Skills - Breakthroughs in Boating

So you want to improve your whitewater paddling? The sport is so complex, how could there possibly be one secret? There is; the same methods champions utilize in other sports. Drills. They aren't sexy, but they work.

Think about it. If you go to a coach for nearly any sport, he or she will have you practice drills designed to develop correct patterns for the game. In soccer you do a 2-on-1 drill. In basketball you practice lay-ups. This same approach can be applied to paddling with remarkable results. In the long run, it's more fun to be able to place your boat exactly where you want it and make moves more reliably, to catch air more predictably, and of course, to stay upright.

With a few exercises, you can eliminate years of trial and error and bad habits, and build a solid foundation of skills. Think of paddling as a culmination of drills in two areas: boat control, and whitewater skills. But you can't go directly to the whitewater drills—the coach doesn't simply let you scrimmage at the start of practice. So how do you design your drills? Study this list of broad technique categories relating to your body, the blade and your boat. Simply messing about in a boat with awareness of these variables will improve your paddling. For real improvement, isolate one component at a time, and design a drill for improving your ability in that area.

Body Mechanics
Extension: Reach to place the blade for the longest pull. Balance: Experiment with different types of leans. Flexibility: Find your personal weaknesses and try to perfect them, whether it's a boat lean or hip snap.

Boat Kinesthetic Sensitivity
Carving: Feel the hull tracking through an arc. Glide: Avoid bobbing, wagging, or wobbling as you paddle. Pivot point awareness: Find where the center of rotation is for a spin. How does it change with speed?

Blade Skills
Feathering: Develop the ability to slice the blade through the water. Sculling: Learn to move your boat sideways with the sculling motion. Maximize movement with fewer strokes. Varying pressure: Search out resistance with the blade for the maximum stroke quality. Catch, Power and Recovery phases: Develop a quality catch and a quick recovery for the most power. Vertical paddle strokes: Compare vertical acceleration strokes and lower traveling strokes.

High-level paddlers strive to do an hour of flatwater drills once a week. You can also add these drills to your normal warm-up and cool-down routine. Your best bet is to do the drills on flatwater, so you can appreciate the effects of your strokes without the complication of currents.

Easy at first glance, stroke drills are hard to practice correctly. Improvement comes with deliberate thought and practice. Be smooth, slow and purposeful. Refining your technique seems to require more effort... in truth your muscles are merely adjusting to the motion. Stick with it! Keep in mind these drills are just a means to an end. Get out on the river and shred it up, putting the drills out of mind. But chances are, you will find new skills creeping into your playboating.

—Author Kent Ford recently released The Kayaker's Playbook and The Solo Playboating Workbook. Find more tips at www.performancevideo.com.