Wedge seat cushion

Mrcharly, thanks for the tip. I have been in the forum for many years and I have always found your contributions prudent, knowledgeable and constructive. I hope you are the type that does not get discouraged by bad experiences like this and that you keep on being an active member in these discussions.
Laperouse, It is not the first time that you have used this forum to try to bully other members and to explain in thousands of words the problems you see with this forum. Fortunately, I am able to give you in very few words my opinion on the subject. I think the only problem this forum has right now is your big and bruised ego and your tendency to bully whoever is not ready to say amen to your opinions. Other than that, I am a huge fan of this forum, I have learned tons of things from many of its members (no need to mention others, but Mrcharly is one of them) and I am immensely grateful to Robin for keeping it alive.

We are all so passionate about this sport, so it is inevitable that our egos or pride or whatever you want to call it get caught up in things eventually. It has certainly happened to me on this website. Internet forums for a variety of reasons worsen this. We can’t hear tone of voice or see facial expressions for example. This is just how it is. Lets move on. You guys are both valued members of this community who make this a better place and I have enjoyed chatting with both of you over the years. Like everyone else I am in the never ending struggle to be the best me possible both in the boat and out of the boat. Two pearls I have picked up along the way are “assume good intent” and “don't assume stupidity”. I wish I could have them tattooed on the insides of my eyelids as they are hard to remember in the heat of the moment!

Hi Dapara. I was once where you are in terms of posture problems and I think it is a very smart thing that you tackle this problem from the beginning (I wasn’t that smart and ended up with lower back problems after a couple of years of paddling with bad posture). After that, I have extensively researched this topic and I would like to mention a couple of things that have helped me a lot:

1- Julian Norton-Smith, a top ex-paddler and a wonderful couch, has a podcast with advice on how to improve your posture in a surfski (link below). The exercise he recommends, done consistently over a couple of months, gave a me a big push in improving my posture. He is also the designer and seller of a seat pad that, if used correctly, makes sure you keep proper posture. These things are always person dependant, but in my case I like it so much that I have now the three sizes (1, 1.5 and 2 cm) and I change them according to sea conditions. The back pad by Epic that Zach mentioned is also a good concept and deserves a try. I tried both of them and, at the end, I chose the JNS pad, but it may very well be the oposite for you.

2- In terms of mobility improvement, I have used Kelly Starret´s web service for a few years. He has lots of videos that teach you to how to improve mobility and posture and to correct problem areas, and believe me, he is a top professional that is not going to put your back at risk. Kelly is a former elite paddler and understand our issues very well. You can ask him specific questions that he will answer in a monthly video for members. Membership is not free after a trial period, but for me it is worth every penny.


Hope it helps. Happy paddling!!


paddle2fitness.com.au/improving-surf-ski-posture/

thereadystate.com/

dapara2004 wrote:

I am temporarily placing a foam pad in the lowered out part of the seat with a slight angle forward towards the feet. It seems to help and I still feel balanced. Hopefully a pro watching me paddle will be able to identify the inefficiencies and unbalanced aspects of my stroke and suggest some technical exercises and drills to help me keep going in the sport.

Here's a link to a thread on that subject. The posts by "balance fit" are really good. He doesn't come around much anymore, but I think he's a trained PT.

www.surfski.info/forum/1-general/19088-f...et.html?limitstart=0

If you are down in Florida, I'm sure you will find someone that can help with that crazy seated ski motion. I'd almost say that anyone with a good background in sporty motion could help. Any PT really. Maybe yoga. It's all the same stuff. I don't think it has to be a pro ski coach. It might be interesting to hit one of them up and show them a video of somebody in a ski. My guess is that they would look at it and say, "Ow, that's a challenging motion...."

Here's a video of a guy I used to watch waaay back when I was trying to figure out if yoga could fix my back. He's a great communicator and and travels the world doing clinics on how to teach yoga. HIs ideas seem very solid on how a coach should listen to a student. And how different everyone is. Some motions are just plain wrong for some people. Smart coaches know it and adjust the practice for the student. Some are more like Drill Sergeants. Good luck finding a good one.

dapara2004 wrote:

I have not had an opportunity yet to paddle a K1, or even sit in one on land to see how the seated position compares/contrasts to the surfski. K1 isn’t really an option where I paddle due to rapidly changing conditions that create big seas. But I do paddle on the flat days and wonder how the canoe technique applies to surfski and if the ergonomic aspects of each setup are different enough to affect the technique on flat water. In swell, I have noticed at my novice level, that I tend to paddle more forward relative to the boat and have to use shorter strokes to maintain stability and quick response to side chop. Choppy sea conditions do seem to naturally suggest variations in technique

I've never been in a K-1 either. I think the seat elevation relative to the heels is higher. If it's higher, it's going to be 'easier' on the lower back. It's easier on the lower back because of pelvic tilt. You are also aware of what a 'neutral' core position is, so you are on the right track.

Ivan's sport of 'canoeing' and the seat height difference to skis is not enough to change your ergonomic approach. His advice in the gym video is excellent. The crossover ideas are the same. Your butt may be lower, so it's going to be tougher to get the leverage, but the concept is the same.

Front of body pushing down, feet pushing up. I wish that video had come out when I was a beginner. I was confused for many, many years. That's a very weird motion and I never understood it clearly until that video. I had been to clinics from 2 pros and it never sank in.

It wasn't just me either. A friend of mine said the same thing after a first viewing. And she knows about coordinated athletic motion. She was a pro in another sport. Very talented. She had been in ski for about a year, studying everything on the internet, just as I had years before. She was actually kinda angry and said "why didn't anyone ever say that before?" I told her "I'm glad to hear you say that, because I thought it was just me..."

Part me not 'getting it' was probably my body adjusting to those extremely odd motions. But it finally clicked. Lucky me. It may be the same for you, it may work eventually.

If you are using quick motions to deal with side chop, that's a good thing. Open ocean is all about reaction. It improves dramatically with practice. Keep those taps up front. The bracing and slaps you are doing will become so fast you won't even think about it. Then your confidence soars. Then those long, drawn out perfect strokes you practice on flat water will transition onto the rough water. The automatic corrections will save you every time. You won't go over.

Thank you very much! Great information here. This forum is truly a great resource for a novice like me, and, as I read other posts from more experienced paddlers, I can see that there is great depth, too. Thank you all for your generosity, encouragement, and enthusiasm! I am so glad I took the plunge and started this great sport.

Very helpful information! Thank you very much. It will be a good challenge to find the balance between seat modification and improved body dynamics. I will be keeping in mind all the helpful perspectives here and patiently try the suggestions keeping track of what works best.

LaPerouse is right, the K1 position has your bum a lot higher than your feet - anything from 10-15cm (the really high seats are very difficult to deal with). Even with that, tight hamstrings are a constant problem, mostly because K1 paddlers straighten their legs much more than a ski paddler.

I'm no physio, however in my experience of paddling I think that seated stretches are most useful and indicative of flexibility for paddlers. Just wish I had the flexibility of my youth, when I could get my whole body parallel to my thighs! These days my abdomen touches my thighs for other reasons, but lets not go into that.

I find that rough water is the enemy of good paddling style. Makes it very difficult to see what you are doing, and the effect on speed.

When I was K1 racing, I found a speed readout a very good aid for improving style. I'd try changes in technique, maintaining same effort level, and see the effect on speed.

Subtle things, like Oscar's "Push the none-drive-side hip forward" sounded nonsensical; then I tried them and noticed an immediate impact on smoothness and speed.

One general tip is to keep cadence down if you are working on your technique. You need time to think and concentrate on each stroke.