Draw strokes are used to move your kayak sideways and are handy for pulling up beside somebody, or when approaching a dock. The most basic and easy to learn draw stroke is called the T-stroke.
The Basics of the T-Stroke
The T-stroke involves reaching out to the side of your kayak at around your hip, planting your blade, and then pulling yourself and your boat sideways. For the most effective stroke, rotate your torso aggressively to the side that you're performing the stroke on, get your paddle shaft as vertical as possible, and fully submerge the blade before pulling on it. To get your paddle shaft vertical you'll need to reach across your upper body with your top hand. This takes some real balance, so you might want to start by practicing your draw stroke with your top hand lower, and in front of your face. With your blade planted firmly in the water, pull your lower hand in toward your hip. Your top hand will stay very stationary, acting as the pivot point for the stroke.
Perfecting the T-Stroke
When pulling the paddle to your hip, it's important that you stop its progress before the paddle contacts your kayak, where it can get pinned and pull you off balance. Although you have the option of simply pulling your paddle blade up and out of the water, the T-stroke involves a more elegant in-water recovery. The idea is to get your blade back to its starting point while keeping it in the water. To do this, you'll curl your wrists forward to turn your blade 90-degrees so that you can effortlessly slice it back out to the side of your kayak.
As you go through these motions, fight the urge to tilt your kayak into the draw stroke and keep your boat flat on the water instead. This allows water to flow under your kayak and prevents it from piling up on the side. The most efficient draw actually involves tilting your kayak away from the stroke. This is something to strive for, although it requires a high level of balance and is a technique that will take time to perfect.
Troubleshooting the T-Stroke
If you find that your boat is turning when you use the draw stroke, it means that you're pulling your draw too far forward or too far back. If your draw is too far forward, you'll pull your bow towards your paddle. If your draw is too far back, you'll pull your stern towards your paddle.
Not only is the in-water recovery of the T-stroke elegant and efficient, but it will improve your paddle dexterity and will get you started on feathering your blade in the water. This is a key skill that will lead to a heightened awareness of both how to support yourself in the water, and how to `slip', or minimize, resistance.
This is a segment from a new book by Ken Whiting and Alex Matthews, called `Touring & Sea Kayaking - An Essential Guide'. For more information and to see a sample of the book, visit The Heliconia Press website - www.helipress.com
Ken Whiting is a World Champion Kayaker and the author and producer of an award winning series of instructional kayaking books and videos. In 2000 he was recognized by Paddler Magazine as one of their `Paddlers of the Century'. For more information, visit www.helipress.com