Andrew Palim - A Proper Forward Stroke

The forward stroke is the stroke that kayakers do most often, whether to accelerate down a big wave, win a race, or charge through a Class V rapid. You will always use the forward stroke, whatever you do in kayaking, so it is pertinent you know how to do it correctly.

Step 1:

Before we even start the catch there are a few things you must do during the whole stroke, such as:

Posture - Sitting up straight (even slightly forward) will help you gain the most power and full range of motion out of every stroke as well as helping to engage your core

Eyes - You should always look up! Looking down at your bow will cause you to slouch and also make it harder to paddle in a straight line

Feet - The feet, although often overlooked, can help push against the front of the boat to gain leverage and do small directional changes.

Step 2:

The catch should start strong at the paddler’s toes. Putting the paddle in behind the toes wastes space and energy while catching in the front causes one to pull down rather than backwards.

Step 3:

The middle of the stroke is where most of the power comes from. To keep it efficient and powerful the paddler should keep his top hand up high in order to keep the paddle vertical. It is also important to rotate the torso while doing the forward stroke, as the paddler will otherwise not get enough power and also tire quickly. Sweeping the top hand across one’s face and keeping the paddler’s box should help one to use his core.

Step 4: The release is pretty simple, it’s only goal is to cleanly release the paddle and set up for the next stroke. Try not to drop the top hand but pull up on the lower hand, which will finish the stroke more vertical than horizontal. The release should take place at the hips, afterwards will cause the paddler pull up instead of backwards and releasing beforehand forces the paddler to not get full range of motion.

So that’s how to paddle forward! Hopefully you use this guide to help you with racing, freestyle, creeking or whatever else you do in your time as a kayaker!