Slicing the paddle back to the catch position . Canoe is moving backwards
The blade is then drawn forward , approximately to the hip , keeping the shaft vertical throughout . This is a very short stroke .
At the end of the stroke , the grip hand is rotated 90 degrees so that the thumb points straight back and the blade is sliced through the water back to the placement position for the next stroke .
Although the ability to steer is limited with the far back , some is possible . Placement further away from the hull allows for a slight draw at the beginning . Since the entire stroke takes place astern of the paddler and behind the canoe ’ s centre of rotation , pitching the blade so that the outer edge of the blade is angled a bit forward ( compared to the inner edge ) will cause the stern to be drawn toward the paddle side throughout .
Conversely , with a placement tight to the hull and with the inner edge of the blade angled a bit forward ( compared to the outer edge ), the stern will be pried away from the paddle side throughout . Experiment and practice with draws , pries and pitch until you can steer while performing the far back .
The advantages of the far back over the standard reverse stroke are twofold . One is that correctly done ; it is more powerful . With the torso fully ‘ wound ’, the pulling motion is more powerful than the pushing motion of the standard reverse stroke . The second is the ability to face and see where you are going . Because of the limited ability to steer , it ’ s best used when you don ’ t need to travel very far .
The compound reverse is , as it sounds , a combination of the standard reverse and the far back . I ’ d suggest practising and becoming comfortable with both before trying the compound .
Begin , just as you would for the far back . Draw the blade forward to the hip , then turn the grip thumb out ( flipping the blade so that the power face becomes the back face ) and continue moving the blade forward ( you are now pushing the blade ) to approximately your knee . ( A reverse sweep or reverse J may be incorporated , if necessary , during this portion of the stroke .) This is the end of the stroke . Now , turn your thumb sternward and slice back to the catch position and repeat . Make sure that you keep your hands stacked and the shaft nearly vertical throughout . It will take practice to cleanly execute the long slice back between strokes and the mid-stroke paddle ‘ flip ’.
Mastering the compound reverse will reward you with a helpful tool that gives you the power of the far back plus the directional control of the standard reverse . It also allows you to easily see both where you are going and where you ’ ve just been .
Videos showing the Compound Reverse stroke in real-time and ¼ speed :
Compound Reverse Stroke ( actual speed )
Compound Reverse Stroke at 1 / 4 speed
In the final instalment of this three-part series , I ’ ll discuss cross reverse , my alltime favourite way of backing up .
ThePADDLER 127