Forwards paddling stroke with a Greenland paddle - how to paddle efficiently with a Greenland paddle

In this course we go through the techniques to develop an efficient forwards paddling technique using a Greenland paddle. To access to full course visit www.onlineseakayaking.com to subscribe to our courses Library.

[@andywithers592]

I’ve had a greenland paddle for a year or so and on longer paddles it’s a lot easier on the body. There’s definitely a lot more core muscle usage but that’s no bad tuning. I would note that the form of the Greenland was also driven by the scarcity of timber, the Inuit being almost solely reliant on driftwood (typically being long and narrow) being washed ashore to make paddles and kayak frames. Great introduction to a fascinating topic.

[@onlineseakayaking]

thanks for the comment

[@tariqkhalil1]

You provide practical lessons that are very important to me. What caught my attention was the streamlined design of the girl's white boat. I think it had the word BEBEL on it.. We follow you and watch you from different parts of the world, most or all of the tools of boats, oars and life jackets we do not have. We hope that you do not miss this note by introducing us to how to obtain it, its prices, the best types in terms of quality, etc.

[@onlineseakayaking]

The kayak is a Rebel. We cover different paddles in our equipment lessons on our website

[@PeteLovesPixels]

I only use Greenland paddles now. I have two from Gearlab and a couple of hand carves wooden ones I got locally. These paddles made me really enjoy rolling

[@onlineseakayaking]

Right on

[@Dakiraun]

So glad to see you guys doing something on traditional paddles! I have a Greenland as well as an Aleutian paddle, and for years now I really just use them and keep a Euro paddle around as a backup (if I even bring a Euro paddle). For anyone reading my comment - the strokes used for traditional paddles are indeed _very_ different than Euro paddles, as are the multitude of ways you can use traditional paddles; well worth learning more about if you are interested!

[@onlineseakayaking]

Thanks for the comment. We plan to continue to add more content with traditional paddles in the future and hope to have a full Greenland rolling course next year.

[@Dakiraun]

@@onlineseakayaking That's fantastic! Of the people I've introduced to traditional paddles, abut 80% of them switch completely. I think the key though is to have good instruction on how/why they are different so people know how to go about using them from the start, so more course content like that is excellent.

[@lizard2425]

Nicely done. But where are the rest of the instructional videos plz?

[@lucapan1992]

I see he’s wearing the OEKO-TEX drysuit. I have it too, it’s great

[@It-b-Blair]

Cool history! Am I missing something? I don’t see the rest of the series…😢

[@onlineseakayaking]

visit www.onlineseakayaking.com to see the rest of the course

[@user-ko6ij9bf8b]

Does.greenland paddle go with surfski??

[@MikeGillSeaKayak]

You can, just way slower, so much water spilling off the blade.

[@yakinsea]

Paddling my surfski in the Columbia River Gorge, I switched back and forth between my Greenland and wing paddle with a friend switching with me. I think for every 10 waves I caught with the wing, I would have caught 9 with the Greenland paddle. I really like both and mostly use my Greenland paddle on my fast touring kayak using a high angle racing/wing type of stroke. The wing is definitely faster, but I am less fatigued over distance with the Greenland, even if I'm pushing it hard. All that being said, I reach for the wing when surfskiing and the Greenland most of the other time, even in surf.

[@mairnealachamu]

It's nice to see this content looking at the traditional origins of this wonderful sport we all love. I think it is worth noting that there are/were many different styles of traditional kayak and paddle throughout the Arctic region, of which the Greenland designs were only one. Another notable kayaking tradition comes from the Unangan people (natives of the Aleutian Islands). In a way, they are the Pacific counterpart of the Atlantic Inuit in Greenland. I have to be honest that I dislike hearing the term "Euro paddle" being used in this clip. I find this term to be somewhat racist. The correct term is "asymmetric paddle". I'd be interested to hear from someone knowledgeable on the history of paddle designs, but to me the asymmetric paddle seems to be based on (or very similar to) the traditional Aleutian paddle, but with the modification of having a feather in the blade orientation rather than being flat. I have no idea whether this style of feathered paddle was first used in Europe, America or elsewhere, but the phenomenon of calling it a "Euro paddle" seems to me to be a very new phenomenon. As far as I can tell it has come from Greenland Paddle enthusiasts in America, who lazily try to promote their preferred style of paddling by denigrating other styles by describing them as foreign or alien. Somehow the term has caught on, even in Europe, but I just don't like using it. I think it is inaccurate, and seems unnecessarily negative.

[@mairnealachamu]

Here's a nice film about the history of kayaking in Alaska. Take note the differences in boat design from the Inuit design we are more used to. Also note the selection of paddles they use and the similarity of some of them to modern asymmetric paddle design. kzbin.info/www/bejne/noWbkIaohaxga7c

[@mairnealachamu]

@@Charlie-wt7ct That's very interesting, thanks. So far I've just watched the bit about paddle design, but I'll definitely go back to watch the whole of that lecture in the future. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYXQlH-ed7OroLc

[@Alastair510]

It is called a 'euro' blade because it was promoted by european countries, and developed in them initially for river paddling. Not all euro blades are asymmetric, so that doesn't work. Yes it is to do with 'race' in a way; the name comes from the country of origin.

[@mairnealachamu]

@SuperHairytoes can you point to any literature or films etc. that support the claim that that style of paddle originated in Europe? Maybe there was some kind of convergent design going on, but I've seen images of ancient paddle designs from North America that are almost identical to what would today be labeled a "Euro paddle".

[@Alastair510]

@@mairnealachamu I didn't say 'originated'. I said 'promoted' and 'developed'. If you can show images and discussions of ancient North American natives paddling canals, rivers and white water with a double-bladed paddle with wide blades, I'll retract everything.

[@alkaholic4848]

I hate these teaser videos, if it's an advert then call it that. Don't waste people's time by saying "how to paddle effectively with a greenland paddle", only to use it to advertise something else teaching you how to do that. The only gympse of information in here he talks about rotating your hips and torso to generate power, while at the same time barely moving his body and doing all the work with his arms.

[@onlineseakayaking]

Thanks for the comment. We will adjust future titles and thumbnails to make sure thats clear we are pointing paddlers in the direction of our online courses. Thanks