In a quest for more ways of explaining the role of the top hand during the power phase of the kayak stroke, it has occurred to me that a way to help explain the mechanics is to describe the top hand movement and how it affects the blade in the water. It seems to me that no top hand movement should cause the blade to move backwards – all of that should come from the bottom hand. The top hand should provide only the load of body weight onto the paddle. We know that any push forward and/or dropping of the top hand during the power phase causes the paddle to go to a negative angle prematurely, resulting on the loss of the ability to maintain the load in the later part of the power phase. Also, when the top hand pushes forward, the paddle pivot point moves from the top hand down the shaft, resulting in the blade moving behind the top hand. So my point here is that perhaps a way to explain this to kayakers (one of the many coaches need in their arsenal of explanations to help athletes learn) is to have them focus on top hand movement that keeps the blade in front of or below the bottom hand. Any thoughts?