On the 15th and 16th of January I’m going to be talking at the London Boat Show, focusing my presentation on looking at feasible ways in which paddlers of all levels can improve their white water paddling. It’s a common misconception that leading paddlers always have access to the best white water… not necessarily the case. So I hope that this talk will leave viewers with a clear vision of how they can move forward towards their goals, whether they have access to white water everyday of the week or are struggling to fit practice around a day job. I’ll be using my own experiences alongside that of other white water paddlers to make this a talk that applies to all, from top end freestylers to beginners.
From the 12th of January through to the 16th there will also be daily freestyle kayaking shows by current members of the GBR Freestyle Team, who are internationally ranked amongst the top competitors in the world. It’s going to be a great showcase of the sport, which has been put together by a great team of organisers and is not to be missed. I’ll be at the pool talking newcomers to the sport through the moves these guys are pulling. If you book before the 24th December you can save £7 on your tickets, making them £11.00, call 0871 230 7140 and quote L89, or use on the promo page ticket site.
Hope to see you there!
Ed
Scotland’s finest tidal race has not been the most consistent of play spots over the last few years but a couple of weeks ago she was on the finest form that’s been seen in a long while, giving out a solid three and a half hours of wave time and whirlpool fun.
The main wave stayed solid until late in the tide, although the shot above was taken earlier when it’s at it’s best. Falling off the surfers left shoulder after a wipeout is often a challenging route back to the eddy through the whirlpools which give this spot a line of separation between the men and the boys.
The Axiom was the ruler of the forever wave, an experience which sets the Falls of Lora apart from the rest, giving long cruises out on to the glassy ripple in the middle of the channel watching the jelly fish go by!
Catch you on the water
Ed
Just over a week ago I posted up some tips to take you through the motions of the bow stall, as the first stage in nailing the flat water loop, so having had a bit of time to practice its time to start bobbing up and down and going for the full loop! If you are still having trouble with the bow stall or are new to the blog then you can always look up the blog archive for previous tips and techniques.
Obviously going from a static bow stall straight into a loop doesn’t work that well so the first thing you’ll have seen people doing is bobbing up and down before going for the loop. Above I’m pulling back on my paddles (which were under the water) through my body at the same time as pushing down on my feet to force as much of the boat into the water as possible, in the hope it will pop out as high as possible. Keeping my head up and paddles maintaining a triangle of stability with the boat is key (much like a head stand in that your hands and head make a triangle).
Notice how far I’m popping out of the water – a full arms reach away – as a reaction of the volume needing to get back above the surface. To help the pop out I’m shoving my backside in the air as I lean forward and push my paddles into the water, as we know from the bow stall technique this helps in the bow being rejected out of the water. At this stage if you don’t feel ready to go for it then practice ‘bobbing’ for a while o get the hang of it!
I find it’s always best to commit to going for the loop on the second bounce. Look how far ahead of the boat I am above – my head is up with the paddle raised as a pivot point to try and jump over while the boat is just starting to rise. This is so that as the boats volume pushes it out of the water my jump for the loop gives an extra boost of pop. As opposed to thinking of jumping up, think of jumping out, away from your boat to start the motion and maximise pop.
Again I’m ahead of the boat, it’s just starting to come over but I’m tucked forward towards my knees. Imagine you can see my legs in the boat, I’m tucked through my waist and torso so that at the optimum moment I can straighten out in a quick snap which will throw my legs (and the boat) over my head.
Mid snap, also using the paddle to give extra resistance in the water, giving more leverage for a faster loop and also helps to push through the resistance when the stern hits the water. From here on out you’ve nailed it!
You can see here that in snapping the loop over my head by unwinding from the tuck, my body position has ended up quite far back but as its always the case, keeping ahead of the boat is essential so I’m moving back into a stable body position before the boat is fully flat again.
Hope this helps those trying to get this move nailed!
Catch you on the water… Falls of Lora pics coming in the next couple of days!
Ed
I’ve recently had quite a few friends asking me for tips to nail the flat-water loop, and it seems like a skill that a lot of people are keen to get under their belt. In the build up to doing a ‘floop’ it’s essential to have a sturdy bow stall dialled before hand, so first things first, a look at the basic principles of keeping your end up.
When lifting the bow for a double pump to get the nose down, it’s important to remember that you don’t need too much edge. Keeping your head over the boat whist edging at about 45 degrees provides the perfect combination of edge and stability.
Here, I’ve unwound my body and transferred the force down into my legs and feet to push the bow down. Notice the slight difference from a conventional flat water cartwheel in that instead of being back with my head looking around for the next end, my body is leant forward and my left blade is slamming into the water to stop the boat rotating any further.
The stable mid point, my body is in a neutral position and my paddle is parallel to my shoulders directly below my head. I’m concentrating on keeping the weight on my feet, like a balancing bean, but through the two paddle blades and my weight through the boat I have a triangle of stability that I can use to keep balance… like a head stand!
When bow stalling it’s important to keep your paddles in the water as a lever. A reverse rule comes into play due to your body’s buoyancy so if I want to go more vertical I lean back, pulling on the paddle blades as I do so. I would use this if I felt the boat flattening out.
And likewise if you feel you’re going over vertical you can push the paddle and your body towards your feet, making the boat flatten out due your buoyancy in the water. With these principles in mind it’s a case of practice makes perfect, focusing on making your movements subtle so not to end up flapping back and forth just to end it all with an undignified splash!
These are basic principles that make it seem very easy, but with plenty of practice to refine your balance it can become second nature. Practicing stern stalls along side this, with the same theory flipped over, is a good way of hammering the core muscles in to shape to give you some good backup when things don’t go to plan, whether on waves or the steep stuff.
When you think you’ve nailed it, let your dog take your paddle away and then try to keep balance!
Falls of Lora pics coming soon and following technique article will be nailing the flat water loop.
Catch you on the water
Ed
Some shots from a surf trip to Machrihanish on the west coast of Scotland. We had a pretty good five foot swell, but a little dumpy so there was a lot of hard edging and down the line speed to try and out run the break before ending up embedded in the beach!
Up to speed on a sweet wave
Dodging speed bumps
Getting the edge dug in to avoid another tumble
All in all a great few days with a different challenge being wrapped in carbon. Thought I’d post up the pics before Nick’s Megatron comes along as it deserves the top spot on the blog! Nice one boys! Next weeks post will be a freestyle technique article looking into the bow stall which will lead on to nailing the flat water loop the following week.
Enjoy the water!
Ed
Pre-requisites
It should go without saying that having solid gear and safety ready, along with the knowledge to use it is a must and if you don’t, getting hands on instruction from full time instructors such as Simon and the crew at Gene17 is a good idea before proceeding. Apart from that, running drops can often be more of a mental control so being conscious of when you’re good to go and when you should take a walk is worth thinking about.
Lead in
With many drops it’s often the lead in that posses the biggest problems. There’s a couple of basic things that will help you be where you want to be as you go off the lip of a fall. The first thing is keeping good posture in your boat with your head up looking where you want to be. Looking at where you don’t want to be is the surest way to end up in trouble. The second thing seems ridiculously simple, but actively paddling with positive strokes can be something that people forget in focusing all their attention on the freefall. It might be an idea to time your strokes on the lead in so you know what your paddling is doing when you launch…
Positive posture and strokes.
Launch
Launching off a waterfall is the bit where a lot people freeze. This is due to the very brief heart stopping moment, which causes people to stop paddling and look down in horror. A bad take off generally means a bad landing!
At the lip of a fall, once again look where you want to be going. Obviously down, but few waterfalls are perfect, so most of the time we want to be landing in a particular place or at a particular angle. As you look where you want to land, plant a stroke which will help you maintain control as you follow it through and use it as a leaver for you to change both body and boat angle if needed in the freefall.
Looking for the landing with a guide stroke planted.
Freefall
During freefall I don’t take my eyes off where I’m wanting to land, but one of the most important things to me in freefall, is to keep your body in an upright or slightly forward position, ready for action. Leaning back is a sure way to come out of the bottom a bit sore, by keeping upright or forward you keep control. If you are in a position where you need to pull the bow up because you have too much angle, you can move your body slightly back and use the active body momentum to pull your legs and boat up. On the other hand if you are falling with a flat angle then a good shunt forward should help your bow drop and arch into freefall.
As my body moves in a freefall my paddle follows for leverage – if I need to drop the bow my arms and paddle are over the bow. If I need to pull the bow up, I pull my arms and paddle back.
Keeping active to control angle through the freefall.
Landing
The main objective in landing is to minimize the impact and maximize your get away chances. On smaller bigger volume drops with a constricted landing this may mean an almost boof technique to avoid getting stuffed into any nooks and crannies but stomping the bow down at the last minute by quickly shoving the body forward and legs down to avoid shock through the spine.
But more often the case with drops where we want to enter the water at an angle between 45 degrees and vertical, it’s a split second tuck, folding away the head, shoulders and paddle. Shoulders should be turned at an angle so they aren’t face on to the water – around 45 degrees – your paddle should be kept parallel with your shoulders and elbows bent to avoid any wrenching. Having shoulders and paddles parallel keeps you stable and solid.
I like to keep my eyes on my landing pad as long as I can, so I generally keep my head up on falls around the 25 foot mark, as there doesn’t tend to be too much impact if things go to plan. On larger falls, or if things don’t go to plan, tilting your head down and to the side means that the top of your helmet will take most of the impact and there is less chance of your nose making impact with your cockpit rim.
If things go horribly wrong and you’re heading for a flat landing, the forward shove mentioned earlier will aid to prevent the shock from traveling up your spine. However this may provide you with the harsh alternative of your face making contact with your cockpit or deck but given the options, my face is no where near pretty enough to take the risk.
Different fall but Dave Martin in landing gear.
Recovery
If everything goes well, all you may need for a recovery is to shake the water out of your eyes before heading on downstream. If you’ve gone deep, then trying to get your body forward as you’re under water will help you resurface in a stable position. If you end up upside down then a quick roll will help you be in position for the next rapid or prevent you from heading into that corner where you don’t want to be.
Posture and paddle placement helping me prevent a back-loop and getting stuffed.
Overview
- Have the right equipment and knowledge.
- Don’t get pushed off line before you’re at the edge.
- Spot your landing and paddle for it as you launch. Don’t freeze.
- Keep your body active in freefall to maintain a good angle.
- Tuck up to reduce surface impact on landing.
- Be on the ball for the next rapid or any hazards.
Next update will be from last weekends surf trip to Machrihanish!
See you on the water
Ed
With second year assessments all wrapped up at uni, the weather and surf reports were looking as good as it gets on Cornwall’s north shore, and so a contingent loaded with surf boards, body boards, skim boards, power kite and Axiom 8.5 settled in at Gwithian Bay for a weeks worth of epic conditions.
Since the Axiom came out I’ve had my eye on the 8.5 as an all round machine due to wanting a fast flat hull for blasting the local runs and using in races but also wanting a boat that doesn’t leave you lagging in good surf.
I’ve used it on rivers with the seat in a middle position, giving a bit more stability and momentum, but moving the seat all the way back for surf put a grin on my face.
This wave earned some cheers from a couple of local surfers, not what I was expecting as I’d been managing to pick up waves a lot earlier than them all day and was sensing a little frustration.
The Axiom blunt. Despite it’s size, this boat has a playful edge due to an agile hull, it’s freestyle forte is definitely in throwing the fattest kick-flips around! With 8’5″ of boat you can get a lot of speed to rocket you into the air off the back of on coming waves, I went more than the full 360 on numerous occasions… although the guys at HQ tell me they’re working on their kick-flips in the Alchemy touring boat!
See you on the water
Ed
Moving on with the techniques, the boof is a skill which can open up a new level of white water. If it isn’t new to you, then a bit of time brushing up won’t be wasted!
Prerequisites
Being comfortable on grade 3 white water, with confident and effective use of strokes and body positioning to make your way smoothly down rapids. Although you don’t tend to need a boof to paddle grade 3, there’s often a little ledge around to practice on and get the timing right before you move to grade 4 where technical manoeuvres are more essential and mistakes are more severe. The final and regularly overlooked prerequisite is outfitting, you need to make sure you fit snugly in your creek boat with plenty of comfortable contact on your footrest, thigh grips and hip pads!
Positioning
First of all, with ledges, which require a boof, it’s best to have a think about positioning. I rarely boof a drop directly in the middle but instead always aim to boof at the edges, generally because this is where the hole that waits below will be weakest. In the case of angled ledges my general rule is to boof on the side furthest downstream as this will also be the weakest and quickest exit from the hole.
Boofing on the side of the ledge furthest downstream in case of any mishaps!
Timing
Before you charge at a ledge in hope that speed will save you, think about your timing. A good boof requires finesse, not a flurry of brute force and ignorance! Think about your strokes leading up to the ledge so you can make sure you’re ready with the placement of a long powerful stroke at your toes when you reach the lip of the ledge.
Body positioning through the stroke
The stroke planted at your toes puts you in a forward, aggressive body position. That’s good, as while your blade is the power, your body is the leverage to lift the bow and in it’s forward position, is wound up ready to ping back and lift!
Leant forward waiting for the right moment.
As you pull the stroke through keep it close to the side of your boat, to avoid doing a powerful sweep stroke and landing sideways in the hole – a common mistake. The stroke has to be long, to see you over and past the hole. Stopping the stroke short is also a regular mistake, leaving you motionless and with no leverage or power in a nosedive!
Torso moving back with the stroke and legs following to pull the bow up.
As the stroke goes through, your torso position starts moving back, beginning to lift the bow. As you feel your body going through it’s central position pull on your knees as if pulling them into your chest. This uses your thighs and core muscles to powerfully lift the bow better than any amount of speed or paddle power could.
Long stroke holding the line and angle.
Follow through
Having a well timed, long stroke is vital, not only to aiding body positioning and power but also in the follow through. If your boof stroke was long, then your opposite blade will be forward ready to be planted for a powerful stroke away from the ledge. This is very good practice and has certainly spared me a few beatings when it hasn’t gone to plan.
Left blade forward ready in case it’s needed.
In a nut shell
- Position near safest edge of the ledge
- Plant stroke at the lip
- Let torso go back with the stroke
- Pull knees to chest as torso goes through central position
- Make sure your stroke is long
- Opposite blade ready for powerful stroke out
See you on the water… surf is epic in Cornwall at the mo!
Ed
Over the next few months I’m going to be posting up some technique breakdowns from the back issues of Canoe and Kayak UK Magazine. The techniques have been revised where needed, although this applies more to the freestyle technique which will come later. In the mean time I thought it would be best to start from the ground up with a bit of stopper stability which everyone can get something from re-visiting.
Learning how to blast in and out of a stopper whilst keeping control is a highly valuable skill which will aid confidence, safety and enjoyment for any river runner. Whether you want to learn how to control a trashing and avoid swims or if you’re looking to build a freestyle repertoire this article will provide you with a solid base.
Paddling into the stopper:
The aim of the game is control from the start so with this in mind paddling into a stopper is more of a delicate matter than first meets the eye. You want to settle into a stable side surf so think about how you will be most comfortable getting there… This maybe by using the shoulder of a stopper to guide you in or by paddling on to the tow back so you have a moment to settle before the stopper gets full hold of you.
The stopper will force you into a side surf one way or another so if you are not already sideways as you cruise in then a gentle sweep stroke to turn you will help. If you do not help by turning you may find that your bow purls in the trough of the stopper causing some beat down. If you’re finding yourself out of control from the start then you are probably using the head down, paddle hard approach which can cause you to be unprepared for the stopper grabbing you.
Paddling in on the back of the foam.
Helping the boat settle into a controlled side-surf
Moving around in the stopper:
When trying to gain stability in a stopper always keep your body upright with head over your boat and remember your paddle is there if you need it, not as a crutch to lean on. Use your hips and knees to tilt the kayak downstream so that water flows under your boat. This means that in between low braces (when you need a little support) your paddle is free to be used for what it was designed… propulsion.
At this stage in your paddling it should be fairly apparent that putting a stroke in on your upstream side whilst in a stopper is not a good idea. To move in the direction you’re facing use forward strokes on your downstream side and look where you want to go, not at the bow of your boat! As you want to move the boat forward, try not to lean too far forward as this will load the bow, causing it to sink into the seam line and give you more resistance which will prevent you from getting anywhere fast. Keeping body weight centered is best.
When trying to move backwards across a stopper all the same concepts apply, but obviously a reverse stroke is used at the same time as turning head and torso to look over your downstream shoulder to spot where you want to be. Also leaning over the bow slightly more will give the stern less resistance whilst maintaining your stability so your strokes will be more efficient.
Weight over the boat, using the paddle for propulsion, not as a support crutch.
Using the paddle for support in a moment of instability. Getting weight over the boat to gain control again.
Getting out of the stopper
The majority of natural stoppers have weak spots, these maybe the corners, a tongue through the middle or a less retentive part. At weak points water close to the seam line will be flowing downstream away from the stopper as opposed to being recirculated back into it.
Using our stability and strokes to get to these weak points can provide an opportunity to get our boat pointing downstream and paddle hard out of the stopper. A common mistake when desperately trying to exit is getting to the weak point and forgetting to keep your body upright and stable, the result could be many combinations from a back loop or just being spun back in. In some cases it may be an idea to get to the weak spot then purposefully turn your kayak to sink either the bow or stern in an attempt to grab the undertow which flows downstream and can push you out.
Using the shoulder to turn downstream. To either head out or let it take me full circle.
Summary
- Head over boat at all times
- Paddle is not to be used as a crutch
- Look where you want to be
- Paddle with a group and have safety
Photo’s courtesy of Dave Martin
Flicking through my pictures I came across some from Jen and I’s trip Slovenia late last summer which I’d fully intended on putting up here. It’s nearly six months down the line but it’s getting to that time of year where everyone’s looking forward to the weather warming up and being excited by booking summer boating trips. So if you’re browsing the net from the office and it’s cold outside, maybe these pics will provide a little food for thought.
We came across flights with Ryanair, flying into Trieste, for £1 each way per person but then with boats and the ticking of a few necessary boxes this escalated to around £120 each. Booking a rental car from Trieste airport in advance was best as some of the companies don’t cover you over the border into Slovenia, Europcar seemed to be good…
… The only down side being that they don’t do roof racks so after a bit of debate we were directed to the local shopping centre about 5 mins drive away where we picked up a 40 euro rack which nearly fitted but was secure with a couple of straps through the doors.
There’s loads of accommodation scattered up the Soca valley, but finding somewhere between Kobarid and Bovec puts you on location for the best sections. We stayed in Tronovo ob Soci near the Alpin Action shop, I’d recommend visiting to pick up a Soca River map which shows grades, distances, put ons and take outs of each section. There’s also the slalom section here which runs level with the small village and is good for those who are into a bit of down river training.
If you do choose to have a blast on the slalom section do make sure you know the take out, just before the blasted bridge (you’ll easily spot it), as this is the lead into the Syphon gorge where employing a river guide is recommended for the first run.
River info wise, apart from what I’ve mentioned above, a detailed guide – anything more than the river map – would only take away from the mini adventure that this grade 3/4 paradise offers. Although it is worth noting that there’s an awesome pizzeria in the little village of Srpenica!
More info for the Soca valley and a lest detailed version of the river map can be found here – MAP GUIDES TO THE SOCA REGION OF SLOVENIA
Enjoy!
Ed
