We're here to enjoy some great paddling, hopefully on the ocean as much as possible, as well as work on our techniques, and learn some great drills and tips to take back to PDs.
Here is just a bit of a summary of our trip so far:
Day 1: Technique with Johnny Puakea
We were all pretty excited to be starting the 5 day paddling camp this morning, and were keenly waiting at the Kailua Canoe club to start the day, on the dot, at 8:30am. Unsurprisingly, 30min later on Hawaiian time, Jonny Puakea pulled up in his massive truck with a smile, and ready to get going.
Johnny went through the plan for the day. The emphais was technique, during the morning session we would take video, then analyse the footage. During the afternoon session, we would practice drills and work on our technique points in the calm canal.
We each hopped on a canoe for the video session. Johnny instinctively put Nic and Lisa on one OC2 and Mandy and I on the other OC2 (we had a bit of a laugh at that one). Linda had a nice, smaller Helium canoe. After a warm-up down the canal, we paddled past the shore, and had a short 30s clip of us taken. Back on shore, soon afterwards, we crowed around the laptop on the picnic table, prepared to be torn to pieces, and pick up any nuggets of information.
Rather than bombard us with tonnes and tonnes of information and correction, Johnny focused on a few key elements of our technique to help efficiently: the blade entry point, shaft angle, and exit. Everything else you do with your body and arms is to help perfect these key elements.
One of the key things many of us needed to work on was to ensure the blade was fully burried at the beginning of the stroke, before we began to unwind. He explained that most of us set up above the waterline, then swing back through the air before fully engaging with the water. This wastes energy that should be going into the water, and captures air in the stroke, creating cavitation (that is also inefficient) that prevents fully locking onto the water. We need to think about planting (spearing) the blade into the water first, before continuing with the stroke.
There were lots of other refinements too! Keeping our frame straight, and not bending the outside arm, or leveraging with the top elbow; ensuring that the shaft has a positive (forward) angle when fully locked onto the water; creating a clean exit with no splash or water running off the blade; sweeping through the stroke with consistent power for the duration of the stroke. We each had a combination of these things to work on - it felt like learning to paddle again! But at least we started this week.
After a quick lunchbreak, we gathered again for the second technique session. There are 11 of us on the camp, so we jumped in a new lightweight Bradley Lightning OC6 and a assortment of OC1's and OC2's: 2 Pueo's, a Helium, Kala? and Tempest OC2s.
We spent the afternoon doing loops of the channel with Jim Foti and Johnny giving us feedback and things to work on, a few good drills too. Needless to say, after 90min, I was pretty knackered from trying to do things consistently differently. But hopefully all the changes are for the better.
The first day was over, and we celebrated with a few beers and snacks in the front yard, before heading out to carbo load at the local Italian restaurant. We had a good day, and are looking forward to getting out on the waves tomorrow, to make the most of the wind that has just picked up!
More updates to come.
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