Learning Surfski Leg Drive in Four Easy Parts

[@barryblackburn5910]

Thanks for this video. Makes me want to go paddle... getting better with every session.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Great to hear!

[@HolleyDaniel]

Thank you for this video, I just recently purchased my first ski (Epic V7) and a wing blade. I have been kayaking since I could hold a paddle but this is a whole new beast and will have my butt in the bucket often to learn and improve. I am going to apply these exercises next weekend when I can get back on the water. Again thank you for the video and happy paddling!

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Congratulations on the new 'ski! You're gonna love it. We have plans to post some updated leg drive tips in the future, so be sure to check back with us (or even better, subscribe) to catch those.

[@HolleyDaniel]

@@ThePaddleChannel I did subscribe and have been going through your videos. Thank you for posting them!!! 💕

[@greggreene379]

Nice video and thanks guys!!

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Thank, Greg! Let's paddle again soon!

[@kevinwaters-marsh217]

You guys are great instructors... Thank you. 🤭 I think you were thinking of icecream cause that's your reward when your back on shore... 🤣

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Thanks, Kevin. We just love paddling, and we like sharing what we're learning with other people who love paddling. We have a long way to go, but it's been a fun journey. 'Looking forward to hearing back from you after you get your ski!

[@araniri27]

Thanks mate that's helpful i am gonna keep practicing my legs now. Cheers

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Glad that's helpful! It's a starting point -- once you "get it", your surfski paddling will transform! Have fun with it!

[@lov2playtn]

Great video...thank you!

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Thanks, Peter! We're still learning, but it's fun!

[@alexclifford8961]

The top arm and across the top of the chest should stay in line as one during rotation, not letting the top arm move at the shoulder to make up for lack of rotation. Ivan Lawler explains it very well in his videos.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

The stroke is definitely a work in progress, which is why this video stops at "how I found the legs" and doesn't go on to further technique. :) It's fun learning the stroke -- lots going on and lots to learn! Thanks for the comment -- Ivan's videos are outstanding. Hopefully, in future months, that top arm won't be folding as much.

[@alexclifford8961]

@@ThePaddleChannel If you can find someone with a paddle machine to borrow and set up in front of a mirror it is the quickest way to improve your stroke. Keep up the good work.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

@@alexclifford8961 paddle machine plus mirror is a great idea. Video is nice to have...but doesn't give immediate feedback. If we had a dime for every time we got off the water, looked at the video, and said, "What in the world was I doing?"...

[@alexclifford8961]

@@ThePaddleChannel I have paddled k1 and ski quite a bit and raced k1 as a junior in the 80's. Over lock down I have borrowed a paddle machine from our club and set it up with a mirror and then have zoom paddle sessions with our coach. It is really helpful to have a coach comment and be able to see any changes in real time and get used to the correct feeling and get some muscle memory.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

@@alexclifford8961 real time feedback is a big deal, no doubt. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@chenkarp]

nice one. your upper arm should be almost straight when you start the "catch" phase - you will get much more speed with the same energy. as well try to start the "power" phase when your both hands are almost at the same distance from your body. a good drill for this is paddling with your legs out, then you have no choice other then get in the right formation. try to remember this position once your legs are in again - after a while you will get faster. GodSpeed.

[@alexclifford8961]

Surely you mean lower arm straight at the catch? The top arm is bent at around 90 degrees in a press up position.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

That top arm has been my nemesis. :) 'Will definitely try the legs out tip -- thanks very much for the tips!

[@chenkarp]

@@alexclifford8961 the upper one should be almost straight, same as the lower one. any extra bend will make you slower.

[@alexclifford8961]

@@chenkarp that is'nt actually correct. Take a look at videos from Ivan Lawler or Oscar Chalupsky or watch any k1 race to see how to paddle. Top arm around 90 degrees with elbow lower than shoulder at the start of the stroke. The top arm only goes straight during air time just before the next catch.

[@chenkarp]

@@alexclifford8961 the only issue when adopting a pure K1 technique for surfski is a higher risk of inflammation of the shoulders after a while. K1 is a sprint sport while surfski is more of a long distance sport. Look at Jasper Mocke and Hank McGregor, they got it just great. K1 paddlers have a tendency to use some of the arms and shoulders muscles to gain speed fast, I dont recommend it personally.

[@dazzamcgrazza3043]

really useful thankyou!

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Glad you found it helpful -- thanks for letting us know!

[@jprmac1]

Do you try several of these drills in the same session, or are you supposed to get comfortable at one before moving onto the next? For instance, I'm having trouble even getting the hang of single side paddling with leg drive (& balance whilst doing it); should I spend longer on this before I progress to bar to chest?

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Try out the different drills and see which one (or maybe more) resonates with you -- it's pretty common for one drill to "click", when others don't. We're working on another leg drive video with a land drill that really simplifies learning leg drive, so stay tuned for that!

[@IamNothing82]

I have a surfski for a week now. I have problems with my rudder while i am doing the leg drive. When my leg goes straight, i also push on my rudder. When i keep my toes of the rudder, i can't steer obviously. Any tips for that?

[@ThePaddleChannel]

There are a few things to try. 1. During leg drive, think about pressure through the heel. You can practice this on land by doing air squats and putting pressure on your heels as you drive up to the standing position. Once you get the feel of that, remember it when you get in the ski. 2. You may need to adjust rudder pedal angle. If the pedals are angled toward you, it's very easy to put pressure on the pedals and accidentally zig and zag. We like to have the rudder pedals in line with the footboard, but some paddlers will even angle the pedals away a little bit (but we have found aligned pedals make steering easier when on the bumps). 3. Ease off on the leg drive a little. At one week in, you're still getting a feel for the surfski. It will take a little time, so allowing yourself to go slow and increase drive little by little may help.

[@IamNothing82]

@@ThePaddleChannel thank you... the pedal are facing towards me if im not mistaken, I will have a look at it tomorrow. Also thank you for the other tips. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@davidGrainger]

Do you pull on the foot strap with the non-drive side leg?

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Barry tends to pull, or at least lift his foot on his non-drive side leg. Rod does not as much. However, there is some "pulling" -- if we loosen the foot strap and try rotating (driving) in choppy water, it becomes pretty obvious that some stability is gained through having that "drive-pull" connection.

[@chriswoods1120]

How high should my knees be up?

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Hey Chris, from what we've learned, there's no set answer to that question -- it depends on the design of the surfski and your own "feel". A good starting point is to sit in the ski and adjust the pedals so you have about a fist's height of space under your knee. From there, you can paddle and adjust closer or further and see what feels right to you. It's worth noting that what "feels right" may change as your form, skill and experience progress, so be prepared to possibly adjust the pedals later on. For us, this was a difficult part of learning, so we didn't have the experience to know what "right" was supposed to feel like, but with time, and following the advice above, we think we have our pedals set at what's right for us now. Once you have the pedals adjusted, keep your heels about the footplate, and the height of the knee will just "take care of itself". 'Hope that helps a bit.

[@dannybowles6181]

I was told push with opposite foot to paddle in water?

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Danny, that's a great teaching cue for feeling leg drive. Thanks for sharing.

[@김닥배-w1i]

In the choppy sea I forget all I learned

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Lol, definitely. When we first started, we couldn't even speak with paddling on choppy water -- it took all our concentration to just stay upright. It does get better though, the more time you spend on the choppy sea. And it's lots of fun learning along the way!

[@김닥배-w1i]

@The Paddle Channel thanks for the comments I just got out of water and read ur comments ..

[@shecanatakeitcaptain]

So you don't explain why we need leg drive. Others usually explain it as the way power from the stroke is transferred to the boat. That's complete rubbish of course. Driving your legs up and down while sitting on a fixed seat is just going to load up your knees, ankles and foot rest. Pointless.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

There's an old sports training adage, "You can't shoot a cannon out of canoe," meaning it's difficult to achieve max power without a strong base. In the surfski, the strongest base of support for the paddler starts at the foot board, which is fixed, and travels up the kinetic chain of foot, leg, hip, core, shoulders/arms. Leg drive allows the pelvis to rotate slightly, even in a fixed seat, which facilitates greater rotation and torque. You can feel the difference even sitting on a chair on land. First, try keeping the hips perfectly still and rotating the torso, and then try allowing pelvis to slightly rotate to initiate the torso rotation. The importance of hip rotation in transferring power to the upper body is illustrated pretty clearly in other sports, like swinging a baseball bat or throwing a punch -- without a strong base and using the kinetic chain to produce hip rotation, we can't achieve max force at the end of that chain. We're in agreement that simply driving your legs up and down won't help much. The benefit comes from engaging that kinetic chain to enhance torso rotation.

[@johnpawlow]

Are you serious or just trollintg?