Three Step Program to Becoming a Better Kayaker

I decided to write this blog because from time to time we get people who come into the Penguin Paddlers stores that want to improve their skills. In order to help guide these people in the right direction I will tell you what worked for me. I am not going to get to specific on techniques because I am not an instructor. We also talk with the self-proclaimed advanced paddler. All I can say to these people  is that being humble is a two fold lesson I learned long ago. There is always something more to learn if your willing too, and it is allot easier to walk without your foot in your mouth.   

Step one is possibly the hardest of the three. Step one is to find someone worth learning from. Unfortunately in the world of kayaking there are allot of self-proclaimed experts out there. The process of sorting through to find someone when you have no way of telling if that person knows what they are doing can be tough.  Because I work at Penguin Paddlers I have been fortunate enough to talk, paddle, and learn from a number of professional paddlers. Generally they are the last ones to tell you how good they really are, making it easy to over look them as a potential coach.  One way to find someone worth learning from would be to go to the P&H kayaks website an look at the pro paddler section. From there you could check out their individual blogs and websites and find other pro paddlers all over the world. If you send some of the pros an email asking about good people to learn from in your area they would generally be happy to help with a few names. By the way, pro paddlers very rarely visit paddler.net.

Step two, paddle up a river. Paddling up river is an excellent way to learn how to really control your kayak. Since you are paddling against the current you will find out really quickly if you have an efficient forward stroke. Another great lesson the river will teach you is how to control your kayak. Three skills you will absolutely need are bow control, edging, and advanced turning.  When you paddle up river you try to paddle in the back eddies as much as you can but there are times that you have to get out in the fast current. Crossing the eddy line is where the three skills come in handy.  As you set up to cross the eddy line you need to get your bow under control and pointed at the correct angle or before you realize what is happening you will be facing down river. Next, as you are crossing the eddy line you will edge your kayak so that the hull is presented to the current. If you do not edge your kayak in a strong current the river will grab your kayak and flip you over. Once you are successfully in the current you need to use a combination of the three in order to navigate in the direction you wish to go. 

Step three is the easiest of all. Get off the couch! Sitting around read about and watching kayaking will only get you so far and the more often you go the quicker your skills will improve.