The A.P.C is a collaboration of Level 5 coaches across disciplines that provide the highest level of coaching and the training and assessment of NGB awards. These coaches are also active paddlers having their own adventures in their spare time, be it in the UK, Europe or on expedition. Membership is open to any L5 coach be it a freelancer or in full time employment, who is an active coach working at a range of levels and who is an active paddler in their free time.
The L5 coach is the highest coaching award in the UK and at the moment there is no independent organisation to promote their services. The aim of the logo and the website is to provide a simple way of identifying the highest levels of coaching from active paddlers passionate about their sport. Our members are chosen by their peers and the criteria ensures that not only are they L5 coaches, but they are active in their chosen discipline.They provide evidence of this which has to be updated every 2 years to retain membership. This ensures you get the highest quality coaching from active passionate paddlers.
This weekend saw the Palm wagon role to Cardiff in Wales to be part of the CIWW Paddlefest 2010. Palm is one of the official sponsors of the pumped whitewater course.
CIWW
Team Paddlers Rosie Cripps and Nick Horwood led up the Dagger and Palm teams for the Palm 4X Challenge Boater X which saw the Pro’s team up with a Junior, Senior and an experienced Senior in a timed and head to head challenge, it seemed that local knowledge was key to success as Cardiff resident Rosie led Team Dagger to be win the competition. Nick with team Palm came in 5th in an event which was entertaining and inspiring.
Team Dagger winning the Palm 4X Challenge
In the evening the band “The Blims” set the scene for the apres boating and everyone tucked into the BBQ and danced into the evening.
Look forward to next year, hopefully I will have spent enough injury free time to get myself back in my boat by then!
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!
I seriously cannot say enough about the new Amp Vest! I have been paddling with it almost everyday for the past three months and it is without question the best lifejacket I have ever used in 20 years of paddling! It was going to take something pretty special to get me to upgrade from my beloved Mango Axis PFD and the crew at Palm have done it with the Amp. Here’s a little clip I took on the local run here in NZ of my first day in the Amp.
I have also been fortunate enough to see what new bits and pieces are in the pipeline for 2011… Lets just say all you Palm fans out there should start getting pretty excited about what is in store for you next season!
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!
Just got this hot off the wire! This is the profile I shot with NZ Green Room Productions down at Nevis Bluff for New Zealand’s hottest action sports show -- The Red Bull Chronicles. As you can see from the footage when you’re paddling water like this you need full trust in your gear. Needless to say it was a no-brainer to choose the Amp Vest and the Extreme Deck!
Hi Team,
As a prelude to an update coming very soon on our recent adventures in the far North of Norway I thought I would share this video with you. A tour through some of Norway’s well known classics.
Ben
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.
A continuation of Nick’s post below -- I’ve spent the last couple of days going through and editing the footage from our latest mission here in Norway. Enjoy.
Me and Hugh have just over a week left untill the long drive home -- anything could happen… well, anything related to kayaking or driving.
