“Current Concepts”
Copyright 2006 © Danny Stock. All Rights Reserved
Instruction for Whitewater Paddling
Stop here on your way to the river to stock up on the latest in whitewater technique. Find general principles and specific tactics. Catch an interview with top whitewater athletes in both freestyle and slalom. Jumpstart your hobby or hone your skills.
Remember, the instruction you will find presented here is intended to help you get more out of your whitewater experiences. You should not feel restricted or limited by it. It is designed to help you achieve a higher level of control in whitewater. The more in control you are the more fun you can have. You’ll have faster race runs, enjoy more of the river, and put on a better show for the crowd in the eddy.
A. Preparations:
Don’t wait. Now is the time to make your shoulders strong. Dispel the myths about what arm motions you shouldn’t do. Whitewater kayakers need shoulders that remain sturdy in all positions.
Do the Vetruvian Man exercises: slow, controlled movements that last for several minutes, keeping your arms extended straight from your shoulders. Da Vinci did these same exercises while inventing the helicopter! Keep a small level of tension in your shoulder muscles as you continue the following movements.
1. Bring your hands together above your head (palms upwards) so that your body is in a perfect pike position.
2. Drive your arms down in front of you to shoulder level in a controlled chopping motion.
3. Open your arms, moving your palms as far apart as possible (with your palms facing in front of you)
4. Bring your thumbs together above your head.
5. Keeping your thumbs together, bring your arms down to shoulder level again.
6. Return to the starting position. Reverse all the motions. Stretch fully in each direction especially before changes in direction. Repeat these movements for several minutes if possible.
Familiarize your shoulders with every possible position. Don’t let the first time your shoulder moves to an awkward position be in the first rapid of your long-awaited river trip.
B. Heading Out:
I’ve seen them unload an ancient Dagger Blast from a brand new Mini Cooper. I’ve gotten calls at 5 am because it’s been raining all night and the creeks are running. I’ve driven out past bumper-to-bumper as they all try to head in. And I’ve seen them transformed—adults learning to play. I know that it is all thanks to this amazing sport. It is all because of one dynamic feeling that has manifested itself thousands of times in countless forms.
All because the water moves.
C. River Trip:
You’ve secured your spray skirt, and you are about to head downstream. The rapids look tough. You know you’ve got someone along who you trust, but you’d rather rely on yourself. There are a few tricks that beginners and expert paddlers can use – and often forget to use – to gain more control when their skills are tested:
Stroke Placement:
Paddle on the downstream side of waves: 1. When you reach the peak of a wave, the ends of your boat lift out of the water and you are more likely to turn. Paddlers often lose control when the boat turns at the wrong time. By reaching past the peak to begin your stroke on the downstream side of a wave, you will give clear direction to the boat when it is most likely to veer off track. 2. For the duration of this stroke, you will be on the peak of the wave where your visibility of the rapid is best. Strokes on the face of waves are done while your boat sits in the trough: it is difficult to know in which direction to paddle when you have a poor view of the rapid. 3. Finally, the current on the back of waves moves faster downstream than current on the upstream side. You can gain more forward momentum with less effort by doing strokes in faster current…think efficiency and longer river runs.
Boat Edging:
Oversimplified: Keep your boat flat.
Explained: Current moves downstream on constantly changing gradients. Some currents are nearly flat. The current on the back of a wave angles downstream. The current on the front of a wave angles upstream. A boat that sits flat relative to the gradient of the current is least affected by that current. When peeling out of (exiting) an eddy, keeping your boat “flat” means lifting your upstream edge just enough to allow the current to flow under the boat (but not so much that your downstream edge digs in deep). The advanced paddler will often need to lean the boat slightly upstream when paddling across a hole to keep from being pulled into the hole or swept downstream. Getting good with your edges means months of power-flipping. Get rolling.
Body Positioning:
If you’ve ever watched Eric Jackson’s Whitewater Strokes and Concepts or taken a class with me, you know how obsessive we are about “Lead every turn with your head and body.” Whitewater paddling is all about controlling turns. The only time you should be going straight is during a transition from one turn to the next. If you are not making a turn, you are preparing for a turn. Therefore, “Lead every turn with your head and body” really translates to “Always turn your head and body in the direction you want to go.” You turn your head to see where you are going before you get there, and by turning your torso/shoulders, you help your strokes drive you in the right direction – you prevent them from leading you away from your target. As an added bonus, you’ll indicate the direction you are heading to the paddler following you. No surprises means better safety (and not losing your paddling buddy when the river suddenly splits).
D. Back on your home river:
I found a new way to play the river today. I didn’t find a new spot; I understood an old one better. I learned new tactics.
Search every spot for possibilities — read what the water is doing and learn what opportunities it creates. I say, “Look how the water curls around the rocks there and hits the main current from the side, do you think I could use its momentum to get up onto the face of that wave?” I find that I cannot and try to understand why. I fine-tune my ability to read rapids. The next time I arrive at the river with only an hour before dark, I won’t waste time finding where to play.
Understanding the characteristics of moving water is paramount to having control and stability when paddling. The only true way to become acquainted with those characteristics is to experiment with every available piece of moving water. Try everything and read the results
