Technique matters

Technique matters

Think "feet first" - initiate the stroke by first engaging your foot with the foot peg of the kayak.
Engaging the lower body just a nanosecond ahead of the paddle's entry into the water yields a big payback in moving the kayak forward efficiently.

Increasing the strength you apply to the paddles to go faster will only result in quick exhaustion.
By attempting to minimize the lag time between strokes, you'll increase speed and be more efficient.
The trick is all in the rhythm and cadence, also known as "spinning" the paddle.
Try to get one, continuous, fluid motion of the paddle going slowly at first and then pick up the pace.
Keep the paddle constantly moving, minimizing the lag between strokes.