New Site Address

We have moved our website from this location (whitewaterinstruction.wordpress.com) over to Whitewaterinstruction.com. It’s the same content and all of the old posts are there, just a new layout. Be sure to update your RSS readers and bookmarks. Let us know what you think.
Thanks!
Whitewaterinstruction crew

Slides

No matter how you cut it, slides are tons of fun. There are all types of slides, and while some are big and scary, many are not. Regardless of whether you are having a blast on some mellow slides or trying to set a world speed record on something large there are a few techniques which will help you ensure success. Watch below as Shane helps us out with some basic slide technique:

Keep your hips loose and your weight centered over your boat. Just like riding a snowboard or any other board sport for that matter, the last thing you want to do is get sideways and catch an edge. Just focus on looking where you want to go and setting your angle at the top. Lots of times there are curlers and other features you may have to deal with on the way down, so be sure to plan ahead for those. Typically, if the curler is parallel to your boat, you want to give a slight lean into it so you don’t get flipped. Don’t lean too much though to keep your balance.  Sometimes you are more perpendicular to the curler or at an oblique angle to it.  To make sure you punch through it, take a stroke on the side opposite to the curler’s direction so you don’t get tossed to the side. 

Notice the paddler (who has a broken right paddle blade!) doesn’t take a stroke to counteract this little curler coming from left to right.

You can see in this photo where he wound up.  If he had taken that right stroke to counteract the curler’s rightward momentum he would have gone straight through it instead of being pushed right.

Kayaking, Back Pain, and Outfitting

We caught up with Doctor David Lorczak to discuss the benefits of proper outfitting and posture to promote a long and healthy kayaking career. In Dr. Lorczak’s opinion the advancements in the Bad-Ass outfitting allows the kayaker to maintain better posture while allowing slight movement of the lower torso. This movement is key to maintaining a healthy spine in a sport that is brutal to that area of the body. Have a listen to Dr.Lorczak as he explains the relationship between proper posture, good outfitting, and a healthy spine.

The Big One

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are paddling, there will always be those rapids with the power to make you shutter at the mere thought of running them.  Some of them will remain that way, but as your experience and talent progress you will slowly start tickin’ em off the checklist.  Fear is often what keeps you from running the rapid in the first place, and eventually what can guide you down safely to the bottom.  Check it out as Shane gives a few pointers on how to conquer your nemesis.  

 

 

Fear probably has your back more than anything else on the river.  It is often the voice of reason and can prevent you from getting hurt and making lots of bad decisions.  However, one of the greatest things about our sport is that it gives you excellent practice in dealing with fear and learning how to control it.  It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner sitting above Grumpy’s on the Ocoee for the first time or a seasoned veteran about to put on the Linville Gorge at high water, fear will be there.  The key to using it to your advantage is to be confident in your skills and decision making abilities, so when you’re skeered you can tell your brain “It’s cool, shut up, I’ve got this.”

First things first, be safe.  Make sure your buddies have your back and you have strategically placed ropes and rescuers where they need to be.  You can never be too safe on the river.  Along with this, know your skill level and don’t run something just because you saw someone else do it!  Too many people get in over their heads, and while they may make it most of the time this technique isn’t very sustainable.

Another tip is to have a solid routine you go through above a big rapid.  We are creatures of habit.  Just like you wake up, drink coffee, brush your teeth, etc. every morning, employ that tactic in your river running adventures too.  This will help make you more comfortable, gar-on-teed.  

Be sure to visualize what you want to do.  Run the rapid in your mind over and over, concentrating on good lines (not bad ones!).  You may have to do this for months or years before you actually run the rapid, but the point is familiarize yourself as much as possible so that when you are in the midst of it you can remain calm.  I get cold sweats and quite an adrenaline rush thinking about running Gorilla at 200% just about any time I think about it.  

So, get out there, get scared, and learn how to get over it!  Not to say everyone enjoys pushing their limits, but it doesn’t hurt to push just a little bit every once in a while.  Have fun, be smart, and as always, be safe.

The Seal Launch

The seal launch is one of those skills that you probably never practice but is essential to know.  

Don’t be affraid to use your hand to push off the rock. Some times you are launching from a standstill and it is good to incorporate a little rotation into your launch so you don’t drop on your head. You’ll notice in the video that this is one such launch.  When you do push off the lip, pick up with your knees and keep your weight centered.  Leaning onto the back deck almost always results in a faceplant.

 

 

Usually you are seal launching into flat, green water. It’s a good idea to try and drop your bow a little bit so you hit the water at more of a 45 degree angle instead of dead flat. Dead flat often results in sore body parts.  This isn’t really an issue with launching from a standstill.

There are hundreds of different seal launches out there and each one really requires its own special technique. Some are into flat water, some are into rapids, some are fast, and some are really slow. It’s a great skill to have and you can almost always find somewhere on your local run to practice.  Practice and experience are the best way to figure out how to consistently stick a seal launch, so get out there and launch yourself, but be safe!