What is the most important factor in choosing a sea kayak paddle?
You may be thinking its the length, shape and size of the blade.
I say before you ask any of these questions there is one way more important question to
answer.
Which paddling style is better suited to your needs?
The euro style style, or the greenland ?
Most people don’t know this but using a Greenland paddle is not just about a different
paddle.
In this video I will demonstrate that there are 2 distinctive styles of paddling.
And which you choose makes the biggest difference in your paddling experience.
If you are like most people, you were introduced to sea kayaking with a euro blade.
Perhaps no one even mentioned the Greenland paddle.
Maybe you were never told about how it is much quieter, and feels easier on the joints.
Maybe you were never told how the way it naturally sculls means you have the instant brace that
gives confidence in waves.
Most of us are not given the choice.
My son tells me I’m too one sided in favor of the Greenland paddle.
That I should make a more balanced argument.
The truth is I often don’t tell people about all the benefits of this paddling style because
they might think I’m doing it because I sell lessons and courses on how to use it.
I don’t like to feel like i’m trying to sell something.
Here’s the thing.
If you are someone who would benefit from this style of paddling even just a third as
much as I do, I would be doing you an extreme disfavor by not telling you what I discovered.
Think about it as a different relationship with the kayak, the
paddle, and your surroundings.
I started out with the euro blade, and it felt forceful to me.
Not surprising when you think about it, since it evolved at a time when using force, and
making a lot of noise was still our way to be with nature.
With the euro paddle
Bracing was hard for me.
And I didn’t feel confident in the waves.
Sea kayaking is one of the best ways to get out and enjoy a reconnection with wild places,
but I was too scared of the waves to go very far from shore.
I switched to the Greenland paddle when I saw it in action for the first time.
It looked so smooth.
And it was quiet.
And after using it exclusively for 20 years, what I learned is that there is a lot more
to it than smoother and easier on the body.
It’s about performance.
It’s about getting you out there with the peace of mind to forget yourself in the beauty
surrounding you.
To be part of nature, to interact directly with it.
If you are not confident with your skills, you don’t have the same opportunities.
If you use a bigger blade, you can imagine that you can get away with being sloppy with
your forward stroke.
And it still works.
The Greenland paddle teaches you efficiency.
Most people find that when using proper technique and the Greenland paddle, it’s suddenly
easier on the joint, and less tiring.
This is especially important for older people.
You may have been taught to jam your knees in place to have better control of the kayak.
And it may feel secure to you.
If you look at how the Inuit move with their kayak you notice a lot of flexibility.
They understood the kayak as a body extension.
And that’s a critical part of agility.
I wonder if you have noticed that when you use your powerful thighs, you have more power
and speed.
And it feels easier.
Why would anyone want to disable that.
People tell me when they learn how to move their whole body like that, especially when
unlocking the thighs, they are less cramped, and have more power.
They start to move faster.
When you adjust the fit of your kayak to allow that extra mobility you notice something else.
Your powerful thighs can be used to sweep the paddle forward for a quick, effortless
low brace.
There is no pushing down on the paddle, no risk of losing the blade deep underwater.
As you can imagine, turning your forward stroke into quick support is critical for avoiding
a capsize.
You feel secure, and you have peace of mind instead of being afraid.
Perhaps you have seen the high brace demonstrated by the experts, in calm water.
But how many people do you know who can do it in the waves.
More importantly, do you feel like you can do it?
Or does it feel more like it takes special talent?
And maybe you don’t feel you it’s possible for you.
When people learn to do a high brace using their whole body, they tell me they feel like
they can actually rely on it.
And it gives them more confidence in the waves.
When I hear someone talk about starting the process of learning how to roll I know they
are signed up to take lessons that will try to teach it the hard way.
Instead of depending on a perfectly timed, forceful pushing down of the paddle, you just
let your body do the work.
There is no effort.
No special talent needed.
Imagine feeling confident that you can do this.
A lot of people have emailed me to say that they wish they had learned this before permanently
destroying their shoulder.
It seems crazy to me that some people are still teaching rolling the hard way.
If the Greenland paddle is the right fit for you the most important gift I can make you
is to inspire you to try it.
The first thing you will need is the right fit with your kayak.
I created a free course to help you, and you can get it by clicking on the link in the
description below this video.
If you paddle in a group, you may wonder, will the Greenland paddle be fast enough to
keep up.
Since you are still watching, I assume that you would rather use a little more finesse
and less force.
Maybe you can see that paddling in a way that is easier on the body will allow you to paddle
further.
And for many more years?
Imagine if you could keep going all day.
The places you could see.
I wonder if you can imagine what paradise is waiting to be discovered.
Imagine having no fear of capsizing, or even enjoying yourself when the water gets rough.
Not because you are gifted, but because you are using the proven techniques and tools
that evolved with the kayak, over thousands of years.
It just work.
That’s where peace of mind comes from.
Let paddling be a stress reducing exercise that leaves you more content in your everyday
life.
As you start to pay attention to your surroundings, you are more tuned in to the present.
To all the beauty surrounding you.
Isn’t that why we go out there?
If you are someone who uses kayaking as a way to develop a deeper connection with nature,
and you think this style of paddling will help you, it all starts with having the right
fit with your kayak.
That’s why I created a course to show you how to get that fit which gives you the freedom
to develop your agility.
You can sign up for free at the link below this video, or in the description.
To recap, you learned a whole new way to think about how to move with your kayak.
Next you learned that the Greenland style makes it easier to develop the competence
that allows you to get out there.
With peace of mind.
Thanks for watching