High-Brace offside Recovery (or the elusive righting pry?)

FullGnarlzOC · Post by **FullGnarlzOC** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 6:45 pm

If you start to flip to ur offside...you are pretty much screwed...like ppl said there are things you can try to do... like a cross forward sweep - this works on boats like the prelude and maxim, that dont have initial stability, and the secondary is pretty much on its side... so as you start flipping, a cross sweep can be done before it gets to secondary, and you can just use ur stroke and hips to get back to neutral.

But for the most part... if ur just gonna flip, i dont care wut ppl say. A righting pry can work, but good luck getting that instinctual and timed right.

Instead when a kayaker ask "what do you do for an off-side brace?"

Just look at them and smile. and paddle away feeling like a badarss.

avlclimber · Post by **avlclimber** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:18 pm

So I've been thinking about this one for a while and trying some of these techniques sound like a good exercise. basically, all I've got is a massive highbrace/airbrace, which makes you feel super cool when you pull it off.

When it falls short, it makes for a dramatic entry into the water, and gives you a good view of the bottom of your boat.

I have started doing a lot of in-water recoveries and blending strokes together so my paddle is often prepared for a low/high brace/correction/forward stroke. Having a blade in the water definitely adds to stability and decreases reaction time. Where does this fall on the good idea/bad idea spectrum?

Also, I could have sworn I have seen in paddling videos a successful off-side brace that looks like the low brace "water slap" so prominent in Wes Gentry's Green footage ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWnN3gHgBKg )

Am I making this up or can anyone else pull up footage where this was performed off-side? I was unable to find it after perusing a couple of videos.
I don't know how you recover from the "off-side slap" if it exists.

Hmmm...

Bob P · Post by **Bob P** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:03 pm

I've never seen the "offside slap" in a video either, but I've used in in my C1 a fair amount. I sit too low in my OC for it to work very well - I'm not that flexible anymore. And, I remember that it caused a lot of pain in my arthritic power shoulder. But that's a whole 'nuther subject.

I think throwing the body around against the boat's rotation has a lot to do with any success in the technique. You really have to be fast.

*Found one from my capture of the BBC's '89 Worlds.

You tube vid

FullGnarlzOC · Post by **FullGnarlzOC** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 10:55 pm

If you are ever looking for a way to dislocated ur shoulder... You can run into a wall. or you can try an 'offside slap' in the sht. I promise either one of thoe will most likely result in a shoulder dislocation.

Better idea is to forward cross sweep. shoulder isn't as susceptible, and you are propelling the boat forward, which often rights the boat back to neutral.

The only 'offside slap' you could possibly do...is in shallow water, when you are already flipping to ur offside... by applying slow, but steady pressure, you can hipsnap urself back up by pushing off the ground in a 'cross low brace'... this works when you can't get underneath your boat to get to ur onside... I just dont recommend it. A swim is not near as bad as dislocating ones shoulder, which is one of the worst paddling injuries you can get.

FullGnarlzOC · Post by **FullGnarlzOC** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 11:09 pm

avl - your right when you speak of in-water recoverys, and keeping ur paddle in the water as much as you can. That is often the best way to counter 'offside' surprises.

Jim Michaud · Post by **Jim Michaud** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:18 am

I try to avoid an offside flip by shifting my butt an inch or two towards my paddle side when going through the big stuff. At this time I'm usually paddling pretty hard so my forward strokes keep me from falling over toward my onside. If I do start to flip to my offside I instinctively go for an onside high air brace and hope for the best.

So far I haven't flipped yet this year so it I might be doing something right.

xmas0c1c1k1 · Post by **xmas0c1c1k1** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:25 am

If you watch enough slalom videos you will see offside braces and rolls.

http://vimeo.com/4054978

Around 2:47 you see one offside technique which is to just commit to the backdeck roll
After that the guy rolls on his offside
There are ways to brace on your offside some people are flexible enough to brace well over there I have never really figured it out and frankly am a bit scared for the shoulders
The righting pry works but is rarely the first thought
From my experience I use a couple things
1. "The tomahawk chop" this is just commiting to roll and throwing your body around often accompanied by a big chop as your going over the bigger the chop the better as everyone loves to see a good offside flip
2. If in shallow water take hand off T grip and push of bottom of river You can also use your bottom hand to knuckle drag and push off usually will bust knuckles but it works
3. Offside forward stroke it is amazing how well this works
4. Onside forward stroke or big draw not 100% but will work sometimes and can sometimes slow the flip if you are in a bad spot
5. Favor onside this does not promote very good technique but if there is a rapid that you really don't want to flip offside on you can learn to favor your onside edge so you have a bomber brace

Acosi151 · Post by **Acosi151** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:05 am

Bob P wrote:
*Found one from my capture of the BBC's '89 Worlds.

You tube vid

WOW.. OK.. IT EXISTS! much different in practice from how I would have imagined it. I would describe what I see in this video as sort of a cross-deck low brace?

While it doesn't get a lot of extension perpendicular to the keel and is probably kind of weak as a result, it also doesn't have the instant shoulder destruction look...

MUCHO KUDOS FOR FINDING (presumably digitizing) AND POSTING! Thanks.

marclamenace · Post by **marclamenace** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:48 am

Bob p: that was one jaw-breaking badarsed reply.

guess acosi has got something to practice on now

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:57 am

xmas0c1c1k1 wrote:If you watch enough slalom videos you will see offside braces and rolls

Watching slalom videos is sooo depressing...

... it always makes me painfully aware of how deficient my paddling technique is...

TGG!

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:53 pm

From a recent Lower Columbia Canoe Club newsletter comes this advice on preventing capsizes to your offside:

Mastering the Air Brace

The air brace is one of the most difficult of strokes to master in canoeing. In fact, it's so difficult, you will rarely see it taught in even advanced whitewater canoeing courses, much less mentioned in canoeing instruction texts. Some great paddlers in our club have been known to use it to great effect, but it's generally not a stroke they share with up and coming paddlers. A paddler I have the utmost respect for has been known to effectively "grab air" in must-make situations (a recent video of a tandem Clackamas run of Toilet Bowl shows his finesse with the stroke). Though this paddler has taught me much over the years, he has never pulled me aside and provided the instruction that would bring me into the inner sanctum of those elite paddlers who can use and read air as gracefully as they use and read the water. Nevertheless, from watching some of the most skilled air brace practitioners on the river and in videos, I too have learned the stroke and can be seen in the same video, same rapid, displaying my own mastery of it. Probably the high priestess of the air brace is my own wife who used to perform its most difficult variation, the cross air brace, until Bob Foote spoiled everything and taught her the low brace. Still, in videos of the old days, you can see this expert paddler cross, extend and grab serious air, righting her canoe.

The air brace is a stroke that when executed properly can prevent a capsize in a perilous rapid and enable a paddler to paddle on and swim another day. Though I can't begin to hope in a few short paragraphs of text to teach you the fine points of how to grab air and stay upright (what folly to think anyone could!), I do think I can provide some fundamentals that will help you perfect your own execution of this often derided, but truly effective part of a paddler's arsenal.

The first thing to know is when to use the air brace. This is not a stroke to employ when going over on your onside. For that situation, we have been given the very effective, very reliable low brace (in an upcoming article, I will discuss the finer points of running a river without any other stroke than the low brace – the "riding a brace" technique used by top paddlers worldwide). I also don't recommend – except for the most expert of paddlers – using an air brace when getting sidesurfed in a hole. True, it can be quite entertaining for those watching in a nearby eddy to watch you wave your paddle upwards in the sky as you are repeatedly window-shaded, but this is not a situation for an amateur to be trying such an advanced stroke.

The best time to use an air brace is when you're capsizing to your offside. For instance, say you've been upset by a tricky boil or hit hard sideways by a diagonal wave and instead of leaning into the wave (shame on you for forgetting that), you lean away and the wave starts to roll your boat. Now is the time to remember "CPR" (catch, power, recovery – the basic components of most common canoe strokes) and apply them to the air brace. For the catch phase, you will want to reach for the air with your paddle and cock your body in a C-curve (a more powerful, exaggerated version of the J-lean, to get your nose back over navel. Your paddle blade should a 45-degree angle to the water's surface. At this point, I should mention that a spoon-shaped blade paddle is often your most effective tool for a powerful air brace as it is noticeably better at making solid purchase in the air (cupping it, if you well) and leveraging the air's natural resistance throughout the length and width of your blade's power face. It's also important to note that you should be maintaining the paddler's box. Your elbows should be in front of you and should not extend above your shoulders. Break this rule, and, particularly in high humidity situations where the air can provide substantial resistance as you begin the power phase of the stroke, you could experience a painful shoulder dislocation. (Note: This also holds true for those who frequently rely on the air brace while surfing – keep those elbows below the shoulders!)

Now is the time to apply power (we'll save discussion of the static air brace for another issue). Like many canoe strokes, the power in this stroke comes a lot from the snap of your hips. If you have performed the catch phase properly and your nose is fully over navel, you have now stopped the boat's tipping motion and are ready to bring it back under control. To do this, simultaneously uncock your upper body while powerfully pulling your paddle blade down toward the water to use the air's resistance to its maximum effect. At the same time, perform your hip snap to regain control of your boat. Many will find the timing of this difficult since all three key actions must be executed at the exact same time, but with practice, it is possible to coordinate these actions and perform them as a single motion. Some have compared the air brace's power phase to the high brace canoe roll. True, it is an admittedly similar sequence of actions. Nonetheless, by those who can do both, the high brace roll is considered far easier to perform.

Now we enter the recovery phase. Many will go right from air brace to low brace, feeling the need for some extra stability after such a powerful stroke. I myself like to feather the blade in the air, doing a swooping "J" motion. This allows me to slice through the air and quickly position my paddle for a fast forward stroke that will help me get the hades out of whatever water feature grabbed and tipped my boat in the first place.

I should point out that the air brace is most effective on high humidity days. The water content of the air provides better resistance during the catch and power phase. It's for this reason I always check the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website for the weather report detailing relative humidity before going out and paddling. In fact, this site provides a helpful hourly weather graph for the day so you see a humidity forecast for the exact hours you anticipate being on the river. A relative humidity of 70% or higher is ideal for execution of this stroke. Obviously, those paddlers living in the Southern states, particularly Virginia, North and South Carolina, etc., have a distinct advantage here during their hot muggy summers. (It's no wonder the Nantahala Outdoor Center is located in NC.) Those in Arizona never even attempt this stroke. Nor is it effective in high-elevation, thin-air locations. This is why you'll never see a paddler from say, Colorado, having any experience with this stroke. To them, it is a true mystery move.

In this article, I have tried my best to lay down the basics of the air brace and impart to you some sense of its beauty, complexity and effectiveness. In closing, I would recommend a staged approach to perfecting your use of the air brace. One effective drill is to find a suitable wave train and ride its length grabbing the air with your paddle the entire way down. While doing this, try to get a feel for a firm catch. It's often helpful after you have reached for the sky to pause for an instant before initiating the power phase. This gives your paddle more bite and lessens that ineffective whooshing sound you hear when the paddle fails to get enough air and leaves you tumbling over on your offside like a man falling back on a ladder reaching helplessly for a gutter that is now out of reach.

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:19 pm

markzak · Post by **markzak** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:05 pm

The offside brace in my opinion is a waste of a stroke unless you are already on your offside, in which case I have successfully thrown an offside low brace before.

99% percent of the time if I'm flipping to my offside I either: (1) paddle forward hard hoping speed with get me through the funny water that is trying to flip me (2) onside draw hard... reach out and pull towards your boat, it will cause your hips to snap and pull the offside back up, or (3) pull of a righting pry. Usually the righting pry just happens because my paddle is already in the position to do it.

I have had great success in scary places using the draw, pry and just paddle mantra. I avoid cross-bracing or cross-pry/draws at all costs, because ANY brace on-side, offside, draw, pry, is not moving your boat forward and through the squirly water, you're just holding on for dear life. Your best bet is always to paddle harder and try to move faster than the water.

philcanoe · Post by **philcanoe** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:53 pm

I starting to see why so many here

have such self-described weak offsides....

take one part fear... mix with one part avoidance... dash liberally with performance anxiety and self doubt.... and there you have it... nothing much more than an offside forward stroke. Just because your offside has never been developed, doesn't been that others haven't, or that you can't still.

Tommy - As long as you stay in the box, with hands and elbows kept down, then it's not that dangerous for your shoulders.

bearboater · Post by **bearboater** » Wed Apr 27, 2011 1:09 am

[quote="Bob P"]I've never seen the "offside slap" in a video either, but I've used in in my C1 a fair amount. I sit too low in my OC for it to work very well - I'm not that flexible anymore. And, I remember that it caused a lot of pain in my arthritic power shoulder. But that's a whole 'nuther subject.

I think throwing the body around against the boat's rotation has a lot to do with any success in the technique. You really have to be fast.

*Found one from my capture of the BBC's '89 Worlds.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3sHiZUsnr4]You tube vid[/url][/quote]
what an awesome race, I would love a fully digitized copy if you have them. :lol: or are willing to make them.

the offside thing works for me at least, don't slap, shallow water sounds like the worst idea in this instance. that sounds like a sure fire way to increase shoulder issues. I've found it's more about sculling, basically anyway to get blade pressure. the forward stroke works, but play around with it, and see what you can do. I've never really gone out and said to my self "today I am going to learn how to do the most effective offside brace. ever." I've gotten fairly good at the whole righting pry thing, which in itself is interesting. in deep water, i find it not too bad to get my self saved on the offside my sculling. For a while I got into the bad habit of letting go of the top hand and submerging it if it was that extreme, but for the most part, it's as always all about the hip snap... in my opinion at least.