Dave Kalama's paddle stroke

Dave Kalama - Stand Up Paddle Strokes from standupzone dotcom on Vimeo.

Chan had mentioned a while back that she was going to do an interview with Dave on some techniques and paddle tips that we thought others on the Zone might find interesting. Well, we all finally got a chance to do that over the last couple of days, and so here is the first go. We met up at Maliko Gulch for some photos, but brought along my little point and shoot as well. Randy Royce used it to shoot some video clips, and I think they do a good job of showing the difference between Dave's primary two strokes. Up until 1:40 he is using the Hawaiian stroke, after that, the Tahitian stroke. This is the Naish 17 production and Dave's Signature model Quickblade. I will post some of the stills I shot of the gear, the strokes, etc. in a bit. Chan is compiling her notes from the interview, in which Dave gave out some really detailed instruction on trimming, swell selection and following, and ruddering.

The following is Dave's description of the two strokes in the vid:

The Hawaiian stroke, is a longer, slower paced stroke with greater repetitions per side (12-16) than the Tahitian. To initiate the stroke extend your lower shoulder and arm, twist your torso, maintain a vertical paddle position on entry, push down to weight the paddle while pulling the stroke parallel to the board to propel your weight forward. It is important to maintain a vertical paddle position until you begin to exit the stroke. Release should occur slightly before your paddle reaches your hip by dropping your upper hand and twisting your wrist.

The Tahitian stroke requires a greater degree of extension, so reach as far forward as possible. It is ok to bend a little at the hips, but you don't want that to be the majority of your reach. The torso twist and the shoulder reach along with a little bend at the hips add up to your total extension for your reach. Less weight is placed on the paddle and quicker shorter strokes are required. At this rate 8-10 strokes per side is recommended. Using a combination of strokes helps to minimize fatigue.