Paddling technique

Forward stroke

Also: forward stroke

The forward stroke moves the boat ahead. The power comes from rotating the torso, not from the arms.

Wikibooks describes it: upright spine with a slight forward lean, movement from the elbow without twisting the wrist, put the blade in at the front and take it out in time before the hip. In packrafts a short, steep stroke close to the boat helps reduce yawing.

Anfibio has its own blog article on the reasons, basics and basic strokes in a packraft.

Sources and further reading

• Wikibooks: Kajak/Techniken (German)

Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.