Paddling

Paddling with regard to watercraft is the act of manually propelling a boat using a paddle. The paddle, which consists of one or two blades joined to a shaft, is also used to steer the vessel. The paddle is not connected to the boat (unlike in rowing where the oar is connected to the boat).

Canoeing

Canoeing is the activity of paddling a canoe for leisure, navigation or exploration. In America the term refers exclusively to using one or more single blades or paddles to propel a canoe. In the United Kingdom and some other countries in Europe however, canoeing is also used to refer to kayaking and Canadian canoeing is used then to distinguish canoeing from kayaking.

There are sub-varieties of canoeing, such as touring and whitewater or wildwater canoeing, outrigger canoeing, etcetera. Travelling whitewater in a whitewater raft can involve using either paddles, or a pair of oars, or both.

Outrigger canoe racing is a team paddling sport which uses the outrigger canoe.

In his lifetime, according to the Guinness Book of World Records Verlen Kruger paddled the most miles (over 100,000 miles) of anyone in the sport.

Paddle (spanking)

A spanking paddle is an implement used to strike a person on the buttocks. The act of spanking a person with a paddle is known as "paddling". A paddling may be for punishment (normally of a student at school in the United States), or as an initiation or hazing ritual, or for erotic purposes.

A paddle has two parts: a handle and a blade. Most paddles are designed to be held with one hand, but a giant paddle may be designed to be held with two hands. The blade is typically 3 to 4 inches (100 mm) wide, 1/4 inch thick, and 1 to 3 feet (0.91 m) in length.

In the great majority of cases, the paddle is aimed at the recipient's buttocks; rarely, the back of the thighs might also be targeted.

Paddles for use in schools are made of wood, or occasionally plastic. Paddles used for school punishments may be roughly hewn from commonly available wood. Occasionally, paddles may have holes drilled into them, so there is less air drag when the paddle approaches the buttocks, and produces more sting. The paddles used for fraternity and sorority initiation ceremonies are often professionally made and engraved with organizational symbols and slogans.

Spanking

Spanking is a type of corporal punishment involving the act of striking the buttocks of another person to cause physical pain, generally with an open hand (more commonly referred to in some countries as slapping or smacking). More severe forms of spanking, such as switching, paddling, belting, caning, whipping, and birching, involve the use of an implement instead of a hand. Parents commonly spank children or adolescents in response to undesired behavior. Boys are more frequently spanked than girls, both at home and in school. Some countries have outlawed the spanking of children in every setting, including homes, schools, and penal institutions, but most allow it when done by a parent or guardian. Adults may spank other adults as well, often in an erotic context.

Terminology

In North America, the word "spanking" has often been used as a synonym for an official paddling in school, and sometimes even as a euphemism for the formal corporal punishment of adults in an institution.

In British English, most dictionaries define "spanking" as being given only with the open hand.