Simple step by step
Short instructions to adjust the movement, such as sitting tall, leaning the trunk from the hips and keeping your gaze forward.
TechniqueEBOOK FOR OC6, V1 AND V3 PADDLERS
The Paddler’s Body Primer (A Cartilha do Corpo de um Remador).
An illustrated, practical guide for beginners in Hawaiian and Polynesian outrigger canoe (va’a): know, care for and strengthen your body to keep paddling for longer.
- Learn how your body paddles, from the foot brace to the paddle blade.
- See what to warm up before getting in the water and what to strengthen outside it.
- Learn how to recover so you can improve without getting hurt.
The eBook is written in Portuguese. Purchase is made on the product page on Hotmart.
WHAT REALLY MATTERS
The most common beginner mistake is paddling with the arms only
The arms tire first, the shoulder complains and the lower back takes on work that isn’t its own.
Good paddling uses the whole body as a chain: feet, legs, hips, trunk, shoulders and only then the arms. Power doesn’t start in the arms: it comes from the foot brace, passes through the legs, hips and trunk, and reaches the paddle blade.
The primer walks through each link of that chain in plain language, with illustrations. Its golden rule applies to every paddler: progress gradually. The people who add training volume too fast are the ones who get hurt most.
By the end of the book, you know how your body paddles
You also know what to warm up before getting in the water, what to strengthen outside it and how to recover, so you can improve without getting hurt.
CONTENTS
14 chapters to understand the body that paddles
From the integrated paddling movement to paddling for life.
Get the eBook on Hotmart01
The body in action
Paddling is one integrated movement: power starts at the feet and passes through legs, hips and trunk.
02
Posture and technique
Efficiency starts with alignment: head, gaze, shoulders and spine.
03
Muscles that paddle
Back, chest, shoulders, core, legs and glutes: a team inside the body.
04
Joints
Shoulder, spine, hip, knee and ankle: mobility with stability.
05
Spine
The base for transferring power: what rotates and what stabilizes.
06
Hips and core
The center of stability, power and rotation.
07
Shoulders and arms
Control before strength, to protect the body’s most mobile joint.
08
Legs and balance
Support inside the canoe, with adjustments for OC6, V1 and V3.
09
Breathing
A rhythm to sustain effort, without holding your breath during hard strokes.
10
Injury prevention
Listen to your body: shoulder, lower back, elbow, wrist and knee.
11
Physical preparation
Strength, endurance, mobility, stability and conditioning, with a simple weekly model.
12
Recovery
Sleep, nutrition, hydration and self-care: resting is training too.
13
The paddler’s routine
Before, during and after the water, with a daily checklist.
14
Paddling for life
Health, movement and connection, with consistency and good instructors.
HOW EACH CHAPTER WORKS
Every chapter gives you four things to apply today
Short, illustrated reading designed to become practice at your next session.
What to avoid
The most frequent slip for each part of the body, so you can spot and fix it before it turns into pain.
PreventionCheck in seconds
Direct questions to take to the water, like “are my feet braced?” and “does my trunk rotate with the paddle?”.
Self-checkQuick exercise
One to two minutes, to use right away: plank, glute bridge, spine mobility, diaphragmatic breathing and more.
PracticeIMPLEMENTATION PLAN
From day one to a safer first month of paddling
The eBook ends with a plan to put everything into practice, without rushing and without complications.
Start with the basics
Do the chapter 13 warm-up, try the chapter 9 breathing exercise and pick 2 days of the week for strengthening.
Build the rhythm
2 strengthening sessions, 5 minutes of mobility a day and one question to your instructor about a point of your technique.
Measure the result
Warm up on your own, paddle with your trunk rotating and finish the session without lingering pain. After each session, note how your shoulder, lower back and fatigue felt, from 0 to 10.
WHO IT’S FOR
Made for people starting out in va’a who want to paddle for a long time
Who it’s for
- Beginners in Hawaiian and Polynesian outrigger canoe who want to understand their own body while paddling.
- People who paddle OC6, V1 or V3 and want to warm up, strengthen and recover the right way.
- Va’a school students who want to improve without getting hurt.
- Anyone who wants an illustrated, direct guide with exercises of a few minutes.
What the eBook is not
- It does not replace medical or physical therapy guidance, or the advice of physical education professionals.
- It is not an individual training program: progression should consider age, experience and health history.
- It does not rule out injury: technique and strengthening reduce risk.
- Persistent pain, tingling or loss of strength call for professional assessment.
WHO WROTE IT
By someone who paddles and lives va’a in practice
The primer is by Jorge Luiz, a paddler and steersman of Hawaiian and Polynesian outrigger canoe (V1, V3 and OC6) and the creator of CRM VAA PRO. Paddling content and tips on Instagram and YouTube at @jorgeluizremadorvaa.
Educational material. It does not replace medical or physical therapy guidance, or the advice of physical education professionals.
READY TO PADDLE BETTER?
A strong, mobile, healthy body takes you further in and out of the water.
Meet The Paddler’s Body Primer and start with today’s plan.