On Sunday, I heard a spiel from a major paddle maker's rep to the effect that
offsetting the paddle blades 45 degrees makes for the least wrist rotation:
namely none.

If I understood it correctly, the rationale was that if one's body is twisting
properly with each stroke, the blades just come down into the water at the
proper angle without having to rotate the control hand back and forth.

I'm coming from flat paddles because of wrist tendonitis years back. Was
paddling some offset other than 45, switched to flat, and my wrist troubles
seemed to go away coincident with that - understanding, of course, that
correlation does not equal causation....

Sunday, I was shopping for a wave ski paddle and 45 degrees seemed tb the only
game in town.... so I tentatively bought into the 45-degree rationale.

Tried doing paddling motions seated in a chair with the 45-degree paddle and the
rationale *seemed* to hold up... but then I tried it with a zero-offset paddle
and I couldn't perceive any wrist movement either. I guess a few hundred miles
of paddling will tell the true story but meanwhile....

Anybody care to dispute the 45-degree rationale?

Support it?
--
PeteCresswell