Here is a stroke some of you may not know. It's the sliding pry stroke. It is the opposite of a sculling draw stroke. The sculling draw is used to pull the boat sideways towards the paddle. The sliding pry is used to pull the boat sideways away from the paddle side.
Mainly used in c-1 and c-2, variations of the sliding pry also have other uses. For example, rather than sliding the boat sideways, it can be used to turn the boat away from the paddle side.
Here is how it's done. Angle the blade sharply so that the thumb on your top hand is facing forward. It's a twist of the wrist forward stroke. Place the blade in towards the bow of the boat, like in a forward stroke, but with the paddle shaft against the boat and the wrist cocked so that the pinky finger is towards you and the thumb is forward. Then, pull the paddle back, keeping the wrist firmly cocked the whole time and the blade angled throughout the stroke. Pull it out when it gets to the hip.
Do not allow the wrist to become uncocked during the stroke. Keep the blade angled throughout the stroke. Often, the wrist gets straightened out during the stroke- keep it rigid and angled. Run the paddle shaft agains the boat the entire stroke. Put some sort of plastic protection on the exterior of your paddle shaft so it doesn't wear through the shaft or weaken the paddle shaft by wearing it against the boat.
I often use the sliding pry as an introduction to the j-stroke in c-1 or the stern of a c-2. The j-stroke is used to keep the boat going straight. It is just turning the top hand so it is angled at the end of the stroke. A straight forward stroke with a twist of the wrist during the stroke so the boat goes straight, rather than turning away from the paddle side.
I also teach the reverse sliding pry. This is a reverse stroke with the paddle angled. This time, the thumb is facing towards you and the pinkie away from you as you slide the paddle shaft from your hip forwards along the side of your boat. Smooth boat seams help reduce friction and wear on your paddle shaft.
Then, there is the combination of forward sliding pry and reverse sliding pry, which is the counter-part to a sculling draw. Do a forward sliding pry, then rotate the paddle and do a reverse sliding pry, linking the two strokes for a continuouse sideways movement of the boat.
I find the sliding pry to be particularly important in the bow of a c-2. The bowman is constantly varying his forward strokes slightly so that they are slight draws or sliding pries. That way, the team can keep up the rhythm of the paddling cadence and steer at the same time.
The reverse sliding pry is also the basis of reverse paddling in c-1 or c-2. At the end of a reverse stroke, rotate the paddle with the top hand so it is a small sliding pry at the end of the stroke and this keeps the boat on course paddling in reverse. For a more robust pry to turn the boat, you can do an actual pry stroke by bringing the top hand down and across the boat, using the boat as a fulcrum.
And while it is rarely useful in k-1, there is no reason why kayakers couldn't learn this stroke also. I sometimes use it in kayak, when I am in an eddy jostling for position and need to move sideways and there are other boats right next to me, so that I can't really reach into the boat next to me to do a draw, but I can do a sliding pry on the other side to move the boat sideways. Experiment with the sliding pry stroke so you have one more tool in your toolbox to draw on (so to speak) when the occasion arises.
Comments