Re: HydroDynamic Lifting

Neil Wallace wrote:

> Bill Atkinson wrote:
> snip

I don't have anything to specifically add to the lift
characteristics of the oar in the water, however,
I've been learning to paddle a K-1 this fall as
part of developing the overall aquatic program
at Clear Lake.   What's interesting is that I had two
kinds of paddle, the traditional decades old paddle
that you swing through in a straight line parallel to the
boat.  I also have 'wing paddles' that are narrower
blades but have a definite wing shape and require an
entirely different technique.  Instead of pulling the paddle
parallel to the boat, you sweep the paddle gradually away
from the boat.  This has the advantage of finding still water
to push against, while at the same time, as you push the
paddle away from the boat, it actually has a bow-ward
drift, there are lift forces helping propel the boat.

In swimming, the butterfly stroke has radically changed in the
last decade where hands used to drive down to the hips and
then come out, now the hands slice outward before they reach
the hips.   The claim I heard from a swimming coach is that
there are lift forces the swimmer is taking advantage of.

I have no documentaion of these techniques, but I find the changes
quite interesting.

Mike