The Science of Canoeing By Richard Cox

Surrounding Musculature
The efficiency of technique, however, is not determined by joint angle alone. Also important is the size of the
musculature surrounding that joint. The potential strength of a muscle is determined primarily by its size. Hence,
wherever feasible, the large muscle groups should be employed as the prime movers in the technique. Such
movements should emphasise, where possible, eccentric rather than concentric contractions since these are
generally stronger and faster.
Finally, according to the sliding filament theory of muscle contraction (described on p . 26) there is an optimal
length of a muscle at which the greatest number of cross bridges can be activated to generate force. If a muscle
was stretched too far, thin filaments would tend to be pulled away from thick filaments and cross bridge
attachments, whereas if a muscle was shortened too much, it appears that thin filaments might interfere with
each other in making cross bridges effective for contraction.
Awareness of the significance of these points is important in analysing and prescribing appropriate techniques.
It is also important in selecting the nature of strength training exercises used and the loadings applied. These are
topics to which I shall return in Chapter 5.
Body Position
Before describing actual movements, it is important to mention a few points about the body position when sat in
a canoe.
The buttocks should be placed comfortably into the scoop of the seat, against the back rise of the seat.
According to Lucanovich the distance between the seat and footrest should be such that when the arch of the
foot is placed against the footrest, the legs are almost fully extended at the knees. When the ball of the foot is
placed against the footrest, as it should be during paddling, the legs should have a flex of approximately 160
degrees at the knees. This allows for the powerful pedalling motion of the legs during the stroke. Too much
bend in the knees can interfere with breathing and rotation of the torso.
In describing the racing stroke (1), it is convenient to divide it into sub-sections or phases in its execution. The
four phases that are questionably discernible but frequently used to describe the racing stroke are: (i) The
Entry
(ii) The Pull
(iii) The Exit
and (iv) The Recovery
1. The Entry Phase
This phase is characterised initially by a horizontal paddle position that ends when the blade of the paddle is
completely submerged in the water.
The entry on catch phase is initiated by depression of the shoulder on the pulling (in this case left) side, which
lowers the blade into the water. The arm on this side is held in a semi-prone position and the other arm fully
flexed (90 degrees) at eye level. The optimal angle the paddle should make with the surface of the water at the
point of entry is between 45 and 60 degrees with a high pivot point (fulcrum). This ensures that the majority of
the force is applied in the horizontal direction. Any angle less than 45 degrees will generate more lift than
horizontal force or forward propulsion. Variations in the angle of blade entry will inevitably arise due to
differences in body position, seat height, arm and trunk length,(2) distance of the blade from the side of the boat
and length of paddle.
Figure 43: Relationship of Forces on the Blade during a Stroke
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