I was prompted to write this blog post after seeing two very similar videos pop up in my social media feeds from two different online paddling instructors/influencers. It made me think about the impact of social media algorithms in how people choose to teach, plus two common pitfalls in both online and in-person instruction.
Both videos were talking about the same subject – the Catch phase of the paddle stroke – but had opposing advice to give to their respective audiences… sort of.
The Videos
Main Points of Video/Instructor 1:
- The Catch is taught wrong by encouraging overreaching
- The Catch is taught wrong by encouraging “stabbing” the paddle
- There is no propulsion during the Catch phase
Main Points of Video/Instructor 2:
- The Catch should involve a 100% reach
- The Catch should focus on “stabbing” the paddle
- The Catch is important for Propulsion
So which video is correct?
Well, honestly, they both are. And they are both wrong. But more importantly why were these two videos contradictory and how do we figure out what is correct?
The Pitfalls
There are two common pitfalls that happen when people become instructors, especially when trying to gain traction with their content on social media. Unfortunately, few instructors will recognize these issues and correct them. I see it even in content from some of the best known names in SUP and other paddling sports.
Regurgitation
This is the biggest problem for new instructors, especially those who only learn from one or two people in their area. It has happened to every instructor I know. While some see the issue and correct it, many more do not.
We teach what we are taught. Whether that is technique, equipment, or procedure, instructor certification courses often have a set curriculum, or the curriculum is taught one way by one individual and another way by another individual – but you only pass if you can teach it their way. This leads to rote memorization and regurgitation. I’m guilty of this myself early on in my paddling instructor career. Why wouldn’t this person who’s older and more experienced than me be 100% correct? After all, I’m getting a certification from them!
A classic example in Stand Up Paddleboarding – Foot/Rail Steering. A few very well known individuals began teaching this method of paddling straight by leaning your board opposite your paddle stroke and, unfortunately, it caught like fire. It’s totally bunk. I’ll write a blog post about it soon, but for now – just go and try it. Paddle straight then stop paddling and lean your board on the opposite rail. You won’t be turning toward your paddling side. Focusing on putting your body off-balance to attempt to paddle straighter will reduce your stability and put your body out of position for proper paddling technique – ironically often angling your paddle farther away from the board and thus making you turn more! You can watch those same popular individuals racing and will never once see them use this “technique.”
Exaggeration
The second pitfall that occurs more on social media than anywhere else – but then is regurgitated – is exaggeration of sound instruction. This is when one person is taught something, but takes it to an extreme that it was never meant to be. They’ve skipped the lesson of the advice to focus on an Exaggerated Example. We frequently use Exaggerated Examples as teaching tools to demonstrate concepts. While that can help a student see the impact of a principle at first, a good teacher will make sure that the student understands the exaggeration was an example, not the norm.
A classic example in Stand Up Paddleboarding – Your Paddle Stroke Should End at Your Feet. Ugh, I hate hearing this advice. No, it shouldn’t arbitrarily end at your feet. The Exaggerated Example and kernel of truth this is derived from is that you should not be applying power to your stroke so far behind your body that you twist and/or use force to lift water up. The actual correct technique is to reduce the amount of power you are applying to the paddle as the stroke naturally finishes without twisting your body out of position. This typically leaves your stroke exiting the water just behind your feet with a relatively quiet Release from the water. Artificially shortening your paddle stroke simply to take the paddle out at your feet will actually throw off your rhythm and body position, making it harder to reset for your next stroke, increasing the chance of “grabbing” water during the Recovery phase, and leaves eliminates a large chunk of propulsive power from each stroke. Watch pro racers in anything other than a sprint – they will be paddling past their feet with each stroke.
All Hail the Algorithm
Trying to get your voice heard these days is tough. Long gone are the days of chronological social media feeds (that we actually liked). Instead we’ve got algorithms designed to do two things – engage us through controversy to sell ads, and get us to buy things directly. Very little of the content we see on social media is what we actually opened our phones for. So to break through we have to work with the Algorithm. That means lots of content, and lots of click/rage bait. That leads to more extreme exaggeration compounded by short audience attention.
Go look at the most prolific YouTubers’ channels in SUP, OC, Kayaking… you’ll see lots of large graphics about how “you’ll never believe…” and “you’ve been all wrong…” and “this one/these seven tricks…” But that’s what they have to do to deal with the Algorithm, unfortunately. So simple, sound advice gets buried.
What about the two videos I mentioned at the top?
After watching both of them a few times I realized they were ultimately trying to get at the same advice, but one did it through exaggeration and obfuscated the important information, while the other couldn’t quite explain the point well enough. They were both right and both wrong.
The Catch does involve a reach – and that reach should be at 100% proper extension. Both touched on, but neither really went into detail about, what the proper extension body mechanic should be. They likely have other videos on the topic so it’s not a huge mark against them.
The Catch does require a “stabbing” or “quick insertion” of the blade into the water. The first video treats this as an isolated action focusing on how when pushing the blade into the water in an isolated movement it doesn’t provide propulsion. But that’s not how we paddle – it’s an Exaggerated Example that the instructor did not clarify! Our paddle strokes should be linked with smooth, continuous movement. If we don’t quickly insert the whole blade into the water, that means we begin pulling when part of the blade is out of the water creating a loss of propulsion.
While there may not be any propulsion created from a forward-stabbing/thrusting motion, that is not how we paddle. The Catch involves the forward motion of extending the paddle blade forward along with a downward motion pushing the blade into the water and transferring weight and force onto the blade face. That is one of the reasons SUP and OC paddles have a forward rake angle on the blades – this allows the blade to insert smoothly forward while applying pressure down on the power face to create instant hold and propulsion.
Parting Thoughts
I hadn’t planned to write about this topic. It hadn’t really occurred to me as something to blog about. But after seeing these two videos on my various social media feeds within hours of each other I needed to vent.
I’ve been guilty of both Regurgitation and Exaggerated Examples. Every instructor has. It’s part of our learning process as instructors. But I’ve also worked hard at critically examining those elements of what I teach and discovering the roots and failures of that advice, adjusting my instruction as I learn. However, if an instructor can’t see past these issues and evaluate what they’ve been taught and their own curriculum with/from an outside perspective, then it is time to stop teaching.
The big takeaway for students is to closely evaluate the advice and instruction you are receiving. Ask why something is done a certain way. If the answer is “because that’s how we do it,” or especially if it is “because that’s how XYZ does it,” then you need to take that advice with a pound of salt and look into what is really going on. Similarly, evaluate any advice or instruction that is done out of context or in a very isolated method. Look at how that advice fits into the complete picture of what you are learning.
Lastly, while I know I’d love to be able to burn my smartphone and stop all social media cold-turkey, I know it’s not going to happen. Be aware of what you are seeing, think critically, and give some grace to those creators that are trying to provide real, factual content within the confines of the medium.