Paddle Grip

Our tool for propulsion in a dragon boat is our paddle. It is a simple piece of technology which if used correctly, can help a team get nearly 2 tonnes of craft moving at 20km/hr or more. However, used inefficiently it can hinder the motion of the craft.

Correct Grip Position

You will see a variety of grip positions that paddlers have adopted and become comfortable with. There is no hard and fast rules, however generally...

The bottom hand should grip the paddle shaft 2-3 fingers above the blade.

Bottom hand too far up the paddle

When the bottom hand is too far up from the blade this can often cause the paddler to lose control of the blade during the power stroke (blade wobbles through the water).

Moving the hand up the paddle shaft is equivalent to changing gears and some elite paddlers start off with their bottom hand one hand width above the blade while others shift their hand up during the race. As the hand moves up, the effort required increases but the leverage improves.

However, this is advanced technique and should not be a substitute/cheat for gaining length on the catch or else the power generated from the sit up in the drive phase will be compromised.

Causes:

Bottom hand is set too far up the paddle.
Bottom hand slips up the paddle.
Paddle is too long.

Fixes:

Ensure that the paddle is the right length.
Ensure that inside shoulder movement is adequate to lift the paddle up on the return.
Encourage the use of tape to mark the location of the bottom hand.

Summary

Irrespective of bottom hand grip position, the bottom hand should always be skimming the water at the Catch and throughout the Drive, otherwise any potential advantage of a high grip position is lost.