C1 stern squirt advice/critique

[busterblue]

When I try to stern squirt my Amp C1 I usually fall over. Or I fail to get the stern down very far.

Here are some video clips from last night's pool session:
http://youtu.be/m48dUKQIT_U

Any thoughts or advice?

[Bob P]

Your first few looked pretty good. Later, your body was too rigid. Lean the boat while keeping your weight over the centerline of the boat. That requires more lateral flex (at the waist) that you were showing.

[JimW]

I don't think something that short is going to be particularly stable in a squirt when compared to a slalom boat, but....

Have a think about action and reaction.
To lean forward when not firmly planted on the ground, you also have to move your knees towards your chest.
This introduces an apparent contradiction when controlling a tail squirt, in that to stop the bow coming over the top, you don't want to lean forward because the boat is so free that you end up pulling your knees over the top and bringing the bow with them.
In fact you need stay more straight upright, perhaps even laying your body out on the surface of the water and using your own buoyancy for a bit of extra stability

Also perhaps sounding quite contradictory, I think it's easier to control a tailsquirt in moving water because you get a more positive feel from the jet of water to balance against than you get in still water where the hydrodynamic forces all come from the speed of your turn so as your turn slows you have to balance against.... I hope that makes some kind of sense outside of my head!

[GSG]

Don't want to hijack the thread but is there a video or write-up somewhere how to do a stern squirt in a C1?

I'm specifically curious how you go the opposite way from what he's doing in the video. Do you initiate with a big sweep stroke?

[busterblue]

Thanks for the feeback! I'm going to work on more lateral flexibility and leaning back more.

I would like to eventually be able do something like this guy: http://youtu.be/GXbFlUavc3M But it's harder than I thought!

[sbroam]

I'm more successful when I rotate and look back, watching the paddle pry the stern under water. It's kind of cool to watch it go in. A lot of your squirts look like mine in a short boat - flop over into a screw up or not so high. Getting it just right to bob along with >45 degree bow up angle is hard in a short boat. A long boat like a slalom boat, squashed Slasher or proper squirt boat can be made to just twirl along... Bigger working surface, more stable... I have time for multiple pries, and or slice it into a bow draw - more hang time.

[thomsonbytheriver]

The easiest C1 stern squirts / cartwheels are essentially 'cleaned'. Don't rely too much on the paddle. Consider Jim Snyders concept of 'future water'. You are not so much as affecting a move as moving toward somewhere you want to be. For example; Onside stern squirts, initiate with a forward sweep while dipping your hip and lift the bow with your hips / obliques while moving your upper body around and over toward the bow smash. You should always be a step ahead of your current move. Stay loose.

[busterblue]

I went back to the pool today and had some improvement. The feedback here has been very helpful.

Leaning back has made a big differenence. It saved me from going over backwards. I considered it a "sucessful" attempt if I could get the bow up a little bit and get my back wet.

One fun exercise was to go back and forth from stern draws to stern prys while edging in opposite directions. Gradually, the stern would dig down until I could pop the bow up the a big pry.

Hopefully I'll get to play in some actual current soon.

[Mike W.]

Copy what they guy in the 2nd video is doing. Just use the pry to initiate, then go to draws to sustain & spin.

For off-side, just throw your weight. Dip the on-side stern down & throw your weight to your off-side. You do not use your paddle for this move. It really helps to have an eddy-line for this one & it's pretty tough to sustain.

sbroam is correct, short boats don't have as much tool area & are more difficult.

Either side, I find I'm more stable if I have my head over the side of the boat, in the center of the spin.

[pritch1]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10 ... =2&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not sure if it helps

[busterblue]

Awesome!

[JimW]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10 ... =2&theater

Not sure if it helps

Paddy - I was going to suggest you post that here