Hi,
I always read about improving your skill by doing hard moves on easy water, not paddling harder rivers.
I've done quite some hours of flatwater drills lately, and I definetly can use some more. But flatwater is still flatwater, no current, no eddy, no nothing (not talking about wind).
I've worked out quite a few flatwater drills with gates and manoevres to do and so on.
I'm willing to do the same with a mild current (just current, nearly no eddies or waves or rocks or ... ) - say a class I, and a class II type of river. The only problem is, I have no starting point, I have no idea what to look for when searching a spot. I have not yet a concrete starting point for exercises I can do.
Anyone who has some starting tips for me? Descriptions, drawings, pictures, video, whatever? Maybe some exercises paddling slalom gates or something?
Oh, I'm living in Belgium, so we don't have wide rivers, we only have one class IV river (no intention to run that one!) and not too many slalom gates. So unfortunatly the possibilities are relatively limited.
I know these drills can be boring, but rewarding!
Thanks,
J.
hard moves on easy water
Moderators: kenneth, sbroam, TheKrikkitWars, Mike W., Sir Adam, KNeal, PAC, adamin
Hello,
even if I don`t have a slalomboat I like to try things seen here on a nearby pond:
http://www.slalomtechnique.co.uk/c1technique.php
http://www.daveyhearn.com/Whitewater%20 ... course.htm
Cheers
Frank
even if I don`t have a slalomboat I like to try things seen here on a nearby pond:
http://www.slalomtechnique.co.uk/c1technique.php
http://www.daveyhearn.com/Whitewater%20 ... course.htm
Cheers
Frank
imagine
I don't have a slalom boat either, but try the same thing.
I know both of the links, and used the second one to base my flatwater drills upon.
I extended these 3 exercises -slightly-. I think I have over 10 or 15 figures to paddle now, each with their own focus points, inspired by the mentioned link, kent fortd's dvd's and book, own inspiration, ....
I worked out a schedule adapted to my boat length...
I should digitize all that, one day, but I prefer paddling
.
I think I have more then enough flatwater drills, though I might miss a few nice ones, but I'm looking for moving water drills.
eg:
- what makes ferrying hard on moving water (ok, doing it backwards)
- how can I add an extra challenge to eddy entry, or eddy exit
- what hard moves can be trained on small waves, eddies,
- what exercises can be done to learn to maximize the force of the water when doing a move, ...
- how to think of a hard(er) line on an easy river.
You can all learn that by experience. But it would be nice to focus on these things, do explicit trainings on certain parts and make quick progress.
.
I know both of the links, and used the second one to base my flatwater drills upon.
I extended these 3 exercises -slightly-. I think I have over 10 or 15 figures to paddle now, each with their own focus points, inspired by the mentioned link, kent fortd's dvd's and book, own inspiration, ....
I worked out a schedule adapted to my boat length...
I should digitize all that, one day, but I prefer paddling
.I think I have more then enough flatwater drills, though I might miss a few nice ones, but I'm looking for moving water drills.
eg:
- what makes ferrying hard on moving water (ok, doing it backwards)
- how can I add an extra challenge to eddy entry, or eddy exit
- what hard moves can be trained on small waves, eddies,
- what exercises can be done to learn to maximize the force of the water when doing a move, ...
- how to think of a hard(er) line on an easy river.
You can all learn that by experience. But it would be nice to focus on these things, do explicit trainings on certain parts and make quick progress.
.
For a starting point, simply set up a course, it can be any configuration you like. Now, here are some variations to make it more interesting.
Combine your time through the gates plus the number of strokes for a score. This is particularly good for improving efficiency.
If the course is not too hard, see how good you can do with your eyes closed. This is a good test of your spatial awareness.
Try doing the course backwards.
If you need more ideas, please feel free to ask directly as I do not always monitor the board.
Combine your time through the gates plus the number of strokes for a score. This is particularly good for improving efficiency.
If the course is not too hard, see how good you can do with your eyes closed. This is a good test of your spatial awareness.
Try doing the course backwards.
If you need more ideas, please feel free to ask directly as I do not always monitor the board.
-
John Coraor
- CBoats Addict
- Posts: 545
- Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:38 pm
- Location: Long Island, NY
Re: hard moves on easy water
Another challenge to spice things up is to paddle a series of gates on only one side (no cross strokes); then try it only using cross strokes.
Although there is a lot you can do on flatwater, if you can set gates on moving water, then you have a wider variety of options. As the current gets stronger, it is easier to create difficult offsets and and hard ferries. Current with eddies allows you to practice more realistic WW upstream gates or "dive" gates (a downstream gate placed in an eddy). The more features (e.g. waves, eddies, holes, intersecting current, etc.) there are in your section of practice gates, the more you can learn from courses that require you to interact with these features.
In addition to gate practice, don't forget to take full advantage of the rivers that you do run. Imagine that every eddy has an upstream gate. When you pull into an eddy, look for a point across the river that you can use as a target to ferry to. Play in safe holes. If you take harder routes running easier rivers, you'll develop the skills necessary to make these same moves on harder rivers where they are really necessary.
John
Although there is a lot you can do on flatwater, if you can set gates on moving water, then you have a wider variety of options. As the current gets stronger, it is easier to create difficult offsets and and hard ferries. Current with eddies allows you to practice more realistic WW upstream gates or "dive" gates (a downstream gate placed in an eddy). The more features (e.g. waves, eddies, holes, intersecting current, etc.) there are in your section of practice gates, the more you can learn from courses that require you to interact with these features.
In addition to gate practice, don't forget to take full advantage of the rivers that you do run. Imagine that every eddy has an upstream gate. When you pull into an eddy, look for a point across the river that you can use as a target to ferry to. Play in safe holes. If you take harder routes running easier rivers, you'll develop the skills necessary to make these same moves on harder rivers where they are really necessary.
John
jakke, saw the open boat verbiage at bottom of your post...
one thing i've done on OC1 on flatwater (lake)... is to take front air bag out, and replace with a drybag (gearbag) full of air... you can then do these wild bow moves and pirouettes..rolling is so easy and in slow motion... hard to describe ... you just hook the drybag right in front of the saddle - to the bottom ... i use the airbag tie downs
Frankie Hubbard got me to doing this back in old Ender Contest days.. really helped..and was actually pretty fun
one thing i've done on OC1 on flatwater (lake)... is to take front air bag out, and replace with a drybag (gearbag) full of air... you can then do these wild bow moves and pirouettes..rolling is so easy and in slow motion... hard to describe ... you just hook the drybag right in front of the saddle - to the bottom ... i use the airbag tie downs
Frankie Hubbard got me to doing this back in old Ender Contest days.. really helped..and was actually pretty fun
Hmmm, it all looks pretty straightforward the way you guys mention it. I mean, what to look for, not how to do it.
- reduce paddle strokes
- do moves backward
- eyes closed (like this one!)
- only onside strokes, only offside strokes (looks hard to me)
Setting up gates might be a problem though, unfortunatly.
Maybe a guestion which is just as inspiring: what's important for a nice training spot? A nice current of course, by preference at least 2 eddies, ...
We're talking Belgium, Flanders area. So the best waves I can get is at an old mill or something. We have some better parts, but these are not interesting as a training spot becaus it takes too long to drive there.
As said before, I have worked out a nice setup for flatwater, and I want to work out something like that for moving water as well. Even though I can use some more training on flatwater, especially on my backward paddling and to get the forward-backward movement out of my strokes.
By now I have a pretty confident pool roll (2-3 times I have to give it a second try on 1.30h in the pool, all the others are first time rolls). I hope I can transfer that to a decent whitewater roll, by preference a bomb-proof one.
philcanoe, don't get your point? You're talking rodeo moves with an open canoe or what do you mean?
Thanks for the tips so far anyway! One day, I should drive around looking for a nice spot, and hopefully inspiration comes when paddling there. Just as it did with the flatwater moves.
- reduce paddle strokes
- do moves backward
- eyes closed (like this one!)
- only onside strokes, only offside strokes (looks hard to me)
Setting up gates might be a problem though, unfortunatly.
Maybe a guestion which is just as inspiring: what's important for a nice training spot? A nice current of course, by preference at least 2 eddies, ...
We're talking Belgium, Flanders area. So the best waves I can get is at an old mill or something. We have some better parts, but these are not interesting as a training spot becaus it takes too long to drive there.
As said before, I have worked out a nice setup for flatwater, and I want to work out something like that for moving water as well. Even though I can use some more training on flatwater, especially on my backward paddling and to get the forward-backward movement out of my strokes.
By now I have a pretty confident pool roll (2-3 times I have to give it a second try on 1.30h in the pool, all the others are first time rolls). I hope I can transfer that to a decent whitewater roll, by preference a bomb-proof one
.philcanoe, don't get your point? You're talking rodeo moves with an open canoe or what do you mean?
Thanks for the tips so far anyway! One day, I should drive around looking for a nice spot, and hopefully inspiration comes when paddling there. Just as it did with the flatwater moves.