Lazy or efficient?

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It has been pointed out recently that I do not take many strokes when paddling white water.
Is my paddling lazy or efficient?

I have been shown recently that 1 effective and well timed stroke is just as effective as ten’s of frantic or small strokes.
If you can achieve something in 1 stroke why bother using any more. Save your energy for when it is needed. When I say 1 stroke this can be quite a dynamic stroke turning a power stroke into a hanging draw or stern rudder etc.

The downside of relying on a few strokes, if you miss it or dont time it well, things are going to go wrong, quickly.

So getting a balance is crucial. Enough strokes to stay on track but not too many that you are just waving your paddle for something to do.

There will obviously be the purests which state
1, your paddle is only useful when it is in the water. True. But you can steer with your boat, which is generally in the water.
For example ski jump on the upper T can be successfully ran with 1 well timed stroke and somw edging.

2, to be in control you must be moving faster or slower than the water. Again true hence needing a paddle stroke now and again, but when the water is going in the right direction don’t fight it, you will loose.

I learnt many moons ago during slalom training that using the water is the most efficient way. Then using the right stroke is the second step.
So next time you look at a rapid to pick your line also consider which paddle stroke you would use. Go into detail, which side should the stroke be on, when should you do it. Then work backwards to the calm bit of water going through each stroke. That way when you leave the calm on the right stroke all the rest fall into place.

However as previously mentioned getting that one stroke wrong or getting too lazy has consequences so should be used sparingly. My recent examples dropping into rather larger stoppers rather than going over them as I did not have enough speed or power from just 1 stroke to get through it. This resulted in a 5 minute surf in a stopper and a lot of work to get out. Lesson learnt – i should have used a few more paddle strokes initially and saved my self a lot of energy fighting my way out.

So next time you see some one gliding down a river using very few strokes try and assess are they lazy or efficient? Does it look smooth and they are going were they want or are they simply bouncing down the river.