The truth about speed in paddling
Most paddlers train harder. Fewer train smarter. And almost none are taught to think in systems.
Strength can only take you so far. Where it will help you get ahead is when you know how to use it and why. Every part of your stroke is connected. Each movement you make affects the boat. To get faster, you don’t need more effort. You need your systems working together.
Paddling is a set of systems
When I coach, I break each stroke down into systems. When these fundamentals are applied together, they generate speed.
What are these systems? Some are:
Biomechanics: how your body moves and what’s actually driving that movement
Fluid dynamics: how the paddle interacts with the water
Exercise physiology: how you apply force and maintain output
Sports Psychology: how you prep, focus, and respond under pressure
Physics: the fundamental laws of motion and energy
Team systems: how individuals sync and move as one
Most coaches stop at the pieces. I break the stroke down into its core systems and help you reassemble them for a faster, more powerful performance.
Let’s talk about the catch
We’re often taught to fully submerge the paddle before starting the pull. That’s absolutely correct.
But here’s the problem.
Most coaching focuses on what your arms, shoulders, or hips are doing during the catch. That’s incomplete.
The catch isn’t just about a paddler’s body. It’s about the interaction between the paddle and the water: between mechanical movement and fluid dynamics. Think of it as a system of forces working together. If you don’t get that connection right, everything downstream suffers.
This is one of dozens of small shifts that make a big difference.
The central problem of paddling
There’s a fundamental challenge in paddling that most people overlook. Your body is pulling against the direction of the boat, while also pushing with it.
This duality, pulling and pushing in opposite directions, is what creates speed. But only if you coordinate it properly.
It might sound simple, but it changes everything about how we use our bodies. When you start training with this understanding, everything sharpens: the catch, the timing, the drive, and the acceleration.
Understanding your advantage
Understanding the systems behind the stroke doesn’t just make you a faster paddler. It makes you more consistent, more confident, and more prepared for high-level competition.
When you know why something works, you can repeat it. You can coach it. You can execute it under pressure. That’s the difference between effort and excellence.
Put the system to work
This is what I coach whether I’m working with an individual paddler, an entire crew, or a coach who wants to level up their practice planning and performance strategies.
Want to go deeper?