Hi all
I like to raise the question of what are the pros and cons of using a longer paddle relative to your height? And conversely what happens if you use a shorter paddle length?
Hey xxxholic,
Personally, to relate to you my own experience, using a longer paddle may be beneficial for you to create that catch in the water without purposely moving down excessively to reach for the catch at the start of your stroke. Eventually this will create a relatively more efficient stroke movement that is widely accepted by most teams. It will also prevent that rocking action most rowers talk about when rowers excessively rock forwards to execute the front catch. However, using a longer paddle means that the paddler has to be strong enough considering that it uses a larger arc to move the paddle through the water(i.e. a longer range of motion). Longer paddles may not actually be suitable for novice paddlers since they generally lack water fitness.
The use of shorter paddles are generally associated to either shorter paddlers or weaker beginner paddlers. One of the benefits for using a shorter paddle is to generally acclimatise new paddlers to longer paddles when they become stronger. In fact, shorter paddles are great for higher stroke rates strokes where speed is emphasized. A good illustration of this is the Camsur team. I have seen their paddle length barely exceeding 49 inches and that was for a good reason as they command stroke rates of up to 100 strokes per min at their starts. Then again it might be because of their heights which barely met 170metres.
I hope this post has been informational for you. If there is any reason that you may be doubtful about buying a paddle, just test paddles that your teammates are using. You'll find a paddle length that you'll definitely feel comfortable using. Cheers:)
