Forward Lean

The number one mistake that I see kayakers make when paddling in dynamic water is leaning back.

It is a natural reaction to lean back when you are dropping in on a wave or hitting whitewater.  Leaning forward seems counter intuitive but training your body to do it will improve your paddling skills in dynamic water - rock gardens, surf, whitewater, and tide races.

Leaning is the simplest way to explain it but technically we are hinging at the hips to keep our core muscles and legs engaged - similar to the "ready position" in other sports.  Look at the body position of Liquid Fusion Kayaking's Jeff Laxier on this rock garden feature on the Mendocino Coast.

Liquid Fusion Kayaking's Jeff Laxier shows good posture riding this rock garden feature on the Mendocino Coast.  He is in a position of power to boof over the hydraulic on the backside of this pour-over. Leaning back here would land him in the hydraulic and potentially expose him to injury.

Leaning forward is an effective way to 

• maintain stability

• be ready for the next hit, drop, or stroke

• prevent injuries

There are times when the force of the water or the verticality of the drop tries to push you back.  Watch top paddlers - they anticipate those forces and lean forward.

Dave Fusilli takes his whitewater skills to the sea.  Here he uses good posture and timing to get a sea boof on this pour-over.

Check out this Posture and Trim Video from Christopher Lockyer of Committed to the Core

Lessons Learend - Trim and posture from Christopher Lockyer on Vimeo.

Here are Christopher's Keys to Posture -

• Try and sit up tall when performing forward paddling 
• When in bumpy water - try and change your posture to a slight forward lean
• Work on bracing and recovery stokes in your forward posture
• When working on rolling - practice your forward finishing roll
• Posture is key to overall body health. Back fatigue can be a result of weakness in your core

Homework - 

• Be mindful of your posture in your everyday paddling.  Have a coach or friend video your paddling.  In particular when reverse paddling, stopping, or riding a drop.  

• When paddling in dynamic water - whitewater, surf, rock gardens, tide races - be especially mindful that you are leaning forward and not allowing the water or your fear to put you in the back seat (leaning back).

• My simple trick is to focus on contracting abdominal muscles when dropping in on a wave, riding a pour-over, or boofing a hole on the river..  Check out these tips for reverse paddling.

• Perfect practice makes perfect.

Especially when running large drops, hinge at the hips to keep your weight forward or centered.
Liquid Fusion Kayaking's Cate Hawthorne keeps her weight centered to ride this rock garden drop on the Mendocino Coast
Photo by Jeff Laxier

Note:  I try to keep my tips and tricks as simple as possible.  I can support my instruction with more of the why (technical details about bio-mechanics and physics) but find it is more effective for students and instructors to keep it as simple as possible.

Vertical Forward Stroke

GET VERTICAL!

Improve your sea kayak rock garden and whitewater kayak skills by perfecting your vertical paddle stroke.

A well timed vertical paddle stroke will boof you over hydraulics/holes on both the river and the sea.  Boofing is super fun and helps prevent you from getting sucked back over pour-overs and getting trashed in a hydraulic.  It is kind of like bunny hopping over an obstacle on a bicycle.  One of the main components of an effective sea boof is a vertical paddle stroke.

Cate Hawthorne using a vertical forward stroke to sea boof a rock garden feature on the Mendocino Coast of California.
Photo by Deb Volturno

A vertical paddle stroke will also help propel you along through tight narrow spaces like slots and sea caves.

Sea kayaking through a narrow slot into a Mendocino sea cave.

Flat water is the best place to practice and perfect your vertical paddle stroke.  One of my favorite tips for getting the paddle vertical is to focus on stacking my hands.  Pretend that you are using a single bladed paddle (canoe or SUP paddle).   Align your top hand over your bottom hand so that your hands are stacked and your paddle shaft is vertical.

For a vertical forward stroke, practice stacking your hands.

Another common tip that instructors will use is "helmet hand."  While doing your forward stroke, pretend that the back of your top hand is glued to your helmet (or forehead).

Practice vertical paddle strokes as much as possible so that they become automatic in your muscle memory.  Once you have a powerful vertical paddle stroke, you can work on the blade placement and timing for sea boofs.

Liquid Fusion Kayaking's Jeff Laxier is the sea boof master.