The Greenland paddling style
The Anglesey Stick is light, easy to control and can reduce the risk of shoulder injuries
The style of paddling with an Anglesey Stick is not the same method
that you have been using with your 'Euro' paddle
The best way to learn how to use a Greenland paddle is to watch the many videos available
Video to demonstrate rolling with an Anglesey Stick
Video to demonstrate the Anglesey Stick in action
In brief, the method goes something like this:
- The paddle is held low, with elbows close to ribs and forearms approximately at right-angles
to upper arms
- The torso turns as you make a stroke, with the arms swinging back and forth, not outward
- The stroke is short, quick and circular, registering about 60 strokes a minute
- Greenland kayakers are renowned for shifting effortlessly to an extended or partially extended grip for power strokes, braces, rolls and sweeps
- It is very common to experience flutter when you first use a Greenland paddle
- To counteract this tendency, it is very important to relax your grip on the loom and try not to force the paddle through the water
- A subtle alteration in the angle at which the paddle is held (cant), and thus how it moves through the water, can have a major effect on flutter
- All these new techniques can only really be learned by actual practice, so get out in some lumpy water for a blast
- Try not to think about what you are doing with the paddle, and you should find it all comes together
See also various videos on YouTube, such as Long distance forward stroke or Greenland paddle strokes:how-to
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