Only through my poetic license of writing these articles shall I try and get away with calling them 'The 3 Pillars of Paddling'. In reality they are the basic biomechanical foundations paddling. If you try and step up your training intensity without covering off on these points, then you'll come undone at some point in your time as a paddler.

Pillar 1: Posture
This can be tricky if you're not flexible; if that's the case with you then you will have to work hard on your flexibility & core strength.

There are three elements to posture that are important, and they are all related.

1. Pelvic tilt.
Your pelvis needs to be sitting relatively flat on your seat. If you're trying to get your body upright by leaning forward, then the chances are that your pelvis is tilted backwards slightly. Tight hamstrings & glutes contribute to incorrect pelvic tilt, and can be rectified through stretching. Talking to an ex Australian team kayak paddler some years ago, he revealed that the only stretch he did always did prior to paddling was a hamstring stretch. OK, he was pretty lazy, but you get the idea that this is really important.
Many paddlers of ocean racing skis suffer from poor pelvic position. This appears as a slouch position in the boat. I'd challenge any paddler to go for a long & fast paddle while slouching.

2. Angle of your spine.
Your spine should be pretty much straight, with a slight curve forwards, and a slight lean forwards. If your pelvis is in the right position, then you can achieve this without having to bend from the waist in order to get the forwards lean. Watch the video that we posted featuring Clint Robinson winning 'The Doctor' and you'll see what I mean.

3. Position of your shoulders.
Your shoulders should stay in a natural position. Don't be tempted to try and pin your shoulder blades too far back, or (as is more common) let them roll forwards. Some blokes tend to let them roll forwards as they are very strong in their chest, and this tends to pull their arms & shoulders forwards. This will result in rotator cuff issues after time. Basic back strength exercises can help to rectify this.

I'd suggest that the key to good posture in the boat is a combination of good core strength, and good flexibility. So part of your long term routine needs to be stretching, and lots of abdominal training. I posted an article some time ago on my favourite exercises
See you out there!

Cheers, WP.

Other reading;
A Clean Exit.
A Good Hard Pull.

Pillar 2: Hand Position.