Canoe designer and championship coach, John Puakea teaches us the Tahitian paddling technique that Shell Va'a is using to dominate the canoe races. In this video, John breaks down the Tahitian paddling stroke taught to him by Gerard Teva by using videos of champion paddlers from California and Tahiti.

About John Puakea (from http://www.puakeadesigns.com/johnnyp...

John Puakea is the founder of Puakea Designs, an innovative paddlesport design company that delivers products and services to elitelevel as well as recreation paddlers. Puakea Designs team riders include worldchampion paddlers Danny Ching, Jimmy Austin, and Lauren Spalding.

John is an internationally sought after canoe builder as well as a championship winning paddling coach, whose career as a canoeing innovator and promoter has evolved with the expanding paddling sports market.

Over years of coaching, John’s own experience as an elite paddler, combined with his talent for refining technique and efficiency, have nurtured the best assets of other paddlers at the highest level of competition. After coaching the US National Kayak Team at various Olympic training centers, homesick, John moved back to Hawaii to coach various top outrigger canoe teams, including both the men’s and the women’s team for the winning Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki for six years.

As an exceptional technical coach, John has helped push worldclass paddlers to the next level in international competition. His ability to improve the performance of alreadyelite paddlers also led Team Bradley to consecutive firstplace finishes in the MolokaitoOahu Na Wahine O Ke Kai, and to the fastest crossing time by any women’s team in the history of the race.

John’s knowledge of body mechanics complements his strengths in canoe building. His topperforming designs include the Kaimana, the Kainalu, the Pueo 1—and the new superstar, the Ehukai—OC1 canoes. New in production is his very fast unlimitedclass OC6 canoe, owned by various West Coast mainland and international teams in anticipation of top times in this new ultralight division. Top Tahitian team Shell Va’a chose John’s OC6 for the grueling Olamau Race 2013, and won in all three stages.

John’s inherent craftsmanship and design finesse come from an early indoctrination into canoe culture by his father, Bobby Puakea, beloved coach, renowned wooden canoe builder, and Puakea Foundation of Hawaii founder. While traditional sensibilities and a duty to cultural stewardship inspire John’s designs, speed considerations drive the end product. John’s elegantly styled canoes are among the fastest and raceproven on the water anywhere in the world.

For the wider paddling community, John is continuing to advance paddling performance with this new line of products, including outrigger and SUP paddles, applying the same technical and aesthetic standards used in his OC1s and OC6s. Additionally, John is available for coaches’ clinics, team clinics, as well as for private coaching.

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