: What's a throwing stick? I imagine you paddling about with a spear
: or something.

Well, that was the original purpose for them. Nowadays, they're used as a rolling aid, more or less a stepping stone on the way to a hand roll.

: They say
: those Greenland paddles, or the ones with the thin long blades, are better
: for rolling and bracing...is this true?

For rolling and sculling braces, yes. They also work fine for high and low braces, but the technique is a bit different than with a euro paddle. With a GP, most rolling/bracing maneuvers are performed with an extended paddle, by sliding the off-side blade through the off-side hand. You can to a screw roll or even a C-C with a GP, but it's not designed for it.

: You said it made no noticable
: difference in propulsion, but what about handling and rolling/bracing?

It take a little while to get a feel for the paddle and the techniques that go with it, but once you do, it's every bit as versatile as a euro paddle. Its only real shortcoming is in tight quarters and shallow water, such as in a rock garden, where you can't get much of the blade into the water.

: What do you think of the Bending Branches ergonomically bent kayak paddles?

I have no experience with them. The one thing that bothers me about bent shaft paddles is that they largely restrict you to one hand position. When I used a euro, I would often extend the paddle or offset it to one side, depending on conditions. Bent shafts eliminate much of that versatility. If you don't have wrist problems, there's little or no advantage to a bent shaft paddle.