Paddling Words of Wisdom to Avoid Kayaking is a counterintuitive sport, so it should be no surprise that we occasionally offer erroneous advice to beginners. I wince when I encounter students who have developed bad habits resulting from well-meaning words of wisdom. Here are some classics that should be avoided. • "PADDLE! PADDLE! PADDLE!" is frequently heard along the river, as beginners are encouraged down their first rapids. This advice occasionally improves a beginner's odds of making it through a drop successfully. However, the tip also encourages the bad habit of flailing, and taking too many strokes. Neophytes are left unaware of proper stroke timing and placement. A better approach is a systematic explanation of the places where speed is useful, like for punching a hole or punching into an eddy once the boat is on the right approach. In either case, three strokes of acceleration are all that is necessary. Speed doesn't help much in waves; in fact, rushing to fit in extra strokes often throws a paddler off balance. The next time you cheer a friend bouncing through a rapid, try making noise. Pound on your boat. You are more likely to be heard, and less likely to start bad habits. • "Lean Downstream!" is another overused tip, offered to keep beginners from getting flipped as they peel out of an eddy. It is good advice, if explained thoroughly. First, the paddler has to understand the different types of leans. There is the beginner's instinctive lean, which leaves the boat flat, while the paddler leans his body forward and a over the water. For most whitewater moves you actually want a boat tilt, accomplished by curling the body and head over the boat, and jutting out the ribcage. Understanding and practicing this balance, without a paddle as a crutch, is the first step to stability. • Next is the issue of how long to keep the boat tilted when entering current from an eddy. I have diagnosed an amazing number of self-taught paddlers who have the disability of trying to lean downstream all the time while on the river. Not only is this wrong, but it's also hard to do. The proper boat tilt downstream advice only applies to a few moments in the transition from eddy to current, and in a few miscellaneous instances, like floating into a hole sideways. Imagine walking in an airport on a moving sidewalk. When you step from solid ground onto the moving sidewalk you need a few moments of balance until you adapt to the speed of the sidewalk. You would sure look funny leaning forward the entire length of the sidewalk. The river is the same, except the look is tippy and awkward, and not as obvious. Only tilt the boat for a few moments as you make a peel out, gradually setting your boat flat as you adapt to the speed of the current. • "Keep the Boat Straight!" is a third oversimplification that beginners often hear, and follow to their own demise. It is the correct reaction for heading straight into a breaking ocean wave, but rarely do whitewater paddlers keep the boat straight. A quick glance around at expert boaters will confirm that floating sideways is a valuable part of paddling. You can't get into eddies, or even avoid rocks, while keeping the boat pointed straight downriver. Many of the best instructors teach spinning circles to improve students' comfort levels. The ultimate comfort comes from developing boat control so it is easy to be perpendicular for breaking waves or ledges. The next time you hear one of these bits of paddling "wisdom," keep in mind it may be well-meaning advice—but oversimplified. Do tilt the boat when making the momentary transition across different-speed current. Do keep the boat straight for predictability in curling, breaking waves. And paddle, paddle, paddle—but not in a frenzy. —Author Kent Ford recently released The Kayaker's Playbook, a manual of stroke drills designed for recreational paddlers. Find more tips at www.performancevideo.com.
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