C-Forum

If your onside is on the upstream side when your side surfing.... what is a better technique to use...

Upstream low brace on the green of the hole? or Twist body and do a off-side high brace?

I always seem to lose it when I low brace upstream side. But word on the street is...thats a preferred technique.

I got stuck in a big hole comin through a gnarly drop with my onside upstream...and just instinctively turned my shoulders parallel with the boat(facing downstream) and threw a off-side high brace. This put in me a dog fight with the hole, but I was able to hold my ground and not flip with that offside brace. Kicker is....that was the first time I ever hit a offside surf without flippin. So now its a go to move.

Should I switch to the upstream low brace? Would it be easier to pull off if I just got the feel for it?


BTW... I could feel my shoulder bouncin around in my socket borderline popping out on my top arm with that high brace. it might have just been that the hole was that powerful i dunno

if your paddle gets caught on the upsteam side you are going over!try to j lean a lot and just have your downstream brace as a back up. don't put all your weight on it. best to use your knees and hips more than the paddle.

I prefer an Offside High Brace, just keep it in close to the boat, stay inside the box and rely more on your J-Lean than the paddle to protect your shoulders.

I agree with offside high brace, keep it close, but drive deep down thru the foam pile into the green beneath. I was shown that move by a C-1er too early in my career after he watched my window shading. I soon got a roll but forgot the move till later a playboat instructor reintroduced it along with a reverse stern pry. Much rolling later I'm kinda getting to like it. Keep an eye out for the shoulder socket though.

My preferred technique involves the "American Crawl" alternating with the sidestroke, but frequently devolving into a dog paddle or back float.

horizongfx wrote:I prefer an Offside High Brace, just keep it in close to the boat, stay inside the box and rely more on your J-Lean than the paddle to protect your shoulders.

Box? J-lean? Please explain!!

Todhunter wrote:

horizongfx wrote:I prefer an Offside High Brace, just keep it in close to the boat, stay inside the box and rely more on your J-Lean than the paddle to protect your shoulders.

Box? J-lean? Please explain!!

http://www.ehow.com/video_2350547_paddl ... oeing.html

j lean is healing the boat over on edge with your head in the center still. think of hole riding with your on side downstream. if you get your paddle out of the water and use your body to maintain the boat that is a j lean. if you aren't relying on your paddle for balance you can use it for other stuff, i.e. powering out of the hole, spinning, whatever. if your body isn't in the center of the boat you will be balancing on your blade and be effectively stuck until the river spits you out.
same thing with your on side upstream, but a lot more vulnerable, at least for me. you don't need your paddle for balance, in this situation. keep your upstream gunwale out of the water and use your paddle to move you around not keep you upright.

kent ford's solo playboating has a good bit on the j-lean.

http://www.performancevideo.com/solo_playboating

J lean is a bit more difficult when getting thrashed...

I couldn't make up my mind, so I compromised on an air brace...

if you are getting trashed, you didn't j lean!

Ok I want to see this perfect Jlean in a steep pour over or a big bouncy hole getting worked. Getting worked is not due to improper J lean its cause you screwed up the line.

Yeah boat lean is important but in alot of holes it is impossible to just use lean alone to keep your balance. Yeah you should try not to put all your weight on the paddle, but for instance in a sttep pourover you have to lean way downstream to not get window shaded that it is pretty hard to acomplish without using your paddle. A good forward stroke is an effective brace so you are helping keep yourself up right and maybe work towards the corner of the hole. It is good practice to work on your lean in smaller holes while surfing and find the right balance point and such but in a less controlled enviroment i.e. new creek I think it is hard to have "perfect" J lean for every hole you get surfed in so the ability to use your paddle to help stay upright and get out of the hole is important in combination with proper lean.

Also if you do flip you can reach down with your paddle and try to catch the downstream greanwater with your blade while upside down actually one of the advantages of paddling a cboat.

The offside brace is definitely better, but if you just hold the brace you're definitely risking a dislocation. Personally, i was taught a little c-stroke, you hold the brace and then do sort of a sweeping draw/forward stroke (it forms a c when you do it). So you still have the brace, but you're also working to get out of the hole at the same time. Every time I've tried an upstream brace I've flipped right away.

if you screw up your line and your edge control you are going to get worked in a steep hole! i'm no expert but if i don't have good edge control in an off side hole, i'm going in, on my off side! good thing that event usually makes me flush out of the hole!
typically if i find myself in that position the above mentioned air brace is just as effective!