Taken from Richmond Canoe Club, here.
- Sit up tall, head up
Sit upright, or with slight lean forward. Head up, and look forward rather than down at the water. - No splash at catch
Clean entry of paddle into the water. Place the paddle in, and then pull on it = two seperate movements - Top arm high throughout stroke
Keep top arm at shoulder level all the time the paddle is in the water on the other side. Drive hand towards horizon, not down towards knee. - Top arm towards nose of boat, not across
Drive the top arm forward, not across in front of your face - Paddle close to the boat from the catch to past your knee
Don’t let it slip out to the side – you’re trying to drive the boat forward through the water. - Paddle out by your hip
Lift the paddle out by your hip. Hand should never be behind the line of your body. - Pause at end of stroke
Think of one stroke at a time and let the boat glide in between strokes. End of stroke is both paddles out of the water, ready for the next stroke. One arm fully extended ready to place the paddle, and the other arm is bent at elbow, with hand at shoulder/ear height, a little away from the body. Practice pausing for 2 seconds between strokes. - Rotation
Push with the leg on the side you are taking the stroke. Try to swivel on your seat. Rotate hips and shoulders around to increase reach and involve back and leg muscles in action. - Start the stroke with the leg push
Push with your foot on the footrest before you start to pull on the paddle. This will stabilise the boat and stop the boat from leaning away from the stroke. It will mean that the power generated from the stroke will be transmitted into driving the boat forward. - Keep top arm back
Do not straighten top arm too quickly. Aim to hold it back, and drive the stroke from the rotation of hips and shoulders, which should have been initiated from the leg drive. Top arm is your brace or pivot point, which is fixed for you to pull against. This involves activating chest muscles, like doing press-up.
