A rose by any other name I guess :-) The basic mechanics of that kind of stroke is used in a lot of places and goes by different names. The gondolas in Venice for example are paddled (rowed?) with the same mechanical principles. Top part of the paddle does most of the work and the bottom part is kinda anchored and acts as a fulcrum with a pitched blade underwater recovery to steer. A few of the folks in my circle of paddling friends had lengthy discussions about the names applied to strokes. To avoid regional bias, the name Guide Stroke was suggested for this as most paddlers who spend a lot of time on the water (like canoe guides) will eventually modify a J stroke into some variation which resembles what gets called a Canadian or Northwoods stroke. The bottom line is that any variation of this stroke saves a lot of energy and you can easily modify the cadence to to match another paddler if you're tandem. My $.02 CDN
Pretty much (Guide, Northwoods, Canadian) are all very similar and some people don't separate them out. There is also a fair bit of variance in how people execute each of these. Same species different variants.
This stroke, as far as I can find out, was named from north eastern USA and eastern Canada - thus the 'Northwoods' stroke. The power is knees to hip although catch and release may extended beyond. The difference from a Canadian is lower grip hand, change in body rotation, and a little head bob - not that any of this is cannon but my interpretion. Many people that use this stroke support the paddle on the gunwale as part of the recovery (see the note from Howard below that this is frowned on by many paddlers). Since this video was created I have added a newer clip using a paddle with a northwoods grip that works better for a cross palm grip. ruclips.net/video/HgS3ERDWla0/видео.html
Since the natives actually invented almost everything to do with canoeing, including the canoe itself, thousands of years before contact with Europeans, my guess is they're all variations of a native stroke.
STOP hitting the gunwale with the throat of your paddle!! On a calm day that can be heard at a great distance. No reason for it, you have cultivated a bad habit. Quiet!
Using the gunwale for leverage on the pry at the end of the Canadian stroke can save a lot of energy over long distances. Your point is valid but I think you could work on your communication.
Two options with J stroke, to use or not use the gunwale. On certain occasions both right, on others, both wrong. I will always use the correct technique for the job, no matter what someone on RUclips orders you not to do
A rose by any other name I guess :-) The basic mechanics of that kind of stroke is used in a lot of places and goes by different names. The gondolas in Venice for example are paddled (rowed?) with the same mechanical principles. Top part of the paddle does most of the work and the bottom part is kinda anchored and acts as a fulcrum with a pitched blade underwater recovery to steer. A few of the folks in my circle of paddling friends had lengthy discussions about the names applied to strokes. To avoid regional bias, the name Guide Stroke was suggested for this as most paddlers who spend a lot of time on the water (like canoe guides) will eventually modify a J stroke into some variation which resembles what gets called a Canadian or Northwoods stroke. The bottom line is that any variation of this stroke saves a lot of energy and you can easily modify the cadence to to match another paddler if you're tandem. My $.02 CDN
Hey Charles - I think you have it !!!
Looks like a short Canadian stroke .
Pretty much (Guide, Northwoods, Canadian) are all very similar and some people don't separate them out. There is also a fair bit of variance in how people execute each of these. Same species different variants.
Why is it called Northwoods? Who used this? Is it knees to hip? Is it a conservation stroke? Thank you, great videos!
This stroke, as far as I can find out, was named from north eastern USA and eastern Canada - thus the 'Northwoods' stroke. The power is knees to hip although catch and release may extended beyond. The difference from a Canadian is lower grip hand, change in body rotation, and a little head bob - not that any of this is cannon but my interpretion. Many people that use this stroke support the paddle on the gunwale as part of the recovery (see the note from Howard below that this is frowned on by many paddlers).
Since this video was created I have added a newer clip using a paddle with a northwoods grip that works better for a cross palm grip. ruclips.net/video/HgS3ERDWla0/видео.html
Charles Burchill Great explanation, thank you. I will be giving this a go. Next summer I hope to be in Woodlands Caribou using this stroke!
Since the natives actually invented almost everything to do with canoeing, including the canoe itself, thousands of years before contact with Europeans, my guess is they're all variations of a native stroke.
STOP hitting the gunwale with the throat of your paddle!! On a calm day that can be heard at a great distance. No reason for it, you have cultivated a bad habit. Quiet!
Using the gunwale for leverage on the pry at the end of the Canadian stroke can save a lot of energy over long distances. Your point is valid but I think you could work on your communication.
Two options with J stroke, to use or not use the gunwale. On certain occasions both right, on others, both wrong. I will always use the correct technique for the job, no matter what someone on RUclips orders you not to do