Absolutely!

When I kayak side-by-side with Leti (72 year old woman) and match her stroke for stroke using a paddle quite similar to hers, she pulls ahead of me at about one boat length per minute. That's all technique. She does the same work and goes faster. I learn from her just by paying very close attention to what she does.

One boat length per minute doesn't sound like much, it works out to about 0.2 MPH. But at the end of an hour of paddling, that's a long way ahead.

When I first started this sport, I never would have thought it could be so technically complex. I mean, you put the paddle in the water and pull it back. Right? Not hardly! But I'm learning.

tanstaafl.