I am right handed but paddle on my left side. Most people who are right handed seem to paddle there right side.
I can paddle on my right or offside but no where near as strong or skillfully
Indian stroke and even a half decent J goes out of the window, is this the same for everyone or do I need to put the hours in and practice.
Sounds about right, I am right handed and normally paddle on my right although I can paddle on my left with about 85% efficiency.
We had two left handed people on a course this week and they paddled on their right
so I guess there is no norm?
G
Retro Wrote:I am right handed but paddle on my left side. Most people who are right handed seem to paddle there right side.
I can paddle on my right or offside but no where near as strong or skillfully Indian stroke and even a half decent J goes out of the window, is this the same for everyone or do I need to put the hours in and practice.
I always think I'm doing something wrong while watching you
Being right-handed I to paddle on the right, and things go slightly t*** up when I change sides. So, no right or wrong way then? Thank heavens for that
Nige.
Evenin' all, just joined this new forum, heard of it via Graeme.
I think I can claim to be the same using L or R sides, I'm equally crap with either, sob.
Ian
GF
Nige Wrote:Retro Wrote:I am right handed but paddle on my left side. Most people who are right handed seem to paddle there right side.
I can paddle on my right or offside but no where near as strong or skillfully Indian stroke and even a half decent J goes out of the window, is this the same for everyone or do I need to put the hours in and practice.
I always think I'm doing something wrong while watching you
Being right-handed I to paddle on the right, and things go slightly t*** up when I change sides. So, no right or wrong way then? Thank heavens for that
Nige.
Being a leftie I was pleased to discover that single paddles don't discriminate and can be used just as well on either side. I much prefer paddling on the left and would out of habit do so; it just feels right. I can paddle just as poorly on the right but with far less confidence. I have always put this down to a combination of lack of practice and weaker muscles on the right rather than any thing in my DNA.
Right-handed, paddle more on the left side but make a concerted effort to practice all storke on the right too. Sometimes there are events, that would mke it awkward keep ing the same position and paddling your offside. But if you changed hands, a lot of effort can be saved. Especially, if paddling directly/diagonally across a side wind.
TGB
Nige Wrote:I always think I'm doing something wrong while watching you
You are it's called paddling the wrong coloured boat
Ha ha 
Nige.
the solution is to eat less and become ambidextrious
I have observed that if you introduce people to paddlesport with a single blade they often like to have the t/palm-grip in their dominant hand.
If they start as a kayaker they are used to the control hand gripping the shaft.
Obviously this is not scientific, but interesting.
I paddle on the left and am right handed. The solution to not switching sides on the river is perhaps to get good with your cross deck technique, but on open water in the wind it is an advantage to be strong on both sides.
Ken
ken hughes Wrote:I have observed that if you introduce people to paddlesport with a single blade they often like to have the t/palm-grip in their dominant hand.
If they start as a kayaker they are used to the control hand gripping the shaft.
Obviously this is not scientific, but interesting.
I paddle on the left and am right handed. The solution to not switching sides on the river is perhaps to get good with your cross deck technique, but on open water in the wind it is an advantage to be strong on both sides.
Ken
Interesting. I was a right handed kayaker before taking up canoeing and I paddle on my right usually though I can also paddle on the other side. I try to use both sides. Bizarrely I paddled mainly on my right on one trip and mainly on my left before that finding it harder to control on the other side.
I paddle a lot of C1 and specialist white water canoe (OC1). We rarely change sides. It means you become a little one sided, but it does make your off side pretty good.
Another interesting question would be: if you are very one sided what % of the time do you spend on your off [cross-deck] side on a river trip? My personal answer would be about 40% in a trad boat, in a small boat about 50%.
Ken
I'm right-handed and paddle mainly on my left side, but make a determined effort to also practise paddling on my right side. When I do, it feels very unnatural, but I do it so that I can.
Strangely, if I feel uncomfortable in a level of water I find myself wanting to switch to paddling on my right - maybe it's the potential for support strokes which seem more natural on my right side.
There's obviously some psychological influence here
TD.
Now for Jamatrad the weirdo.
I need to paddle right side when solo
I need paddle right side when tandem bow
I need to paddle left side when tandem in the stern.
I paddle right sided when standing
I pole equally both sides.
Ok who has got the science to explain this?
mmmmmm...............................