Tag: Canoe Strokes

The pry stroke is excellent for turning your canoe quickly or, if you’re solo, for moving sideways in the water. The opposite of a draw stroke, the pry stroke starts next to the canoe and pushes the water away.

1. Sit or kneel in a stable position in your canoe.
2. Hold the paddle correctly! To start the stroke, the shoulders should be rotated parallel with the gunnel so you are facing the stroke.
3. Your shaft hand is on the gunnel about 6 to 8 inches behind the hip. The arm is bent.
4. The grip arm is nearly straight and at a right angle to the keel line with your grip hand pushed out over the water.
5. Insert the blade of the paddle vertically into the water directly next to the canoe on the side opposite the direction you wish to move.
6. Rest your shaft hand on the gunwale. Pull with grip hand and push with your shaft hand.
7. Use the gunnel of the canoe as a fulcrum (lever) for the paddle to push against the water.
8. Turn the blade of the paddle sideways, perpendicular to the canoe, and slide it back through the water to the starting position to begin another stroke.

If you missed the other canoe stroke reviews, you can find them here:

Draw & Cross Bow Draw
J-Stroke & Canadian J-Stroke
Forward & Back Stroke

If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out the video Path of the Paddle for a good overview on all the canoe strokes.

Credits:
Photo: By MooseHead88 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
How to Paddle a Canoe: Strokes and Techniques -Erich Volkstorf
Five Essential Canoe Paddle Strokes – Karen Ingraham
The Stern Pry – Bob Foote

Besides the J-stroke and the forward strokes, there are other strokes we use to maneuver on the water, including the “draw” and “cross bow draw” strokes…..

Draw Stroke

This is a steering/turning stroke used by both bow person and stern person to pull the canoe to the paddling side. It can be used to move the canoe sideways, avoid obstacles and to turn the canoe around in a circle.

The draw is executed the same for both the bow and stern, but the effect is quite different. A right draw in the bow turns the boat to the right, while a right draw in the stern turns the boat to the left, and vice versa.

1. Begin by maintaining proper form: hold paddle properly and sit up straight.
2. Start the stroke by raising the paddle up, bringing the grip handle to about head level, and the shaft hand out to the side and not angled across the body
3. As you are bringing the paddle up and out, rotate your torso to the side and place the blade vertically into the water at a comfortable distance from the canoe. Both arms are fully extended.
4. Draw the paddle toward you through the water perpendicular to the canoe. You are actually pulling the canoe toward the paddle.
5. When you stop pulling, your paddle should be vertical and practically touching the side of the canoe. Imagine pushing water under the canoe!
6. To finish your draw, slice your paddle out of the water behind you, then feather around to the starting position for your next stroke.

Tip: Use the torso and upper body rotation to aid in the stroke to give maximum power. You shouldn’t be using your arms as much as you use the rotation of your torso.

Cross-Bow Draw Stroke (Bow )

Designed for the bow paddler, the cross-bow draw is like the draw stroke but done on the opposite, or “off,” side than you are paddling on. This stroke is used to quickly turn the canoe (pivot) and to avoid obstacles.

1. To execute this stroke, it is essential to hold the paddle correctly.
2. Keep that hold and lift the paddle over the bow by rotating your torso to place the blade in the water on the opposite side without changing your grip.
3. Reach out and insert the blade of the paddle into the water away from the canoe and toward the front.
4. Pull towards the canoe with your shaft hand and push with your grip hand to draw the paddle through the water so your paddle faces the bow of the canoe (your thumb on the grip hand will be facing away from you).
5. By holding firm and not letting your paddle get pulled away from you, you’ll cause the canoe to turn towards your paddle.

To see out how these and how other strokes work, check out Path of the Paddle: Double Basics

Credits:
CanoeingBasics.com
Canoe Cross Bow Draw Stroke – Andrew Westwood
Illustration: By MooseHead88 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0

Forward Stroke (Power Stroke)

The “forward stroke” is, quite simply, the stroke that moves your canoe forward and is used mainly by the bow person in tandem or doubles canoeing.

Though the forward stroke may appear to be simple, there are lots of ways to do it wrong. The goal is not to simply to move your canoe forward, but to move it forward with the greatest power and efficiency possible so you don’t waste energy and possibly hurt yourself.

To start this stroke (the wind-up), the grip hand, (the hand at the top of your paddle shaft), should be at about chin level and away from your face. Lean slightly forward with both the shaft and grip hands and rotate your torso forward as you place the paddle in the water.

Keeping your arms slightly bent, draw the paddle straight back through the water with the face of the blade perpendicular to the water, twisting your torso through the stroke (catch and power phase). This is done by applying forward pressure (like a punch) with your grip hand and using your shaft hand as the pivot point (fulcrum), so the paddle is used like a lever. The shaft hand should be loose for easier rotation of the shaft. The power of the stroke comes from your torso and hips, not from your arms.

To complete the stroke (recovery phase), slice your paddle out of the water up by dropping the grip hand and rotating the wrist so the grip hand thumb is pointing forward and then “feathering” around to your starting position just skimming the water. (“Feathering” simply means swinging the blade forward, flat above the water’s surface so it cuts through the wind instead of catching it.)

Back Stroke (Reverse Stroke)

This stroke is the reverse of the forward stroke where you rotate your torso toward the stern and place the paddle in the water to the rear of your body. You then push forward with the shaft hand and pull with the grip hand. Unwind the torso until the shoulders are square with the gunwales with the shaft hand fully extended. Complete the stroke by lifting the blade out of the water and arcing the shaft hand backward over the water and dropping the grip hand to chest level.

This stroke can be used to stop the canoe or to back up for hazard avoidance, to ferry across the current, or hold position in a current.

Hopefully this post will help you understand these basic strokes much better. Once you see these strokes in action and actually get to practice them, you will get a better understanding of how they work!

In case you missed them, here are other posts that might be of interest to you:

Path of the Paddle: Doubles Basics

Parts of a Canoe & Paddle

Just a reminder that you have a chance to practice these and other strokes at the “Victoria Pond” practice session and other canoe outings.

Credits:
Forward Stroke – CanoeingBasics.com
Paddle Canada, Canoe Strokes Resource Document, 2012
Different Strokes for Canoeing Folks – Karen Berger
Five Essential Canoe Paddle Strokes – Karen Ingraham
Photo: By MooseHead88 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,