Once upon a time, while teaching a surfski paddling technique lesson, a student stumped me with a question I couldn’t answer:
“Why does paddle size matter? If the goal is to anchor the paddle in the water and move the surfski past it, wouldn’t a smaller paddle, fully anchored, work just as well as a larger one?”
The lesson focused on the concept of “anchoring” the paddle in the water to propel the surfski forward. The student’s logic seemed sound: if both a small and large paddle can be anchored without slipping, why does size matter?
I was stumped.
My background in competitive swimming led me to compare paddles to a swimmer’s hands. Larger hands are often seen as an advantage in swimming because they grip the water better. Yet, paddle blades felt different.
I couldn’t explain why, but I knew smaller blades often felt easier to use, though I wasn’t sure why.
I generally advocate for smaller paddle blades, but if I’m honest, the debate over “larger vs. smaller” misses the mark. The real answer is that each paddler needs their optimal paddle size. The terms “larger” or “smaller” alone are meaningless without context.Consider the logic behind both sides:
A 600 cm² blade might outperform a 700 cm² blade. But if smaller is always better, then a 500 cm² blade should beat 600 cm², and 400 cm² should be better still. Taken to the extreme, you’d end up paddling with just a stick—no blade at all. Clearly, that’s absurd. Smaller isn’t inherently better.
If a 700 cm² blade is better than a 600 cm² blade, then an 800 cm² blade should be better, and so on. But at some point—say, a 2000 cm² blade—the paddle becomes so large and unwieldy that no one could use it effectively. Bigger isn’t always better either.Both arguments fail at their extremes. The question isn’t whether larger or smaller paddles are superior.
The real question is:
How do you find your optimal paddle size?
(part 2 to follow shortly)