By Jeff Hendrix
Kayak paddling seems like a confusing motion. Since water is a liquid when you push against it, it should just move out of the way. But it does not, when you push against the water, you actually move forward instead of the water moving. Why is this?
The reason you move forward has to do with something called newtons third law of physics. You may remember this rule vaguely from your high school physics class, but to refresh your memory, the law is: For every action (paddle) there is an equal and opposite reaction (movement!).
What this is saying is that the force you put into a paddle stroke against the water, the pull of the stroke along in the water, it will cause an equal amount of forward movement for you through the water! This rule is more or less true in water but you also have to deal with more complicated factors like drag and wind which prevent you from having a truly equal distance to the amount of power you put in. You get all that power, it just doesn't fully translate because of things that work to slow you down.
If you are still confused by this, don't worry. The best way to imagine it is to think of a river as a huge bowl of jello. When you stick your paddle in, its not going to move the jello. When you pull on your paddle in a powerstroke through the jello, your boat will move forward as the paddle doesn't move. This is the third law in action.
If you want to get a better, more powerful stroke in kayaking it is important to understand this principal. When your blade is perpendicular to your boat, you get a lot of power and a lot of forward motion. If you turn your blade sideways you will easily move it through the water with no power and no forward motion.
Read more great kayaking articles at [http://www.white-waterkayak.com/Article]
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