lift the blade out of the water when it gets to your hip. This makes for a fairly short stroke, but it eliminates the lifting of water. The end result is a clean, forward propelling, efficient stroke.

Lastly, you should apply pressure with your feet. When you take a stroke on your right side, press against the foot system with your right foot. Then vice versa on the left side. This pressure helps to transfer the energy of your stroke through your body to the boat. It also means less energy being lost to a loosely fitting boat, such as a sit-on-top.

If you can effectively apply these elements to your forward stroke, you'll become a far more efficient and powerful paddler. Each time you go out, work on one or two elements until they feel natural. You'll be paddling with the best of them in no time!

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