In the forward stroke, the most important part of the stroke is the catch. The moment the paddle locks onto the water is the catch. A good catch creates a strong connection between the boat, paddler and the water. When there is a good catch, the paddle grips onto the water, making a strong connection that the paddler can use to drive the boat forward from. Being able to drive the boat forwards through the water, as opposed to pulling back on the water helps to drive the boat forward with force, and helps to direct the course of the boat, reducing the need for specialist steering strokes.

So how does a paddler get a good catch?

The model used in canoeing to describe the ideal position at the catch is the A-frame (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The A-frame position in both the high kneel technique (left) and the low kneel technique (right). In both cases, the A shape is made by a solid core in the posterior chain, a strong connection to the water via the paddle shaft, and held in place by the straight arm used by the paddler to hold the paddle blade.

The A-frame describes a conscientious effort to set up the top hand at the top of the A-frame, set the knees (or hips, if you are sitting or low kneeling) and the paddle blade at the bottom of each arm of the A shape in the A frame, and set the arm holding the lower portion of the shaft as the pen stroke that connects the two. Arms together.

This strong catch position, and the following driving the boat forwards from this strong lock onto the water is in contrast to thinking about reaching for the water and pulling against it. In the canoe we want to push the boat through the water, not to pull the water backwards.

A strong A-frame and good lock onto the water sets up the paddler’s bodyweight to drive into the paddle blade. The paddler using their bodyweight has two effects. Firstly it applies more force to the catch, making a stronger, better locking catch. Secondly it shifts weight off the boat, onto the locked paddle blade, reducing the force required to move the boat at the same speed.

The A frame is the basis behind a good forward stroke in any type of canoe and is the key to good technique in the craft. Without a strong A-frame, paddling a canoe will be difficult. Because it is the key to good canoe technique, a strong A-frame built from paddling one form of canoe will apply well to any other canoe, giving a competent canoeist the ability to paddle most types of canoe effectively. No matter what type of boat, or what type of water, a strong A-frame is what makes a canoeist, and the greatest canoeists are able to apply their A-frame, and use it to perform at the highest levels.

Figure 2: Elite canoeists demonstrating the A-frame in different types of boat, clockwise from top-left: Nevin Harrison, Olympic champion and 2 time world champion, paddling the high kneel canoe racing in the 200m C1 flatwater event. Vladi Panato, 9 time world champion, paddling the low kneel wildwater racing canoe. Tamas Buday Jr, 3 time world championship medalist, and stand up paddleboard master's world champion, paddling the stand up paddle board. Michal Martikán, 2 time Olympic champion and 15 time world champion, paddling the slalom canoe. All of these elite canoeists have strong A-frames which allow them to have power and control of their boats on the water.

The A-frame along with the J-stroke are the keys to mastering canoe paddling.