Evolution of the Va`a

Forward Stroke

Photos Steve West
Extract from Paddlers Guide to Outrigger Canoeing

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The Tahitian Stroke

Traditional Tahitian lagoon va`a have much less freeboard than their Hawaiian counterparts. Therefore, the need for smoothness, without lunging, was an absolute necessity in order to avoid swamping the canoes. This was taught from an early age and has perhaps helped to shape the Tahitian stroke. 

 

The Tahitian stroke is easily identifiable as having a high rating [70+] consisting of a quick, short, powerful stroke with minimal body movement, less emphasis on rotation, and the exit of the paddle around the level of the hip. The arms, shoulders and upper torso of the paddler play a major role in applying power to the stroke. Because the stroke is short, timing must be absolutely precise.

 

There is little room for error, it must be executed with smoothness and minimal movement of the paddler’s body, permitting the va`a to travel smoothly forward. Paddlers at the exit phase of the stroke are nearly upright and the paddle tends to be ‘lifted’ more directly upwards and moved squarely back during the recovery phase with only marginal ‘feathering’ of the blade.

 

Traditional Hawaiian Stroke

The ‘traditional’ Hawaiian Stroke was very long [from entry to exit] coupled with exaggerated body movement and lunging forward, so the ribs almost touch the canoe gunnel. All this contributed to a much slower potential stroke rate - as low as 45 strokes/minute. The stroke was slow, long and deliberate, with emphasis on the pull at the front and the push at the rear of the stroke, and the paddle exiting at the back of the paddler’s seat. From the side it looked like the paddlers were attempting to ‘dig’ a hole in the water and then throw what they had ‘scooped’ up, out the back.

 

The recovery of the paddle involved little or no ‘feathering’ of the blade and moving through the ‘recovery phase’ was a long, lopping movement, perfected with the use of traditional paddles. Much of this paddling style was due to the nature of the super long, heavy, straight shafted, large blade area paddles. It was a style which had to change as paddles evolved and as the need for speed grew ever more urgent.

 

Contemporary Hawaiian Stroke

The traditional Hawaiian stroke was replaced with a more upright technique, rotating around the spine, leading shoulder forward, top arm back and entry achieved by dropping the shoulder to drive the paddle downward for the entry, rather than allowing the entire body to drop to gunnel level. The emphasis is now upon rotation of the body around the spine, careful paddle placement and keeping much of the emphasis of the stroke, the power-phase, ‘up front’, then during the ‘vertical’ phase, pulling the blade out early at the hip. This allows the crew to maintain higher stroke rates and enables the wa`a to ‘run’. 

Today’s wa`a paddling stroke is the result of being passed through the hands of many thousands of paddlers Pacific wide and beyond - even to the native American Indian. But some influences have been greater than others in terms of their direct effect on the wa`a stroke specifically. Whereas river canoe paddling technique encouraged direct drive downwards in the stroke throughout its length, the Australians modified this with the introduction of surfski paddlers. They placed greater importance on an aggressive entry followed by powerful rotation around the spine so the larger muscles of the body effected the pull through torque. They also locked their elbows during this twist, bending them towards the mid and latter part of the stroke.

Static and Dynamic Paddling Techniques

Spend any time watching wa`a crews and you will notice how some paddlers remain relatively upright during their stroke cycle. They rotate only in a twisting fashion from the hip and waist with a dropping of the upper shoulder to plant the blade. Others rotate and lower their entire torso, low to the gunnel, seemingly pushing the blade in somewhat more energetically, returning to a more upright position at the exit phase of the stroke. This in some regard defines ‘traditional’ paddling technique.

 

Dynamic technique incorporates leg movement as well as that of the torso and because of this it is also referred to as inertia transfer technique. 

 

Static technique requires that the lower frame, below the hip, remains stationary while the upper torso leans forward and rotates. This is the only movement. Static technique relies solely on the power and weight of the upper body to pull the canoe through the water. Predominantly this is an upright paddling position, suited to tall individuals who have plenty of leverage and upper body strength.

The va`a stroke continues to evolve today. While traditional dogma and views on paddle design have slowed its evolution, the pace has picked up again because of cross-over between paddle sports and globalisation. Throughout time, one constant has remained; the abyss between the Tahitian way of thinking and that of the rest of the world. You can’t overlook the Tahitian’s preference for the double-bend paddle, the technique they use, the belief that a paddle with considerable flex is actually ‘OK’ and ultimately their entire mind set towards training, competing and winning.